The Peterkins’ Christmas

The Peterkins were a large family who lived long ago. They had a good friend, whom they called “The Lady from Philadelphia,” whose kindness and wisdom often saved the family from disaster when their silliness got out of hand.

Often, but not always.

And the Peterkins’ silliness makes for some delightful stories. (You can read more about their Thanksgiving escapade here.)

Even though they lived long ago, the Peterkins were not immune to early preparations for Christmas. In fact, they started discussing it in September, and Mr. Peterkin decided to pick out their Christmas tree early, to make sure they had the best choice.

But when the time came to finally put the tree in the house, they discovered that it was too tall for the back parlor. The family hemmed and hawed, and decided the only thing to do was to raise the ceiling.

That was just the beginning.

Elizabeth Spurr adapted The Peterkins’ Christmas from stories written by Lucretia Hale in the 1880’s. It’s quite a long picture book, so I’d recommend dividing it between two or three reading times. But it is worth the time – children and adults will giggle at the Peterkins’ silliness which, amazingly enough, does not ruin Christmas at all.

Recommended for ages 4 to 10.