Christmas Advent

Merry Christmas!

It’s December, which means the festive season is finally upon us! Whether you are a ‘get the tree up in November’ kind of person, or prefer a ‘Scrooge-ier’ approach to the celebrations…we hope you are enjoying the build up to the big day.

Here at The Story Project, Olivia is only shopping for her tree this week because the tree farm wasn’t open last week! Whereas Fiona, our newest member of the team, is waiting until at least 16th December to put any decorations up, despite the requests of her eager children. We are both very excited about the upcoming festivities though, and will be spending lots of time with friends and family.

This year, we have given ourselves the challenge of completing a ‘book advent’ calendar. One book each week until Christmas. How is this a challenge I hear you ask? Well, with only one book per week, we have had to be exceedingly picky about our top 4 choices. There are thousands of Christmas books on the market and so many beautiful options, that it really was difficult to narrow it down.

However, we think we’ve come up with a list that will really add some sparkle and joy to your celebrations. So, without further ad0 here is book number 1.

Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht

We love this one because of it’s simple brilliance. It speaks to the child in all of us; the suspense of selecting the right tree, gathering together to hang decorations and then the final reveal of twinkly lights. It is magical and nostalgic and warm – a real pleasure to share with children.

Reading the text out loud, the rhythmical tune adds to the joy and charm of the story. It’s pace holds the readers attention, and we’ve no doubt it would hold a class of children’s focus too. Not to mention, the wonderfully detailed illustrations. The double page spread is a delight and engages both children and adults.

Let us know under our social media post what you think about this story? What would your top 4 Christmas books be? What will you be reading with your class this month?

Don’t forget, look out for the second instalment of our advent calendar next week!