The Story of the Nutcracker Ballet by Deborah Hautzig
I love this version because it starts on stage and then morphs into the storyline.
I like to read this and intersperse listening activities in the middle. I would love to find a good ballet book to pair with this for my older grades. Any ideas?
Jack Kent's The Twelve Days of Christmas
Letters of Thanks by Manghanita Kempadoo
I have loved this book since my mom introduced it to me as a little girl. This is a collection of thank you notes from the lady to her "true love" for each of the gifts.
SPOILER ALERT: She gets very upset as the book goes on. Giggle.
And the clincher - it was written by an 11-year old girl! My kids think that is awesome! It's definitely written on an 11-year old level. There's not too much depth to it and some awkward details that don't get resolved. (Her partridge is lonely even after the other birds arrive. Oops!) It still ranks among my most favorite of Christmas books. :-)
The Missing Mitten Mystery by Steven Kellogg
Beautiful pictures!!
My 2nd graders love this imaginative story - the little girls loses her mitten and searches for it while imagining where it's gone. By the end, she decides it would be easier to plant the other mitten and grow a mitten tree! This is a fantastic pair with Frosty Weather or any snowy, winter song.
And of course, it's a Steven Kellogg so I love it!
Santa Claus is Coming to Town illustrated by Steven Kellogg
It's another Steven Kellogg book. drool. I just love the illustrations to this song - and generally my students already know some of the words, so it's a fun read.
I read it to my 2nd-5th grade students and they love it! It has a little story to go along with it - a little teddy bear has taken a trip to Santa's workshop and when he gets back, he's warning the boys and girls that Santa is watching.
What are your favorite books to use during the holiday season?
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