Our Favourite Festive Stories and Poems

We’re big fans of shared reading here at As Creatives - just for the sheer joy of it, though the recognised benefits are well documented. So, with Christmas just around the corner, here are five of our teams’ favourite stories and poems to share in the run up to the festive season:

The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg: The Ahlbergs’ Christmas take on their own classic is great for sharing. With its cast of familiar characters and the magic of the Christmas cards tucked inside the pages, this never fails to delight. Discover more about the book, author and illustrator over at booktrust.org.uk/book/t/the-jolly-christmas-postman/

Alfie’s Christmas by Shirley Hughes: A hefty dose of nostalgia here in this very charming depiction of Christmas. Alfie loves his Christmas presents but he loves meeting his Great Uncle Will even more! find out more at alfiebooks.co.uk/allaboutalfie_stories.asp

Little Tree by EE Cummings: This beautiful poem about one of the oldest Christmas traditions, is written in the voice of a small boy talking to his Christmas tree. As well as being a great shared read, this is a great opener for a writing activity that sees pupils penning their own messages to familiar festive features. Read the poem over at poetryfoundation.org/poems/47304/little-tree

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: If you don’t feel like tackling the whole of this seasonal classic, just skip to Stave Five: The End of It. All the Christmas cheer you could ever want is captured in this final chapter! find lots more information about the book and Charles Dickens over at charlesdickensinfo.com/christmas-carol/

A Visit from St Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore: Better known as ‘Twas the Night before Christmas", we toyed with leaving this long-time favourite off the list in favour something a little more obscure. But, how could we? This is one we will never tire of and it’s such a belter for reading out loud! “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!” view the poem in full over at poetryfoundation.org/