CHRISTMAS READ ALOUDS

SUGGESTED AGES: 5+ | Little House in the Big Woods takes place in 1871 and introduces us to four-year-old Laura, who lives in a log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods of Wisconsin. She shares the cabin with her Pa, her Ma, her sisters Mary and Carrie, and their lovable dog, Jack.

SUGGESTED AGES: 8+ | A Christmas Carol is one of Charles Dickens' most loved books - a true classic and a Christmas time must-read. Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean, miserable, bitter old man with no friends. One cold Christmas Eve, three ghosts take him on a scary journey to show him the error of his nasty ways. By visiting his past, present and future, Scrooge learns to love Christmas and the people all around him.

SUGGESTED AGES: 8+ | Readers follow ten-year-old Jotham across Israel as he searches for his family. Though he faces thieves, robbers, and kidnappers, Jotham also encounters the wise men, shepherds, and innkeepers until at last he finds his way to the Savior born in Bethlehem.

SUGGESTED AGES: 7+ | Curious, competent, and courageous Tabitha is the daughter of a shepherd who is taking his family on caravan to his birthplace. Along the way, she meets and becomes friends with Jotham and Bartholomew, watches as Romans take her father prisoner, spends time with Zechariah and Elizabeth, helps Mary and Joseph just before Christ’s birth, and ends her travels at the stable in Bethlehem.

SUGGESTED AGES: 5+ | Beth and Patrick travel to the Holy Land. Patrick joins the wise men as they travel toward Jerusalem. Beth winds up at Herod’s palace and sees the king’s reaction when he finds out about the newly born King of the Jews. The cousins meet up at the palace. Devout Simeon tells them where they can find the baby Jesus. Beth and Patrick set out with the wise men only to discover they’ve been followed by one of Herod’s soldiers.

SUGGESTED AGES: 4+ | A collection of stories which describe the experiences of a pioneer girl and her family as they celebrate various Christmases In the Big Woods in Wisconsin, on the prairie in Indian Territory, and On the banks of Plum Creek.

SUGGESTED AGES: 8+ | Grown-up Meg, tomboyish Jo, timid Beth, and precocious Amy. The four March sisters couldn't be more different. But with their father away at war, and their mother working to support the family, they have to rely on one another. Whether they're putting on a play, forming a secret society, or celebrating Christmas, there's one thing they can't help wondering: Will Father return home safely?

SUGGESTED AGES: 6+ | In 1843, Charles Dickens penned a story—a classic Christmas tale full of ghosts and the endearing humbug Ebenezer Scrooge. That story—which has captivated readers for over 150 years—is now accompanied by the delightful illustrations of Joe Sutphin.

SUGGESTED AGES: 8+ | Ishtar’s Odyssey follows the ten-year-old son of a Persian wise man as their caravan follows a star across the desert. Ishtar would just as soon stay in the comfort of the palace, but slowly he learns that there’s much to see, do, and learn in this world that can’t be experienced in school. He eventually meets Jotham, Bartholomew, and Tabitha as he follows his father and uncles in their search for a newborn king.

SUGGESTED AGES: 6+ | Armand, an old man living on the streets of Paris, relishes his solitary life in the beautiful city. He is happy with his carefree existence, begging and doing odd jobs to keep himself warm and fed. With simple pleasures and no cares, what more could he need?

SUGGESTED AGES: 6+ | A snowy night, a warm cabin, and a boy who hears the Christmas story for the first time?beginning with creation and ending with Jesus’ resurrection. Ruth Bell Graham’s timeless holiday story is a delightful read during the Advent season.

SUGGESTED AGES: 7+ | Celebrate the season with holiday tales from the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the beloved Little House series. Featuring Garth Williams’ classic artwork in vibrant full color!

SUGGESTED AGES: 6+ | No one had ever seen big Peter before, and no one ever saw him again, and no one ever saw him at all but small Peter who lived in dingy, squalid old Shantytown. Yet it was big Peter’s gift to small Peter — a shiny toy spade with a red handle, and a small green tree lighted with tiny candles — that caused Shantytown people to have hope again. And

SUGGESTED AGES: 8+ | So begins the story of two orphaned sisters at Mrs. Monday’s Boarding School. But nothing is heavenly for Nancy and Pamela (aka Plum): their parents died in a tragic accident years ago, they’re constantly punished by the cruel Mrs. Monday, and they’re all alone for the holidays. Luckily, Nancy and Plum have each other, and though their prospects may be bleak, they’re determined to change their lot for the better.

SUGGESTED AGES: 8+ | Young Bartholomew's adventures start when Roman soldiers destroy his village and disperse his family, continue through his enslavement to a tyrannical master and his escape with his new friend Nathan, and end with a reunion with his family in Bethlehem. Along the way Bartholomew makes a new friend, a young boy named Jotham!

SUGGESTED AGES: 5+ | When Peter and Mary travel back in time for their seventh adventure, they find themselves somewhere familiar-Bethlehem. Hundreds of years after David's fight with Goliath, the small town is bustling with people who've returned home for the census. Follow along as the time-traveling trio visits a newborn King, uses the stars to help a group of wise men navigate, and faces off against a thief with a hidden agenda.

SUGGESTED AGES: 6+ | The Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie, steal, and swear. So no one is prepared when this outlaw family invades church one Sunday and decides to take over the annual Christmas pageant. None of the Herdmans has ever heard the Christmas story before. Their interpretation of the tale—the Wise Men are a bunch of dirty spies—has a lot of people up in arms.