I grew up in Bungay, just over the border, where every December tractors were transformed into Santa’s sleigh. I used to look forward to Santa coming round our estate every year. His elves, members of the local Rotary Club, would blare out Elton John as they gave out sweets to us kids. I’ve since moved a little further north, to Edinburgh, but I’ve got some brilliant memories of Christmases in Norfolk.

A special memory for me is visiting our great nanna in Norwich, after which we would head to Jarrolds to pick out a Christmas book. She worked in the book department there for about 20 years, so Jarrolds has a special place in our family. For any bookworm, child or adult, the children’s book section really was a place of wonder.

Anyway, Christmas and books have always gone hand in hand for me. When I was younger, I read the Harry Potter books and went to see the films on Christmas Eve with my dad. To this day, my husband and I make a point of returning to them, along with Tolkien, every Christmas.

I was fortunate enough to carry on my Harry Potter festivities while I was teaching, because Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was on one of the curriculums I taught.

Every autumn term I got to read it aloud to a class, some of whom were hearing it for the first time, right up to Christmas. Then, as a treat, we would watch the film, once all the assessment points had been met, of course.

A standout memory from my later years of teaching, at The Clare School in Eaton, was taking a group of students with complex needs to see My First Panto: Rapunzel at The Garage. It was a wonderfully inclusive show, and it got us all well and truly into the festive spirit.

These days I run Little Reads, a digital library of 3,000+ hand-picked books for children aged 5 to 11. Here are eight Christmas stories from our shelves to curl up with under the tree, youngest readers first.

Daisy and the Trouble with Christmas by Kes Gray (age 5)
Something went wrong at the school nativity, and Daisy has an explanation ready for it all. Her Christmas list includes a bike that fires torpedoes and a worm house with real worms, and she is certain about Santa.

Horrid Henry’s Christmas Cracker by Francesca Simon (age 6)
Four stories that take Henry from the nativity to Christmas lunch. He wants to be Joseph and gets the innkeeper, whose only line is “No.” Ours is the American edition, so expect Mom and candy.

Christmas with Princess Mirror-Belle by Julia Donaldson (age 6)
Ellen is about to go on stage as a swan when her reflection climbs out of the mirror and takes over. There are two stories, with biscuits and paper chains to make at the back.

The Reindeer Girl by Holly Webb (age 7)
Lotta is in Norway for her great-grandmother’s 90th birthday when she falls asleep and wakes 80 years earlier, living with a family of Sami reindeer herders.

The Killer Cat’s Christmas by Anne Fine (age 8)
Tuffy the cat tells this one from the garage, where he has been locked in disgrace. There are visiting twins, a nursery rhyme show and an incident with the fairy on the tree.

The Girl Who Saved Christmas by Matt Haig (age 8)
Amelia is a chimney sweep in Victorian London who writes to Father Christmas asking for her ma to get better. It’s a sad one, as Amelia’s mother dies in the opening chapters.

Operation Nativity by Jenny Pearson (age 9)
The Angel Gabriel crash-lands in a sheep field in Hampshire, and Mary and Joseph are lost somewhere near the village. Oscar and his little sister Molly have to sort it out, and underneath the jokes, Oscar’s grandfather is seriously ill.

Hetty Feather’s Christmas by Jacqueline Wilson (age 9)
Hetty wakes on Christmas morning at the Foundling Hospital with a secret parcel from her mama, and inside is a tiny handmade house. The matron is cruel and Hetty is punished harshly, so this is not a cosy read.

Every Christmas I came home from Jarrolds with a new book, and choosing it was one of my favourite parts of the season. I hope one of these eight becomes that book for a young bookworm in Norfolk this year. Merry Christmas, and happy reading.

All eight are in the full Little Reads library, in the app on iOS and Android. It’s £7.99 a month after a 7-day free trial. Cancel anytime. A free account comes with 100+ free books.

North Norfolk Living readers can use the code NNLIVING30 for 30 days free. Offer available until 31 December 2026.

readingmate.co.uk/littlereads