Menu

Reading list

Best Christmas Picture Books for Every Age

By

Last updated 15 books

Short answer

For a first Christmas read-aloud, try Where Is Baby's Christmas Present? by Karen Katz for babies, Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson for preschoolers, and The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg for early school years. Below, 15 Christmas books are sorted by age, with a note on how each reads aloud.

Christmas books for babies and infants

Short, sturdy books with flaps or very little text, made for laps and small hands. Where a publisher gives an age, it is shown in the note. Publishers often stretch these into the toddler years, so the bands overlap.

  1. Where Is Baby's Christmas Present?

    Karen Katz, 2009

    A 14-page board book, written and illustrated by Karen Katz, with six flaps to lift. Baby is hunting for the missing present and finds cookies and candy canes along the way. Simon & Schuster lists it for ages 1 to 4. The description is about cookies, candy canes and ornaments, but the page also carries a Christian interest keyword, so look at a sample if religious content matters to you. Good for lap reading and for pointing games with the very young.

  2. Little Blue Truck's Christmas

    Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry, 2014

    Little Blue Truck, with a wreath on his grill, delivers Christmas trees, and as animal families claim them one by one, young readers practice counting. The story ends with a tree of twinkling lights left for the truck himself. At 24 pages it is short enough for a baby's attention span, and Publishers Weekly lists it for children up to age 3. Good for a quick bedtime read in the weeks before Christmas.

  3. Spot's First Christmas

    Eric Hill, 1983

    The Puffin edition is a 22-page board book with flaps. Spot helps Mum get ready for Christmas Day by wrapping presents, decorating the tree and learning about carol singing, and the publisher says toddlers will love it. No age range is given on the page. Good for toddlers who like lifting flaps and for Spot fans.

Christmas books for toddlers and preschoolers

Picture books that carry a story but still work in one sitting. One of these has a younger board book edition, so check the format before you buy.

  1. Bear Stays Up for Christmas

    Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman, 2004

    Bear sleeps through the night before Christmas, so his friends wake him to help find a tree, bake, hang stockings and sing. The publisher lists the 40-page hardcover for ages 4 to 8 and also lists a board book edition for younger listeners. The story centers on friends and giving. Good as a sleepy bedtime read.

  2. Olive, the Other Reindeer

    Vivian Walsh and J. otto Seibold, 1997

    A 40-page picture book from Chronicle Books by an author and artist team. Olive, a dog, decides she must be a reindeer and heads to the North Pole, where her odd talents turn out to be just what the team needs. It is a Santa story, and the listing mentions nothing religious. Good for animal lovers and for children who like an underdog.

  3. Pete the Cat Saves Christmas

    Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean, 2012

    A funny retelling of The Night Before Christmas starring Pete the Cat, who shows that giving your all is the right thing to do at Christmas. It runs to 40 pages and Publishers Weekly lists it for ages 4 to 8. Good for children who already know Pete, and for a laugh at bedtime.

  4. The Jolly Christmas Postman

    Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Janet Ahlberg, 1991

    A 32-page interactive picture book with real letters tucked into envelopes on the page, including notes from the Big Bad Wolf and the King's men. The listing gives ages 4 to 8. Children open each letter and imagine what a fairy-tale character would write. Good for reading aloud with a small group, because everyone wants a turn with the post.

Christmas picture books for 5 year olds

Longer stories and quieter pictures for children starting school. Several of these have a wide listed range, so they also suit 6 and 7 year olds.

  1. The Snowman

    Raymond Briggs, 1978

    A 32-page picture book with full-color illustrations and no text. A boy builds a snowman that comes alive in his dream. The listing gives ages 5 to 8 and mentions nothing religious. With no words, the reader tells the story, so it suits a child who wants to narrate it back to you.

  2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

    Dr. Seuss, 1957

    The Grinch lives just north of Who-ville and cannot stand Christmas. The Random House edition runs to 64 pages and the listing gives ages 5 to 9. The description mentions nothing religious. Good for reading aloud in different voices, and for children who already know the film.

  3. The Polar Express

    Chris Van Allsburg, 1985

    A boy's mysterious journey to the North Pole, with Chris Van Allsburg's own artwork. The 32-page anniversary edition is listed for ages 4 to 7 and reproduces the art more faithfully than earlier editions. The listing describes a North Pole adventure with Santa and gives no religious content, though one quoted review mentions faith. Good for reading slowly at bedtime.

  4. Great Joy

    Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, 2007

    Just before Christmas, Frances watches an organ grinder and his monkey from her apartment window and has trouble focusing on the church Christmas pageant. When she invites the man and monkey to the performance, her pageant line finally makes sense to her. A 32-page picture book listed for ages 4 to 8, about compassion rather than presents. The pageant is a church one, so the setting is religious. Good for a thoughtful child and for talking about kindness afterwards.

  5. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey

    Susan Wojciechowski, illustrated by P.J. Lynch, 1995

    Jonathan Toomey is a woodcarver who lives alone and is grieving his family. A widow and her son ask him to carve Christmas figures, and the request starts to heal him. At 40 pages from Candlewick it is a longer, quieter read-aloud than most books here, and it deals with loss. The figures are described as a nativity by one reviewer, so the story has a religious thread.

Christmas books for 10 year olds and older kids

Longer reads for children who have outgrown picture books. Two are chapter-book length, and one is a collection of letters that works well read aloud over several nights.

  1. The Christmas Pig

    J.K. Rowling, illustrated by Jim Field, 2021

    On Christmas Eve, Jack's beloved toy pig Dur Pig is lost, and his newest toy, the Christmas Pig, helps him set out to find it. Jim Field provided nine black-and-white spreads and decorative art. Scholastic lists it for ages 8 and up. It is a standalone story. Good for a child who loves a toy as if it were alive.

  2. A Boy Called Christmas

    Matt Haig, illustrated by Chris Mould, 2015

    Canongate calls it the true story of Father Christmas, with adventure, snow, elves and a boy named Nikolas who is not afraid to believe in magic. The hardback runs to 272 pages and it is the first book in a festive series. No age range is given on the publisher page. Good for a confident reader, or for reading aloud a chapter a night.

  3. Letters from Father Christmas

    J.R.R. Tolkien, 1976

    Letters Tolkien wrote to his own children from Father Christmas every year from 1920 to 1943, with drawings, stamps and envelopes. It first appeared in 1976 as The Father Christmas Letters and was later retitled. The estate's article gives no age range and says many families read it aloud. Good for one letter a night in December.

How to choose Christmas picture books by age

Board books have thick pages and small flaps, and they suit the youngest listeners, who mostly want to point and turn pages. Picture books carry a story, so they suit children who can sit through a few minutes of reading aloud. Age labels come from publishers and differ between editions of the same book, so treat them as a guide, not a rule. If religious content matters to your family, either way, read the note on each entry and look inside a copy first.

More Christmas book lists

This page is for reading with children. For books for yourself, see our list of the best Christmas books. For a group, see Christmas books for book clubs, and for buying, see the best books to gift for Christmas. The full set of reading lists is on the Books hub.

If you are writing a picture book of your own, start with our guide on how to write a picture book. When the text is ready, we can help with cover design and publishing setup, and the tools below cover titles, page counts and trim sizes.

Questions readers ask

What are good Christmas books for toddlers?

For the youngest listeners, try Where Is Baby's Christmas Present? by Karen Katz (listed for ages 1 to 4) or Spot's First Christmas by Eric Hill, which the publisher says toddlers will love. Both are flap books, so toddlers can join in. Bear Stays Up for Christmas also comes in a board book edition.

What are the best Christmas books for preschoolers?

Bear Stays Up for Christmas, Olive, the Other Reindeer, Pete the Cat Saves Christmas and The Jolly Christmas Postman all suit preschool listeners and early readers. Pick the funny ones for a group and the gentler ones for bedtime. Check the age label on the edition you are buying, because publishers differ.

What Christmas books suit 5 year olds?

The Snowman (listed for ages 5 to 8) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (ages 5 to 9) start at 5, and The Polar Express and Great Joy are listed from age 4. The Snowman has no words, so a 5 year old can tell the story to you.

What are good Christmas books for 10 year olds?

Try The Christmas Pig by J.K. Rowling, which Scholastic lists for ages 8 and up, or A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig, a 272-page hardback. Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien works as a read-aloud, one letter a night. Many picture books also hold up for older children.

How many Christmas books should we read before Christmas?

There is no right number. A simple idea is an Advent stack: wrap 24 books, or fewer, and open one each evening in December. Reuse favorites, borrow some from the library and keep the short ones for school nights. One long book read in chapters works just as well.

Are board books safer for babies?

We cannot give safety advice. Publishers describe board books as sturdy, with thick pages and rounded corners, which suits small hands better than thin paper. Check the age label on the specific edition, look for loose parts or small flaps, and stay with the child while they read.

How we checked these books

Every title, author and year was checked against the publisher, retailer or library page below on. The notes on each book are our own.