Our Top Xmas Reads for Primary-Age Children.

Introduction

We’ve blogged before about how important reading is, not just to a child’s future academic success, but to their lifetime happiness, and with Christmas fast approaching with though parents might appreciate some ideas for Christmas books that children would like to find in their stockings! We’ve ordered them by age, but as we’re sure you’re aware, children love to share books with an adult, so don’t be put off buying an ‘older’ book for them if you think they’ll enjoy it – it’s just another opportunity to snuggle up together and bond over a great book!

Ages 0-5 (EYFS)

• A Thing Called Snow by Yuval Zommer. When winter comes, best friends Fox and Hare can’t wait to jump, leap and, bounce in this thing called snow. But what exactly is snow?

• The Christmas Unicorn by Anna Currey. Christmas is only days away when Milly meets a unicorn. He patters softly into Grandpa’s house on a snowy night and suddenly Milly’s world is filled with magic, friendship, and the happiness she has been hoping for.

• A Christmas Story by Brian Wildsmith. The story of the Nativity is made truly magical in the masterful hands of the acclaimed picture book writer, Brian Wildsmith.

• A Dot in the Snow by Corrinne Averiss. A little polar bear, Miki, wanders away while his mother is diving for fish. He sees a dot in the snow and rushes towards it. Readers discover that the dot is a little girl. But Miki has never seen a human before and the little girl has never seen a polar bear. They discover more about each other as they play in the snow but then the perils of the polar landscape impel Miki to take the little girl home before undertaking the long journey to find his own mother.

• Stick Man by Julia Donaldson. "Stick Man lives in the family tree with his Stick Lady Love and their stick children three." But it's dangerous being a Stick Man. A dog wants to play with him, a swan builds her nest with him. He even ends up on a fire!

• Mog’s Christmas by Judith Kerr. The house is full of strange bustling, there are new noises and new smells, and where is that tree going? Disconcerted by all the unusual activities, Mog escapes to the roof, and there she stays…until, unexpectedly, she returns with a bump!

Ages 5-7

• The Nutcracker: A Papercut Pop-Up Book by Shobhna Patel. Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet receives a breath-taking retelling in this enchanting book featuring a new pop-up technique invented by the author that is called paperscope. As Clara’s nutcracker toy takes her on a magical midnight journey, through a world of dancing candy canes and mouse soldiers, each chapter is punctuated by a intricate laser-cut illustration which you reveal by pushing down on the top of the page, acting like a stage set.

• Santa Gets a Second Job by Michele D'Ignazio. Times are tough for Santa. He's tightened his belt, made the reindeer redundant and now it's time to get a second job.

• Winnie and Wilbur: The Santa Surprise by Laura Owen. As they get ready for Christmas Winnie and Wilbur go on an epic quest to make sure Santa gets a present, too.

• The Truth Pixie by Matt Haig. Wherever she is, whatever the day, She only has one kind of thing to say. Just as cats go miaow and cows go moo, The Truth Pixie can only say things that are true.

• Santa Claude by Alex T. Smith. Claude and Sir Bobblysock think they've caught a burglar coming down the chimney on Christmas Eve. They clap on the handcuffs and turn on the lights. Oh no! It isn't a burglar - it's none other than Santa Claus himself! Now the key for the handcuffs is lost and it's up to our two heroes to deliver all the presents before midnight ...

Ages 8-12

• The Miracle on Ebenezer Street by Catherine Doyle. 'Old Marley's magic was beginning to stir...' George is about to spend his third Christmas without his mum. Since she died, George's life has felt dull and grey; his dad has thrown himself into his work and has no time for family, and definitely no time for Christmas. This is a lovely re-imagining of A Christmas Carol.

• The Snowman by Micheal Morpurgo. Of course, the original tale is by Raymond Briggs, but Micheal Morpurgo has created a wonderful reimagining which is great for slightly older children – we love it.

• Father Christmas and Me by Matt Haig. Amelia lives in the magical town of Elfhelm, newly adopted by Father Christmas and Mary Christmas. When the very jealous Easter Bunny launches an attack to ruin Christmas, it's up to Amelia, her family, and the elves to fight off the forces of evil.

We’d love to hear about your favourite Christmas reads let us know what they are in the comments below!