The 12 Books of Christmas Challenge and the 20 Books of Christmas Reading Challenge: Christmas Book-a-Day Advent Calendar

I am joining the 12 Books of Christmas Challenge this year, hosted by Katie at Just Another Girl and Her Books.

The Rules

This is supposed to be a fun, stress-reducing challenge, so the rules will be minimal.

1. Tell everybody about the 12 Books of Christmas challenge (#12BooksOfXmas). 
2. Build a blog post or create a Goodreads shelf of the books you intend to read for the challenge (you can see the host's list here). You can absolutely read outside your list, if the desire strikes; this is just a starting point. Then come back and add your name to the linkup. (Be sure to visit the other participants to see what they plan on reading.) Bloggers, please link back so that others can find the challenge as well should they wish to participate. 
3. Reviews must be posted between November 24th and December 24th. The review linkup will open on November 24th. Be sure to bookmark this page so you can come back and add your reviews!
4. Any winter holiday themed books count (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.) You can check out the books we read in 2017 by clicking here, 2018 by clicking here, 2020 by clicking here and 2022 didn't have any reviews linked because even the host failed on that score.
5. There are four achievement levels for this challenge, so read as few or as many books as you want.
6. Have fun!

This also qualifies for the 20 Books of Christmas Reading Challenge. It's hosted by Jodie at The Happy Reader.

Here is what Jodie shares about it:

• Just choose 20, 15, 10 or even 5 books that you’d like to read (and hopefully review). They do not have to be Christmas-themed.
• Make a quick introductory post telling us what you are going to read. You’re welcome to use this image, the alternative I’ve posted below or one of your own.
• Link back to this post and comment below so I know who is joining in. You do not need to have a blog to participate.

This challenge is intended to be very relaxed:

• Want to swap a book? Go for it.
• Fancy changing your list half way through? No problem.
• Deciding to drop your goal from 15 to 10 (or even 5)? I am fine with that.
• Would you rather start in October or November? I’m fine with that too!

I plan to read twenty-four Christmas-themed picture books this year. 

 

My plan is to read a picture book every day in December until Christmas. Then I hope to choose my favorite twelve books to recommend to others for holiday reading. Here's what I plan to read.

The Nights Before Christmas 

Words and pictures by Tony Ross

Fully illustrated in color throughout by acclaimed illustrator Tony Ross, The Nights Before Christmas has 24 classic festive tales, songs and stories to read throughout Advent. There are festive extracts from much-loved books including A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame; yuletide poems ('A Visit from St. Nicholas') and carols ('Good King Wenceslas'), together with traditional tales from Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm.

The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story

Words by Gloria Houston

Pictures by Barbara Cooney

This unforgettable tale, illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Barbara Cooney, has become a seasonal classic-a touching and joyful story about courage and the power of family.

Stick Man

Words by Julia Donaldson

Pictures by Axel Scheppler

Stick Man lives in the family tree.

With his Stick Lady Love and their stick children three.

But one day, Stick Man is carried off by a mischievous dog who wants to play fetch! Things go from bad to worse as Stick Man finds himself farther and farther from home. Lonely and lost, Stick Man desperately wants to be home with his family for Christmas. And when he helps Santa Claus out of a bind, he finds the perfect ticket home!

Tree of Cranes

Words and pictures by Allen Say

As a young Japanese boy recovers from a bad chill, his mother busily folds origami paper into delicate silver cranes in preparation for the boy's very first Christmas.

The Story of Holly & Ivy

Words by Rumer Godden

Pictures by Barbara Cooney

Ivy, Holly, and Mr. and Mrs. Jones all have one Christmas wish. Ivy, an orphan, wishes for a real home and sets out in search of the grandmother she's sure she can find. Holly, a doll, wishes for a child to bring her to life. And the Joneses wish more than anything for a son or daughter to share their holiday. Can all three wishes come true? This festive tale is perfectly complemented by beloved Barbara Cooney's luminous illustrations, filled with the warm glow of the Christmas spirit.

The Best Christmas Ever

Words and pictures by Chih-Yuan Chen

Christmas at the Bear family household is slim this year, but Mother Bear and Father Bear create holiday spirit by adorning their home with decorations sewn from outgrown clothes and a tree assembled from gathered branches dusted with flour. Little Bear worries whether Santa will come and ultimately proves to be the most resourceful to ensure that gifts are under the tree. On Christmas day everyone has a present—a mended kite for Brother; a once-missing umbrella for Sister; a favorite old hat for Father; and, for Mother, a long-lost button that has been conspicuously missing from her red dress. This charming tale demonstrates that even the smallest person can give big gifts, requiring only love and ingenuity.

Christmas in the Trenches

Words by John McCutcheon

Pictures by Henri Sorenson

It is cold and clear on Christmas Eve night in 1914. Suddenly, a strange sound pierces the darkness. Someone is singing a Christmas carol in German.

Francis Tolliver and his fellow British soldiers are holed up in muddy trenches along the Western Front. Their enemies—German soldiers—lie in wait just across a field known as "No Man's Land." As the Germans' carol ends, Tolliver and the other British soldiers sing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." Soon carols are being sung back and forth. Then a figure emerges in the dark, carrying a small Christmas tree with lighted candles. The British and German soldiers slowly leave their trenches—and the war—behind to stand together in the open field.

The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll

Words by Patricia C. McKissick

Pictures by Jerry Pinkney

Christmas always comes to Nella’s house, but Santa Claus brings gifts only once in a while. That’s because it’s the Depression and Nella’s family is poor. Even so, Nella’s hoping that this year she and her two sisters will get a beautiful Baby Betty doll.

On Christmas morning, the girls are beside themselves with excitement! There is Baby Betty, in all her eyelash-fluttering magnificence. “Mine!” Nella shouts, and claims the doll for herself. But soon she discovers that Baby Betty isn’t nearly as much fun as her sisters. Would it be more fun to share this very best gift with them after all?

The Snow Queen

Words by Hans Christian Andersen

Pictures by Yana Sedova

Neighbors Kai and Gerda grow up as best friends. But when Kai is swept away by the evil Snow Queen, Gerda embarks on an adventure to save Kai.

Night Tree

Words by Eve Bunting

Pictures by Ted Rand

By moonlight in the quiet forest, a young boy and his family decorate their favorite tree with popcorn, apples, tangerines, and sunflower-seed balls as a gift for the animals of the woods.

Great Joy

Words by Kate DiCamillo

Pictures by Bagram Ibatoulline

It is just before Christmas when an organ grinder and monkey appear on the street outside Frances’s apartment. When it’s quiet she can hear their music, and when she looks out her window at midnight, she sees them sleeping outside. Finally the day of the Christmas pageant arrives, but when it’s Frances’s turn to speak, all she can think about is the organ grinder’s sad eyes — until a door opens just in time, and she finds the perfect words to share.

An Orange for Frankie

Words and pictures by Patricia Polacco

The Stowell family is abuzz with holiday excitement, and Frankie, the youngest boy, is the most excited of all. But there's a cloud over the joyous season: Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and Pa hasn't returned yet from his trip to Lansing. He promised to bring back the oranges for the mantelpiece. Every year there are nine of them nestled among the evergreens, one for each of the children. But this year, heavy snows might mean no oranges . . . and, worse, no Pa!

The Legend of the Poinsettia

Words and pictures by Tomie dePaola

A Mexican legend tells how the poinsettia came to be, through a little girl's unselfish gift to the Christ Child. Tomie dePaola has embraced the legend using his own special feeling for Christmas. His glorious paintings capture not only the brilliant colors of Mexico and its art, but also the excitement of the children preparing for Christmas and the hope of Lucida, who comes to see what makes a gift truly beautiful.

What Dogs Want for Christmas

Words and pictures by Kandy Radzinski

Using witty poems and winsome illustrations, What Dogs Want for Christmas lets our four-footed friends speak for themselves. And what does Man's Best Friend have on his holiday list? Ruffus, a dapper Scottie, would love "something with fur... that once went purr..." while the more practical basset hound Daisy complains, "My ears hang down to my feet. Can you fix them so they're short and neat?" Santa is going to need a bigger sleigh to fulfill some of these holiday wishes!

Nine Days to Christmas: A Story of Mexico

Words by Marie Hall Ets

Pictures by Aurora Labastida

Generations of readers have treasured this 1960 Caldecott Medal winner and its tale of a little Mexican girl's excitement at the approach of Christmas. Ceci eagerly awaits Las Posadas, the traditional nine-day series of yuletide celebrations. This year she'll lead the candlelight procession that reenacts Mary and Joseph's trek to Bethlehem. Meanwhile, Mother takes her to the old marketplace to choose her very first piñata. Ceci is dazzled by the colorful array of options, and after making her choice has second thoughts about the fate of her piñata once the posada takes place.

The Christmas Alphabet

Illustrations by Robert Sabuda

A unique alphabet book offers twenty-six paper sculptures of pure white that seem to leap off the page and celebrate the season of Christmas from A to Z.

There's a Mouse in My House

Words and pictures by Ross Collins

Bear has an unwelcome guest, and this mouse just won’t leave! He’s making a real commotion in Bear’s house—eating all the food, listening to loud music, and even spilling bathwater all over the floor! But when there’s a knock at the door, will Bear decide that visitors aren’t so bad after all?

A Christmas Memory

Words by Truman Capote

Pictures by Beth Peck

Seven-year-old Buddy inaugurates the Christmas season by crying out to his cousin, Miss Sook Falk: "It's fruitcake weather!" Thus begins an unforgettable portrait of an odd but enduring friendship between two innocent souls--one young and one old--and the memories they share of beloved holiday rituals.  

Merry Christmas, Squirrels!

Words and pictures by Nancy Rose

Mr. Peanuts loves Christmas - but he loves it even more when he has a friend to share it with. When Cousin Squirrel invites him to spend the holidays together, Mr. Peanuts is in for a whirlwind of winter fun!

¡Qué montón de Tamales! (Too Many Tamales!)

Words by Gary Soto

Pictures by Ed Martinez

Christmas Eve started out so perfectly for Maria. Snow had fallen and the streets glittered. Maria's favorite cousins were coming over and she got to help make the tamales for Christmas dinner. It was almost too good to be true when her mother left the kitchen for a moment and Maria got to try on her beautiful diamond ring . . .

The Night Before Christmas

Words by Clement C. Moore

Pictures by Antonio Javier Caparo

Since it was first published nearly 200 years ago “The Night Before Christmas” has enchanted readers young and old with the story of St. Nicholas landing on a snowy roof, climbing down the chimney, and filling all the stockings with gifts before riding off in his sleigh, wishing “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

The Polar Express

Words and pictures by Chris Van Allsburg

A young boy, lying awake one Christmas Eve, is welcomed aboard a magical train to the North Pole . . .

Through dark forests, over tall mountains, and across a barren desert of ice, the Polar Express makes its way to the huge city standing alone at the top of the world, where the boy will make his Christmas wish.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Words and pictures by Dr. Seuss

From the Grinch and his dog, Max, to Cindy-Lou and all the residents of Who-ville, this heartwarming story about the effects of the Christmas spirit will warm even the coldest and smallest of hearts. 

The Christmas Story

Illustrated by Robert Sabuda

Long ago in the town of Bethlehem, on a bright and starry night, a baby was born, a child who was called the son of God. Announced by an angel, born in a humble manger, laid in a bed of straw, visited by shepherds and wise men—the age-old, awe-inspiring story of the birth of Jesus is lovingly brought to life by master pop-up artist Robert Sabuda in six gorgeously imagined scenes, culminating in a 3-D manger sheltering humans and beasts, guarded by an angel above. Glinting with touches of gold and pearlescent foil, The Christmas Story is a visual feast, a holiday treasure to be shared with the whole family.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.