10 Favorite Children's Christmas Books

When our kids were young, my wife and I would read to them every night, and reading books prior to Christmas was a great joy. Over the years we realized we were reading the same children's Christmas books over and over and would never get bored.

From after Thanksgiving all the way to Christmas, our kids pick out their favorite stories and we sit down and read one each night before they go to bed. Our older kids will even sit down and listen or read the books to the younger kids. Christmas is a great time of the year.

The following list of children's Christmas books remains our favorite. We have received some great suggestion over the years including the Puddinhead Story, the Littlest Angel, and Mrs. Claus and the School of Christmas Spirit. If you have a favorite Christmas book you read to your children or grandchildren, please add it in the comments section at the end of this page so I can highlight it for other parents.

Here's wishing your Christmas season is the best one yet.

I probably read The Christmas Bear by Henrietta Stickland twenty times during the Christmas season. This is a great story about a polar bear cub who meets Santa on Christmas Eve. Paul Stickland's illustrations are marvelous and my kids always try to see who can find the penguin in each picture first.

We celebrate Christmas Eve each year at my mom's house. One of the presents she gets her grandchildren each year is pajamas. The kids can't wait to get these, put them on, and wear them in the car on the way home. There are two books about this very tradition, The Puddinhead Story by Mary Ann DiBattista and The Pajama Elves by Hayden Edwards. If you don't have a Christmas Eve tradition, I hope these will inspire you to make one with your grandchildren.

Jan Brett has some of our favorite Christmas books and stories. These books are warm, full of adventure, and of course carry the Christmas spirit. If you've never read a Jan Brett book, then you are not only missing out on great stories, but also great illustrations.

In Addition to The Mitten, Jan Brett has written over a dozen Christmas books including:

• The Wild Christmas Reindeer
• The Hat
• Three Snow Bears
• Who's That Knocking on Christmas Eve
• Home for Christmas.

This list has been curated from many sources including reader's comments.

• Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree - My sister-in-law always comes up with the best books. This year it was Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry. What a great Christmas book.
• Mrs Claus and The School of Christmas Spirit by Rebecca Munsterer - Mrs Claus runs the School of Christmas Spirit at the North Pole. Each year kids who feel unimportant learn the four tenants of Christmas Spirit: worthiness, wonder, will, and whimsy. Kat, one of the children in this year's class, isn't so special with her 7 siblings, but at the North Pole, she feels special and helps Mrs Claus save Santa and Christmas. A new Chirstmas book published in 2012 just in time for the Christmas season. This is a great book for 7,8, and 9 year old girls as it is a chapter book and an easy read. Girls will not want to go to bed, and parents will enjoy the story as well. And if Grandma gives them a snow globe for Christmas and some candyfruit, well, things may get a little out of hand after that.

• The Littlest Angel by Charles Tazewell - Here's another book mentioned by a reader that believes adults and kids will enjoy.

• Santa is Coming to Chicago - written by Steve Smallman and Robert Dunn - Steve Smallman and Robert Dunn have written a series of books about Santa coming to a town or state near you. I first saw these books in 2013 at a book fair at my daughter's elementary school. To find the book for your area, click on the picture of the Chicago book and then search Amazon for your favorite city or state.

• The Elf on the Shelf - The Elf on the Shelf has become a tradition in many families. The storybook and the doll are a great combination for toddlers and pre school children. The story has the elf reporting to Santa Claus every evening when the kids go to be and then hiding in a different spot in the house to watch and make sure the kids are behaving before Christmas. The elf doll is available with many different eye colors and skin types.
• Dream Snow by Eric Carle - Eric Carle is a great picture book writer and illustrator.