25 of Our Favorite Christmas picture Books


I know it’s early, but I just wanted to make sure we shared with you some of our favorites!  We have classic books, new books, secular, and Catholic books all wrapped into one amazing list. You can read one each night in the month of December ending on Christmas Day!  Click on the pictures below for our affiliate link.  Happy Advent and Merry Christmas!

The classic poem republished with beautiful new illustrations. The kids will love it.
Tomie dePaola never fails to tell a captivating story that reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas. (Warning/Spoiler: Old Befana dies so it may be sad for more sensitive kids.
Though this book may be hard to find, it’s worth it. The illustrations show the nativity, but the words are a love song from mother to child that could apply to any mother awaiting the birth of her child.
Another wonderful tale by Tomie dePaola that shares the tradition of Las Posadas and finishes with the his gift of faith. This is one of my kids’ favorite books.
A Christmas classic that both adults and kids will love. It demonstrates how kindness can create miracles.
The nativity story told from the perspective of Saint Joseph is a viewpoint we rarely see. It is so well told in this book.
This is one of my absolute favorite stories. I love the way Tomie dePaola includes the miraculous in so many of his stories, but this is always one of my favorites.
There are few storytellers as wonderful as Kate DiCamillo. This one is perfect for Christmas.
Such a perfect story of family and Christmas miracles. This lyrical story is perfect for younger kids who will love the repetition. (Our review will be out soon)
Kids will love to see how this giant tree is able to make so many people happy.
This book gives us a beautiful explanation of what Christmas means.
A Christmas classic. How could we not include it?
If you are familiar with Nancy Tillman’s other books (‘On the Night You Were Born’), you will expect her peaceful tone as she presents Christmas with beautiful illustrations for kids to look at.
This book is written by the same author as ‘Pippi Longstocking’ and is a great Christmas classic. (And we LOVE these older books because the vocabulary is just so good!)
A lovely story of a girl, a doll, and some parents. It’s heartwarming and wonderful and beloved by many.
The story of the camel who carried one of the three kings.
A little clown who tries to make Christmas Eve special for a little village. (This book may be hard to find!)
This perfect adventure story of Carl and his baby is told with no words. It’s perfectly allows kids to tell their own story for what they see happening.
This story is a modern tale about a town who has forgotten God and lost their way. (This book is very hard to find, but so worth it!)
Such a wonderful story by Patricial Polacco of a young boy waiting for his father’s return for Christmas.
Though this is a great Christmas story, it also tells us the story of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree AND about Habitat for Humanity!
A short and simple story of the Nativity told through the eyes of the birds.
A new family in this small village is able to teach everyone about the spirit of Christmas in another Tomie dePaola book.
Famous children’s author Cynthia Rylant tells us about Christmas out in the country where she grew up as a child.
This is such a cool interactive book. It has individual letters kids can take out and read. The letters are from famous characters that they are familiar with! It’s a huge favorite.