In a bid to encourage reading, Hitchin Library have teamed up with Nub News for a 'Countdown to Christmas' list with a daily recommendation of a festive book favourite.

Library boss Rebekah Nicolas will offer a daily book choice for the festive season.

Through hearing stories, children are exposed to a wide range of words. This helps them build their own vocabulary and improve their understanding when they listen, which is vital as they start to read.

Learning to read is also about listening and understanding, as well as working out what's printed on the page.

So, read on for Hitchin Library's festive favourite for today, Monday, December 21.

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Our next recommendation is a very special book indeed, featuring sound bites of classical music on each page.

This festive Story Orchestra book is of The Nutcracker, a beautifully illustrated retelling of the classic ballet story with musical extracts from Tchaicovsky's Nutcracker pieces.

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You will accompany Clara as she sees 'the Nutcracker battle the Mouse King, meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and journey to the Land of Sweets' (from product description).

This book offers a wonderful way to introduce little ones to classical music and ballet too.

While the musical extracts are only very short in length and the story has of course been condensed for children, it offers a truly magical festive read.

Book featured The Story Orchestra: The Nutcracker illustrated by Jessica Courtney-Tickle (Lincoln Children's Books)

This book can be ordered via Hitchin Waterstones