Last year I saw a few bloggers were doing a Christmas Book Advent Calendar for their children, where they had wrapped up 24 books – one for each day in the lead up to Christmas Day. This year I decided to be organised enough to do this! The idea is that there is one book to unwrap each night, that builds up the excitement of Christmas. And I can tell you that Tyler has LOVED it! I have been really surprised, but he really enjoys me reading a story to him, and then reads a few pages himself the second time around.

I have chosen Christmas and winter themed books, as well as traditional stories and other stories that I think Tyler will like. I used books we already had but had not read yet, and took out books from the library. I wrapped each book in cheap Christmas wrapping paper, not too perfectly as there were 24 to do! Then I numbered them 1-24 so we know what day to open each one.

These are the books I have chosen:

1) Christmas for Greta and Gracie – Yasmeen Ismail
2) The Mouse the Cancelled Christmas – Madeleine Cook/Samara Hardy
3) Penguin Problems – Jory John
4) A Christmas for Bear – Bonny Becker
5) Bonkers About Beetroot – Cath Jones
6) Jesus’ Christmas Party – Nicholas Allen
7) The Three Little Pigs – Mara Alperin/Ag Jatkowska
8) Keep Running Gingerbread Man – Steve Smallman/Neil Price
9) The Ugly Duckling – Sue Eastland
10) A Day with the Animal Mechanics – Sharon Rentta
11) Little Red Riding Hood – Mara Alperin/Loretta Schauer
12) The Detective Dog – Julia Donaldson/Sara Ogilvie
13) Jack and The Beanstalk – Mara Alperin/Mark Chambers
14) I Don’t Know What to Call My Cat – Simon Philip/Ella Bailey
15) The Gingerbread Man – Mara Alperin/Miriam Latimer
16) The Queen’s Present – Steve Antony
17) Rumpelstiltskin – Mara Alperin/ Loretta Schauer
18) Lollipop and Grandpa and the Christmas Baby – Penelope Harper
19) Follow the Track all the way Back – Timothy Knapman
20) This Book is Out of Control – Richard Byrne
21) The Snow Beast – Chris Judge
22) How to Catch Santa – Jean Reagan
23) The Elves and the Shoemaker – Mara Alperin/Erica-Jane Waters
24) The Night Before Christmas – Miles Kelly

I think The Night Before Christmas is a good one to read on Christmas Eve. We have read the first 4 books as I write this post, and Tyler says his favourite has been The Mouse Who Cancelled Christmas. The mouse’s character is literally ME – you’ll have to read it and see if you agree. My favourite has been Penguin Problems, it’s really funny, the tone of it just like how a moody teenager would talk.

If you fancy doing a book advent, I really recommend it – it’s made for some nice bonding time at bedtime, so I may make this a regular activity even when Christmas is over. Take out 5 books from the library every week, so we have a new book to read every weeknight.

Are you doing a book advent this year? Have you found any interesting Christmas books to read?

Sabrina x