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Ask a bookseller
Emily Bright

Ask a Bookseller: 'The Twelve Hours of Christmas'

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Looking for a new read-aloud Christmas book? Amber Collins of Soul Book Nook in Waterloo, Iowa recommends “The Twelve Hours of Christmas,” written by Jenn Bailey, illustrated by Bea Jackson.

The Twelve Hours of Christmas
“The Twelve Hours of Christmas” by Jenn Bailey.
Courtesy of Little Brown Books for Young Readers

It’s a modern take on the classic “Twelve Days of Christmas” song, but eight maids a-milking become eight cups of cocoa in this story of a family coming together on Christmas Day.

The words and illustrations walk us through the day of Christmas: three French toasts for breakfast, parents cooking, grandparents arriving, and cousins playing in the snow. Hidden among the presents around the tree is a new kitten, who gets lost amid the busy day!

The little girl at the center of the story looks for the lost kitten, adding mystery and focus to the read-aloud repetition. Of course, everyone is together in the end.