25 Kids Books for the Holidays

Many of us own “The Night Before Christmas” in its any number of iterations available throughout the years. But there are loads of other wonderful books to read this holiday season. Here’s a handful of our favorites.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” by Dr. Seuss. A classic story of Christmas spirit that makes even the grinchiest of Grinch’s hearts grow.
“Dream Snow” by Eric Carle. Farmer wakes on Christmas to find it has snowed. Dressed in red, he ventures out to place gifts under the tree for his animals.
“Bear Stays Up for Christmas” by Karma Wilson. Bear’s friends are determined to keep Bear awake for Christmas!
“The Legend Of The Poinsettia” by Tomie dePaola. A Mexican legend that tells how the poinsettia came to be, through a little girl’s unselfish gift to the Christ Child.
“Wombat Divine” by Mem Fox. Wombat loves everything about Christmas–especially the Nativity play. Will there be a part in it for him?
“The Christmas Quiet Book” by Deborah Underwood. Holidays are noisy, but Christmas is sometimes wrapping in quiet.
“Construction Site on Christmas Night” by Sherri Duskey Rinker. Excavator, Bulldozer, Crane, Dump Truck and Cement Mixer build a new home for Fire Engine, but they get their own Christmas surprises.
“The Crayons' Christmas” by Drew Daywalt. Everyone—even the crayons—know the best presents are the ones that you give. In this unique book, readers get to see how Duncan, the crayons, and their families celebrate the holidays with real, fold-out letters from the crayons.
“Dasher” by Matt Tavares. Dasher, an adventurous reindeer, longs for a different life. One day, when the opportunity arises, and soon, with the help of a powerful Christmas wish, nothing will be the same.
“Snow” by Uri Shulevitz. In this snow-day story, a boy and his dog are the only ones who have faith that a few snowflakes can amount to something spectacular.
“The Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats. This award-winning book perfectly captures the magic and wonder of winter’s first snowfall.
“The Polar Express” by Chris Van Allsburg. In this classic holiday story, a young boy climbs aboard a magical train to the North Pole.
“Simon and the Bear: A Hanukkah Tale” by Eric A. Kimmel. A beautifully illustrated fantasy Hanukkah story full of miracles, from sharing latkes with a polar bear to surviving a Titanic-like sinking. The story behind the ancient holiday is included at the end.
“The 12 Sleighs of Christmas” by Sherri Duskey Runker and Jake Parker. Elves discover that Santa's sleigh is in a terrible state, and they let their imaginations go wild—and soon there are sleighs of every kind, inspired by big rigs, motorcycles, zeppelins, and more.
"The Nutcracker In Harlem" by T.E. McMorrow. A jazz-inspired reinvention of “The Nutcracker” set in New York City during the height of the Harlem Renaissance where one little girl finds her voice as a musician.
“Silent Night” by Lara Hawthorne. A beautifully illustrated book based on the Christmas carol of the same name, only the world’s diversity is reflected in a cast of characters with a range of skin tones.
“Potatoes at Turtle Rock” by Susan Schnur. The main character, Annie, leads her family on a nighttime journey around the farm to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah. At each stop she uses riddles (and potatoes) to mark old traditions and start new ones.
“Snowmen at Christmas” by Caralyn Buehner. A perfect read-aloud story that reveals what snowmen do for Christmas.
“Room for Little One: A Christmas Tale” by Martin Waddell. The story tells the tale of several animals who make room for one another in the small stable by an inn. Whenever a smaller animal enters the inn, the larger one says, “There’s always room for a little one here,” even when a donkey stops in carrying Joseph and Mary.
“Christmas Farm” by Mary Lyn Ray. Together Wilma and her young neighbor nurture their growing trees, keeping track of how many they plant, how many perish, and how many grow to become fine, full Christmas trees.
“Pick a Pine Tree” by Patricia Toht. Dive into the rituals of decoration a Christmas tree: digging out boxes jam-packed with ornaments and tree trimmings, stringing tinsel, and, at long last, turning on those twinkling lights.
“Dear Santa: A Lift the Flap Book” by Rod Campbell. Lift the flaps to reveal all the gifts that Santa considers for a special child.
“The Tree That’s Meant to Be” by Yuval Zommer. In this story, forest animals gather around and celebrate a tiny, crooked, left-behind tree that no one else wanted for Christmas.
“A Wish to Be A Christmas Tree” by Colleen Monroe. A tale of an overgrown pine tree that’s always dismissed come Christmastime and the things his woodland friends do to help him.
“Li’l Rabbit’s Kwanzaa” by Donna L. Washington. With Granna Rabbit sick, Li’l Rabbit is there will be no Karamu feast this Kwanzaa. He goes on a quest to find a special treat for Granna, but he might need a little help along the way.