Best Christmas Books for Kids

Dozens and dozens of Christmas-themed books have been read in our home and the following is the rigorously tested and reviewed list of our favorites.

🎄Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry

Mr. Willowby’s unintentional generosity when he buys a tree too large for his palatial home shows us that there is enough for everyone, combining themes of making use of what you find with being grateful for what you have in a fun rhyming storyline. 

🎄The Christmas Owl by Gideon Sterer and Ellen Kalish, illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki

The charming and true story of an owl living in the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York City frames kindness as the reason for the season. BMr. Willowby's Christmas Treeonus: a little education on animal rehabilitation and owls at the end. My kids absolutely love this one - it’s a new favorite!

🎄Jolly Old Santa Claus by Alice Leedy Mason, illustrated by George Hinke

This classic imagines what it’s like inside Santa’s workshop in the final days before Christmas. The illustrations and rich descriptions always make my kids mesmerized, pointing to various elves and Santa’s cat, and answering questions about what they see on the page. 

🎄The Real Santa by Nancy Redd, illustrated by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow

In this heartwarming and relatable story, a young boy attempts to discover what Santa Claus looks like, only to fall asleep waiting for his arrival. Through a drowsy peek, he catches a glimpse and discovers Santa looks just like him. This has inspired one of our kids to say he, too, is going to stay up and try to snap a photo of Santa’s arrival. We’ll see how that goes!

🎄The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

This beloved Christmas classic has been one of our favorites for years. We love the illustrations and the story that hints at keeping your imagination alive with magic. (If you live in Southern California, I also recommend the live experience in Perris, CA about an hour outside of LA. We dressed in our PJs, drank hot cocoa, and had an absolute blast watching the story brought to life on board a real train.)

🎄How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

This book is so classic that I know it doesn’t need an explanation. We recently brought it to life a little more with this Grinch heart science experiment the boys both loved.

🎄Little Red Sleigh by Erin Guendelsberger, illustrated by Elizaveta Tretyakova

This New York Times Bestseller is such a sweet story about a little red sleigh who wants to work for Santa. As we try to teach frustration tolerance and patience to our kids, I love the lesson of patience in this fun story where sleighs, trucks, and trains are brought to life. 

🎄How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen

I love everything these geniuses do. In this book, they explore the question of how Santa gets down the chimney with the wide-eyed curiosity and limitless imagination of the kids they are writing for. Reading it to my kids feels a little like playing pretend together and I love (and envy) their ability to be so creative with such a deadpan tone. 

🎄As Cool as it Gets by Jory John, illustrated by Pete Oswald

This is another duo I scoop up every new title from. It’s hard to package lessons in fun and character-driven ways and these two do it masterfully time and time again (side note: I can’t think of another author who has a book for every holiday where each is original and doesn’t feel like it was made just to capitalize on a time that people are buying for kids). In this one, the cool bean learns that handmade and heartfelt gifts are way better than expensive ones, an idea I think we’re all trying to communicate to our kids in the face of consumerism overload this time of year. 

🎄Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht, illustrated by Jarvis

This delightful little rhyming story instructs the reader how to decorate the tree. It captures the nostalgia and warmth of transforming a pine into a Christmas tree.

🎄The First Christmas Night by Keith Christopher, illustrated by Christine Kornacki

Mixed in with all the fun, magic, and imagination, we do like to be sure there are some books on the shelf every year that bring our kids back to our real reason for the season. This version is simple and beautiful and has kept our kids coming back for many, many reads over the years. 

🎄The Christmas Wish by Lori Evert, illustrated by Per Breiehagen

A new twist on magical holiday tales, this story follows Anja on her quest to become one of Santa’s elves. She befriends animals along the way who help her out - a bird, bear, ox, horse, and reindeer - and the book ends with the classic question…was it all a dream?

🎄The Biggest Little Boy by Poppy Harlow, illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki

Luca, a little boy who lives in New York City, thinks that bigger is always better. But a change of heart when he falls for the smallest tree in the lot tells a story of self-acceptance.

🎄The Night Before Christmas by Clement Moore, illustrated by Charles Santore

This classic holiday poem is rich with words my kids don’t often hear and this story captivates them with its beautiful images and sing-song quality. 

🎄The Truth About Mrs. Claus by Meena Harris, illustrated by Keisha Morris

This story bakes so many lessons into one great story that’s been one of the most requested holiday reads in our home for multiple years. I love our boys seeing women in positions of power and a different idea of what Santa and Mrs. Claus might look like from the majority of books out there. And I especially love the narrative about being true to yourself, and that following your passions will help you find your purpose. Can’t wait to see the movie that’s in development!

🎄I’ll be Home for Christmas by Holly Hobbie

Disclaimer: there is a slight potential my kids only love this because one of the two pigs is named Toot, and they think that’s hilarious. But it’s also a short and chipper story about how he employs creativity and a bit of magic to make it home to his beloved pal Puddles in time for Christmas. 

🎄The Nutcracker by NYC Ballet, illustrated by Valeria Docampo

I grew up doing ballet and performed various roles in The Nutcracker every year alongside Sacramento Ballet. So, this story is a must-have classic in our home (alongside the soundtrack), and I love the story and illustrations in this version. We read it before we head to the live performance every year to refresh their memories and help them follow along. 

🎄The Little Reindeer by Nicola Killen

We loved Nicola’s Halloween story so much that when the boys spotted this one in the store, they grabbed it off the shelf and demanded we read it right there on the floor of Barnes and Noble. This delightful tale follows Ollie through another magical animal experience that nods toward the holiday season. 

🎄The Very First Christmas by Hallmark 

OK, this one really gets me. It’s the story of Jesus’ birth, but the twist is that you can record your voice reading every page, and the book knows when you’ve turned to a new one. We had the boys’ grandparents record themselves reading it together. My father-in-law is a retired pastor who frequently curls up on our couch to read the boys Bible stories, and the fact that someday my kids’ kids - or even their kids - might be able to be read stories by him is an idea that makes me teary-eyed every time we listen to it. They put out a few options every holiday season and there are plenty that aren’t religious. Buy one and have important people in your kids’ lives record them - you won’t regret it.

🎄The Grumpy Reindeer from DK, illustrated by Clare Wilson

This is one of those books where you can really practice your wide range of animal voices. And, really, it is a great character-driven story about treating others with kindness and that it will come back to you as well.

🎄The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher, illustrated by Shane Devries

I absolutely love this book and it’s been each of my boys most requested books different years. I love that the main character is a person who uses a wheelchair and that it’s his superpower (and becomes the Christmasaurus’ as well). I love the narrative of trying again even when you fail at something. And I love the idea of having to believe in yourself in order to succeed. Can’t recommend this fun rhyming story enough. 

🎄Clyde: The Good Inside Elf by Grace Beeley, illustrated by Marguerite Albares

Through a story that’s the antidote to The Elf of the Shelf’s narrative of an ever-present stranger judging your kids and deciding whether they’re good enough, this book shows them that all kids are good inside, the naughty list is a myth, and the only lists Santa is keeping is of the things they ask for every year. I love everything about this book and recommend it for every young library. 

🎄Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh by Mo Willems

Mo Willems always makes our family smile and I love bringing all of his characters to life with funny voices, most especially the pigeon. It’s written in language simple enough that my six-year-old can read most of it now, and we just never tire of this little bird’s hilarious antics.

🎄The Snow Thief by Alice Hemming, illustrated by Nicola Slater

Another semi-neurotic character I love bringing to life with a bananas voice is Squirrel, who explores the changing seasons through an occasional panic attack. Not technically a Christmas book, but it’s in our holiday pile and gets very regularly selected for the chorus of giggles it always inspires.

🎄Santa’s First Christmas by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Sydney Smith

Turns out even Santa needs a day off! In what I’m sure will become a classic, Santa experiences the magic of Christmas for the first time and commits to the traditional for a lifetime to come.