I think most kids are alike in that they enjoy being read to, and also in that Christmas themed books are always an extra big hit this time of year. I’m always excited to release Christmas book lists every year (you can find my adult 2019 list here), and the choosing process usually begins way in advance of the date the list is published. I think the key to getting a great list of children’s books is to make sure they are really and truly kid approved. You know how sometimes kids and gown-ups don’t think exactly alike? (What are Shopkins anyway, and why are they so interesting?) Well, just to make sure no ‘boring’ kid books slipped through, we read a ton of Christmas books together to make sure they liked them just as much as I did.
And rest assured, my children were delighted to contribute to the cause. There were no sacrifices made in the curating of this list.
The books on this list are primarily geared towards pre-school and elementary aged kids, mostly because that’s who I have in my house right now. If you have recommendations for older kids, I would love to hear about them! It’s hard for me to know what a middle-school and up aged child would appreciate since I haven’t entered that stage of parenting yet, and also haven’t been that age myself in a very long time. A VERY long time.
Also, don’t forget to check out my grown up Christmas books list for this year as well! Sometimes is feels like Christmas is all about the kids, so treat yourself to a book for you, too.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I might make some extra coffee money at no extra expense to you if you buy something through one of my links. Read more about that here.
Christmas Books for Kids
What can I say, Olivia books are always a delight. They are so fun and Olivia is just like so many other little boys and girls I know with a big personality. Join Olivia as she supervises the decorating of the tree, singing carols, and watching for Santa. And if you can listen to it on audio, do that as well! The illustrations in the books and the narrator in the audiobook are both really fun.
Construction Site on Christmas Night
If you have a kid who likes the classic Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, then they will surely like this book as well. The trucks and equipment are all working hard to finish a special project before Christmas. As each one finishes his work for the day, he finds a huge brightly wrapped package just for him. Finally we see the results of all their hard work and why they were in such a hurry.
The Berenstain Bears Christmas Tree
“Papa had to learn what Christmas is really about, because he thought that it was about Christmas trees but it’s really about love and giving stuff to other people who we like to be with.” That is a direct quote from my six-year in response to my question about what she thought this book was about. When Papa and the cubs go in search of the perfect tree in the forest, each tree they find is already claimed. The cubs are ready to get a tree from the tree lot and go home, but Papa is determined to get find the biggest and best tree. Will he realize that the size of the tree is not what matters most about Christmas before it’s too late?
Charlie and the Christmas Kitty
This book caught my eye because Charlie the Ranch Dog is basically my spirit animal. Lots of snacks, lots of naps, an overinflated sense of how important his role is on the ranch? That’s me, man! This book is the story of Charlie learning that having a kitten on the ranch isn’t as bad as he thought it would be. Sometimes you find a new friend in the place you least expect it.
Nate the Great and the Crunchy Christmas
This one is my favorite of the whole list. I can’t express to you what a huge Nate the Great fan I am, and the girls like him too because the mysteries he solves are the exact right difficulty level for them to follow without getting lost or bored with details they don’t understand. In this book, Nate and Sludge are on the case to find a missing Christmas card, one that was addressed to Annie’s dog Fang. There are setbacks, pancakes, and a trip to Rosamund’s house. What more could you ask for?
These ‘How To’ books for kids are getting super popular. We have the How to Babysit a Grandma book and the girls really liked this book as well. They walked away inspired to follow the suggestions given to see if they can catch a glimpse of Santa this year, although for some reason my 4 year old is very skeptical of the idea that reindeer like carrots? Hopefully that won’t impede her mission.
If you want a book to help you focus on the faith aspects of Christmas, we really like God Gave Us Christmas for that. Little Cub’s mama takes her on journey to help her understand that Jesus is the best present we could ever ask for, and how the Christmas holiday is a reflection of His love for us. The language is beautifully simple so little people can understand the significance of Jesus’s birth without getting bogged down with theology. Along the same lines, we also have the God Gave Us Easter book and I found it to be a great explanation of the Easter holiday.
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