Another December is upon us, and as I’ve done each year for more than a decade, I’m reviewing a few Christmas books I discovered in the past twelve months. I hope you find some new treasures to enjoy. My two favorites were Christmas Farm and The Carpenter’s Gift, both lovely little books about Christmas trees. Happy reading!

Emmanuel / Ruth Chou Simons—If beautiful books inspire you or help you start or end your day cheerfully, then this is the Advent devotional for you.  While not ground-breaking, Emmanuel’s content is solid and helped me focus more on the meaning of Christmas, which I think should be the goal of every Christmas book.  And let me just say, the illustrations are gorgeous.  Cream and burgundy blossoms entwine the pages, making many of them works of art you might want to cut out and hang on your wall—although I would never chop up a book like that, of course.  The hardcover edition is also pleasant to hold, with soft matte pages.

Christmas Farm / Mary Lyn Ray (illustrated by Barry Root)—Beautiful illustrations blend Impressionism with Norman Rockwell and a dash of whimsy.  This delightful picture book shows the patience, love, and years behind each live Christmas tree that brings sparkling cheer and the refreshing scent of evergreen to homes at Christmas.  For a true story about one particularly special Christmas tree, try The Christmas Tree by Julie Salamon.

The Carpenter’s Gift / David Rubel—In this historical fictional account of the first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, Rubel blends interesting tidbits about the Rockefeller tree traditions with a touching story about family, friendship, and giving.

A Little House Christmas Treasury: Festive Holiday Stories / Laura Ingalls Wilder (illustrated by Garth Williams)—This collection features Christmas selections from the Little House books, with short intros to each explaining the context of the stories.  Die-hard Little House fans will probably already own the full series, though, so I don’t know that the treasury is essential for most Christmas libraries.

Holy Night and Little Star / Mitali Perkins—This picture book has lovely illustrations and a good, though simple, story.

Christmas Read-Alouds for Infants

Who Was Born This Special Day? / Eve Bunting and Leonid Gore—This picture book has richly colorful illustrations that are simple, beautiful, and soft.  The simplicity of the text and pictures make this ideal for infants and other young audiences.

The Three Gifts / Kathie Lee Gifford (illustrated by Michael Storinngs)—Soft watercolor illustrations and lyrical narration make this book ideal for a very young audience.  The story and message were somewhat on the simple side, but good overall.

Construction Site on Christmas Night / Sherri Duskey Rinker and Ag Ford—Building is about teamwork, giving gifts, and saying thanks in this companion novel to Rinker’s Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site.