Christmas Books Available from Wolfner Library for Grades 3-6
At the end of each annotation you will find the call number or numbers for each title. BR means braille. Braille is contracted (grade 2) unless otherwise noted. A Print/Braille book has braille, standard text, and illustrations. LP means large print. RC and WOC mean recorded cassette. MOD is a recording in cassette format made by Wolfner Library volunteers. Not all titles are available in all formats.
To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail or phone. You may also request these titles online through our OPAC. Happy Reading!
The Bells of Christmas by Virginia Hamilton.
The year is 1890, and Jason, who’s twelve, cannot wait for Christmas to arrive. He loves the bells of Christmas, both the bells that ring and the Bells who are his relatives. Jason lives in Ohio by the National Road—the first overland link between the Atlantic coast and the passersby. Now he waits by the road in the hope that snow and the Bells will soon appear. For grades 3-6 and older readers. RC 32472.
A Certain Small Shepherd by Rebecca Caudill.
A little mute boy is given the part of one of the shepherds in a Christmas play. The pageant is cancelled because of a blizzard, but a reenactment of the Nativity occurs in his family’s barn, with an attendant miracle. For grades 3-6. BR 50028 and RC 13585.
A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas.
The poet recalls the celebration of this special holiday and the feelings it evoked in him as a child. For grades 3-6. BR 16134 and RC 24355.
Christmas by D.J. Herda.
Describes the history and traditions of the Christmas season in many parts of the world. Includes popular carols and ideas for making gifts, foods, and decorations. For grades 3-6. RC 26087.
Christmas Crafts from Around the World by Judy Ann Sadler.
A how-to book on holiday handicrafts from fourteen countries that children can make. Includes an advent calendar from Germany, cranberry and popcorn garlands from the United States, a piñata from Mexico, and a nativity scene from Italy. For grades 3-6 and older readers. BR 15242.
The Christmas Cup by Nancy Ruth Patterson.
When eight-year-old Megan spends her hard-earned money on a beaten-up old milkshake cup at an auction, it is her grandmother who saves the day by suggesting that it be used as a "Christmas cup"—a place for them to collect spare change. At Christmas they’ll take the coins, buy a gift for someone who has been especially kind to them, and deliver it anonymously. For grades 3-6. RC 33430.
Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters by Pat McKissack.
It’s 1859. The Virginia plantation is getting ready for Christmas. The Big House is clean, the tree decorated, the fireplace lit, and food prepared. Visitors will be welcomed, carols sung, stories told, and gifts unwrapped. There will be talk about war. Meanwhile, preparations in the Quarters are for singing, dancing, eating, and family reunions. The slaves talk about freedom. For grades 3-6. RC 40586.
The Christmas Revolution by Barbara Cohen.
When Simeon Goldfarb, who is Jewish, announces that he will not sing Christmas carols with the rest of his class, Emily Berg, who is also Jewish, decides to join him. The rest of the kids are surprised and mystified and resent the Jewish children’s lack of Christmas spirit. And when the school Christmas tree is knocked down, Simeon is accused. For grades 3-6. RC 30768.
Christmas Spirit: Two Stories by Robert Westall.
Set in England, these two stories tell of Christmases long ago. In "The Christmas Ghost," a young boy encounters a ghost in an elevator who warns him of impending danger in the factory where his father works. In "The Christmas Cat," an old woman tells about a childhood Christmas spent with her Uncle Simon, an Anglican priest, and his domineering housekeeper. For grades 3-6. RC 42193.
Christmas Stories Round the World edited by Lois S. Johnson.
A Christmas tour to twelve countries, showing how children in other lands, as well as our own, enjoy the happiness and excitment of the holiday. Includes stories and descriptions of Christmas customs in each country. For grades 3-6. BR 4275 and RC 15898.
A Christmas Treasury: Very Merry Stories and Poems.
An anthology that includes a selection from Wind in the Willows (BR 12977) depicting Mole's hospitality and Rat's resourcefulness; "Christmas at the Hollow Tree Inn," a story featuring a dog who plays Santa Claus; two traditional carols; and Clement Moore's poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas." For grades 3-6 and older readers. BR 14121 and RC 56658.
The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson.
Armand, an adventurous old hobo, lives under a bridge in Paris. One December day he arrives there to discover three redheaded children and a dog. Armand cares for the young Calcets while their mother works. During one of their escapades around the city, they tell Santa Claus they want a real home. For grades 3-6. BR 12223 and RC 48442.
Five Alien Elves by Gregory Maguire.
Five aliens from the planet Fixipuddle invade Hamlet, Vermont, on Christmas Eve. Thinking that Santa Claus, played by the mayor, is an evil dictator, the extraterrestrials plot to kidnap him. It is up to Miss Earth’s class of rival Tattletales and Copycats to save Santa. For grades 3-6. RC 59211 and LP 700.
The Forgotten Helper: A Christmas Story by Lorrie Moore.
One Christmas, Santa’s grouchiest elf is left behind at the house of a very bad little girl. He must now find a way to improve her behavior so Santa will return the following Christmas and take him back to the North Pole. For grades 3-6. RC 52596.
The Girls’ Revenge by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.
In this sequel to Boys against Girls (RC 39680) Caroline Malloy has a plan to further irk the annoying Hatford brothers. She will give Wally Hatford something disgusting wrapped as a Christmas gift. Meanwhile, she has to be nice to him so he won’t suspect anything. For grades 3-6. RC 51236.
A Grandmother for the Orphelines by Natalie Savage Carlson.
The fifty-one orphans who live in an old castle in a forest south of Paris decide they need a grandmother to make their lives complete. So they begin to look for a lady with a big, soft lap and an apron smelling of gingerbread. They find one, along with a grandfather, on Christmas Eve. For grades 3-6. BR 6369 and RC 23595.
Have a Happy--: A Novel by Mildred Pitts.
Chris wants a bicycle for his birthday, which falls on Christmas and always seems to go unnoticed. But his father is temporarily out of work. With the help of a large and supportive extended family, the help of friends, and his own industry, Chris has a happy birthday, a merry Christmas, and a wonderful Kwanzaa (an African-American holiday celebrated from December 26 through January 1). For grades 3-6 and older readers. RC 33388.
In the Land of the Big Red Apple by Roger Lea MacBride.
Rose Wilder and her parents endure a cold, icy winter that threatens their young apple orchard. But the year is not all hardship. For her ninth birthday, Rose gets a mule to ride to school and names him Spookendyke. Also, a new love begins for their farmhand, and the Wilders experience the true spirit of giving at Christmas. For grades 3-6. BR 10418 and RC 42000.
Joy to the World: Christmas Legends by Ruth Sawyer.
Unusual Christmas carols and legends from around the world. For grades 3-6 as well as older readers. RC 12422.
An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polacco.
Frankie and his eight brothers and sisters learn lessons about giving, family, and tradition during a snowy Michigan Christmas long ago. For grades 3-6 and older readers. RC 59655.
Lassie: A Christmas Story by Earl Hamner.
On Christmas Eve Timmy and his dog Lassie are arranging the nativity scene while Timmy’s mother is out feeding the deer. When she does not return, Lassie goes to search for her. Lassie faces many dangers before she finds Timmy’s mother and reunites the family for Christmas. For grades 3-6. RC 45539.
The Life of Our Lord by Charles Dickens.
Victorian novelist retells the life of Jesus Christ, adapted from the Gospel of St. Luke, for his children to enjoy every Christmas. For grades 3-6 and older readers. RC 57718.
Michael Foreman’s Christmas Treasury.
Yuletide and northern hemisphere winters are celebrated in Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," in carols like "Good King Wenceslas," stories like Foreman's "The Decorated Forest," and excerpts from other works, among them the Bible and The Wind in the Willows. For grades 3-6 and older readers. RC 56425.
A Newbery Christmas: Fourteen Stories of Christmas by Newbery Award-winning Authors selected by Martin H. Greenberg and Charles G. Waugh.
The American Library Association has presented the John Newbery Medal annually since 1922 to the "most distinguished contribution" to children's literature. This collection includes Christmas stories by more than a dozen Newbery Award-winning authors. For grades 3-6 and older readers. BR 50461 and RC 35827.
Oh, Honestly, Angela! by Nancy K. Robinson.
When eleven-year-old Tina attends a Christmas fund-raiser for the Rescue the Children program, she becomes determined to raise the necessary money for her family to "adopt" a poster child named Theresa. But when her little sister Angela takes a favorite stuffed elephant to show-and-tell, Angela is horrified to learn that she is expected to donate it to the school’s Christmas drive for the needy. For grades 3-6. BR 7154.
The Oxford Treasury of Christmas Poems compiled by Michael Harrison and Christopher Stuart-Clark.
A collection of poems plus some carols and traditional songs (without the music) celebrating both the religious and secular aspects of Christmas and the joys of wintertime. For grades 3-6 and older readers. BR 13453.
Paddington at Large by Michael Bond.
The little bear from darkest Peur tries his paw at making toffee. Unfortunately, he also eats some of the candy, which looks like shoe polish and feels like glue. For grades 3-6. BR 4456 and RC 35699.
Snakes Don’t Miss Their Mothers: A Novel by M.E. Kerr.
The creatures at the Critters animal shelter in East Hampton anxiously await Christmas and the possibility of new homes. Unfortunately, old mutt Irving is too big for adoption; Placido, the one-eyed Siamese cat, is too ornery; and Marshall, the snake, is too strange. But miracles do happen. For grades 3-6. RC 57719.
While the Bear Sleeps: Winter Tales and Traditions retold by Caitlin Matthews.
A treasury of stories about solstice celebrations—festivities that occur when the sun is farthest from the equator. Includes Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and twelfth night; describes many of the customs that accompany these holidays. For grades 3-6. RC 50613.