Angelina's Christmas

Angelina Ballerina

by Helen Craig

1

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Childrens, Holiday, Fiction, Animals, Fantasy

32 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 1986

About the author

Helen Craig is a British children's book illustrator and author, best known for creating the Angelina Ballerina series of children's books with writer Katharine Holabird.

Craig began illustrating children's books in 1970. The first book which she had both written and illustrated was The Mouse House ABC, published in 1977. With author Sarah Hayes, she also created Bear, a popular children's character who appears in This Is The Bear (1986), This Is The Bear and the Picnic Lunch (1988), and This Is The Bear and the Scary Night (1992).

Reviews

[Melody Schwarting]

A sweet story about involving the lonely at Christmas. I really liked the message of this one--nice to find a children's Christmas book that isn't about presents. Would be a good choice for young readers with a holiday performance coming up.

[Kathryn]

I'm predisposed to adore Angelina so I may be a bit biased in my review. Still, I thought this was a nice little story about sharing the joys of Christmas with others (and the unexpected rewards that can come from giving for the sake of giving alone!)

[Rod Brown]

After peeking in his window at Christmastime, Angelina befriends a lonely, retired postman who in turn helps cheer up her cousin Henry, who is sulking about not being able to meet Santa.

I never got into the Angelina Ballerina franchise and this wisp of a story does nothing to draw me into her world. Being a kind peeping tom who dances ballet is not much of a personality.

[Neal Montgomery]

Yeah there's a nice ending to the story and the illustrations are well done but they want me to just pretend like Angelina bullying Henry never happened and I can't do it!

[Luisa Knight]

I just love the pictures!

Ages: 4 - 8

Cleanliness: Santa Claus is in the story. A boy whines.

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[Melki]

Angelina decides to help make an elderly man's Christmas a little less lonely, while cousin Henry finds a new way to believe in Santa Claus.

With adorable illustrations by Helen Craig.

[deborah]

I remember reading this book as a kid and being obsessed with the costumes worn in "The Nutcracker" scenes in here, as well as the cozy cookie baking scenes! The story itself is a good one, but personally I think Helen Craig's artwork is really what makes this such a lovely Christmas book.

[Tabitha]

My all-time favorite Angelina book and favorite Christmas picture book. The color palette, costumes, and coziness get me every time.

[Aneesa]

Sweet

[Anna Marie]

Beautiful illustrations and a heartfelt message of friendship and family.

[Mely]

Such a sweet, heartwarming Christmas story. This is vintage Angelina at its finest. Great wat to teach the true meaning of Christmas. Love the classic style of illustration.

[Dotti]

Angelina’s Christmas is a sweet addition to the Angelina Ballerina franchise. In this story, Angelina and her cousin Henry befriend a lonely retired postal worker. The man dresses up as Santa for the two children and reintegrates into the community of the town.

Angelia Ballerina stories are always so darling, and they are loved by both my seven year old and my three year old. This particular story was new to us, though I believe it’s an anniversary reprint, but both kids really loved the Santa storyline. I appreciated that the story is clear that Mr. Bell is not Santa, but a mouse dressing up as Santa, which allows families to continue their own family mythos about Santa Claus without echoes of “but Angelina Ballerina said!”

This story is identified as being for Christmas, but I think it’s more generally about the winter holidays. The characters leave treats out for Santa and perform in the Nutcracker, but there is no religious iconography or Christmas-specific symbolism that I noticed.

Angelina’s friendliness and openness is a joy to read, and her love of ballet really worked for my two little dancers. This story captures the magic of Christmas in a very Angelina-way and would be a great read for a cold winter evening around the holidays.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!

[JudyAnnLovesBooks]

ANGELINA’S CHRISTMAS by Katharine Holabird is a classroom favorite that belongs in every library.

When Angelina notices her elderly neighbor Mr. Bell spending Christmas alone, she enlists cousin Henry to help spread holiday cheer. Henry, meanwhile, is determined to finally meet Santa Claus and discovers that a real Santa lives right in their town. Both Henry and Mr. Bell get their Christmas wishes in this heartwarming tale.

What makes this book special is its beautiful message of kindness and compassion. Angelina's thoughtfulness toward Mr. Bell teaches young readers to notice those who might be lonely and need friendship. This theme meshes perfectly with the Christmas spirit, making it ideal for holiday read aloud with lessons that last all year.

As with all of Angelina’s books, my students request this book again and again.
This is a must-have for any personal or classroom library. I’m giving it the judy.ann.loves.books stamp of approval, TBR and Enjoy!

[Reading Fury]

And on a lighter note for today's readings, we have Angelina's Christmas. Lighthearted and lovely, with illustrations that are wonderfully bright and detailed. A parent reading aloud to a small child will have fun pointing out the the scenery and background action going on, as well as discussing the main story. My other readings today were quite serious and faith based. This story can be taken either way, so suitable for a variety of homes. But for sure, we see compassion, kindness, giving, and love. And an act of charity is not about pity. The recipient has much to give in return. Because this book is part of the Angelina Ballerina series there is a ballet! The Nutcracker, of course. Fun, straightforward, and full of goodness, this is an excellent Christmas read.

[Katt Hansen]

Angelina is a sweet mouse to worry about the one house which is dark during the holidays. That their old postman (retired) is all alone during the holidays and seems to have to little worries her and she asks her family about the man. It's lovely to see her family coming together to give the elderly gentleman a beautiful Christmas. It's even nicer to see how they pull him back into the community and set up a new tradition which keeps him vital during this stage of his life.

Sometimes Angelina hits one out of the park. She's not always a somewhat vain and spoiled dancer. She really can be quite nice. This is one of her finer moments.

[Victoria Sigsworth]

I have a different edition. I cannot find a picture of it on Goodreads. This book was bought for my children and it was well loved. Having brought all my Christmas books from the loft this year and finally having time to go through them again, I have been re reading some of them. It's a lovely story, (ignore those who have written horrible unnecessary reviews on here, they aren't genuine) and my children could relate to it because of being that age and being in Christmas concerts. The illustrations are beautiful and are able to put over all the different emotions which only add to this story. Angelina is still popular today. I can definitely recommend this and others about her.

[LearningWhereWeRoam]

Angelina's Christmas is a sweet holiday story with a nice message about kindness and bringing joy to others. I enjoyed seeing Angelina and Henry help Mr. Bell feel less alone during the Christmas season, and the festive atmosphere made it a cozy read. While the story highlights kindness, I didn't always feel that same kindness came through in the way Angelina spoke to Henry, which took away from some of the enjoyment for me. Overall, it was a cute holiday story with a meaningful message, but not a favorite.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

[Hannah Burke]

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for an ARC of this book!

This was such a great revised edition to the Angelina Ballerina book collection! The artwork, characters and storyline were so cute and kept my daughter very engaged! I loved all of the sweet Christmas traditions that were written into the story as well as Angelina performing in her yearly Nutcracker performance! Henry is always such a cute side character and I loved following along in his search for Father Christmas.

[kimby]

Have I ever told the story of how I have never believed in Santa?
Anyway, it was fine. The illustrations are really well done. It’s just… I think someone could have arrived at the conclusion earlier. Did Angelina Ballerina really need to be the one to get this guy to dress up as Santa or could have literally anyone else have thought of it way earlier? A school person? Anyone.

[L.A.]

This is an interesting one. Henry was kind of whiny, but Angelina didn’t need to call him names—neither situation was really addressed. That awkwardness aside, helping Mr. Bell was a good representation of what Christmas is all about.

[Anna]

I received an advance copy from NetGalley for my Honest review.

This was such a cute story! I love how it showed noticing the things and people around you. And showed caring for other, not for your own benefit, but for theirs. It was very heartwarming. Very beautiful artwork as well.

[Ilenuca]

*christmas is about people, not presents
*old people are not useless

[Kylie Abecca]

The story is quite choppy and hard to follow in the first few pages, but the second half of the book was great, very magical and beautiful.

[Sasha]

Read aloud to the kids. The kids and I are loving the Angelina series.

[Melanie Gaum]

I loved the Angelina books as a kid, but I never knew there was a Christmas one until yesterday. It was very cute and sweet, and showed the joy of helping someone in need.

[Ruth]

a sweet story--love the illustrations

[Jennifer Brown]

Beautifully illustrated and heartwarming story ❤️

[RG]

Pinterest girlies wish they were Angelina Ballerina.

[The Lady Alayna]

I always love the artwork in these books. The story was nice, but it didn’t have anything particularly special about it.

[Sophia Mcdowell]

So sweet and nostalgic, this was a beloved series as a kid and upon an adult reread the quaint Christmas sentiment and illustrations held up beautifully. One I’ll share witgouden of my own one day.