Best Christmas books for children
Snowmen, sleighs and Santy. These are the Christmas books families come back to every December, with notes on which age each one suits best.
Every family has a Christmas book that comes out of the box in December and goes back in on Little Christmas. It might be a battered paperback with a missing cover or a hardback you were given as a child. Reading the same festive stories year after year is part of what makes the season feel like Christmas.
This page gathers the most popular and best-loved Christmas books for children, with a rough age for each. Use it as a starting point, then follow the links below for deeper guides.
More Christmas book guides
- Picture books for toddlers and preschoolersRead-aloud favourites with notes on how to share them
- Chapter books for older childrenFestive novels to read together, a chapter a night
- Book advent calendarTwenty-four wrapped stories to open through December
- Christmas Eve box and bedtime storiesA calm, cosy way to end the night before
- Irish Christmas books and traditionsNollaig na mBan, wren boys and the candle in the window
- Stocking filler booksSmall, cheerful books that fit in a stocking
Twelve popular Christmas books
Ages are approximate. Many of these work well beyond the age shown, especially when read aloud.
Spot’s First Christmas
By Eric Hill. Roughly ages 0–3.
A lift-the-flap board book with the much-loved puppy hunting for presents and decorations. It is sturdy enough for little hands.
The Snowman
By Raymond Briggs. Roughly ages 3 and up.
A wordless picture book about a boy whose snowman comes to life for one magical night. Telling the story in your own words is half the fun, and the soft pencil pictures are lovely to linger over.
Stick Man
By Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler. Roughly ages 3–6.
A stick-family father is carried further and further from home, with a long list of near misses, until Santa comes to the rescue on Christmas Eve. Rhyming and full of adventure.
Mog’s Christmas
By Judith Kerr. Roughly ages 3–6.
A family cat gets into mischief during Christmas preparations. Warm, funny and full of recognisable family chaos.
Father Christmas
By Raymond Briggs. Roughly ages 4–8.
A grumpy, grumbling Father Christmas gets ready for the big night. Told in comic-strip panels, it is a very different take on the legend and children enjoy the jokes.
The Jolly Christmas Postman
By Janet and Allan Ahlberg. Roughly ages 4–8.
The postman delivers Christmas cards and letters to fairy-tale characters, and every envelope in the book holds a tiny letter, card or game to pull out.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
By Dr. Seuss. Roughly ages 4–8.
A grouch tries to steal Christmas from the people of Whoville and discovers that it comes anyway. The bouncy rhymes are brilliant read aloud.
The Polar Express
By Chris Van Allsburg. Roughly ages 5–9.
A boy boards a mysterious train to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. The glowing, dreamlike pictures make this a book to settle down with in the evening.
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
By Susan Wojciechowski, illustrated by P. J. Lynch. Roughly ages 6 and up.
A lonely woodcarver is asked by a widow and her young son to carve a nativity scene. A gentle, moving story with rich paintings by Irish illustrator P. J. Lynch.
The Christmasaurus
By Tom Fletcher, illustrated by Shane Devries. Roughly ages 6–10.
A boy who loves dinosaurs gets an unexpected Christmas visitor. Silly, fast and funny, with plenty of pictures.
The Christmas Pig
By J. K. Rowling, illustrated by Jim Field. Roughly ages 7–11.
When a boy’s beloved toy is lost on Christmas Eve, a substitute toy sets out on a journey to find it. An emotional adventure for children who love their soft toys.
A Boy Called Christmas
By Matt Haig, illustrated by Chris Mould. Roughly ages 8–12.
An imaginative origin story for Father Christmas, packed with elves, trolls and a brave young boy. Good for confident readers.
Classic poems and tales
Some of the most famous Christmas stories are old enough to be in the public domain, which means many editions are cheap and easy to find, including second-hand.
- The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, first published in 1823. Dozens of illustrated editions exist, so choose the pictures that you like best.
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (1843). Look for abridged and illustrated versions for younger readers, or read the original aloud to older children over several nights.
- The Nutcracker by E. T. A. Hoffmann, the story behind the famous ballet. Many picture-book retellings are available.
How to choose a Christmas book
- Pick for the child, not the calendar. A chunky board book suits a baby however festive the cover. An older reader may prefer a chapter book to a picture book.
- Think about how you will use it. Quiet, gentle stories are good for Christmas Eve. Loud, funny ones work well on a December afternoon.
- Look for stories that last. The best Christmas books still feel fresh on the tenth reading.
- Check your library first. Many libraries put out a Christmas display in late November. See our guide to children’s books and your local library.
- Order early if you are buying. Popular titles can sell out in December, and delivery times stretch near the holiday.
Start a Christmas reading tradition
You do not need many books to start a tradition. Choose one story to read on the first of December, another for Christmas Eve, and keep the rest in a box that comes out every year. For ideas, see our book advent calendar and Christmas Eve box guides, and our wider gift guide.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most popular Christmas books for children?
Long-standing favourites include The Snowman, Stick Man, The Polar Express, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and The Jolly Christmas Postman. For older readers, A Boy Called Christmas and The Christmasaurus are popular choices.
What is a good Christmas book for a baby or toddler?
Choose a sturdy board book with bold pictures and little text, such as Spot’s First Christmas. Once toddlers are ready for longer stories, rhyming picture books such as Stick Man are a good next step.
What Christmas books are good for 8-year-olds?
Funny, fast-moving stories tend to work well, such as The Christmasaurus, The Christmas Pig or A Boy Called Christmas. Reading a chapter a night is a lovely December routine.
When should we start reading Christmas books?
Whenever suits your family. Many people start on the first of December, and some start in late November to build excitement. Others keep a special pile for Christmas Eve only.
Are there Irish Christmas books for children?
Yes. See our guide to Irish Christmas books and traditions, which includes books by Irish authors and illustrators.