Fantastic Christmas Picture Books For The Holidays!

It’s that time of year!  Brake out the hot coco, light the tree, prepare your advent and bring out the Christmas books!  I must confess, I am the type of person to wait until after Thanksgiving for most Christmas decorating and traditions, however I could not wait to pull out the Christmas books this year.  Besides, one month isn’t nearly enough time to enjoy them.  There are SO many fabulous Christmas books and we miss them when they are packed away every year.  Below is  list of Christmas books that we are loving.  Most of them are new releases, however we threw in a few not-to-be-missed older favorites as well.  Check back because before this holiday season is over I am bound to add another book or two!

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Picture Books

“Pick a Pine Tree” by Patricia Toht and Jarvis- With it’s metallic embossed cover, snowy endpapers and nostalgic illustrations this book is gorgeous!  It tells the story of a family that picks out their Christmas tree from the lot all the way through decorating it to Santa visiting Christmas night.  The perfect tribute to Christmas trees everywhere.

“Finding Christmas” by Lezlie Evans and Yee Von Chan- This is the sweetest Christmas story about the Spirit of the Season.  In it two woodland creatures take in a freezing bird that they find in the snow and give everything they have to help it recover, including their Christmas presents.  It also doesn’t hurt that the illustrations are so incredibly charming. 😉

“The 12 Sleighs of Christmas” by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Jake Parker-  Santa’s sleigh is broken and the elves decide to have a contest to see who can design a new model for Santa’s magical transportation.  Though the entrees are all incredibly creative, in the end Santa decides that sometimes sticking with what you know is best.  My car obsessed child especially loves this one.

“Elf in the House” by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Adam Record-  This simple story is about  a little girl who wakes up Christmas Eve to find some magical beings in her house including an elf, reindeer, and the Jolly Man himself.  A short and sweet story that envelopes the magic of that night.

“A Christmas For Bear” by Bonny Becker and Kady MacDonald Denton-  We love this bear and mouse duo!  In this book mouse is celebrating Christmas with bear and is eager to exchange gifts.  But will grumpy bear agree or will he cut gifts out of the celebration all together?!  This book as a darling ending and is perfect for fans of these characters both new and old.

“The Nutcracker: A Papercut Pop-Up Book” by Shobhna Patel-  This edition of the Nutcracker is especially unique because it includes intricate, paper cut, pop-up features between page spreads.  When opened they stand up and display a scene from the story in the form of a 3D paper ornament.  It really is quite spectacular.

“The Polar Express” by Chris Van Allsburg- This one is a classic for a reason.  What young child wouldn’t be enamored by the idea of a magical train ride all the way to the North Pole to visit Santa’s shop?!  It has a wonderfully mystical and yet realistic tone that has made it a favorite over here.

“Merry Christmas Mom and Dad” by Mercer Mayer-  Anyone else Little Critter fans?  I fell in love with these books as a child and I love sharing them with my kiddos.  In this one the Little Critter is enjoying the Christmas season while trying to be a good helper with all the holiday preparations.

“Pig the Elf” by Aaron Blabey-  Pig is back and this time he has a ginormous list for Santa.  His greediness is all-consuming and lands him in a bit of trouble at the end.  A cautionary tale full of humor sure to make kids and adults alike smile throughout.  I know we do!

“Marguerite’s Christmas” by India Desjardins and Pascal Blanchet-  If you are looking for that “warm and fuzzy” read that will remind your family about the True Spirit of Christmas, particularly for older children, then look no further.  This heartwarming story is about an elderly lady who never leaves her home and how an unexpected visit, that may seem inconsequential to many, on Christmas Eve leaves her feeling hopeful and meaningful.  Such a thought provoking and beautifully illustrated book. It may even have you tearing up at the end, in a good way.

“A World of Cookies for Santa” by M.E.Furman and Susan Gal-  Baking holiday cookies is a beloved tradition enjoyed all around the world.  This book features different traditional cookies from international locations and even includes a few simple recipes for some in the back.  So wonderful.

“If You Take a Mouse To the Movies” by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond-  We love every book in this series so of course we are delighted to pull this book out every year.  It is a nice way to revisit one of our favorite mice and celebrate Christmas with him.

“Ninja Claus!” by Arree Chung-  In this story a curious little boy is out to catch Santa in the act of leaving toys Christmas night.   However, he soon learns that he got more than he bargained for because it turns out that Santa may be the sneakiest ninja of them all.  This book is so clever and a lot of fun.

Board Books

“We Wish You a Merry Christmas: Sing Along With Me!” by Yu-Hsuan Huang-  This book is an illustrated version of the lyrics to the classic “We Wish You a Merry Chrsitmas”.  What makes it extra special (besides the adorable illustrations) are the chunky interactive features such as sliders.  My kids can not keep their hands off this one and it is constantly in high demand!

“Santa’s Workshop: Christmas Lift-A-Flap Board Book” by Holly Berry-Byrd and Francesco Zito-  This book is perfect for the youngest of bookworms.  It is super chunky with incredibly sturdy flaps that are durable as well as cute.  Plus, it’s small size makes it a perfect stocking stuffer and perfect for on-the-go.

“A Christmas Carol: A Babylit Colors Primer” by Jennifer Adams and Alison Oliver- We love Babylit books as well as the Dickens so this book is a must for us.  It is the perfect way to introduce babies and small toddlers to the story of the Christmas Carol and it’s characters.  Plus the design is spot-on.

“Is It Almost Christmas?” by Make Believe Ideas Ltd. and Stuart Lynch- We are kind of obsessed with this one right now.  It is a charming book about a bear family preparing for Christmas by decoding their home, baking goodies, etc.  The cut-outs in the pages make it extra special along with all the little details in the illustration and the sparkly foil accents.  Love it!

“The Story of Christmas” illustrated by Helen Dardik- This new beauty is now one of our favorite Nativity books! My kiddos and I find the bright and vivid illustrations delightful and the storyline is clear and easy for young children to understand. It’s a definite winner that quickly moved its way to the top of our Holiday reading pile.

“Merry Christmas, Big Hungry Bear!” by Don and Audrey Wood- I know we have mentioned quite a few favorite mice in this list, but we cannot leave out this one! “The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear” is one of our favorite books EVER so naturally this one is one of our favorites too.  We have probably read it over a hundred times.  (Seriously though!)

“A Magical Christmas” by Claire Freedman and Gail Yerrill- In this sweet story a little mouse asks what the “magic of Christmas is”.  What follows is a list of answers from the warm smell of baked goods to voices singing carols.  In the end the culminating answer is “love”.  How can you not like that?  Especially with precious illustrations of happy mice throughout?!

“Jingle and Joy!” by Cottage Door Press-  This thick board book is colorful and has darling Christmas characters poking out of the top.   Each page spread comes with an activity suggestion for it that ranges from practicing colors to counting.  It is sure to keep little ones entertained.

“The Nutcracker: A Babylit Dancing Primer” by Jennifer Adams and Alison Oliver-  Another Babylit book that has won our heart!  This one is a dancing primer and is simply lovely.  I love how it features some of the different characters in the ballet as well as pointing out some dance moves.  Perfection!

“Five Little Reindeer” by Make Believe Ideas Ltd and Stuart Lynch-  This adorably illustrated board book starts off with five reindeer (each with a 3D rubber head) that each get distracted/leave one by one until the end where they all show up again to pull Santa’s sleigh.  It’s the perfect little touch-and-feel numbers primer.

Looking for more recommendations?  Check out my Christmas List from a past year that includes all different books!

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