Holland
This year I would like to recommend a series of books for Christmas! These delightful books are by Alta Halverson Seymour and each one tells a charming story of a young person with a mystery or a problem to solve, set against the backdrop of the Christmas season. Each title is full of the landscape, some native language, and customs unique to that place. They are worth collecting! Just last year I read aloud The Top o’ Christmas Morning to my teenage girls. And yes, they found some of the plot predictable and we laughed a bit but we enjoyed it, nonetheless. They are probably best suited for 8-12 year olds and mothers of all ages.
France
The titles are:
Kaatje and the Christmas Compass (Holland)
The Christmas Donkey (France)
Arne and the Christmas Star (Norway)
The Christmas Stove (Switzerland)
The Top o’ Christmas Morning (Ireland)
Erik’s Christmas Camera (Sweden)
Norway
Here is some biographical information from Bethlehem Books which carries other titles from Alta Halverson Seymour:
Alta Halverson Seymour was born in 1893 in Deer Park, Wisconsin. When she was a little girl, she made up stories for the entertainment of her younger brother and sister, a facility for story-making that led her eventually into the world of writing. Prior to becoming a published author, she attended the University of Minnesota for both her Bachelor’s and Master ’s degrees, then owned, and operated a stenographer’s company in California, before finally moving to Illinois where she lived the rest of her life. After her marriage to George Seymour, an economic consultant, in 1922, she and her husband would often travel by freighter or mail-boat to out-of-the-way places. In this way, Mrs. Seymour found interesting people and unusual situations, which furnished material for her books. She once wrote, “Sometimes I write for adults, but I like best to write for boys and girls.” Many of her books draw upon the annals and experiences of her own family. Diaries, journals, and family traditions supplied the warm, human material for her books and careful research provided the authenticity of detail. Two of Alta Halverson Seymour’s books—On the Edge of the Fjord and TheTangled Skein—were Junior Literary Guild selections.
Ireland
I hope you enjoy collecting books for Christmas as much as I do! Here are more links to other favorites of ours:
Christmas Books by Tasha Tudor
On Christmas Traditions and Books
Teaching from peace,
Nancy
Ooo lovely! Thanks for sharing♡
This is so cool! I love to read living books to our children and will enjoy these. Our library doesn’t carry most of them so I’m thankful for archive.org. I miss seeing you Nancy on Mondays. Hope all is well in the Lord =)