A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens · 1843
This book is rated All ages. It isn't available on your library card.
On Christmas Eve, the miser Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his old partner and three Spirits, who show him Christmas past, present and yet to come.
Characters
Scrooge
A squeezing, grasping, covetous old miser who counts his money on Christmas Eve and calls the whole merry season "Humbug!"
Bob Cratchit
Scrooge's poorly paid clerk, who shivers over a single coal yet stays gentle, patient and full of Christmas cheer.
Jacob Marley
Scrooge's old business partner, seven years dead, who returns as a ghost dragging a heavy chain to give a warning.
The Ghost of Christmas Past
A strange, gentle spirit, both childlike and ancient, whose head shines with light as it leads Scrooge back through his memories.
The Ghost of Christmas Present
A jolly, generous giant who shows Scrooge how Christmas is being kept this very day, in homes rich and poor.
The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come
A silent, shrouded phantom that never speaks, only points, as it leads Scrooge toward the shadows of things to come.
Fred
Scrooge's cheerful nephew, who loves Christmas and keeps kindly inviting his grumpy uncle to dinner, however rudely he is refused.
Tiny Tim
Bob Cratchit's small, frail youngest son, who carries a little crutch and a heart full of hope and goodness.
Mrs. Cratchit
Bob's brave, busy wife, who makes a merry Christmas feast for her large family out of very little.
Mr. Fezziwig
Young Scrooge's jolly old master, who closes the warehouse early and throws the merriest Christmas dance anyone could wish for.
Belle
The sweet, steady young woman Scrooge once hoped to marry, before his love of money came between them.
young Ebenezer
Scrooge as a lonely schoolboy, left behind at school over Christmas with only his storybooks to keep him company.
About the story
A Christmas Carol follows Ebenezer Scrooge, a cold, tight-fisted London moneylender who has no use for Christmas, charity, or company. On a foggy Christmas Eve, seven years after the death of his business partner Jacob Marley, Scrooge sends away his cheerful nephew Fred, turns off two gentlemen collecting for the poor, and grudgingly gives his underpaid clerk, Bob Cratchit, the holiday off. That night Marley's ghost appears, weighed down by chains, and warns him that three Spirits will visit him.
The Spirits take Scrooge through Victorian London and through his own life: a lonely boyhood at school, the joyful dances of his old master Fezziwig, the love he let slip away, and the crowded, hopeful Christmas of the Cratchit family. The story contrasts warmth with coldness and generosity with greed. It asks whether a person can still change, and what we owe to the people around us.
Dickens wrote the novella in a few weeks in 1843, partly to draw attention to poverty in industrial England. It became one of the most loved stories in English. Its vivid characters, its blend of ghost story and comedy, and its warm heart have kept it in print ever since, and it has been adapted countless times for stage and screen.
This is a condensed picture-book retelling in 60 illustrated pages, with about 17 minutes of narration by a synthetic voice and AI-generated pictures drawn for this edition. Dickens's full original text is free in the public domain and is well worth reading too.
Adapted from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (1843), public domain.
Questions
What is A Christmas Carol about?
It is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly old businessman who is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghost of his former partner and then by three Spirits. They show him scenes from his past, the present, and what may lie ahead.
Who is the main character in A Christmas Carol?
The main character is Ebenezer Scrooge, a cold, greedy London moneylender famous for saying "Bah! Humbug!" Other key characters include his clerk Bob Cratchit, his nephew Fred, Jacob Marley's ghost, and the three Spirits of Christmas.
Is A Christmas Carol suitable for children?
Yes. This edition is rated for all ages. It has some mildly spooky moments, such as ghosts and rattling chains, but the story is gentle and warm-hearted and has long been shared with families at Christmas.
How long does this edition of A Christmas Carol take?
This picture-book edition has 60 illustrated pages and about 17 minutes of narration, so it is easy to enjoy in one sitting.
Is this the full text of A Christmas Carol?
No. This is a condensed retelling that keeps the main story and many of Dickens's own lines. The complete original novella is in the public domain and free to read.
Read the text version: every page's caption, with its picture, on one page.
