Christmas Books to Enjoy with Your Kids This Season

There are so many Christmas books for kids, but which ones are worth reading? Keep scrolling for a list of some of the best Christmas books to enjoy with your kids. From longer chapter books to picture books, you can fill this holiday season with reading!

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Christmas Chapter Books

These Christmas chapter books are great to read aloud to your children, listen with an audiobook, or give to your kids to read on their own.

I have divided the Christmas chapter books for kids into classic stories, and more modern stories. Though the modern stories are not all set in modern times.

Some of the books may be out of print, but if you can find them in your library or used, they’re worth getting! All books have been linked for you on Amazon.

Many of these items and more can also be found at Christianbook.com.

Classics

A Merry Christmas by Louisa May Alcott

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman

The George MacDonald Christmas Collection by George MacDonald

Letters From Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien

Modern

The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson

A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig

The Girl Who Saved Christmas by Matt Haig

Father Christmas and Me by Matt Haig

Nancy and Plum by Betty MacDonald

The True Gift by Patricia MachLachlan

The Promise and the Light by Katy Morgan

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

The Christmas Pig by J.K. Rowling

The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittney Ryan

The Yule Tomte and the Little Rabbits by Ulf Stark

Jotham’s Journey by Arnold Ytreeide

Bartholomew’s Passage by Arnold Ytreeide

Tabitha’s Travels by Arnold Ytreeide

Ishtar’s Odyssey by Arnold Ytreeide

Christmas Picture Books

Quality picture books are great for kids of all ages. Your kids may think they outgrow them, but if you start reading to a younger sibling, the older kids will often want to listen too!

Many parents will get 25 picture books and share one each day of December until Christmas. You could also grab a pile and enjoy them as you like throughout the season. Leaving books out and available for your kids in a nice basket is an easy way to encourage reading.

But not just any picture book is quality. Below are some of the best picture books for Christmas !

To make the list more digestible, I have divided the books into categories according to the general topic of the book. The categories are:

• Christmas classics
• Historical tales
• Legends and traditions
• Nativity story
• The Magi
• Christmas Trees
• Santa Claus
• St. Nicholas
• Miscellaneous

Some of the books may be out of print, but if you can find them in your library or used, they’re worth getting! All books have been linked for you on Amazon.

Christmas classics

Jan Brett’s The Nutcracker by Jan Brett

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Retold by Adam McKeown

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

The Nutcracker by Susan Jeffers

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Moore, Ill. by Jan Brett

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Moore, Ill. by Charles Santore

The Christmas Story by The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Historical tales

Christmas From Heaven by Tom Brokaw

The Queen and the First Christmas Tree by Nancy Churnin

The Christmas Tree Ship by Carol Crane

Christmas in America by Callista Gingrich

Shooting At the Stars: The Christmas Truce of 1914 by John Hendrix

The Carpenter’s Gift by David Rubel

The Miracle of Saint Nicholas by Gloria Whelan

Legends and Traditions

Babushka: A Christmas Tale by Dawn Casey

Cobweb Christmas by Shirley Climo

The Night of Las Posadas by Tomie dePaola

The Friendly Beasts: An Old English Christmas Carol by Tomie dePaola

The Legend of Old Befana by Tomie dePaola

The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola

The Legend of Papa Noel: A Cajun Christmas Story by Terri Hoover Dunham

The Baker’s Dozen: A Colonial American Tale by Heather Forest

Tomten Saves Christmas: A Swedish Christmas Tale by Linda Liebrand

The Legend of the Christmas Stocking by Rick Osborne

The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg

Nativity Story

The Donkey’s Dream by Barbara Helen Berger

The Birds of Bethlehem by Tomie dePaola

Voices of Christmas Nikki Grimes

Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story by Sally Lloyd-Jones

The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado

Father and Son: A Nativity Story by Geraldine McCaughrean

The Christmas Fox by Anik McGrory

‘Twas the Evening of Christmas by Glenys Nellist

Room for a Little One by Martin Waddell

Mortimer’s Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson

The Magi

The Spider Who Saved Christmas by Raymond Arroyo

The Wise Men Who Found Christmas by Raymond Arroyo

Humphrey’s First Christmas by Carol Heyer

The Last Straw by Fredrick Thury

Christmas Trees

Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Barry

Night Tree by Eve Bunting

The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story by Gloria Houston

Christmas Farm by Mary Lyn Ray

Why Christmas Trees Aren’t Perfect by Richard H. Schneider

Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht

Santa Claus

Little Red Sleigh by Erin Guendelsberger

The Christmas Cat by Efner Tudor Holmes

Where Would Santa Go? by Julia Inserro

Dasher by Matt Tavares

Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

St. Nicholas

The Legend of St. Nicholas: A Story of Christmas Giving by Dandi Daley Mackall

Santa, Are You For Real? by Harold Myra

The Baker’s Dozen: A St. Nicholas Tale by Aaron Shepard

Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend by Julie Stiegemeyer

Fun and Feels

The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

Christmas Trolls by Jan Brett

Jen Brett’s Christmas Treasury by Jan Brett

Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck

Henry the Christmas Cat by Mary Calhoun

Joy to the World! Christmas Around the Globe by Kate Depalma

Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo

A Little Women Christmas by Heather Vogel Frederick

The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

Christmas in Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren

Apple Tree Christmas by Trinka Hakes Noble

An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polacco

Christmas Tapestry by Patricia Polacco

Gifts of the Heart by Patricia Polacco

Christmas in the Country by Cynthia Rylant

An Invisible Thread Christmas Story by Laura Schroff

Red and Lulu by Matt Tavares

Christmas in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson

Merry Christmas, big Hungry Bear by Audrey Wood

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathon Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski

More Christmas books

This list of books is for general Christmas books for kids. If you’re looking for more books for the holiday season, check out my other list of books:

• Holidays and Christmas around the world

Closing

There’s nothing like cuddling up around a fire with a warm drink and a good book. This list has all the children’s Christmas books you’ll need to make this holiday season special. From the best chapter books to picture books galore, surround yourself with the feels of the season and enjoy reading with your kids!

Which Christmas book do you love? Is there another book not on this list? Let me know below in the comments!

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