Ahh! Two of my favorite things. Christmas and children’s books. When you combine the two, it’s like a little piece of heaven. Especially snuggled up on the sofa under a warm cozy blanket with my two boys and a cup of hot chocolate with the Christmas tree lit in front of us. It really doesn’t get much better.
We are a book loving family around here. We pull out a tub of Christmas books and store them in a basket in our living room between Thanksgiving and Christmas and read a couple (or 10!) each day.
I’ve already shared our favorite children’s books for 4 year olds. Since we are only 10 days from Christmas, I thought it appropriate to share our 10 favorite Christmas books for children.
1. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
This is a classic and oh so magical! We love the story as well as the movie. We have already read this one a few times and I’m sure my son will bring it to me a few more times before Christmas!
2. The Gingerbread Boy
We have a classic version of this story from 1961 that belonged to my mother when she was a little girl. I adore old versions of books that show their wear and love. This story has been rewritten several times, but I don’t think anything beats the original!
3. The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett
Jan Brett has so many wonderful Christmas books that it was hard to pick just one. This is one of my son’s favorites which is why I chose it. He is really into reading and learning about reindeer.
4. Merry Christmas Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood
Don and Audrey Wood created a great spin on their classic, The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear. This is a funny story that really keeps my son’s attention.
5. How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas? by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague
Jane Yolen’s dinosaur book collection is fantastic, especially for little boys. I have a dinosaur-loving boy, so this one is really loved in our family. This book is light on text so it’s a good book for me to read to both my 4 year old and 7 month old.
6. Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson
I love all of the Bear books by Karma Wilson. The story line is fantastic. My son loves all of the animals we can learn about. We also talk about hibernation as the bear stays up until Christmas.
7. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell! by Lucille Colandro
This is such a funny book! My 4 year old wants to read this one daily. This has a lot of predictable language so my son can read along with me.
8. Merry Christmas, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff
This is a great book because it keeps the attention of both my 7 month old and 4 year old. It’s a short and sweet book that practicing counting skills up to 10. We have the paperback version, but the board book version would be great for kids under 2.
9. The Berenstain Bears’ Night Before Christmas by Mike Berenstain
Caleb loves The Berenstain Bears! We have a few Christmas books about the Berenstain Bears, but this is probably Caleb’s favorite. He loves anything that has to do with Santa Clause these days!
10. The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore
Christmas Eve wouldn’t quite be complete without reading The Night Before Christmas. There are so many versions of this, but I prefer this very classic edition. It’s just a magical story that we read over and over year after year.
While there are many more classic Christmas children’s books that we love, I felt that these 10 fit best for children 5 and under. I hope you enjoy some of these books as much as we do!
What is your favorite children’s book for Christmas?