Christmas Books for Kids

The most wonderful time of the year is fast approaching. For parents like me, the holiday season is probably our busiest time of the year also. Christmas parties to attend, family reunions to plan, gift lists to complete, presents to wrap, meals to prepare - the list of our to-do's this Christmas season can be quite endless. 

And I totally understand you. Lately, I just want to skip parts of our bedtime routine (and there are nights that I did) just to catch up some much-needed rest. But I hope that despite our hectic and crazy schedule, let us not forget to spend time with our kids. And what better way to spend quality time together than reading aloud to our kids. 

Since it is Christmas season, books related to or about Christmas are the perfect read-aloud. Reading books about Christmas is a great way to count down the days to Christmas. You can read one short book a day or one chapter of a longer book. You can even wrap it up like gifts. Reading a story about this season is also one way to teach our children the true meaning of Christmas. So today let me share with you our collection of Christmas Books for Kids. 

Baby Touch and Feel Christmas and Christmas Counting

Baby Touch and Feel Christmas is one of our little Queen B’s earliest books thus the torn cover. She had played with it numerous times and even bit into it a time or two. Like other titles from the Baby Touch and Feel series, this book contains simple pictures that have different kinds of texture which babies can safely explore. This is a good book to introduce Christmas symbols to your babies.

Christmas Counting is well, all about counting various Christmas symbols – Christmas trees, bells, reindeers, candy canes, and even poinsettias.  George can count up to exactly 12 so this book is perfect for her. 

If You Take a Mouse to the Movies

Written by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond, If You Take a Mouse to the Movies tells the funny story of what will happen if you take a mouse to the movies. Be prepared as your child may want to do the same things the mouse did which are all Christmas related. 

Good King Wenceslas

Based on the popular Christmas carol also titled Good King Wenceslas. It tells the story of a compassionate king who along with his pageboy braved the harsh winter condition to give food and wood to a poor family the day after Christmas. This carol is actually based on the life of Saint Wenceslas I, Duke of Bohemia. Holy Roman Emperor Otto I posthumously conferred the title "King" to the duke which is why he is referred to as a king. We can use Good King Wenceslas' story to teach our kids the value of giving to those who are less fortunate than them. 

The Littlest Reindeer

Rory is Santa's smallest reindeer. He is still not supposed to join Santa's journey around the world when by accident, he did. Well, good thing he did because he was able to save Santa and his sleigh full of gifts when a giant sneeze from the man-in-the-moon caused Santa's sleigh to go off course. This cute story is written by Moira Butterfield and illustrated by Andrea Petrlik Huseinovic. 

A Pirate's Twelve Days of Christmas

Author Philip Yates put a fun, pirate-y twist on the popular Christmas carol. Your child would enjoy singing along with you. 

The Night Before Christmas

The Night Before Christmas is a poem first published anonymously in 1823 but later attributed to Clement Moore. A lot of the conceptions about Santa Claus is actually based on this poem. 

The First Christmas

Christmas is more than the parties, the delicious food, and the extravagant gifts. First and foremost, Christmas is all about our Savior and this book tells us the story of the first Christmas. Reading about the first Christmas is a good step in making our Christmas celebration Christ-centered.

Merry Christmas, Curious George

George and his friend, the man in the yellow hat, are looking for a tree for their home but George, because of his curiosity, was carried off with a tree to the children's hospital! Join George's adventures in the hospital and how he made the recovering children enjoy their Christmas celebration. 

The Story of the Nutcracker Ballet

The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, first performed on December 18, 1892, and this book tells its story. Hopefully, my little Queen B and I would be able to watch a live performance of it soon. 

The Polar Express

A Caldecott Medal winner, The Polar Express is the story of a young boy who took a train going to the North Pole. It is now considered as a classic Christmas story as it perfectly captures the magic of Christmas. It has been adapted into a motion-capture film in 2004. It is written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. 

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Grinch, a grouchy creature, wants to put a stop to Christmas by stealing all the Christmas-themed items from the nearby town Whoville but he discovered that he can't. Discover how the Grinch made this realization. It has been adapted into a live-action film in 2000 and a computer-animated film adaptation is scheduled for release next year. It's another great book that teaches that Christmas is more than the things that come from a store. 

La Noche Buena

Nina usually spends Christmas with her mom in snowy, cold New England but this year, she'll be spending it with her dad in tropical Miami. She is about to experience her first ever Noche Buena. Since Noche Buena is also a Filipino Christmas tradition, this story is also a good way to show that even though we might not have snow and all the fun it entails, a Filipino Christmas is as fun as having a white Christmas. 

Snowflake Bentley

Wilson Bentley, a world famous snowflake authority, once said, "Of all the forms of water, the tiny six-pointed crystals of ice called snow, that form in such quantities within the clouds during storms, are incomparably the most beautiful and varied." Discover his story in this Caldecott Medal-winning book. 

The Family Under the Bridge

The Family Under the Bridge is a heart-warming story of Armand, an old man living under a bridge in Paris and how three children, the Calcets, softened his heart and change his life. Be prepared to cry with your kid as you read this Newberry Honor book together. 

Horrible Christmas

This is definitely for the older kids (no need to scare your smaller kids) as it tells the horrible stories behind some Christmas traditions, food, and personas. 

Due to some plans which we are still waiting to come into fruition, our Christmas celebration this year is not as elaborate as I have planned last year but it doesn't mean it won't be as enjoyable and amazing. Because as Burton Hills said, "The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other." So my fellow parents, spend as much free time as possible with your kids (hopefully, reading aloud) not only during Christmas but all year round. 

Reading aloud with you, 

Lady