Celebrate the season with our top picks for the best Christmas books for kids!

As the holiday season approaches, there’s no better time to switch the usual picture books at bedtime to picture books for Christmas. There’s nothing like curling up with a good Christmas book to get into the holiday excitement, reading about reindeer adventures, magical holiday surprises, and good-hearted tales with uplifting messages.

These Christmas stories feature a wide range of the best Christmas books for kids, including those about dreaming big and making those dreams come true, exploring the true meaning of Christmas, and even funny Christmas books that will help put you in a jolly good spirit. From beautiful Christmas books to classic ones, we have 25 of the best recommendations for family reading and creating lasting memories this holiday season!

This post features the 25 best Christmas books for kids that embrace the magic of the holidays!

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The Best Children’s Christmas Books

Read one Christmas book with the kids leading up to Christmas Day to get into the holiday spirit and build up that excitement throughout December. Start the month with something funny to get them curious and spread the holiday cheer with a good laugh.

Here’s a list of hilarious and funny Christmas books for kids to read to get you started:

The Crayons’ Christmas by Drew Daywalt

Let’s start the list off strong with our favorite hands-on Christmas book! The Crayons’ Christmas is such an adorable and fun book for kids! Each Crayon in the book gets a surprise mail or delivery package with a gift, game, or activity that your kids can enjoy opening. The Crayon’s Christmas is lighthearted, funny, and entertaining and lets the reader be a part of the story as each Crayon tells their part of the story. It’s like a picture book and an activity book in one.

North Pole Ninjas Mission: Christmas! by Tyler Knott Gregson & Sarah Linden

North Pole Ninjas Mission: Christmas! is another good-hearted, hands-on Christmas book your kids will enjoy reading! The book is about Santa’s top-secret elves, who are the protectors of holiday cheer and are highly trained to keep the spirit of Christmas alive through acts of kindness. It delivers a positive and uplifting message to kids to bring more kindness into the world, care for others’ needs, and do good deeds.

Your kids will “sign a pact” to help the top secret elves complete the 50 acts of kindness missions located in a special envelope at the end of the book. The 50 secret mission cards revolve around spreading kindness, love, and holiday cheer. Also, how cute is that little sensei stuffed toy that comes with the book?!

Tough Cookie: A Christmas Story by Edward Hemingway

Tough Cookie is a cute little book about a cookie that tastes terrible. The story is similar to The Gingerbread Man, but in this book, a fox tries to chase down the cookie only to find out it is not delicious. At first, Cookie is distraught but realizes that his flaws make him who he is. He sees his flaws as valuable strengths and starts to accept what makes him different, ultimately saving him from the fox.

The end of the book has two recipes for making your own Tough Cookies at home! The first recipe is for a dozen delicious and gluten-free cookies based on the book’s main character. The second recipe is for the non-edible ornament version of Cookie. Fun activities to do for the holidays after reading this book!

Cookiesaurus Christmas by Amy Fellner Dominy & Nate Evans

If your kids love dinosaurs, they will love this silly story about Rex, a dinosaur cookie whose dream is to be on Santa’s cookie plate. He tries hard to make his dreams come true, even at the expense of others, but then realizes his mistakes and has a change of heart about how he treats other cookies.

The Worst Christmas Book In The Whole Entire World by Joey Acker

The Worst Christmas Book In The Whole Entire World is a silly, refreshing, and fun book that will entertain your kids! Take a break from all the Christmas books by letting Nameless, this book’s main character, tell you why this book is the worst Christmas book ever! The illustrations are simple but full of character, with pages that will make you laugh aloud.

Elf by Kim Smith (Illustrator)

Our family’s favorite Christmas movie, Elf, is now available as a book! The 2003 holiday movie starring Will Ferrell can now be read as an illustrated storybook for bedtime! Elf is about Buddy, who thinks he’s a North Pole elf. He takes a hilarious adventure around New York City to spend time with his real dad and brings Christmas cheer to those around him. The book has the same iconic, hilarious scenes as the movie. It’s perfect for kids and those who love the original movie!

Beautiful Christmas Books

I’m a sucker for gorgeous book covers and beautiful picture books! Imagine being transported to a snowy village with sugar plum fairies and twinkling lights and getting lost in a world filled with wonder and joy just by the illustrations alone!

The following list is of beautiful Christmas books with whimsical, captivating, gorgeous illustrations, sparkling covers, and art within the pages that warms your heart.

The Nutcracker by Fiona Watt

There are many editions of the classic tale of The Nutcracker, but this edition by Fiona Watt is one of the best Christmas books for kids because it’s a short and sweet book that takes you on a musical ride through the story. The illustrations are beautiful, and the book can be read while listening to Tchaikovsky’s music. Each page has a button that, once pressed, plays Tchaikovsky’s songs from the Nutcracker ballet. Little kids will love pressing the musical buttons as you read the story.

The Christmas Pine by Julia Donaldson

Based on real events, The Christmas Pine is a story about the Christmas tree tradition, with its history explained in detail at the end of the book. The book is told from the perspective of the pine tree and follows its life from being a seed to growing into a giant Christmas tree. This is a short and sweet book with detailed pictures that are beautifully illustrated.

Dasher: How A Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever by Matt Tavares

Dasher is a warm, feel-good holiday story about a young doe who seizes control of her destiny and bravely searches for a more fulfilling life rather than being stuck unhappy as a circus animal. It’s a beautiful story of courage, family, love, and the joy of the holidays depicted in its dreamy illustrations. Dasher yearns for her dreams to come true and becomes part of Santa’s team of infamous reindeer. This book is one of the best Christmas books for kids that we’ve read because it captures the magic of Christmas within its pages. It’s a family favorite that has been requested over and over again around the holidays.

The sequel to Dasher just came out in 2023. The second book is not part of our Christmas book collection yet, but since we loved the first Dasher book, we will definitely be reading the sequel—Dasher Can’t Wait For Christmas—this year. The second book looks equally as stunning and festive as the first!

Little Robin Red Vest by Jan Fearnley

Little Robin Red Vest was initially published back in 1998 and has gone through many new editions, with the most recent one being 2018. Even after 20 years, this story is still a heartwarming classic Christmas book to read during the holidays.

The illustrations are beautiful, and the storyline centers around helping those in need. The little robin is a kind and generous bird with a big heart who selflessly gives away his vests to those who are freezing in the cold. His selfless acts come back tenfold when he gets a surprise at the end as he is rewarded for thinking of others before himself.

Pick A Pine Tree by Patricia Toht

I recommend reading this book the night you put your Christmas tree up to add that extra spark of Christmas magic to your child’s tree-decorating memories. Pick A Pine Tree is a warm and cozy book about a family choosing what special Christmas tree to take home, what decorations to put on, and finally enjoying the tree together once it is lit up and finished.

This is an excellent book to read to start the season and get the kids excited about Christmas by teaching them about the Christmas tree tradition—even if you have an artificial tree!

Little Red Sleigh by Erin Guendelsberger

Little Red Sleigh has so much charm that it deserves to be on the list of one of the best Christmas books for kids because of its feel-good motivational story. This beautifully uplifting book is about perseverance and making your dreams come true, no matter how big they may seem or how small you think you are. Readers will be inspired to dream big and never give up on those dreams. It’s a great lesson to teach kids that any big dream is achievable as long as they set their minds to it and are willing to put in the work. The story is told in an age-appropriate and relatable way for kids.

Last Stop On The Reindeer Express by Maudie Powell-Tuck

The pictures in Last Stop On The Reindeer Express are absolutely stunning! They are vivid, colorful, and incredibly detailed. The adventure starts when Mia wants to send her Grandpa a letter but finds out it won’t arrive to him in time. She then comes across a mysterious mailbox called The Reindeer Express and walks through it’s magical doors. The book then takes the reader on a beautiful reindeer ride to deliver Grandpa’s letter through artistically placed cutouts of pages and flaps that you open as a reader to take you to the next part of the adventure.

This book is my daughter’s favorite Christmas book of all time! She loves to open the flaps to see the surprise behind each door or window, even though she’s read it a million times! This is such a fun Christmas book to read!

The Best Christmas Picture Books

Are you looking for the best Christmas books for toddlers that are easy to read? These picture books for Christmas are also great for preschool and kindergarten-age kids because they have simple stories that are easy to read and entertaining for the little ones!

Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Sleigh! by Mo Willems

The Pigeon series is popular in my house, so of course we needed to have the holiday book Don’t Let The Pigeon Ride The Sleigh! It follows the same concept as the previous books but with a Christmas twist! The kids always think Pigeon is incredibly hilarious, and the enjoyment continues in this holiday book. This is a simple, entertaining, and funny story to read aloud, mostly due to the beloved Pigeon’s hilarious dramatics.

You’re My Little Christmas Cookie by Nicola Edwards

You’re My Little Christmas Cookie is for little ones under three because it’s a cute, easy-to-read, adorable Christmas book for toddlers. It’s a board book with colorful pictures and cutouts and heartwarming words that remind your little one how loved and special they are to you. Also, this book is exactly like You’re My Little Christmas Wish with just a few words changed, so I suggest you save your money and only buy one or the other – and not both.

Snow Sisters! by Kerri Kokias & Teagan White

Snow Sisters is a very easy book to read with simple text, which can be helpful for kids who are starting to read and recognize words. Each page has one-word sentences that showcase the differences between the two sisters and how they embrace a snow day in their own unique ways. They couldn’t be more different from each other, but despite their different personalities, they come together and connect in the end in such a sweet way. The illustrations in this book are also adorable, colorful, and bright.

Dream Snow by Eric Carle

Dream Snow is another picture book for the little ones about a farmer (who looks much like Santa Claus!) wishing for snow. It eventually snows on his farm while he sleeps, and the “snow” is a plastic overlay between the pages covering each farm animal. This cute Christmas book for toddlers will help with counting, recognizing numbers, and guessing what farm animal is covered under the “snow.” Dream Snow is also a fun and fantastic choice for preschoolers up to first grade to read in the classroom.

The Sugar Plum Fairy’s Wand by Rosie Greening & Lara Ede

The Sugar Plum Fairy’s Wand is a fun twist on the classic Christmas story The Nutcracker. In it, the Sugar Plum Fairy is a doll that comes alive and needs help finding her wand, so the characters go on an adventure to Christmas Land to find it. This book is simple and easy to read, perfect for kids who love stories with magical fairies and holiday twists.

Bear Stays Up For Christmas by Karma Wilson

Bear Stays Up For Christmas is a cozy, warm, and cute Christmas book about friendship. All Bear wants to do is sleep (relatable as a mom!), but things must be done before Christmas. Bear’s animal friends wake him during his winter hibernation to help him prepare for Christmas and to celebrate the holiday with him so he doesn’t miss Christmas again this year. This rhyming book is fun to read aloud to kids before bedtime.

All The Colors Of Christmas by Matthew Paul Turner

All the Colors of Christmas is a beautiful Christmas book that helps kids understand the meaning of Christmas through holiday colors. This book will evoke nostalgic Christmas feelings through the inspiring words and colorful illustrations. It also encourages the reader to pause and use their senses to explore the magic of Christmas all around.

Classic Christmas Books For Kids

These timeless classic Christmas books serve as a gentle reminder to slow down, appreciate the little things, and spread some holiday cheer along the way. They offer valuable life lessons through heartwarming messages and help connect us with our past and the traditions we can pass on to our kids.

Here are four of the classic Christmas stories that will fill you up with nostalgia and comfort in their familiar characters and stories:

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

The Polar Express is about a boy who takes a magical train ride on Christmas Eve to Santa, partly to find out if Santa is real. The story explores the true spirit of Christmas in believing, not just seeing. The dark and shadowy illustrations give a sleepy, nostalgic Christmas vibe.

Some states offer a Polar Express train ride during the holidays for families, so this would be the perfect book to read to kids right before boarding the train!

A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz

A Charlie Brown Christmas is a classic holiday book that teaches the true meaning of Christmas. Its gorgeous red fabric hardcover features iconic illustrations and your favorite Peanuts characters. If you play the piano, the book’s first pages contain the piano sheet music for Jingle Bells, and the last pages contain the song “Hark The Herald Angels Sing!”

How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess

Originally written in 1957, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a classic holiday story that many have loved throughout the years. The Grinch absolutely hates Christmas, and because of that hatred in his tiny heart, he wants to ruin it for the rest of the town as well by stealing presents and anything Christmas-related.

But the Grinch reminded us that Christmas is not about gift-giving but rather about being present, spending time with loved ones, and keeping the joy of Christmas in your hearts. It’s a heartwarming book that will put you in the Christmas spirit.

‘Twas The Night Before Christmas by Clare Fennell (Illustrator)

‘Twas The Night Before Christmas is a classic Christmas story that is perfect to read to kids on Christmas Eve. I save this book for December 24th to get kids excited for the next day and Santa’s arrival. This book brings the poem to life with quirky illustrations. Kids will love pressing the button on the front cover to light up the twinkly stars!

What is the most popular Christmas book?

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The most popular Christmas book ever is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. This classic book is about Ebenezer Scrooge, the original Grinch, who is visited by four different ghosts who change his viewpoint of life and become a better man. It’s definitely a Christmas classic that has been read, watched, and told for many decades and is considered the best Christmas book for many to read.

Retold by Adam McKeown, A Christmas Carol is condensed into a vividly illustrated Christmas book for young readers. It has the same impactful message as the original book but is a kid-friendly version and easy to follow.

Best New Christmas Books

I’m always looking for the best new Christmas books to add to our holiday collection to keep the joy of reading present during the busiest season. One fun way to do so is with a Christmas book advent. We open one of the books on this list of the best Christmas books for kids every night in December to help countdown to Christmas. I’ll rotate the books every other year to avoid getting tired of the same Christmas books.

The following list includes new Christmas books that have just come out within the past year that I have my eye on and will be adding to my holiday collection:

1. The Owl Who Came For Christmas by John Hay
2. There’s An Elf Stuck In My Book!
3. The Christmas Elephant by Maria Antonia
4. Busy Betty and the Perfect Christmas Present by Reese Witherspoon
5. The Snow Thief by Alice Hemming
6. Christmas at Hogwarts by J.K. Rowling (buying this for me!)

25 Books Of Christmas

The holiday season is the perfect time to snuggle up with a good book and get lost in the magic of Christmas. With this list of the 25 best Christmas books for kids, you can easily find a story that will capture your child’s imagination and make this time of year even more special.

You can read one book per night starting December 1st all the way up until Christmas to build up the holiday excitement. Or choose a book from each of the sections of funny Christmas books, beautiful Christmas books, to even one from the classic Christmas picture books, and read them all on Christmas Eve. Either way, keep the magic of Christmas going by reading one (or all!) of these enchanting books!

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