Children enjoy holiday books, old and new
Opening presents is generally the favorite part of Christmas Day for children.
Opening books has proved to be a fun way for them to get into the holiday season beforehand — and there are plenty of stories to choose from.
“We have 300 to 400 children’s Christmas books on our shelves, probably 2,000 holiday books overall,” said Tiffany Harkleroad, youth services librarian at Butler Area Public Library. “The books circulate all year round. Come December, most of our Christmas books are being checked out.
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Tiffany Harkleroad, youth services manager for the Butler Area Public Library, reads a lyrical Christmas picture book titled “The Christmas Book Flood” written by Emily Kilgore about Icelandic Christmas traditions during a special Christmas story time at Butler Area Public Library on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Tiffany Harkleroad, youth services librarian at Butler Area Public Library, reads a lyrical Christmas picture book titled “The Christmas Book Flood” written by Emily Kilgore about Icelandic Christmas traditions during a special Christmas story time at Butler Area Public Library on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Tiffany Harkleroad, youth services manager for the Butler Area Public Library, reads a lyrical Christmas picture book titled “The Christmas Book Flood” written by Emily Kilgore about Icelandic Christmas traditions during a special Christmas story time at Butler Area Public Library on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Benedict Campbell intensely listens as Tiffany Harkleroad, youth services librarian at the Butler Area Public Library, reads a lyrical Christmas picture book titled “The Christmas Book Flood” written by Emily Kilgore about Icelandic Christmas traditions during a special Christmas story time at Butler Area Public Library on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Kendyl Shipos intensely listens as Tiffany Harkleroad, youth services manager for the Butler Area Public Library, reads a lyrical Christmas picture book titled “The Christmas Book Flood” written by Emily Kilgore about Icelandic Christmas traditions during a special Christmas story time at Butler Area Public Library on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Tiffany Harkleroad, youth services manager for the Butler Area Public Library, reads a lyrical Christmas picture book titled “The Christmas Book Flood” written by Emily Kilgore about Icelandic Christmas traditions during a special Christmas story time at Butler Area Public Library on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Kendyl Shipos intensely listens as Tiffany Harkleroad, youth services librarian at Butler Area Public Library, reads a lyrical Christmas picture book titled “The Christmas Book Flood” written by Emily Kilgore about Icelandic Christmas traditions during a special Christmas story time at Butler Area Public Library on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Benedict Campbell picks out a free book after Tiffany Harkleroad, youth services librarian at Butler Area Public Library, read a lyrical Christmas picture book titled “The Christmas Book Flood” written by Emily Kilgore about Icelandic Christmas traditions during a special Christmas story time at Butler Area Public Library on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
“After Halloween, the number of Christmas books leaving the shelves picks up. It’s steady from then through early January.”
Alyssa Smith, children services librarian at the Zelienople Area Public Library, said her library has about 200 December holiday books on its shelves.
“In November, only a handful of those books are left in the building,” Smith said. “By December, 85% of our Christmas books will be checked out.”
Harkleroad said the library gets plenty of new Christmas-themed children’s books every year. Many of them are based on popular TV cartoon characters.
“’Clifford’s Christmas’ is an example of that,” she said. “There’s a few of those (Clifford) books out there, and they’ve become very popular,” she said. “’Paw Patrol’ now has Christmas books, and kids love those. It’s the familiarity of the characters.”
Janae Callihan, director at Mars Area Public Library, said “fictional characters are finding their way off the screen and into books … and kids love that.” She described “Bluey’s Christmas“ as a prime example.
Callihan noted a popular series of children’s books written by Mo Willems, the first titled “Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus.” That series now includes a Christmas book called “Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive the Sleigh.”
“Kids know the pigeon from other books in that popular series, so when a new one comes out, they naturally gravitate toward that,” Callihan said.
But books that have been around for years continue to top the charts in terms of usage.
“’The Grinch Who Stole Christmas’ has to be at the top,” Harkleroad said. “’Polar Express’ is well read each year as well. There are books structured for various ages, of course, so different people want different things.
“Books like the Grinch are most popular because the entire family can enjoy them.”
Christmas holiday books are often educational as well as fun.
“It’s through some of these books that children learn how Christmas is celebrated in other cultures around the world,” Smith said. “Books have always served as learning tools for kids. Christmas is no exception.”
One book that came into the Butler library recently is “The Christmas Book Flood.” It describes the tradition by which children in Iceland get ready for Christmas Day.
“Children in Iceland get Christmas books on Christmas Eve and read them together all night,” Harkleroad said. “It’s a wonderful way to celebrate the magic of the season.”
Callihan said the Mars library has about 40 Christmas books available for children. Other books on the shelves are winter season-related.
“Snowflake Bentley“ is a picture book describing and demonstrating how every snowflake is different. ”Gingerbread Baby“ is popular because it us a read-aloud type of story.
“Small children enjoy being read to and some books are very effective that way,” Callihan said. “They can be read in groups. They’re popular during story time in libraries as well.”
Smith expressed gratitude for the way children and their families take to reading Christmas-themed books, whether the subject matter is lighthearted or of a more serious nature.
“These books are fun for all ages,” she said. “They’re a great way to show kids the meaning of the season and to spread holiday joy.”
