Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Cozy, nostalgic look at the classic elements of the season.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 2+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
It's Christmas Eve and a brother and sister come down the stairs, go outside and find Santa and his reindeer. Santa invites them on his sleigh and they go back to the North Pole, where they watch elves make toys in the workshop, eat dinner with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and then are escorted back home by an angel that night, and finally open presents on Christmas morning. There are hidden clues to 17 Christmas carols to find on every page (such as a \"Little Drummer Boy\" or \"Silver Bells\"), making it an interactive treasure hunt, with a key to check against on the last page.
Is It Any Good?
Author-illustrator Alison Jay's gentle, nostalgic illustrations, with their cracked-glaze overlay -- have the look and feel of a classic. CHRISTMASTIME seems like a simple holiday vocabulary list at first, but other dimensions quickly emerge: the wordless story of the nighttime journey of the brother and sister, the treasure hunt to find hints of Christmas carols, and the compendium of all the different rituals and we associate with Christmas -- filling stockings, sending cards, caroling in a group, etc. It mixes common, cherished everyday activities with a fanciful journey to the North Pole, with polar bears and walruses. And the family cat and dog subtly team up in team up in many of the scenes. Spotting all the carol hints and sight gags are as fun as the charming text-free storyline.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what elements they think of when they think of Christmas in their home. What decorations that make it feel like Christmas?
What are you favorite Christmas stories and movies? Do you prefer old fashioned ones or newer ones?
Would you like to visit Santa at the North Pole?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Alison Jay
- Genre : Holiday
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Animals , Holidays
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Dial Books
- Publication date : November 8, 2012
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 2 - 8
- Number of pages : 32
- Available on : Hardback
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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