As soon as I heard about the Icelandic tradition of Jólabókaflóð, I knew my family had a new Christmas Eve tradition. What’s not to love about a “Christmas book flood” celebrated by a country that cherishes two of my favorite things…reading and chocolate?

According to tradition, Icelanders give each other books on Christmas Eve and spend the evening savoring their new books as well as chocolate. It sounds to me like the perfect way to spend a wintry evening after all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

Iceland values reading and publishes more books per capita than any other country in the world. Their literacy rate is nearly 100%, and one out of ten Icelanders will publish a book in their lifetime. Celebrate this Christmas Eve like an Icelander by surrounding yourself with family, friends, chocolate, and a selection of Lerner Digital eBooks like the holiday favorites below. Happy Jolabokaflod!

 

David McKee

Our favorite patchwork elephant Elmer keeps his young elephant friends busy as they wait for Papa Red to make his annual visit. After a day playing in snow and decorating a Christmas tree, they hope to catch a glimpse of Papa Red as he lands his sleigh full of presents.

Joe Kulka

The Coal Man works hard searching mines for the coal Santa drops into the stockings of naughty boys and girls. When he arrives at the North Pole with his coal delivery, Santa informs him that he’s no longer giving out coal. This turn of events leads to an unexpected happy ending for the Coal Man.

Chris Barton, Cathy Gendron

How did The Nutcracker become a beloved American holiday tradition? Three brothers from a small town in Utah are surprisingly credited with introducing the little known Russian ballet to San Francisco in the first full length production on Christmas Eve 1944, and American audiences fell in love.

Chris Judge

The Beast and all the villagers have been robbed of their tools, so they cannot build their snow festival. The Beast is on a mission to catch the creature causing all the mayhem and soon a snow-covered chase is underway! Along the way, the Beast learns he may have more in common with the thief than he realized.

Nancy Carlson

No Christmas reading list would be complete without my children’s favorite holiday book! In this delightful Harriet and George tale, the young friends avoid the well-meaning Ms. Hoozit and her infamous fruitcake only to find out they may have missed out on a special Christmas treat.