The Best and Most Delightful Christmas Books for Kids

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Reading aloud is one of the most important ways to bring family together and besides it’s fun! And during Christmas is one of our most favorite times to read aloud. So, I’ve put together the best and most delightful Christmas books for kids. You can check your local library before purchasing any books. However, the ones you can’t get at the library you can slowly start to purchase them for your home library! This list of books will especially bring joy to your family this holiday season and year after year.

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Pinterest pin graphic for best Christmas books for kids.

So, I’ve categorized the best Christmas books for kids into three parts. For that reason, you can use the table of contents below to jump to any section you’re interested in. But I wouldn’t suggest skipping over any of them, they’re all so good!

Christ Centered

The following list includes books focused on Jesus in some way. These are some of our most beloved books at Christmas time when we try to keep our hearts and minds focused on our Savior’s birth. This is undoubtedly a wonderful way to introduce and continue to share the true meaning of Christmas with our children through beautiful books they can relate to.

Books displayed in basket on shelf next to Nativity for Christmas books for kids.
  1. This Is the Stable by Cynthia Cotten
  2. The Birds of Bethlehem by Tomie dePaola
  3. Room For A Little One: A Christmas Tale by Martin Waddell
  4. Hurry! Hurry! Have You Heard? by Laura Krauss Melmed
  5. The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg
  6. The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado
  7. The Christmas Story by Jane Werner Watson
  8. Father and Son: A Nativity Story by Geraldine McCaughrean
  9. Silent Night by Lara Hawthorne
  10. The Jesus Storybook Bible: A Christmas Collection by Sally Lloyd-Jones
  11. A Baby Born in Bethlehem by Martha Whitmore Hickman
  12. Voices of Christmas by Nikki Grimes
  13. ‘Twas the Evening of Christmas by Glenys Nellist
  14. Christmas in the Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
  15. We Three Kings by Gennady Spirin
  16. Little Drummer Boy by Ezra Jack Keats
  17. The Donkey’s Dream by Barbara Helen Berger
  18. Little One, We Knew You’d Come by Sally Lloyd-Jones
  19. We Were There: A Nativity Story by Eve Bunting
  20. The Night of Las Posadas by Tomie dePaola
  21. The Story of Christmas by Pamela Dalton
  22. One Starry Night by Lauren Thompson
  23. Humphrey’s First Christmas by Carol Heyer
  24. Song of the Stars by Sally Lloyd-Jones
  25. The Pine Tree Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs
  26. Mortimer’s Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson
  27. God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren
  28. What Star Is This by Joseph Slate
  29. The Wise Men Who Found Christmas by Raymond Arroyo
  30. The Spider Who Saved Christmas: A Legend by Raymond Arroyo

Christmas Spirit

All of these books have such a touching story and because of that you might even need tissues! Although we can share love and kindness with our neighbors everyday, Christmastime is a beautiful time to be generous with those around us. Finally, each of these books shares one thing in common – the joy and happiness of the Christmas spirit!

Stack of Christmas books for kids on kitchen counter.
  1. The Legend of St. Nicholas: A Story of Christmas Giving by Dandi Daley Mackall
  2. The Baker’s Dozen: A Saint Nicholas Tale by Aaron Shepard
  3. Why Christmas Trees Aren’t Perfect by Richard H. Schneider
  4. Christmas Tapestry by Patricia Polacco
  5. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski
  6. Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo
  7. An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polacco
  8. Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck
  9. The Christmas Tree Ship by Chris Ellison
  10. The Story of Holy & Ivy by Rumer Godden
  11. The Christmas Boot by Lisa Wheeler
  12. Pick A Pine Tree by Patricia Toht
  13. The Clown of God by Tomie dePaola
  14. Babushka: A Christmas Tale by Dawn Casey
  15. The Little Fir Tree by Margaret Wise Brown
  16. Merry Christmas Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
  17. Strega Nona’s Gift by Tomie dePaola
  18. The Biggest Most Beautiful Christmas Tree by Amye Rosenberg
  19. The Story of St. Nicholas (Voice of Martyrs) by Cheryl Odden
  20. The Spirit of Christmas by Nancy Tillman
  21. Christmas in the Country by Cynthia Rylant
  22. Christmas in Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren
  23. Cobweb Christmas by Shirley Climo
  24. Apple Tree Christmas by Trinka Hakes Noble
  25. The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story by Gloria Houston
  26. The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
  27. The Carpenter’s Gift by David Rubel
  28. The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola
  29. Red & Lulu by Matt Tavares
  30. The Christmas Cat by Efner Tudor Holmes
  31. The Christmas Visitors by Karel Hayes
  32. An Early American Christmas by Tomie dePaola
  33. Country Angel Christmas by Tomie dePaola
  34. The Legend of Old Befana: An Italian Christmas Story by Tomie dePaola
  35. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
  36. The ADVENTure of Christmas by Lisa Whelchel

Winter Theme

Lastly, these are just some more of our favorite books that I couldn’t leave out. They’re not necessarily related to Jesus’ birth, but some share the history of Christmas traditions or just the classics of the fun of the Winter season.

Girl reading the 12 Days of Christmas by Jan Brett on couch.
  1. The Family Christmas Tree by Tomie dePaola
  2. The Hat by Jan Brett
  3. The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett
  4. Christmas in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
  5. Night Tree by Eve Bunting
  6. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
  7. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
  8. Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
  9. Brave Irene by William Steig
  10. Snow by Uri Shulevitz
  11. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
  12. Gingerbread Christmas by Jan Brett
  13. Prairie Christmas by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk
  14. Cranberry Christmas by Wende Devlin
  15. The Nutcracker by Susan Jeffers
  16. The Little Christmas Tree by Loek Koopmans
  17. Jingle Bells by Susan Jeffers
  18. The Twelve Days of Christmas by Jan Brett
  19. The Mitten by Jan Brett

Best Christmas Books for Kids With a Movie

Finally, one of our favorite things to do after finishing any read aloud is to see if there is a corresponding movie! I’ve been surprised over the last few years just how many books we’ve read have had movies to go along with them! So I wanted to be sure to share with you what I found! I always recommend reading the book first, but having a fun movie night with the family and comparing the differences is a lot of fun!

(I have not personally watched all of these, as always screen first for your family.)

  1. The Legend of the Candy Cane (Free on Youtube)
  2. The Crippled Lamb (Free on Youtube)
  3. The Little Drummer Boy (Free on Youtube)
  4. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey (Free on Youtube)
  5. The Gift of the Magi 2001 (Amazon Prime)
  6. The Gift of the Magi 2010 (Amazon Prime)
  7. How the Grinch Stole Christmas 1966 (Amazon Prime)
  8. The Polar Express (Amazon Prime)
  9. The Nutcracker 1986 (Free on Youtube)

Print the Booklists

Just drop your e-mail below to get a downloaded version of all 3 booklists that you can take to the library with you!

How to Use the Best Christmas Books for Kids

Despite already having Christmas books, I purchased several new books this year and also used some we already had to do an Advent countdown. This has been so fun for all of us! During the season of Advent, every night we look forward to opening a new book!

Girl opening up one of the Advent Christmas books from wrapping paper while sitting on couch.

How to Do an Advent Book Countdown

  1. Gather up however many books you need for Advent, for example you may need 28 books.
  2. Generally, each book is wrapped. Although there’s lots of options for how to wrap them, keep it simple. In case you need some simple ideas, I’ve listed a few ways below.
    • Use plain kraft wrapping paper and number each one. For fun let the kids decorate the wrapping paper.
    • Another idea is to wrap in any wrapping paper and use stickers to label each one.
    • Lastly, you can purchase drawstring canvas bags to reuse every year. A friend of mine purchased something similar to these Cotton Produce Bags. It’s an investment to do this, but you’ll be able to use them year after year.
  3. Every night through Advent open 1 book and read together as a family until you’ve read them all and it’s Christmas day!

Another option is to simply display the books on a bookshelf, place them in a basket in your living area, or child’s bedroom and just read them all winter long!

If you’re looking for more traditions to do with your family I have loved The ADVENTure of Christmas book! It has so many simple ideas to enjoy during Advent. Also, check out 12 Simple Christmas Traditions for Kids!

Where to Buy the Best Christmas Books for Kids

I try to buy most of our books from second hand stores like Goodwill and Once Upon A Child, but occasionally if I have trouble finding a book I’ll buy new from an online retailer. So, here’s some of my favorite places to buy Christmas books for kids!

Woman holding Christmas book up in front of bookshelves.

More On the Blog

Don’t forget while you’re reading all these Christmas books to make it even sweeter with this Classic Sugar Cookie Recipe (no chill) or these Ultimate Peppermint Chocolate Cookies.

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