25 Wonderful Children's Christmas Books

This is our favorite new Christmas book this year! With gorgeous illustrations, Matt Tavares gives us his version of how Dasher, and the other seven reindeer, came to pull Santa's sleigh. It's an absolutely wonderful book.

This is the sweetest little story. It's Christmas Eve and Santa is ready to go, but he can't get the reindeer's attention. In the end though, Santa knows just how to get everyone ready for Christmas.

The words to this one are the traditional song lyrics, and the accompanying illustrations are absolutely stunning.

We have several books by this author/illustrator and we love them all! This one is about a little tree that is left all alone in the forest after all the trees around him are cut down to be Christmas trees. But while it may not have been chosen by families, the animals of the forest need a Christmas tree too.

I laughed so hard the first time I read this one. From the author who brought us Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt brings us the story of 6 year old Angela and how she came to steal the baby Jesus from the altar of St. Joseph's church. (This is also a Netflix movie now too!)

This is actually just one in a series of "Wish" books and they're all wonderful. Inspired by the rich holiday traditions of Norway, this book is filled with stunning photographic illustrations and a lovely story too. I can't get enough of this one!

This is a fun retelling of the gingerbread man story. Except in this version, no one wants to eat the gingerbread cookie - he's too tough. It's a fun read.

Leave it to an awesome librarian to write a really fantastic children's Christmas book! Freddy Melcher is Santa's biggest fan and this year he's determined to catch him in action. This one is a really fun read aloud.

Jack's classroom has a new substitute teacher and there's something very familiar about him. Is it his long white beard? Or the milk and cookies he brings for a snack? Or the way his laugh sounds like a "ho ho ho"? Is he really who they think he is? This one is so much fun!

It's too late to mail a letter to grandpa in time for Christmas, but when Mia stumbles upon a magical mailbox, she finds that with the reindeer express, anything is possible. This book is gorgeous! And kids will love finding all the flaps to lift throughout the book too.

Based on a real historical event, this book tells the story of a ship in 1912 carrying a load of Christmas trees to Chicago. It's fantastic historical fiction for kids and a really great story.

If you have any unicorn fans at your house, this sweet book is just the ticket! Christmas is just days away and Milly is feeling sad about having Christmas without her dad this year. And then, one snowy night, she meets Florian, a unicorn who can make Christmas wishes come true. Even if you're not into the unicorn craze, this is a really sweet read.

Nina is a homeless cat and when it gets cold she wears a red sweater to keep warm. However, when the sweater starts to unravel, it sends Nina on a wild chase around the city. Luckily it ends with a wonderful Christmas present for Nina.

Squirrel, Mouse, and Hare are preparing for Christmas. When the find a sick sparrow in the snow though, their plans change and they realize that Christmas means helping the sparrow. This is a really lovely holiday read.

Eve Bunting really knows how to write a magical book. This book is about a family with the unique tradition of heading into the woods on Christmas Eve and decorating a tree for the animals. We love it!

I adore this tale of a friendship between an older woman and a little boy as they plant and plan for a Christmas tree farm. It's a really fantastic read!

Bear is settling in for a cozy Christmas at home in front of the fire when there's a knock at the door. Frog read his map wrong and thought he was arriving at the Christmas Extravaganza Hotel. Can bear still help Frog have the exciting Christmas he was expecting? This is such a fun book!

This is a charming little book! Meerkat isn't satisfied with Christmas in the desert (no snow! no fir trees!), so he sets out on a round the world adventure to find Christmas. Your kids will love it!

The Crayons are back! This book is full of fun surprises, with envelopes to open, games to play, and even a pop up Christmas tree. This interactive holiday book is a must read (and it makes a great gift!).

This book isn't specifically a Christmas book (although there is a Christmas scene), but it really captures what it means to give from the heart. A mother and her son are struggling financially after their husband/father dies unexpectedly. But when another family loses everything in a fire, they realize that even though they have little, there's always something they can give.

This is a lovely historical fiction picture book about how Queen Charlotte brought the Yule tree from Germany to England in 1800 and started the Christmas Tree tradition. The illustrations are darling too!

This is a beautiful new children's Christmas book and a must read! Bear wakes up one winter morning and sees a new star. He follows the star all the way to the most majestic evergreen he's ever seen. What happens next is absolutely delightful!

This is another historical fiction Christmas picture book, and it's a stellar read. John Hendrix weaves together fact and fiction to tell the story of the Christmas Eve truce between the Germans and the British during World War I. An excellent read!

This adorable book follows two sisters who are so excited to get their first real Christmas tree. However, when it's time to decorate they realize they have a big problem: Maple is allergic to the tree! But they're determined to have the best Christmas so they come up with a unique solution.

Little Squirrel wants to know what Christmas is, so as he walks through the forest his mother and the other animals show him all the different parts that add up to Christmas. It's all very sweet with beautiful illustrations.