25 Excellent Christmas Picture Books to Help You Countdown to Christmas
The 25 Best Christmas Books for Kids: Excellent Christmas picture books kids and adults alike will enjoy reading together!
Our Favorite Christmas Tradition
Someone asked me the other day what my favorite Christmas tradition is. Without even blinking I said, “Reading Christmas pictures books in Christmas pajamas snuggled up to my kids.” What can I say, the heart knows what it loves!
Of course, we love a good Christmas date night (and have 50 Christmas date ideas if you love them too!), but it only comes close to that feeling we have with our whole family spending quality each night of December.
When I look back at my parenting experience (which I already see is flying by!) I know my sugar-coated memories will include those nights Christmas felt so magical to my little boys. And most of the magic comes from those Christmas picture books we love to pull out every year and read together.
Book Countdown to Christmas
I know so many people wrap their Christmas books and countdown to Christmas reading one a night. Many go for 24-25 Christmas books. Several less ambitious parents wrap about 10-12 and enjoy those the weeks before Christmas. And even more, parents love to just bring out a pile, and try to read a different book each night, with a few repeats thrown in.
As a parent pretty addicted to excellent
children’s literature, I’ve found there are books I love just as much as my children do! If you need some more holiday reading time this year, here are some titles to add to your cart or your next library run!
25 of the Best Christmas Picture Books
We adore Christmas Picture Books! It's my favorite tradition to gift a new book in our Christmas Boxes at the start of the season. We read several books a day together snuggled up at Christmas time.
We've read so many, and some are just commercialized while so many offer amazing stories and lessons. We've dug through the less stellar books to give you our pick of 25 Excellent Christmas books for kids!
Dasher: How a Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever
Dasher and her family live in a traveling circus. She wishes for more, and one day a moment presents itself to make all her dreams come true.
Last Stop on the Reindeer Express
The illustrations and cut-outs in this book alone are awe-inspiring! But the story of a wish to see a grandfather who lives far away is so heartwarming!
A magic mailbox and ride on a reindeer deliver Mia to see Grandpa just in time for the holidays! I love everything about this book!
Silent Night (The Christmas Choir)
The gorgeous illustrations are mesmerizing, and they follow the carol Silent Night telling the birth of Christ. This has been my personal favorite book purchase and my favorite in our collection.
Pick a Pine Tree
The tale of the magic of choosing and decorating a tree. I love the rhyme, I love the illustrations. But, most of all I love that it captures the magic of the tree and that feeling you get when you see a decorated all lit up.
How to Catch Santa
Two siblings will give you clever tips on how to catch a Santa on Christmas Eve. It's a clever, modern take on the curiosity of Christmas and the tradition of waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve.
All the Colors of Christmas
If every heartwarming moment and memory of Christmas could be captured in a book, All the Colors of Christmas would be that book!
I teared up feeling so nostalgic!
And I love that the illustrations include kids of every color so kids will find themselves in the illustrations of this book!
The Crayons' Christmas
If you love the Crayons books this definitely needs to be added to your collection! There are interactive pages and activities that you can easily store and enjoy year after year.
The story is darling, the crayons are hilarious, and I'm so glad we own this book my son wants to read nonstop this year!
The Night Before Christmas: The Classic Edition
I think everyone should own a copy of this classic and read it together as a Christmas Eve tradition!
'Twas the Evening of Christmas
This gorgeous book pairs perfectly with The Night Before Christmas. It's the religious version that focuses on the reason for the season. We love spending Christmas Eve hearing the Christmas story to the same song-like rhyme scheme as the Santa version
A Nest for the Savior: An Interactive Christmas Tradition
This is two books in one! One story of creating a place for the Savior, one piece of straw and act at a time.
The other side flips into an advent to help you contemplate how you'll make a nest for the Savior in your life.
A Wish to Be a Christmas Tree
The tale of an overgrown pine that is always being passed by for Christmas. His woodland friends team up to help him, with a surprise that helps him become a Christmas classic.
The Christmas Quiet Book
We initially had this book come in a gift set and I wasn't braced for the laugh-out-loud quick read! It goes through the quiet moments of Christmas from the awe-inspiring moments (like when the tree lights) to the awkward quiet moments (like when someone tries to kiss you under the mistletoe).
It's just darling and made me laugh out loud several times.
Red and Lulu
Is the tale of two cardinals determined to be together for Christmas. It also ties in the magic of New York City at Christmas time with a special tale of history and love.
Santa and the Goodnight Train
If you have a toddler you need this book in your library! My baby asks for "Santa Train" every night saying the last word of each rhyming page.
It's like a gentle lullaby helping kids celebrate Christmas joy while calming helping them calm down to sleep.
The 12 Sleighs of Christmas
Santa's sleigh needs to be repaired and some crafty engineering elves decide to create a competition to give it a complete overhaul.
Their 12 clever concoctions are so fun to read about. Plus its in a sing-song rhyme because the author is a best-seller known for her prose and also the creator of Goodnight Construction Site.
Most Wonderful Gift in the World
I nearly teared up at the first read! It's the story of two friends who go through quite the ordeal to visit a friend who recently moved to bring her Christmas wish. It's a heartwarming tale to remind you of being with those you love and sharing time with friends and family is the most important thing and the best gift you can give.
A Pirate's Night Before Christmas
We checked this out from the library two years ago and fell in love! So much in love that I ordered this ready to enjoy every holiday season for the rest of our life!
A librarian wrote the pirate version of The Night Before Christmas and it's about the most clever book in the world! Fun pictures, pirate lingo, and a book that made all of us laugh-out-loud that is a fun twist on the classic! We liked it so much we also bought...
A Pirate's Twelve Days of Christmas
I learned so much pirate vocabulary while singing along to the classic tune! This book is so clever, and the pictures are so fun and funny!
When Santa Was a Baby
You'll see the very early heart and Christmas affinity in Santa as this book explores what his parents must have seen when Santa was a baby.
Bear Stays Up for Christmas (The Bear Books)
Someone has to stay up to take care of all the details of Christmas, and this book spotlights the work people do to make the holidays special.
I love how it helps kids recognize all parents do to make the holidays bright. Bear makes it through hibernating by realizing the joy of giving and serving others.
Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree
This book just about melted my heart! Mr. Willowby buys a large Christmas tree and needs to lob off the top to fit it in his parlor. The top passes to other forest animals so everyone gets to enjoy the beauty of a tree. It's a good reminder about being resourceful and generous and the good a gift can do.
Polar Express
This is a classic most parents may remember growing up with too. It's a beautiful tale of the power of believing.
Little Blue Truck's Christmas
All the Little Blue Truck books are excellent, the rhyme scheme and plots are always a winner. We love the characters and quick read, but we really love the light-up Christmas tree on the last page. It's so fun for kids!
Construction Site on Christmas Night
Goodnight Construction Site is one of my son's favorite books, so I knew we'd love this one too! The illustrations are beautiful. The language makes for a great read-a-loud. And any vehicle loving child will love the sweet quiet tale of Christmas on the construction site.
It's great to calm hyper children down before bedtime.
Pictures: Chrissy Blake
Like these Christmas Picture books? You may like these ideas too:
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Christmas Box: A Fun Way to Celebrate Christmas the Entire Season!
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