The Best Children’s Xmas Books on My Shelf

Here’s a list of some of the best titles we took out of the Christmas box for our holiday season. We have some classics, a couple that have been passed down, and two or three published in the last ten years that you might want to add to your collection.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess:

The all-time favorite in our household. Yes, we do have one crazy person in the family who likes the Jim Carrey version. I despise it. I am a purist! And no, I will not be seeing the new film, but I’ll probably have to watch it at some point when it gets to video… ‘Two sizes too small.’ I love it!

Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Moore:

The perfect book to share the Santa story with the little ones. There are many kid’s books with some uncomfortable, forced rhymes; this is not one of them. This version is illustrated by Charles Santore with fantastic visuals of each stanza of the poem. Essential!

The Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree by Stan and Jan Berenstain:

Grabbed this one from my parent’s house a couple years ago. Inscribed: ‘Paul’s First Xmas, 1976.’ The Bear Family is in search of a tree, and as in most of the Berenstain Bears books, Papa has a plan. The perfect tree is just a short hike away, through swamp and over mountain and up to the highest peak… but as usual, there are some problems along the way. Poor Papa.

Little Santa by Jon Agee:

A superb new origin story for the Big Guy in the Red Suit. Little Santa lives with his family at the North Pole, but they don’t like the cold winters and plan to move to Florida. But before they can leave, a blizzard traps them in their house. Little Santa has to use his innate abilities to get them out. Fun and cute!

Santa Mouse Meets Marmaduke by Michael Brown:

Another old favorite that was appropriated from my parents’ house. A little mouse with some not so nice manners has to be convinced that Santa is real. I’m a big fan of all animated or illustrated mice. (Any other fans of Fievel?)

Little Blue Truck’s Christmas by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry (Illustrator):

We have a big fan of trucks and particularly The Little Blue Truck in the house. We love the other two LBT books and this one includes some of the same characters. Ok, I break my own rule with this one. ‘Books don’t have batteries!’ There’s a light up tree at the end of the book. I’ll make an exception for xmas.

Angelina’s Christmas by Katherine Holabird and Helen Craig (Illustrator):

Angelina is another of our favorite characters. A very cute and touching story of Angelina and her family including an older gentlemen in the Christmas celebration. (Another book with mice!) A winner!

A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz:

Two things make me shed a tear every xmas season: Tiny Tim from the Mickey Christmas Carol and the little tree in A Charlie Brown’s Christmas. Each story ends on high note, but those two images get me. I’ve always been a big fan of Charlie Brown and the gang. They find their own way to celebrate the Christmas spirit in this classic story.

Llama Llama Jingle Bells by Anna Dewdney:

We love this simple board book in our house. A great one to throw in the car for rides to and from the store or school. Llama Llama and friends share all the holiday traditions. Simple, yet memorable rhyming lines make it great for all lap-sitters.

The Christmas Wish by Lori Evert and Per Breiehagen (Illustrator):

Wonderful photographs pair snow-covered Nordic winter scenes with bright colors. Little Anja follows a trail to the North Pole because she wants to be one of Santa’s elves.  Although she starts her journey on skis, she needs help from several animals along the way. A new classic.

What are your favorite Christmas books for children? Feel free to comment below!