I love giving books for holidays. Anything that takes away from screen time is a yes from me. If you agree, you’ll love these 10+ Best Christmas Books For Kids. There are a bunch of Christmas classic stories and some new books too.
For more ideas, check out all of our gift guides.
I’m always trying to avoid electronics when we give gifts to our nieces and nephews. Of course they’re going to get toys with screen time, but we really try to avoid it when we can.
That often means gifting books, which I absolutely love doing. For birthdays, we’ll give fun story books or chapter books for the older kids. At Christmas, though, we’re giving Christmas books.
I only give kids one book each at Christmas, but I love the new Christmas tradition of giving a new book every a day of December, like an Advent Calendar with books instead of chocolates.
If you’re buying just one book or 24, we put together this list of the Best Christmas Books for Kids to help. This list is filled with some classic Christmas books and some that may be new to you.
If you need more help trying to figure out what to put under the Christmas tree, you’re in luck. We have a ton of ideas in Drugstore Divas’ Holiday Gift Guide.
10+ Best Christmas Books For Kids
Affiliate links are included in this sponsored post and Drugstore Divas may make a small commission if you use them.
First 100 Christmas Words by Roger Priddy
Parents of babies will absolutely love this First 100 Christmas Words book. There are 100 different Christmas-related images in the book, like Santa Claus and present. Kids can “read” the book and learn the words, then point out similar items (like ornaments) around your home to reinforce what they’re learning.
There’s a similar board book by the same author of First 100 Words, which is generic words that babies and toddlers will learn. So, if your kids like that book, they’ll love this one too.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
One of the most classic Christmas stories is Dr. Seuss‘ How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Every year, people wait for it to come on TV. At least, people used to. Now, with streaming, there’s a chance you might not even be able to watch it. The horror!
Instead, pick up How The Grinch Stole Christmas book. That way, your kids can read the story all holiday season long.
A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz
A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of the best Christmas movies. It really teaches the true meaning of Christmas. Instead of waiting for it to come on TV or hoping you have the right streaming service to watch it, pick up the A Charlie Brown Christmas book.
This specific version of the book (the deluxe version) is really well made. The cover is vibrant, feels great, and the illustrations are amazing. There’s also a music section with songs and notes, in case you’re musically inclined and want to spread some Christmas spirit by song.
The Friendly Animals: A Christmas Story by James Newman Gray
Kids sort of grasp the story of the birth of baby Jesus. And kids like babies, so they can follow that much. But what they really like are animals. The Friendly Animals: A Christmas Story puts the animals front and center in the nativity story. Each animal in the stable takes a turn telling his part in the story.
This is actually a French folk song (you can listen to it here), so you can learn the tune and sing this with your children. The difference is that the original poem uses the word “beasts” while this version uses “animals” (since beast isn’t used commonly to refer to animals anymore and might make the story a little different for your child).
The illustrations in this book are beautiful and your child will really enjoy the rhyme pattern, assuming you’re just reading and not singing.
Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Sleigh by Mo Willems
Mo Willems’ Pigeon books are so popular, so of course there should be a Christmas version: Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Sleigh. In this sweet story, Pigeon thinks Santa’s job is so easy. Eat cookies, drop off some gifts, onto the next. But, what Pigeon learns is that things are not as easy as they seem.
Young readers will be able to read this simple book, which is nice.
Christmas In The Manger by Nola Buck and Felicia Bond
If you have young children who are interested in the story of Jesus, Christmas in the Manger is a great way to introduce them to it.
This board book has really simple text and beautiful illustrations — and really good reviews. The only qualm a few people have is that while Joseph is illustrated in the book, he’s not actually mentioned at all. So, if you’re reading this to younger kids who can’t read yet (so they’re not following along word for word), I suggest you ad lib a rhyme about him in there. That wouldn’t work for older children, so you might want to choose a different book for them.
A Very Merry Christmas Prayer by Bonnie Rickner Jensen
If you’re looking for a religious book to give as a Christmas gift this year, A Very Merry Christmas Prayer is your choice.
The board book, which has a really fun pine tree-shape on one side, does mention God and Jesus being the reason for the season. Of course, this is a great Christmas present for kids who go to church. But, it might not be for people who focus on the commercial portion of Christmas more than the religious reason.
Mickey’s Christmas Carol
Watching A Christmas Carol is one of those movies that people love to watch during Christmas time. It just gets you into the holiday spirit. It is a little scary for younger children, though. So, introduce them to the story with Mickey’s Christmas Carol. That’s a version the whole family can enjoy.
Of course, you can stream it (if you have the right streaming service) or you can just buy this classic Christmas book instead.
Countdown to Christmas by Greg Paprocki
For young kids who are learning their numbers, Countdown to Christmas is absolutely perfect. It starts with 10 and counts down to one.
There is a search and find portion of the book that I really like. The book starts with 10 days … and asks if your child can find 10 blue ornaments. It continues that way until it’s time to celebrate Christmas. I love that it’s interactive and educational.
Little Blue Truck’s Christmas by Alice Schertle
Little Blue Truck is a super popular children’s book series, so of course, there’s a Christmas version: Little Blue Truck’s Christmas. In it, Little Blue Truck is delivering Christmas trees to all of his animal friends.
The book has an educational component to it (your kids can count the trees), which keeps little kids interested in the story. There’s a big payoff at the end — flashing lights on a Christmas tree.
More Christmas Books To Gift:
These aren’t all of the Christmas books out there, just our favorite Christmas books to gift. There are more, like the Our 12 Days of Christmas book above, which you can personalize with your family members names so all your favorite characters in that book are your favorite people.
For more, check out the following sites online:
Be sure to check a store’s minimum cart total to qualify for free shipping. Also, double check the delivery date. You want to make sure anything you’re ordering will arrive before Christmas.
More Book Gifts:
If you’re looking for more books to gift, we have a bunch of other lists for you. There’s our Best Board Books For Babies, Top Classic Little Golden Books To Add To Your Collection, and 10+ Gifts For Young Book Lovers. Those are all really good book gifts, without a theme.
For more themed and holiday books, check out our list of 30 Dr. Seuss Books To Read On Read Across America Day, Back-To-School Books, 10+ Martin Luther King, Jr. Books For Kids, and the Best Halloween Books For Kids.
Which of these Christmas books is your favorite? Be sure to let us know in the comments.