20+ Great Family Favorite Christmas Books for Kids
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Christmas is coming! Now is the time to buy or check out books for the season. We always try to build up our holiday library bit by bit each year. You can also start the wonderful tradition of wrapping the books up and opening one a day during the month of December!
Family Favorite Christmas Books for Kids
Here are 20+ great Christmas books for kids – some that are our favorites and some from our wish list!
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson – Such a fun and moving story!
Jotham’s Journey by Arnold Ytreeide – This is a great story that you read a chapter of each day leading up to Christmas. I would recommend doing it as a read aloud and editing on the fly if you have any sensitive kiddos. There are some scary and intense parts!
While we haven’t yet read these by Arnold Ytreeide, they are on the same track:
Familyman’s Christmas Treasury by Todd Wilson – Technically this is an audiobook but the stories included are SO fun and Christ-centered. We listen to them every year!
Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski – Such a beautiful story with lovely illustrations
An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polacco – Lessons about giving!
Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden – This is such a cute story. It’s longer than we expected so we had to break it up into a few sessions but it was worth it!
Mary Engelbreit’s Nutcracker – Beautiful pictures and a delightful way to introduce this story to little ones.
The Very First Christmas Story by Paul Maier – An interesting way to tell the Christmas story that provides some historical tidbits and background as well.
Drummer Boy – It’s a sweet, quiet story about a toy drummer boy that ends up at the feet of baby Jesus.
The Little Drummer Boy – We have the board book and the kids like to read/sing it all year long.
This Is the Stable – The kids love the repetition and we all love the story.
We Believe in Christmas – Made me cry. I can’t help it! Christmas stories that are actually about Jesus make me cry!
Tiny Baby Jesus – Very sweet. Goes back and forth between scenes of Jesus’ life as an adult and a baby.
Under the Star – Great repetition and counting.
The Crippled Lamb – Always a favorite. A lovely story about a lamb that is not like the rest but has a special purpose in God’s plan.
The Tale of the Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale – A fantastic book for Christmas and Easter!
On Our Wish List
Christmas Oranges by Linda Bethers
Legend of the Christmas Tree, The
The Shepherd’s Christmas Story
Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story
What are your favorite Christmas books for kids?
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I love your book list! Thank you so much for the great suggestions! Humphrey’s First Christmas is really cute. One of my favorite children’s Christmas books is Mortimer’s Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman. I am going to have to check out quite a few books on this list. Thanks.
Thank you for this list. It reminded me that I used to go to the library and load up on Christmas books when my older children when littles. I need to do that with my younger children.
Legend of the Candy cane is a really good one too.
Thanks for the list! I’ve requested a lot of them from the library.
You’re welcome!
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
My children are older (13-27) but we still get out the Christmas book bucket every year after U.S. Thanksgiving. Our family’s favorite Christmas Book List is very long but here are a few of the “favorite favorites” that are about Jesus:)!!!
The Best Thing About Christmas by Christine Harder Tangvald
I See a Star A Christmas Rebus Story by Jean Marzollo
That Special Starry Night by Jeff Carnehl
The Carolers by Georgia Guback (You have to sing this book!)
The Very First Christmas by Paul L. Maier
A Savior Is Born Rocks Tell The Story of Christmas Created by Patti Rokus (This book is the newest addition to our family’s collection and there is also an Easter book that we are hoping to have by Easter.)
Last but not least The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
This is a great list, with several new ones I hadn’t heard of before. Thanks!
My favourite Christmas picture book is “Tonight You Are My Baby {Mary’s Christmas Gift}”. It makes me tear up every year!