Christmas Songbooks Made Easy : Music: Special arrangements enhance enjoyment and performance at early or intermediate levels.

When choosing songbooks for the Christmas season, look for ones that have simple arrangements so that budding pianists can show off a little.

“The Diller-Page Carol-Book,” collected and arranged by Angela Diller and Kate Stearns Page (G. Schirmer, $5.25), features 10 familiar carols--20 beauties from Poland, France, Scotland and other European countries and four carols arranged as duets. All of the songs can be played by intermediate level piano students. This unillustrated paperback volume can easily be transported from house to house or carried in the streets by carolers.

“Carols for Christmas,” arranged and compiled by Sir David Willcocks (Metropolitan Museum of Art and Henry Holt, $16.95), is a beautifully illustrated songbook of 41 popular carols. Some of the carols appear in their original form while others have been specially arranged.

Reproductions of great paintings, sculptures and prints from the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York are featured alongside the carols. Each of the songs can be sung unaccompanied or played on the piano alone.

For the youngest carolers, Georgia Guback’s “The Caroler” (Greenwillow $14), is a cheerfully illustrated, inspiring story that also features the words and music to 11 well-known carols.

In this tale, five carolers travel through a tiny town on a snowy winter evening, singing old Christmas favorites such as “Little Town of Bethlehem.” Through the full-color art, done as cut-paper collage, the villagers are seen busily preparing their homes for the holidays. When they hear the carolers, they join in. By the book’s end, the entire village is singing along.

The music in “The Caroler” is suitable for beginning piano players.

Finally, kids and adults will be intrigued by Maggie Kneen’s “The Twelve Days of Christmas” (Dutton $13.95). All it takes is a pull from left to right on the book’s ribboned tabs, and a scene from this favorite Christmas carol comes to life. Five golden rings suddenly turn into six geese-a-laying in a lovely winter setting. Nine colorful drummers drumming are transformed into 10 elaborate pipers piping. The words to the song are shown throughout the pages, and on the back of the book is the music, simply arranged for the novice piano player.

Also available:

For children too young to play the piano or go Christmas caroling: “Hush Little Darling: A Christmas Song,” adapted and illustrated by Joan Elizabeth Goodman (Cartwheel Books, $4.95).

Goodman has adapted the traditional lullaby, “Hush Little Baby.” In this version, one mishap after another befalls each Christmas gift until Mama finally reassures her little one, “you’ll still be the sweetest little child I know.” The music and lyrics are on the final page of the book.