It’s easy to believe in the magic of Christmas with so many wonderful picture books full of Christmas joy and holiday magic. Here are thirteen of our favorite Christmas books for children. There used to be twelve we just had to add one this year. And if you are looking for some fun Christmas activities, be sure to read Christmas Activities for Kindergarten.
Our Favorite Christmas Books
Below are some of our favorite Christmas books for children. We’ve read them and our students have loved them. Whether you want a great Christmas read aloud for your class, or the perfect gift for a special child, we recommend the following. Click on the book title for an easy way to purchase the book. This page contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we will get a small commission with no additional cost to you.
“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house … “ Everyone should have a beautifully illustrated version of Clement C. Moore’s amazing poem. This is my favorite. Full of vibrant colors and detailed pictures, it reminds me of a warm Christmas quilt.
Have you ever wondered how snowmen celebrate Christmas? This delightful/cheerful book depicts a wonderland of snowman holiday activities with its rich illustrations and rhyming text; gliding down the street, playing freeze tag, decorating the tree; there’s even a snowman Santa. Oh, what fun the snowmen have while all the people are snug in their beds.
All aboard the Polar Express! Your children will love this magical book about a boy who takes a ride on the Polar Express, to visit the North Pole. Once there he meets Santa where he receives the first gift of Christmas, a silver bell, cut from Santa’s sleigh.
This adorable book is about a bear who wants to stay up for Christmas. With the help of his warmhearted and persevering friends Bear does stay up, even when his friends fall asleep. Christmas is extra special when Bear stays up.
This charming story is about a little red sleigh who dreams of becoming Santa’s big red sleigh. Even though she’s been told that she is too small and can’t fly, she decides to pursue her dream and go to the North Pole. With the help of friends, she learns valuable life lessons and ultimately finds her purpose.
This lovely book has beautiful black and white illustrations with splashes of color in all the right places. This simple story is about Ollie, a small child who loves reindeer. You can tell by her reindeer pajamas and reindeer stuffy. After being awakened by a jingle, jingle, jingle in the middle of the night, Ollie finds and befriends one of Santa’s reindeer. She goes on a magical ride. After reading the book, children can imagine what it is like to ride on the back of a flying reindeer.
This sweet story is about a bunny in search of the perfect Christmas tree. With the help of her forest friends, she learns what makes a perfect tree. The perfect tree for Bunny is the one that is surrounded by all of her friends.
In this story a little chipmunk wants to know what Christmas is. His mother asks him what he thinks it is. The rest is delightful. This charming story is full of cheerful illustrations depicting woodland animals celebrating Christmas. This book is perfect for a snowy day read aloud.
Twas the night before Christmas and Santa is frazzled. He’s training a new team of reindeer and one of them is missing. With a little help, Santa finds Buckey and Christmas is saved. Your kids will laugh at the funny looking reindeer and words like bum. This is a silly and cute story.
Another hilarious Pigeon book. This time Pigeon (who hasn’t been so naughty) wants to drive Santa’s sleigh. He gives us SO many reasons why he should drive the sleigh. Will he get to? No, after all it is Pigeon.
Don’t forget about this rhyming Dr. Seuss classic where the Grinch who has a heart “two sizes too small” tries to destroy Christmas by stealing all the gifts and decorations from every Who in Who-ville. This is one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books. I love when the Grinch learns the real meaning of Christmas and from what they say “- the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day!”
This is the book to read, if you think Christmas would be great all year long. With rhyming text and fun illustrations, this silly story shows what could happen if Santa came to stay. And he brought the Missus, along with his in-laws, elves, reindeer and more. Spoiler alert-Santa has to go!
This heartwarming story follows Stick Man as he sets off on an unexpected adventure—getting mistaken for everything from a sword to a snowman’s arm—while just trying to make his way home to the Family Tree. Your children will be captivated by the rhyming text and cheer when he’s finally reunited with his family
List of the Best Christmas Books for Children
- The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, illustrated by Mary Engelbreit
- Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner, illustrated by Mark Buehner
- The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
- Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
- Little Red Sleigh by Erin Guendelsberger, illustrated by Elizaveta Tretyakova
- The Little Reindeer by Nicola Killen
- The Perfect Tree by Corinne Demas and illustrator Penelope Dullaghan
- This is Christmas by Tom Booth
- Santa’s Lost Reindeer by Rachel Hilzs, illustrated by Remesh Ram
- Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh by Mo Willems
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
- When Santa Came to Stay by Billy Sharff, illustrated by Eda Kaban
- Stick Man by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler
– LeighAnn
More Helpful Resources from 4 Kinder Teachers
We hope you find this blog helpful! If you are looking for some more teacher approved resources and great activities to do with your kindergartners this winter, read Don’t Run From These Adorable Gingerbread Man Activities for Kindergarten. And don’t miss Looking for Some Fun and Educational Winter Activities in Kindergarten?
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