🎅 “Festive Reading Magic: Our Librarians and Christmas Tales Across St Peter’s 🎅

Dec 10th

✨ “Love, Learn, Shine Christmas Stories Everywhere – From Library to The Nest – Real Books, Real Joy!”📚 

Books Everywhere: Sustaining the Joy of Reading at St Peter’s – With a Christmas Twist!

At St Peter’s, reading isn’t just something that happens in the library – it’s everywhere. Every classroom, every nurture space, every quiet corner is alive with books. In a world where screens are everywhere, we believe real books remain essential. Digital tools have their place, but nothing compares to the feel of a book in your hands, the smell of the pages, and the magic of turning them one by one.

Reading Around Every Corner

  • Classroom Reading Areas: Each classroom has a cosy reading space filled with stories and topic books to spark curiosity and imagination.
  • KS1 Reading Gardens: Our outdoor reading gardens invite children to enjoy books surrounded by nature.
  • Nurture Spaces – The Nest and The Snug: These calming areas are stocked with comforting stories for quiet moments and emotional wellbeing.
  • Medical Room: Even when children feel unwell, they can choose a book to keep them company while waiting to be collected.
  • Library Story Sacks: Our library is home to Story Sacks for Early Years – themed bags with a book, props, and activities that bring stories to life. These sacks help families share stories at home in a fun, interactive way, building language, imagination, and a love of reading from the very start.
Books are part of every experience at St Peter’s because reading is a habit, a joy, and a lifelong gift.

Our Librarians – Champions of Real Books

For 2025–2026, we are proud to introduce our new team of school librarians children who help sustain our reading culture in the digital age.
What do our librarians do?
  • Care for Our Library: Keeping shelves tidy and books ready for eager readers.
  • Recommend New Titles: Suggesting exciting books for our collection, ensuring children’s voices are heard.
  • Champion Diversity in Reading: Advocating for series like Little Leaders and other inspiring titles that reflect a wide range of experiences and role models.
  • Promote Real Books: Reminding us that while technology is useful, nothing beats the magic of a real book.
  • Support Peers: Helping classmates find books they’ll love and encouraging everyone to read more.
Our librarians are at the heart of our mission to keep reading vibrant, inclusive, and central to school life.

Christmas Reading Magic – Share a Story Together

This festive season, our library and book corners are brimming with Christmas stories for every child to enjoy. Families can borrow these books from school or find them at Harrogate Library to share at home. Here are some wonderful titles from our Christmas Reading List:
Early Years (Nursery & Reception)
  • Dear Santa by Rod Campbell
  • The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
  • Stick Man by Julia Donaldson
  • That’s Not My Snowman by Fiona Watt
Key Stage 1 (Years 1 & 2)
  • The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet & Allan Ahlberg
  • Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss
  • The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher
Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3 & 4)
  • The Snowman and the Snowdog by Raymond Briggs
  • The Nutcracker (Retold by various authors)
  • The Christmas Pig by J.K. Rowling
  • A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig
Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5 & 6)
  • The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
  • Greenglass House by Kate Milford
  • The Miracle on Ebenezer Street by Catherine Doyle
  • The Night I Met Father Christmas by Ben Miller
Why not choose one of these festive favourites and enjoy a cosy family read this Christmas? Sharing stories together builds joy, imagination, and memories that last a lifetime.

Why Reading Matters – Every Minute Counts

Our reading infographic shows the incredible impact of daily reading:
20 minutes a day = 1.8 million words a year and better outcomes in school.
Children who read regularly build vocabulary, confidence, and imagination – skills that last a lifetime.

As Frederick Douglass said:
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”

Bringing Books Home – Tips for Families

  • Create a cosy reading corner at home.
  • Read together every day – even 10 minutes makes a difference.
  • Let children choose what they love – comics, stories, non-fiction.
  • Visit Harrogate Library for new adventures.
  • Talk about books to build excitement and understanding.
  • Borrow Story Sacks from school to make reading interactive and fun!

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