A Christmas Carol (streaming video)
Here is one of the spookiest, most faithful adaptations of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” ever. Richard Williams’ beautifully-executed animated version of Charles Dickens’ timeless seasonal parable won the 1972 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film, but to this day has yet to receive a DVD release anywhere. And that is such a shame! This is an amazing adaptation of Dickens’ story, an animation tour-de-force based on the original book illustrations from early editions of Dickens’ book. It is beautifully done, and captures aspects of the original that other dramatizations of this classic story have missed. 25 minutes long, and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Parents, be warned this is genuinely spooky in some spots (as is the original story), so some of this might be frightening to very young children. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
WALT SCOTT’S CHRISTMAS STORIES (PDF comic books)
The Christmas of 1776: A Young Maiden’s Story by Anne Hollingsworth Wharton (PDF ebook)
Here’s a delightful vintage collection of Christmas comic book stories for young at heart readers of all ages, by the incomparable Walt Kelly! It features the classic Mother Goose characters in some truly classic children’s comics and poems – very funny and well written, with some of the best artwork ever done for young children’s comics. Don’t miss it!
“The First New England Christmas: A Story of Life in the Colonies” by Stone & Frickett (PDF ebook)
The Thanksgiving Story by Teri Ann Berg Olsen
This classic story collection edited by Asa Don Dickinson features dozens of Thanksgiving-related stories for young people by many different authors, and includes everything from fairy tales to true historic narratives. The table of contents notes which ones are more suited to little readers or listeners, and which are better for older readers. There’s lots of fun and heartwarming tales in this vintage collection. Great for read-aloud!