Eight heartwarming classic tales for the Christmas season—illustrated by Bernadette Watts--in one beautiful volume.
Though these are labeled as children's stories I think many adults would enjoy them as well. Stunningly illustrated in watercolors, the art style is rustic, old-fashioned and nostalgic.
The fairy tale like collection is sure to bring a smile to your face as you read about the animals and people of days gone by. The stories are filled with kindness and empathy and would be perfect as a gift for children.
I enjoyed this very much!

Pub Date 14 Sep 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Christmas stories for Christmastime. And this book is full of stories I've never heard before, makes it special during this occasion. From the story of The Little Snowflake to The Snow Queen (This one I've read the simplified version) and of course, The Nativity, the book is so entertaining. Please spend your Christmas with such a book near the fireplace, have a merry one.

My Review: I am always on the hunt for great Christmas books, and have a special fondness for children's Christmas books; so when I saw this book I jumped at the opportunity to read it. While this book doesn't scream Christmas with the tales inside, the collection does give you that warm, cozy feeling with some classic winter stories and some other folk stories retold along with some beautiful illustrations. They are all short stories and would make for great bedtime stories to read throughout the holiday season and beyond. This collection gave me the feeling of beloved stories being passed down in families and of tradition, something that can pulled down from the shelves and enjoyed year after year.

My Rating: While it wasn't quite the collection of Christmas stories I was expecting, this was still a book with some great stories to warm your heart, they have a folktale feel, some are more religious based, so there is a bit of something for everyone. I give it a rating of Three Paws and a Stump Wag!

An amazing anthology of classic Christmas stories all wrapped up in one beautifully illustrated edition. I really loved this and think it would be an amazing addition to any home. I just imagine reading one story of this every night to kiddos leading up to Christmas! Ugh, my hearttttt. I loved the illustrations in here as well. Just stunning! Watercolor, but also crayon-like. Super interesting, with a different color palette for each story that fit oh so well. Overall, I REALLY enjoyed this and think it's amazing. I need a physical copy in my hands nowwww!

Thank you to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my very own.

I loved this collection of Stories for Christmas. There were familiar tales and stories I had not yet read. Also, there were Christmas scenes and winter stories. Though it is not yet officially "the holiday season," I still enjoyed this book and would recommend it to parents, children, and adults for a cozy winter read. I really enjoyed it!

This was a beautifully illustrated book with 8 stories. Some were religious tales but not all of them. You’ll see snowflakes, donkeys, a snow queen and of course the birth of baby Jesus. Christmas is a precious time and I love to read to children.
This could be read all through the year.
Thanks North South Books via Netgalley.

Bernadette Walsh has curated a great anthology of Christmas stories. It's perfect for families to read together. I also enjoyed the illustrations. My favorite story was the snow queen. My favorite illustrations were the ones that were snowy landscapes.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Stories for Christmas, is a beautiful collection of eight short children's Christmas stories which are perfect for Christmas but could be read anytime.
The stories are very traditional in feel and the beautiful illustrations fit perfectly with each story.
I enjoyed sharing this with my daughter and will be looking to get a physical copy to read with her again and again.
This book is perfect for the run up to Christmas or even as a keepsake to read each Christmas with your children.

I love intertexts, or re-tellings of old stories. Who doesn't love seeing different spins on classic tales? Stories for Christmas by Bernadette Watts was just that. It takes many stories centred around Christmas and the holiday season and puts a fun, little spin on it. Old fairy tales, a religious tale, and Christmas antics are all on display.

This was quite the collection and I really enjoyed it! Each story felt like it's own, and it felt like a trip away into the world of fairy tales again. Add in gorgeous illustrations and you've got a real winner! Take a dip this holiday season into some classic, yet fun tales.

Three out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

I loved reading this to my boys they are up every word like magic.

I love the color palette used for the illustrations in this book, the illustrations are all very lovely.

This was an interesting collection of stories based around Christmas, the birth of the new king, and the spirit of giving. I really enjoyed The Snow Queen's story and Varenka's story.

What a magical, heartwarming collection of Christmas stories. One to really treasure and hold dear. I was simply enamored by the delicate, detailed illustrations in this book. I can only imagine how brilliant they are when you have a physical copy in your hands. I would have read and bought this if there were illustrations only. Every little delicate stroke of colour comes together to bring magic to the entire picture. If you can't tell, I'm blown away by the artist.

As for the stories, I haven't heard about most of them, but since I come from the Balkans, I did really like that a lot of the stories were Christian-based and even tales about Russian people and Russian lands. The Little Drummer Boy and Varenka were my favourite of all. There are 8 stories in total!

I believe this would be perfect for someone who wants to show their little ones what Christmas is about - truly. To explore the origins and values behind this blessed holiday.

This is a really special collection of classic Christmas stories by various authors in one edition with accompanied illustrations. I think this would be a lovely gift for a family to enjoy in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Some of the stories appeared abridged to me (such as snow queen which I just happened to read in its entirety yesterday), but I think it will be easier to keep kiddos attention at the shorter length.

I adore the delicate illustrations that enhance this collection of Christmas stories. There are eight tales in all. Some of these are well-known as, for example, The Little Drummer Boy, and The Snow Queen while others were not as familiar to me. All are nicely told but what will keep readers coming back are the absolutely gorgeous illustrations; definitely could be a picture book of the year in my opinion.

There is a note at the end of the book from the illustrator which is entitled “How I Became an Illustrator.” I am so glad that she did!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Eight little Christmas stories to enjoy!

I love the illustrations and the artstyle so much.
I feel the difference in the artstyle in a few stories. Otherwise I love the artstyle overall. It's perfect for the stories.

The book gives so much joy with the relatable spirit of celebration. It gives the perfect vibes I was expecting it to be.

The stories are simple, filled with kindness and sharing.

I am sure the physical copy will be much better and it will be a much better reading experience with it.

Thank you author and the publisher for the advance reading copy.

When you read the title “Stories for Christmas”, you might make some assumptions about the content of the book. However, of the eight stories in this collection, five aren't Christmas stories in the typical sense of the word. Seven tales don’t mention Christmas or Jesus outright. While a few of the stories subtly touch upon the religious aspect by referencing biblical verses or talking of “the new King” or being set on Christmas Eve (such as “The Little Drummer Boy” or “The Little Donkey”), the essence of these stories is more focused on the Christmas spirit than on the Christian festival. Only the last story, “The Christmas Story”, is a direct, oversimplified version of the events of Christmas Eve. So you might end up either very happy or very disappointed with this book, depending on what you were looking for.

The stories are beautiful and heart-touching, no doubt about that. Most of them are a mix of old popular classic folk tales and relatively unknown fables, the sole exception being the final story which is from the Bible. Snow/wintertime seems to be a common factor in all the stories except the last one. And as we all know, Christmas and snow don’t arrive with each other in most parts of the world.

Almost all the stories have a simple yet lovely message within the content and a very cozy tone to their writing. This would make the book a lovely bedtime read. The only exception to this is “The Snow Queen”, which is longer than the rest of the stories and isn’t exactly a relaxing tale.

The illustrations are beautiful and soothing, just like Christmas stories ought to be. They reminded me of old Russian storybooks with their simple pastels and the old world vibe.

I enjoyed most of the individual stories but I don’t think the book came together cohesively. To have biblical tales mixed with classic folktales made for a strange reading experience. Still, as I mentioned earlier, it could be a lovely bedtime read, and might work well as a Christmas gift for young readers who do get to celebrate a “White Christmas”.

I liked the book, but I didn’t love it. So using the Goodreads rating standard, I’ll give this collection 3 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and North South Books Inc. for the ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Bernadette Watts understands the art of folk tale and does a nice job making basic stories we've heard throughout the years into simple, lovely, and enjoyable tales. This collection is nicely illustrated, has a cozy feel, and made for a good read-aloud with my young daughter. While I objected that many of the stories were more "winter" than "Christmas," she just enjoyed listening. I appreciated perhaps the least-obnoxious rendition of The Little Drummer Boy I've ever read, found The Christmas Story (the nativity) to be sweet and easy, and especially enjoyed the tale of Shoemaker Martin. I've never understood or enjoyed The Snow Queen, but while still too long and complicated for my taste, this version was a little more cheery and accessible. Bernadette Watts writes in a captivating style and certainly appears to have an ear for a story that will read well to children.

This book contains so many Christmas stories that I have never read before. The meaning and morals behind each story bring the true meaning of Christmas alive. The illustrations are timeless and classic. They captivate your attention and the attention to detail is beautiful. I would highly recommend this book to families who want to share Christian based stories to their children and to give them a more in-depth insight to the true meaning of Christmas.
The Little Snowflake and Shoemaker Martin was my favorite new stories and The Christmas Story was fantastic and the illustrations was breathtaking.
I plan to share some of these stories with my students when we study the theme Christmas Around the World unit.

Such beautiful illustrations! They're sweet and soothing, but still engaging and expressive. Kids will be mesmerized to look at them while hearing the short stories.

This would make an excellent gift book. It's perfect for curling up and enjoying with a favorite caregiver while learning some of the traditional religious stories surrounding Christmas.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

A fine collection of short stories concerning wintertime. Starting with a suicidal snowflake, we hit a decent mix of the very well known and the much less common. A little drummer boy forms a nativity scene, a cobbler finds Jesus, a Russian woman with a growing retinue of people seeks God's protection in time of war, a generous girl gets due reward, and so on. The donkey who visits the Nativity has a short script, whereas The Snow Queen has a lot more text, but nothing is allowed to cover up too much of the artwork, which generally (ie when not trying to look cock-eyed Russian) is fine. Indeed the book seems to be built just as much around her efforts as it does the script, for in Europe it seems the woman of Kent (or Kentish woman) is generally known by her first name alone, such is the renown of this person of whom I'd never heard. I can see why her well-coloured, classically-styled illustrations are well liked, and I can see this becoming a bit of a family heirloom, to be perused every relevant season. It definitely is a book for Christmas, as opposed to just winter, with its bias towards the religious – but this example may well be a book that is for life, not just for Christmas.