Lois Lenski's Christmas Stories

by Lois Lenski

Collection of stories describe the different ways in which Christmas is celebrated in various regions of our country

Genres: Christmas, Childrens, Holiday, Short Stories, Fiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1980

About the author

Lois Lenore Lenski Covey was an influential American author and illustrator whose work reshaped twentieth-century children’s literature through its combination of artistic skill, documentary realism, and deep empathy for childhood experience. Beginning her publishing career in the late 1920s, she went on to write and illustrate nearly one hundred books, ranging from picture books and historical novels to regional fiction, poetry, songbooks, and literary essays. She is best known for the Mr. Small picture book series, her meticulously researched historical novels, and her groundbreaking Regional books, which portrayed the everyday lives of children across diverse American communities.
Born in Ohio and trained formally as both an educator and an artist, Lenski studied at Ohio State University, the Art Students League of New York, and the Westminster School of Art in London. Although she initially aspired to be a painter, exhibiting work in New York galleries, she gradually turned to illustration and then to writing, encouraged by pioneering children’s editor Helen Dean Fish. Her early books drew heavily on her Midwestern childhood, while later works reflected extensive travel, field research, and close observation of family and community life.
Lenski achieved major critical recognition with her historical novels Phebe Fairchild: Her Book and Indian Captive, and with her Regional novel Strawberry Girl, which won the Newbery Medal. These works were notable for their commitment to authenticity, incorporating dialect, material culture, and social realities often avoided in children’s books of the era. She believed that literature for young readers should neither sentimentalize nor sanitize life, but instead foster understanding, tolerance, and empathy.
Alongside her own writing, Lenski illustrated works by other major authors, including Watty Piper’s The Little Engine That Could and the early volumes of Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy-Tacy series. Her influence extended beyond publishing through lectures, teaching, and advocacy. In 1967 she established the Lois Lenski Covey Foundation, dedicated to providing books to children facing social and economic disadvantage.
In her later years, Lenski continued writing while living in Florida, publishing her autobiography Journey into Childhood shortly before her death. Her legacy endures through her books, her educational philosophy, and ongoing efforts to expand access to literature for children.

Reviews

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice collection of Christmas short stories. A couple of the stories were sad, and the Nativity play at the end was not very well-written. Overall my kids and I enjoyed this book.

[Brian Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book like many of Lois Lenski's books is a timeless classic we will find ourselves reading every year. It is a compilation of many of her Christmas stories from books she has written. So it is a book of Chirstmas short stories but they are all so sweet and heartwarming. There is such richness to this book as well as culture. A step back in time we all need to remember. There was not one story our family didn't love. A must read if you are a timeless classic fan of Lois Lenski.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've wanted to read this for years because I remember loving some of Lenski's books as a kid, and the cover is so cheerful. While the stories are cozy and pleasant, the plots and writing are pretty dated, the poems dull, and I don't see much here for children of today to identify with. I love a good old-fashioned story, but I think this is one of those books whose time seems to have been and gone.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I brought this home when our school’s library decided to withdraw it from their collection. It needed a good home! It’s been light, fun bedtime reading during these weeks leading up to Christmas. Some of the excerpts didn’t make much sense as standalone stories, but I appreciated the snippets of various immigrant cultures as they celebrated first Christmases in the New World. I enjoyed Lenski’s poetry between each of the chapters as well!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I probably would have liked these stories more if I hadn't felt as if I were reading chapters from several different books (and I was--some were excerpts). I did learn a few holiday traditions from other countries, so that was a plus.

[Suzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not a "feel good" Christmas book. Afterwards, I realized each story was adapted from previous book the author had written. Those books might be better; however, these stories were kind of sad.