Reading List: Christmas Giving

Christmas is one of the most magical times of the year for families who celebrate it. Whether gathering together from across great distances or meeting nearby, the spirit of Christmas runs deep. One of the most important sentiments of the holiday is the act of giving to one another. Time, food, attention, and presents are all things that can be exchanged in the spirit of the Christmas holiday. This book list includes religious and secular titles for children ages 4-7 that highlight the act of giving gifts at Christmas and inspire other acts of kindness, as well.
Contributed by: Mary Lanni

	Babushka By: Dawn Casey Illustrated by: Amanda Hall After Babushka feeds and warms the three wise men, she decides to see baby Jesus on her own. Along the way, she meets children in need and gives them the presents she planned to give to Jesus.
	Baby Santa and the Gift of Giving By: M. Maitland DeLand Illustrated by: Phil Wilson When the Bond family sends a letter to the North Pole asking Santa how they share the spirit of giving on their upcoming trip to New York City, Baby Santa, and his reindeer host them on a day of helping others while seeing the sights.
	Grandma’s Christmas Wish By: Helen Foster James Illustrated by: Petra Brown A rabbit grandmother celebrates the infant, who is her best Christmas gift of all.
	A Homemade Together Christmas By: Maryann Cocca-Leffler A family of pigs decides that they will make their gifts for Christmas rather than buy gifts this year. But the littlest pig struggles to come up with an idea.
	Just Right for Christmas By: Birdie Black and Rosalind Beardshaw In this celebration of the joy of giving, one snowy Christmas Eve, a king buys some soft, red cloth to make the perfect Christmas gift for his daughter. Little does he know that the left-over cloth will be used to make presents for many more of the kingdom’s inhabitants, right down to the last teeny bit of cloth, which is made into a scarf just right for a mouse.
	The Legend of St. Nicholas By: Dandi Daley Mackall Illustrated by: Richard Cowdrey As Nick does last-minute Christmas shopping, he sees several Santas and overhears one retelling the legend of Saint Nicholas, which he takes to heart as he examines his own attitudes towards gift-giving.
	The Light of Christmas By: Richard Paul Evans Illustrated by: Daniel Craig When Alexander helps an old man instead of seeing the Christmas torch’s annual lighting, he does not realize the reward his kindness will bring.
	The Little Drummer Boy By: Bernadette Watts A poor boy named Benjamin is invited to meet the newborn king, but he does not want to go because he has nothing to give him.
	Little Robin’s Christmas By: Jan Fearnley Having given away all his warm vests to his cold animal friends during the week before Christmas, Little Robin receives a special reward from Santa.
	The Smallest Gift of Christmas By: Peter H. Reynolds Disappointed when a gift he wished for all year seems quite puny on Christmas morning, young Roland wishes for bigger and bigger gifts before learning a valuable lesson about being careful what you wish for.
	The Spirit of Christmas By: Nicky Benson Illustrated by: Jason Cockcroft It’s Christmas! There will be carols and candy canes and sparkling presents under the tree! But what about children whose families have no presents to give? Kind-hearted Drew wants to help them—but how? A magical story of how one little boy got a very special giving bag from Santa—and how his Christmas wish came true.
	The Stable Cat’s Christmas By: Christina Vrba Illustrated by: Gail Yerrill When an ordinary cat learns that a king has been born in his stable, he grows sad because he has no gift to give, as the other animals do.