It’s officialy T-10 days until Christmas, so we’ve rounded up the books we love about Christmas. Some are classics with a twist and some are hilariously simple. We hope you enjoy some of these! Comment with your favorites so we can add to our collection, too!
We were gifted this recordable version of The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore and illustrated by Joseph Adolphe and it was truly a gift for everyone. My in-laws recorded themselves reading the words- gift for me since my kid could “read” it herself! My oldest loved (loves) it because she can her her Papa and Grandma and uncles whenever she wants. Plus the illustrations capture that holiday magic- check out those sugar plums! Gorgeous!
Little Blue Truck’s Christmas by Alice Schertle and illustrated by Jill McElmurry was a given, right? In this version, Blue helps deliver the trees from Toad’s Tree Farm to the customers. He gets one at the end for himself and- you guys- the page has a decorated tree with lights that light up. My kids’ minds were absolutely blown when they saw the last page.
This is our first Olivia book, but Olivia Helps with Christmas by Ian Falconer is a great blend of representing the beauty in the child’s perspective of preparing for Christmas and parental experience of living with kids who want to “help”. I laughed out loud at several of the pages in this book, most of all at the last page with Olivia’s gift to her family.
How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague was new to our family this year. It’s shows dinosaurs doing all kinds of silly and destructive things- licking all the candy canes, dumping stockings on the floor- and- true to form- ultimately making good choices. The end paper with all the dinosaurs in christmas scenes is so cute and funny- the erythfrsuchus with that tiny hat on it’s head is my favorite!
We got Santa is Coming to Chicago by Steve Smallman and illustrated by Robert Dunn as a gift as well, and it’s really cute. It’s customizable for lots of cities- or states as well- and my kids love spotting our favorite sites around our city in the book. It’s funny (Santa’s sleigh gets stuck on the spire of the Willis Tower!) and sweet as well.
All of Oliver Dunrea’s Gossie&Friends books are really sweet. We always read Merry Christmas, Ollie at this time of year because Ollie’s impatience with waiting for Christmas is so relatable for my kids (and myself!). My oldest can read this to us, now, which is a fun change of pace, and my youngest requests it over and over.