From the Bookshelf of Never too Late to Read Classics…

Letters from Father Christmas

J.R.R. Tolkien,

Baillie Tolkien (Editor)

Start date: December 1, 2018

Finish date: December 31, 2018

Discussion: Children's Classics Buddy Reads

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What Members Thought

Dec 05, 2022 Sara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-literature, christmas

What a darling little book of letters written from J.R.R. Tolkien (Father Christmas) to his children, John, Michael, Christopher and Pricilla. I found it interesting that a man of so much imagination gave his children such common names.

The illustrations that he drew to accompany the letters are remarkable and I shall now think of Polar Bear as a Christmas staple, the way I think of the Grinch.

What a lovely glimpse into the person Tolkien was! These are very personal interactions with his childr ...more

56 likes · Like · see review

Dec 18, 2020 Laura (Reading is a Doing Word) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, childrens, christmas, 2020-read

This book was adorable! I can't believe it's taken me until now to discover and read this.
Tolkien wrote letters from his children from Father Christmas over a period of 20 years.
They contain amusing anecdotes of life at the North Pole with the North Polar Bear and other helpers. The North Polar Bear himself writes sometimes too. Many of the letters are illustrated and match the stories beautifully.
I was completely transported and felt nostalgic for the fun and wonder the Tolkien children must ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 15, 2017 Shirley (stampartiste) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-classics, golden-girls-book-club

I loved this book. It is enchanting, beautifully illustrated and shows the heart, soul and genius of J.R.R. Tolkien. What a treasure he gave to his obviously much beloved children! A gift like no other.

2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 22, 2024 Cynthia Feenstra rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A sweet book filled with Tolkien’s yearly Christmas letters to his children. I enjoyed every single one of them. Keep in mind that this is not a novel—it’s little short letters filled with humor and love and art and the magic of Christmas to Tolkien’s children, and children, young and old, everywhere.

Note: the best way to read this book is one letter a day over the course of the month leading up to Christmas. It was like reading a little bit of Father Christmas every day for the month, and it he ...more

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