5 books to spark a little holiday magic

It’s the most wonderful time for a read-aloud! Parents and educators can add to the magic this holiday season by opening up one of these holiday-themed books.

These books are fun to read to a single child or a crowd, and some can even be found on YouTube.com to display during snack time or in between transitions. You can even extend most of these into classroom activities.  

Here are five holiday-themed books perfect for a read-aloud:

1. “Tough Cookie: A Christmas Story” by Edward Hemingway: This holiday story helps children realize it is okay to be who you are, as it follows an unsavory cookie’s journey. 
2. “Green is for Christmas” by Drew Daywalt: This Christmas book follows the crayons from “The Day the Crayons Quit.” The Green Crayon tries to claim that green is the only color for Christmas, yet the rest of the crayons prove that they make up Christmas too!
3. “How to Catch a Reindeer” by Alice Walstead: Help! Comet is missing. This story is part of the “How to Catch” series, and it is bound to entertain your audience.
4. “Memoirs of an Elf” by Devin Scillian: This festive story teaches kids that there is more to Christmas than just receiving gifts, as Spark Elf learns this lesson too.
5. “The 12 Days of Christmas” by Greg Pizzoli:  We are all familiar with the legendary Christmas song, “12 Days of Christmas,” and Pizzoli puts a fun spin on this. What are the main characters to do with three French hens and 10 lords a-leaping? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

Besides being a great activity for family time, holiday read-alouds can be a fun way to spark an interest in reading for your little ones. What are some of your favorite go-to books this holiday season? Let us know at Arizona PBS KIDS on Facebook.

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About the author

Marissa Will is the mother of two, Olivia (6) and Logan (4). Writing was her first passion: she’s a freelance writer and a Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication alumna. Will is currently educating the future leaders of tomorrow: She has spent the past nine years educating third grade with a master’s degree in elementary education from Northern Arizona University-Yuma.