We home educate three children, aged 8 years and 7-year-old twins. One of our biggest challenges is finding enough books to devour together. The kids love reading, especially when Mummy reads chapters aloud every day. I kid you not! When we find a great book, we want to celebrate and share it with the world here on our blog.
The Author: Tom Fletcher
Tom Fletcher has held a special place on our bookshelves since the children were little. We’ve enjoyed his picture books like There’s A Unicorn In Your Book, There’s A Dragon In Your Book, There’s A Monster In Your Book, There’s A Superhero In Your Book, There’s An Alien In Your Book, and There’s A Witch In Your Book. My kids loved all these interactive picture books and we enjoyed reading them together many times.
So, when The Christmasaurus popped up for sale, we snapped it up straight away. We read it some time ago and the children completely fell in love with the story. Since then, we have discovered there are several versions and sequels in The Christmasaurus series, each adding more magic and adventure to the original tale.
The Christmasaurus Series and Related Books
The main Christmasaurus series currently includes:
- The Christmasaurus (the original novel)
- The Christmasaurus and the Naughty List
- The Christmasaurus and the Winter Witch
- The Christmasaurus and A Christmas Carol
Each book builds on William Trundle’s adventures during the festive season, combining magic, friendship, and Christmas spirit in ways that captivate young readers.
In addition to the chapter books, Tom Fletcher has also created two picture books tied to The Christmasaurus world, which I’ve bought for Christmas gifts this year. Our son specially, who isn’t reading independently yet, is sure to love these picture books with vibrant illustrations and enchanting storytelling that nurtures his love of books, as well as his love of The Christmasaurus stories.
Why We Love The Christmasaurus Series
The stories follow William Trundle, a young boy with a big heart and unique challenges, including the fact that he uses a wheelchair. The books explore his adventures with the magical flying Christmasaurus, and touch on themes of friendship, courage, and self-belief.
Though the books (especially the original book) had some instances of teasing nicknames like “Willypoos” and “Wheely William,” I was relieved to see these became less of a feature in later titles. The series increasingly highlights that William experiences the same emotions as everyone else, fostering greater inclusivity around wheelchair use—an important message for young children developing empathy and social awareness.
My children begged for “just one more chapter” every night, and these stories became a highlight of our bedtime routine. The books are well-paced, exciting, and full of warmth and humour, making them both engaging to listen to and deeply satisfying to read.
How Stories Can Support Parenting Philosophies
The Christmasaurus and the Naughty List, as its title suggests, explores the familiar idea of Santa’s naughty and nice lists. In our family, we’ve never used these concepts to control or manipulate behaviour, as we prefer to nurture our children’s intrinsic motivation and developmental ages and stages. However, this book opened up a wonderful opportunity for conversations around the social pressures children often face, especially between the ages of 7 and 8.
It helped our children understand that some people believe children must be “good” or “bad” to receive rewards like a visit from Father Christmas, and that these ideas can be used to try to control behaviour through the fear of exclusion. Now, they better recognise where such questions come from, and can choose not to let them influence how they feel or behave.
While the story highlights the theme of children who haven’t really done much ‘bad’ ending up on the naughty list, gentle parenting conversations around this can validate children’s feelings, encourage critical thinking, and foster empathy—all without losing the magic and joy of Christmas.
Picture Books for Younger Children
The two Christmasaurus-themed picture books offer a perfect introduction for younger children or those who prefer stories with lots of colourful illustrations. Picture books are a wonderful way to involve little ones in the magic of reading.
These picture books not only complement the main series but also bring the Christmasaurus story to life visually, which helps young imaginations soar and keeps them engaged in festive storytelling.
The Stories Came To Life In Our Home
There has been a wonderful surge of Christmasaurus-themed play happening in our household lately. My husband’s wheeled desk chair has become a makeshift wheelchair, with the kids eagerly role-playing scenes from the stories together. They have also spent a great deal of time drawing and even copying pages from the books. As they are just beginning to learn spelling, I’m sure this practice is helping their literacy skills.
Their artwork also brings a bittersweet feeling for me. It’s truly heartwarming to see my children love the series so deeply that they want to recreate it again and again, sharing their creativity with others. Watching this kind of engagement is one of the most endearing parts of parenting.
Final Thoughts
The Christmasaurus series has become a beloved part of our family’s reading time, so we were disappointed to finish the chapter books this evening. The mix of magic, adventure, and heartfelt lessons about friendship, family and kindness makes these books stand out.
For any home educating family looking for stories that combine festive fun with meaningful themes, The Christmasaurus books and picture books are a fantastic choice. From the youngest picture book fans to the older chapter book readers, there is something for everyone to enjoy—and cherish year after year.
Thank you, Tom Fletcher, for bringing such joy to our bedtime stories and making our late-night reading sessions something to look forward to every night!
Gentle Parent 