Snuggle Up and Cherish the Holiday Season with Raincoast Books

We have definitely had a few early blasts of winter weather as the holiday season quickly approaches. This is the perfect time to open up some holiday treasured books with your children and spend a little extra time reading each night. Or perhaps to even discover new family favourites leading up to the Christmas holidays?

Raincoast Books has a beautiful collection of books that will make great gifts leading up to the holidays or even as a special gift under the tree. Both my kids and their cousins, always receive at least one special book as a Christmas gift because I feel so strongly that these are something that they can treasure long after the holiday season is over.

Looking for three new books to add to your holiday reading routine? Look no further then these top three picks from Raincoast Books:

Christmas Is Coming! An Advent Book

Every day of December brings a new Christmas tradition in this keepsake Advent book. Each flap on the cover of the book reveals a clue to a festive activity that can be found inside the pages. It might be a recipe for a delicious homemade treat, instructions for a cozy craft, a game to play, a carol to sing, or a beautifully illustrated story to read with the whole family. This inviting twist on the traditional advent calendar is perfect for families who love to put their own spin on celebrating the holidays.

I fell in love with this special book the moment I laid my eyes on it. Advent is a very special time in our lives and sometimes we can forget what makes life so important; family and opening our homes and hearts for Christmas. There is more to Advent than just chocolate and presents!

I put this book under our Christmas tree and we waited patiently for December 1st to open it up. This was not the easiest task for any of us, as I really wanted to dive in and see what kind of activities were in the book but we also wanted it to be a special surprise that we uncovered day by day.

We had a snowstorm yesterday and decided that we would open the book after dinner. His first activity? Write a letter to Santa. The reading for December 1st was beautiful and my son was excited to write his letter (I couldn’t believe I had not done this yet with him!). We have decided as a family, that we would do each activity after dinner but before we wind down for bed. You can follow along on Instagram as we work our way through the book.

This is the perfect book for parents and grandparents that are looking for something different and meaningful during the Advent season.

You can purchase a copy of this book here.

Don’t Shake the Present!

Go on a festive and fun-filled adventure with Larry in this hilarious holiday edition of the USA Today bestselling series, Don’t Push the Button!

Larry (the lovable monster) has received a present, and he is desperate to know what is inside, but he needs your help to figure it out. But whatever you do. . . DON’T SHAKE THE PRESENT!

This is an adorable book perfect for young readers just before the holiday season. We have two kids that love to touch and shake their presents (and even sometimes peel away the wrapping at the side so that they can see inside!). We had so much fun reading this out loud and I definitely did not see the ending coming but it was perfect and gave us all a great chuckle.

The book itself is small, hard covered and interactive, making it a great read for young children that have a harder time sitting still at reading time. It also is a book that children can relate to and helps parents explain the importance of patience during the holiday season.

You can purchase a copy of this book here.

How to Hide a Lion at Christmas

Iris and her lion go everywhere together. But when Christmas comes and the family is going away, Mom says her lion must stay behind. After all, you can’t take a lion on a train! Luckily the lion has other ideas. He sets off on a festive, snowy adventure to find Iris – and almost bumps into Santa Claus!

This is a beautifully written and illustrated book about the friendship between Iris and her lion in the context of Christmas. Iris is visiting family for the holidays and her lion is just too big to go on the train (or even to fit in her suitcase!), not to mention he may just scare her family. Her Mom makes the lion stay home, but lion has other plans – he follows them on the train! The only problem, he sleeps through their stop! He must find his way back to Iris (which he does) but encounters a unique method of finding her using Santa Claus’ method of climbing up and down chimneys. Can you imagine a lion coming down the chimney?

This was a great book to read out loud to our kids. It has such a great flow and full of great age appropriate humour. We had a few great conversations of all the animals we wished we could have at home (a gorilla was one). The illustrations are beautiful and fit the story perfectly. This will make for a great read before bedtime as we gear up into the holiday season.

You can purchase a copy of this book here.

What is your favourite holiday book?

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned books in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.