Last year my daughter ended up with her very own Book Advent (a different festive book to enjoy in the run up to Christmas). My son decided he wanted to read The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher so read the one book during December (this year he read The Creakers by Tom Fletcher and A Notchmas Carol). So my daughter got to enjoy the Book Advent all to herself, alongside the handmade Advent calendar I made her, and her chocolate one! I’ve always loved putting together a selection of festive books for kids, this year my daughter helped me!

What is a book advent?

So what is a book advent? A book advent is an advent calendar made with books, Christmas books! It’s fun to put together and you get to read a different book every day with your child.

A book advent is one of our family traditions but it’s quite simple to do. The first year I started it I found a shelf of Christmas books in my local charity shop and picked 24. I took them home and wrapped them up and put them in a special box. They were brought out on the 1st of December and each day a new book was opened and read together.

What books featured in our Book Advent?

I love looking through all our Christmas books but every year we have to weed some out  that they’ve grown out of and add some new books. We added two three new books this year – Pick A Pine Tree, The Christmas Truce and The Crayons’ Christmas. My 8 year was really excited to help me put it together this year and helped wrap each book up.

Our 2019 Christmas Book Advent books:

The Dinosaur That Pooped Christmas by Tom Fletcher & Dougie Poynter

Aliens Love Panta Claus by Claire Freeman and Ben Cort

A Treasury of Christmas Stories: festive tales and songs

Santa’s Sleigh is on it’s way to Wiltshire

Winnie and Wilbur Meet Santa by Valerie Thomas

The Polar Express by Chris van Allsburg

The Christmas Bear by Ian Whybrow and Axel Scheffler

Stick Man by Julia Donaldon and Axel Scheffler

The Night before Christmas by Clement C. Moore

Father Christmas needs a wee by Nicholas Allan

The Gruffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson

Mrs Christmas by Penny Ives

The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

Bless You, Santa by Julie Sykes

The Gingerbread Man by Estelle Corke

Santa Claus has a busy night

Elmer in the Snow by David McKee

Mr Christmas by Roger Hargreaves

Pooh’s Christmas Adventure and Pooh’s Christmas Letters

Hortense and the Shadow by Natalia and Lauren O’Hara

Walking in a Winter Wonderland, illustrated by Tim Hopgood

A Dot in The Snow by Corrinne Averiss

The Snowman and The Complete Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs

The Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton

The Crayons’ Christmas by Drew Daywalt

Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht

The Christmas Truce: The Place Where Peace Was Found by Hilary Robinson & Martin Impey

 

Have you read any of these? The Christmas Truce was my favourite but it was great to re-read some of our favourites too.

 

Previous Book Advent reading lists can be found here:

Book Advent 2018 (perfect for an 8 year old)

Book Advent 2017 (perfect for ages 5-7)

Book Advent 2016 (perfect for ages 4-6)

Book Advent 2015 (perfect for pre-schoolers)

Book Advent 2014 (perfect for pre-schoolers)

Book Advent 2013 (perfect for a baby and a toddler)

Book Advent 2012 (perfect for a toddler)