December is an exciting time with a lot of holidays. Whether you are teaching about the holidays or not, you will find some fantastic read alouds for December in this blog.
December Read Alouds
Below is a list of our favorite books to read in December. Click on the title of any of the books you wish to purchase from Amazon.
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Mr. Cookie Baker
During December, we set up our playhouse like a cookie bakery. Mr. Cookie Baker was the best book to introduce our cookie bakery playhouse. This is a sweet simple story of a baker who makes delicious cookies that everyone enjoys. After reading this adorable book, our students were able to discuss things we might need in our playhouse to make it a successful cookie bakery.
Gingerbread Man books
Comparing different versions of gingerbread man books is fun to do in kindergarten. The Gingerbread Boy by Richard Egielski and The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett are two of our favorite ones. If you are looking for more details, read our blog, How to Teach Story Elements and scroll down to ‘Putting It All Together’.
The Snowy Day
If you love reading books by Ezra Jack Keats, with his adorable main character Peter, be sure to read The Snowy Day. This book is great to read during December or after a snow storm. It shows different things Peter likes to do in the snow.
Winter Books
Since winter begins in December, it’s a great time to learn about this season. Hello Winter by Shelly Rotner is a great nonfiction winter read aloud with real pictures. If you want great winter activities and lessons read our blog about winter activities.
December Holiday Books for Kindergarten
We loved teaching about the different holidays in December. Here are some great books we liked reading to our kids.
Kwanzaa
My First Kwanzaa by Karen Katz teaches about the traditions of Kwanzaa. Li’l Rabbit’s Kwanzaa by Donna L. Washington is an adorable story of how one small rabbit, can help bring his community together for the Kwanzaa feast. The author does a wonderful online reading as well.
Hannukah
The Story of Hanukkah by David A Adler is a great book for kids that tells the story of how Hannukah started.
Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Hanukkah: With Light, Latkes, and Dreidels; this National Geographic Kids book shows how people celebrate Hanukkah.
My First Chanukah by Tomie dePaola is a fantastic kid friendly book about Hannukah celebrations.
Christmas Around the World
When teaching about Christmas, it’s fun to teach how this holiday is celebrated in different countries. Here are a few books we recommend.
Italy
Sweden
Lucia Morning in Sweden by Ewa Rydaker
Christmas Books Read Alouds
These are some of our favorite books about Christmas we shared with our students.
Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner: After a boy makes a snowman, he wonders how snowmen celebrate Christmas. After the people have gone to sleep, all the snowmen have a wonderful Christmas celebration
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg: Your students will love this classic book about a boy who takes a train, the Polar Express, to the North Pole.
Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson: This cute book is about a bear who is hibernating for the winter and his animal friends try to keep him awake to enjoy Christmas.
The Christmas Story by Jane Werner Watson: This is a great book if you are looking for a children’s book that tells the story of the birth of Christ.
