Books like Who's That Knocking on Christmas Eve?
By Jan Brett
For families who love a snowy Nordic Christmas tale with a bit of bite, this one turns a yearly threat into a scene worth cheering for. Frosty, folkloric, and warmly triumphant, with a wintry Nordic hush running through it.
Seven sisters, each with her own special talent, must join forces and race to rescue their baby Seventh Sister after a hungry dragon snatches her away.
When every girl at the Paris boarding school falls sick on Christmas Eve, the smallest and bravest one stays well enough to take charge — and finds unexpected help from a magical rug-selling merchant.
An overworked girl named Blanche shows kindness to a strange old witch-woman and follows her into a world of two-headed cows and dancing rabbits, where talking eggs offer a choice that will test her heart.
An aging donkey, dog, cat, and rooster, each cast off by masters who no longer want them, set out together for Bremen-Town to become street musicians and find a robbers' cabin standing in their way.
After a hunter kills his mother, a young elephant flees to the city, where a kindly old woman takes him in — then he returns to the great forest with his cousins Celeste and Arthur to become King of the Elephants.
An imaginary friend waits and waits to be chosen by a child, and when no one picks him, he does the unimaginable — he leaves his island to find his perfect match himself.
A shy, fearful little creature named Toffle runs away from home rather than speak to anyone, watching Moomin Valley's lively cast celebrate from a distance until he finds the courage to reach out to another frightened soul, Miffle.
A father is proud of both his daughters, but when the Great King summons the most worthy young women in the land to appear before him, only one can become queen.
A girl in a red cloak walks alone through the woods to visit her ailing grandmother, unaware that a wicked wolf is following close behind with plans of his own.
Scarred from tending the fire, a girl and her two beautiful but cruel sisters all try to win the hand of a rich, powerful Invisible Being — but only his sister's watchful gaze can tell who has truly seen him.
A kind, beautiful maid comes to live in a mysterious castle with a Beast, where animals in period dress attend them both — and her capacity to love may be the only thing that can break his spell.
A small boy is invited to tea at the palace and always asks the same question — may he bring a friend? — and each time, a surprising animal guest shows up beautifully behaved.
