The Donkey’s Dream by Barbara Helen Berger
From the viewpoint of the donkey, we learn about the symbols of Mary as he imagines carrying each on his back: the city, the ship, the fountain, the rose. It’s a good conversation-starter with older children, and good for younger children to let the imagery sink into their minds and hearts.
St. Nicolas by Demi
Demi has written and illustrated several beautiful books, a few about saints, but this was the first one we purchased. Her style is reminiscent of Byzantine iconography, which fits the story of St. Nicholas perfectly. She includes all the stories of the real St. Nicholas, even when the boys get boiled and brought back to life, so it might need to be read under supervision. But one thing I appreciate is at the end she has a page of illustrated Santas, which puts the whole St. Nicholas/Santa Claus thing into perspective for kids.
The Miracle of St. Nicholas by Gloria Whelan, illustrated by Judith Brown
So this book makes me cry. Every time I read it. It’s about a small village in Russia that is in spiritual hiding. That’s all I can tell you. It’s not really about St. Nicholas, but he’s important to the story.
Lucia: Saint of Light by Katherine Bolger Hyde, illustrated by Daria Fisher
This story takes place in the Nordic countries where the feast of St. Lucia is uniquely celebrated. It begins with a family preparing for the feast, but later explains the real story of the martyr St. Lucy. I love that the reader learns both about the traditions established up north, and about the saint.
We Three Kings by Gennady Spirin
We have many books illustrated by Gennady Spirin. Her art is a visual feast of detail and color. The text of this book is simply the traditional song, We Three Kings, but each verse has its own elaborate illustration.
Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie de Paola
Anything by Tomie de Paolo is worth reading until the binding wears thin. Several of his books I’ve had to buy two copies of as they’ve been beat up over the years. He has a few Christmas books, but Legend of the Poinsettia is a lovely, sweet story that takes place in Mexico. Another one of de Paola’s Christmas books that our younger kids love is The Friendly Beasts.
The Huron Carol by Ian Wallace
St. Jean de Brebeuf, a Jesuit missionary who lived and died among the Huron tribe in eastern North America, told the Christmas story to these first peoples in a culturally appropriate way. It has a beautiful tune when sung, and the sheet music is included in the back of the book.
The First Christmas (National Gallery London)
Taken from the Gospels, the text is simply the Christmas narrative, but with classic paintings by Gossaert, Reni, Boticelli, and many more.
The Three Snowbears by Jan Brett
Jan Brett is a favorite in our house; we love the detailed, but folky style. There are so many great wintry Brett books, but this one has always been a favorite: a retelling of Goldie Locks and the Three Bears.
The Nutcracker by Susan Jeffers
This book is a solid re-telling of Tchaikovsky’s ballet with pretty illustrations.
The First Noel: A Christmas Carousel by Jan Pienkowski
And last, but not least, this book is a beautiful pop-up sort of book. It’s not for little hands, but it’s still worth having. It tells the Christmas story. We just tie ours permanently open and it sits visible on a shelf in a star-shape for the kids to look at.