The Very Best Christmas Books for Kids

Brigitte Nohra Miller said:  Generations old and new will adore Dr. Seuss' classic holiday tale about the power of the Christmas spirit. Your holiday season will not be complete without the Grinch, Max, Cindy-Lou and the residents of Who-ville!

Beth Wood said:  Our family discovered this story last year and it quickly became one of our favorite Christmas books for kids! Join the North Pole Ninjas as they perform random acts of kindness. The book comes with different "suggestions of kind acts" that kids can complete...from donating unused toys to charity to shoveling a neighbor's driveway to doing a chore without being asked to giving hugs to those you love...these are acts of kindness even the youngest North Pole Ninja can perform!

Kelly R. said:  

This is a cute book with wonderful illustrations. While everyone is sleeping on Christmas Eve, the snowmen gather to celebrate and prepare for the arrival of Santa. Loved by preschool and kindergarten aged children.

Erin P. said:  

We love Pete the Cat in our house and this book is another favorite! The always upbeat Pete proves to us how groovy the Christmas spirit can be.

Brigitte Nohra Miller said:  "Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse..." This rhythmic poem by Clement C. Moore, first published in 1823, has been a classic for generations and reading it on Christmas Eve is a beloved Christmas tradition for many families!

Kristy Pepping said:  Based on the tradition author Carol Aebersold began with her family in the 1970s, this clever children's book explains that Santa sends an elf to every home during the holiday season. The elf is to watch the children and report who has been naughty or nice to Santa. After the elf's nightly trip to the North Pole, the elf will be hiding in a different location each morning.

Brigitte Nohra Miller said:  Snoopy and the rest of the PEANUTS gang help Charlie Brown discover the true meaning of Christmas in this classic retelling of the much loved holiday special.

Sue Krawitz Tandoc said:  The magic of Christmas comes to life with the treasured Frosty the Snowman. Young children will delight in Frosty leading a parade wearing his magic hat while strutting through town with the children. They will cheer at the happy ending and will want to hear the story again and again.

To make additional memories with Frosty, watch the televised special with your child and if you are lucky enough to get snow in the winter, build your very own Frosty complete with eyes made out of coal, top hat and a button nose!

Beth Wood said:  This adorable story about the smallest elf at the North Pole was always one of my family's favorite Christmas books for kids. We still read it each year even though they are a bit older now. Follow Oliver on his quest to find the perfect job at the North Pole. Not all of the available jobs are easy when you're the littlest elf around! Lots of giggles will be had by all as you read about Oliver's adventures!

Sue Krawitz Tandoc said:  A timeless classic, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer brightens the holidays each year for children and adults alike. Children will root and cheer for Rudolph to win over Santa with his bright red nose to lead the sleigh on Christmas Eve and deliver presents across the world.

For an added holiday treat, watch the original Christmas cartoon with your child and create special holiday memories.

Sue Krawitz Tandoc said:  Everybody's favorite monkey is up to holiday adventures. While shopping for a tree with the man with the yellow hat, George explores other trees until the one he is on is cut down and taken to the local hospital for the children's floor. George creates mischief but in doing so, cheers up all the children and he and the man with the yellow hat share a wonderful holiday afternoon with the patients.

Tim Ponisciak said:  If you have a child who is learning to read, this early reader book is a nice way to give them some practice while also having them learn about the Christmas story. The book helps child readers learn how to pronounce certain harder words from the story like "Nativity," "Nazareth" and "Galilee."

Sue Krawitz Tandoc said:  Home Alone is based on the favorite Christmas movie and is a delight for all children, whether or not they have seen the movie. The illustrations are expertly created by Kim Smith, in which she brings the movie to printed treasure as the two burglars get caught up in all of Kevin's traps including tar, feathers, and slipping on ice, Kevin's daring escape to the tree house, as well as his family returning home at the end.

My kids laughed out loud reading it and they enjoyed the printed book as much as the movie. It is our new holiday reading tradition.

Erin P. said:  Look and find books are great indoor activity for kids on a snowy day. This book has pages and pages filled with the classic Peanuts characters and will keep your kids occupied for quite awhile! Many of the illustrations are taken straight from the Charlie Brown Christmas TV show.

Brigitte Nohra Miller said:  

Originally published in 1952, this classic holiday book retells the story of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem.

Brigitte Nohra Miller said:  One of my favorite books in the Madeline Series, this book is a great spirit lifter when your little one has the sniffles during the holidays. It's Christmas Eve and Madeline is taking care of eleven sick girls and Miss Clavel. She finds help from a magic merchant selling flying carpets. The girls take a Christmas journey that will surely make them forget their sniffles and sneezes.

Brigitte Nohra Miller said:  It's Christmas Eve and an old farmer settles in for a nap pondering how Christmas can come when it hasn't snowed. The farmer dreams about a snowstorm and awakens to find it really did snow! Now in the spirit of the holiday, he puts on his red suit and surprises his animals with gifts.

Tim Ponisciak said:  When you combine Christmas and Disney characters, you know you are going to get some great stories that kids will love. This book contains a number of short stories featuring some of the most iconic Disney characters from movies like Frozen, Tangled, Cars and Monsters Inc.

Brigitte Nohra Miller said:  Follow Marie, Fritz and the Nutcracker in this dazzling classic holiday book sure to please all audiences. This beautifully illustrated book is a wonderful introduction for children, especially if you are planning to see the ballet.

Jennie Utsinger said:  In the charming tale of Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry, Mr. Willowby cuts down a Christmas tree for his house only to find out that it's just a wee bit too tall. Rather than being thrown out, the treetop finds a new home, and comes to decorate the homes of animals throughout the countryside. This was one of my favorite Christmas books for kids growing up and now my children love it as well!

Brigitte Nohra Miller said:  First published in 1843, A Christmas Carol is Charles Dickens' tale of mean-spirited Ebenezer Scrooge. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by three ghosts who show him how his bitterness affects the lives of others and force Scrooge to learn the true meaning of Christmas.

Brigitte Nohra Miller said:  Babar's children heard about a red-suited man who brings joy and toys to children. The children wish for nothing more than for Father Christmas to visit them in Elephants' Country. Follow Babar in his adventure to find the red-suited man.

Kelly R. said:  One of the all-time best Christmas books for kids, this story of a boy who journeys to the North Pole to meet the big man himself is a memorable tale about being young at heart. Beautiful illustrations by Chris Van Allsburg bring the story to life.

Sue Krawitz Tandoc said:  Little Santa by the talented Jon Agee is the super cute story of the Claus family when Santa was a little boy. Living in the North Pole, the family, with the exception of Santa, wants to move to Florida. What will Santa do when a blizzard rolls through and foils their plans?

My kids loved this book because of the humor, illustrations and hearing the story of Santa when he was their age. It was endearing, sweet and a fun choice for the holiday season.

Kelly R. said:  Olive the dog mishears "All of the other reindeer" as "Olive the other reindeer" in the classic tune (who doesn't love a good Christmas pun?), and heads to the North Pole to seek out her destiny. A silly and heartwarming story with wonderful illustrations!

Sue Krawitz Tandoc said:  This gem by the talented Richard Paul Evans is about the true meaning of Christmas. It is the story of helping others in need and being a caring, selfless person. It will reinforce that the spirit of Christmas is not about gift giving and receiving. Through the story, it shows the real meaning is kindness, hope and faith. Beautifully illustrated and expertly written, it will capture your heart.

Brigitte Nohra Miller said:  Inspired by Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit, actress Emma Thompson created a lovely story about Peter Rabbit, his cousin Benjamin Bunny and new friend, William the Turkey. All are excited for Christmas until they find out William the Turkey is meant to be Mr. McGregor's Christmas dinner! How will they save the day?

Erynn said:  This story is a unique take on the regular Christmas books for kids - but it will give kids (and parents) a laugh for sure! Every Bad Kitty story involves an alphabet of occurrences, and this one explores what happens when Kitty doesn't get what she wants over the holidays. It's a fun and festive alphabet book, and even older kids who know their ABCs will enjoy seeing what trouble Kitty gets into.

Sue Krawitz Tandoc said:  In this enchanting story, a delightful elf tells the story of Kris Kringle and his brother, the evil king. Taking place in the North Pole, the story shares the wickedness of the king and Kris and the elves' determination to create kindness and joy for the world. Will the magic crystal star transform Kris Kringle into Santa and cause the king to lose his power?

The pages are filled with exquisite and magical illustrations. The story will warm the hearts of those young and old to create treasured holiday memories.

Marquis C. said:  Reading Christmas stories with our kids in the month of December is a new tradition for our family. We are reading Snuggle Time Christmas Stories, a sweet book that breaks up the Christmas story into small parts little ones can understand.

Brigitte Nohra Miller said:  In this wordless winter story by Raymond Briggs, a little boy rushes out to build a snowman which comes to life in his dreams. The little boy invites the snowman home and is taken on a magical flying adventure.

Brigitte Nohra Miller said:  Set in 18th-century Norway, The Christmas Wish is a sweet fairy tale of a little girl who wishes to become one of Santa's Elves. She ventures out alone and with the help of friendly animals, finds Santa and the true meaning of Christmas.

This adorable story follows a tiny Christmas tree in a lot before Christmas and its aspirations and journey to become its best self. The tree gets passed over again and again by various groups of animals, until the lot owner finally takes it home, decorates it and fulfills its dream of being surrounded by loved ones singing "Oh Christmas Tree."

Brigitte Nohra Miller said:  Part of Tad Hills' Duck and Goose series, this charming winter tale will delight preschoolers. Duck and Goose are getting ready for Christmas. However, Goose is more interested in playing than helping Duck decorate. While Goose is having fun in the snow, will poor Duck be left to do all the work?

Sue Krawitz Tandoc said:  This holiday treasure by Eric James is about a boy and his magical encounter with Santa as he questions how does Santa get into houses without a chimney. The boy finds a key which brings the miracle of Santa and Christmas to his house each year. The key is then passed on to the reader at the conclusion of the book. Select editions of the book contain a hand written letter from Santa. This book will bring holiday magic and joy to all who read it.

Jess Oakes said:  We love this book because it’s a little different than your typical Christmas book. It’s a fun spin on owning a dog, especially around Christmas time and how this holiday brings us all together no matter what the circumstances!

Brigitte Nohra Miller said:  Father Christmas is a magical Christmas classic by Raymond Briggs. Father Christmas wakes up from a lovely dream to realize it is Christmas Eve--his busiest night of the year! You'll discover he sometimes gets grumpy living at the frigid North Pole and squeezing down chimneys, but his heart and humor shine in this award winning tale.

Kelly R. said:  This sing-able book by Lara Hawthorne brings the words of the beloved Christmas carol to life with beautiful illustrations and authentically diverse characters.