Top Picks for Christmas Picture Books
When my first child was born, I scoured the web (read: Pinterest)for advent season traditions that I could carry on year after year. I had grand plans, and I did a pretty good job with all of the hullabaloo for the first few years. As I kept having kids and life got busier, many of those traditions dropped off. However, our favorite tradition is one that I’ve managed to keep consistently from year to year—starting on December 1st, my kids get to unwrap one picture book every night leading up to Christmas. I don’t buy 25 new books every year, in fact, for the first few years a good majority of those wrapped books came from our public library! We’ve steadily built up our supply from thrift stores, gifts from grandparents, and one new book a year (usually opened on Christmas Eve). My kids absolutely love this tradition and the excitement of getting to revisit a favorite story every night, and they are so excited when they happen to open a new-to-them book! Our one rule is that all of these books are Christ-centered, as my primary goal is to ensure that my children always keep the true reason for celebration on their minds and hearts during the Christmas season.
Without further ado, here are my top 10 picture book recommendations for a Christ-centered Christmas season:
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski
Jonathan Toomey is the best woodcarver in the valley, but he is always alone and never smiles. No one knows about the mementos of his lost wife and child that he keeps in an unopened drawer. But one early winter’s day, a widow and her young son approach him with a gentle request that leads to a joyful miracle. The moving, lyrical tale, gloriously illustrated by P.J. Lynch, has been widely hailed as a true Christmas classic.
The first time I heard this story, we were celebrating Christmas with my husband’s family. His Uncle Mark pulled out this book, which they read every year, and I absolutely fell in love with this heartwarming tale. Admittedly, we are all partial to Uncle Mark’s story time performance, but this story always leaves us with a happy sigh and full heart.
Santa’s Favorite Story by Hisako Aoki
When Santa Claus tells the forest animals that he is not looking forward to delivering all those heavy packages, they are worried that there won’t be a Christmas anymore. To help everyone understand that Christmas would still come even if he didn’t, Santa tells the story of the first Christmas, and they all learn a good lesson about the meaning of this special holiday.
Santa’s not a huge part of our Christmas season. We will occasionally watch a Santa movie and my kids get a kick out of the whole story, but we absolutely LOVE this Christ-centered Santa story. If your kids are big into Santa, I think this book is a great way to bridge the divide between the Santa-magic of the Christmas season and the true miraculous gift of Christ’s birth.
Itsy Bitsy Christmas by Max Lucado
When Itsy and Bitsy, two charming little mice, hear that a King is coming to Bethlehem, they set off with great enthusiasm to find Him. Along the way, others discourage them saying they are too little and unimportant for any king. Just when Itsy and Bitsy begin to believe they really aren't big enough for the new King, they learn that Christ the King has indeed come for everyone.
I love the message of this story, and nativity stories told from the animal’s perspective always snag the attention of even my littlest kiddos. I keep expecting my older kids to age out of this one, but they are rapt with attention year after year.
God Gave us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren
“Who invented Christmas?”
Mama’s answer only leads to more questions like “Is God more important than Santa?” So she and Little Cub head off on a polar expedition to find God and to see how he gave them Christmas. Along the way, they find signs that God is at work all around them. Through Mama’s gentle guidance, Little Cub learns about the very first Christmas and discovers that Jesus is the best present of all.
The books in the God Gave Us series are so sweet, but admittedly, they are not ones we pull out all the time. But this Christmas story has become so special to our family. My kids love how the illustrations tell a story of their own, and I love that my kids are absorbing spiritual truths along with an engaging story
The Story of the Three Wise Kings by
Tomie dePaola
Tomie dePaola’s retelling of the story of the three wise kings is perfect for sharing with little ones during the Christmas season!
Three wise men of the East, having seen a new star symbolizing the birth of a great king, follow the star to Bethlehem where they present gifts to the newborn Jesus. This beautiful rendition of the well-known tale is sure to delight young readers.
I just love a good Tomie dePaola book, so when I saw this one centered on the wise men, I grabbed it straight up. It has not disappointed and its one my kids love to flip through any time of the year!
Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg
One dark November night a stranger rides into a small prairie town. Who is he? Why has he come? … Then a young girl named Lucy befriends the newcomer. When he reveals his identity and shares with her the legend of the candy cane, she discovers fulfillment of her wishes and the answer to her town's dreams. Now will she share what she has learned?
I love being able to connect the gospel to the traditions and symbol of the Christmas season. So once a year, my kids get to unwrap this book under the tree and we follow it up with a fun candy cane hunt before finishing it with a short devotional—it is hands down one of our favorite activities during advent!
The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado
The Crippled Lamb follows the story of Joshua, a lamb with a crippled leg who feels left out because he can't run and play like the other lambs. But God has a special plan for Joshua's life, as He does for all who feel alone. Readers will feel a gentle tug on their hearts as the little lamb's prayers are answered in an amazing way on Christmas Day.
We first found this story through the animated movie when our kids were toddlers, but the book is absolutely precious. I love getting to have the conversation with my kids about how Christ’s strength is perfected in our weakness, and Joshua’s story is the perfect illustration of that!
Twas the Evening of Christmas by Glenys Nellist
'Twas the Evening of Christmas echoes the familiar language and rhythm of Dr. Clements' poetry [‘Twas the Night Before Christmas], but instead of focusing on Santa, it focuses on the baby Jesus, who is, after all, the true hero of Christmas. All families will delight in this simple retelling of the most famous story ever told. With a cover that comes alive with foil and sculpted embossing, this book is sure to become a Christmas classic.
My kids love poetry, so this book is right up their alley. I love that this book gives the same cozy feelings as the familiar Christmas poem while readapting it to bring the reason for the season into focus.
Little Star by Anthony DeStefano
A king is about to be born! The stars in the heavens are competing to shine the brightest to celebrate his birth. But when they see the poor family, the donkey, the shabby stable, the stars all think, That can’t possibly be a king. We’ve been fooled.
All except one. The smallest, loneliest star in the sky, Little Star, is the only one to understand what the king was about to bring to the world.
I love that this nativity story puts the focus on the Star of Bethlehem. Sometimes the kids interest can get lost in the sea of stories centering on Christ’s birth, but the way that this one jumps between the stable and the narrative of the little star becomes a shining beacon of hope puts a fun and unique twist on a familiar story.
The Newborn King by Pat Thompson
For centuries families have gathered on Christmas Eve to hear the story of Baby Jesus. This beautiful telling of the Christmas story combines endearing illustration by Pat Thompson with the simple yet compelling words found in the Gospel of Luke.
I love that this story this story is written straight from Scripture. I often start the season with this book to remind my children of the reason for the Christmas season and kick off our advent activities, with a celebration of Christ as the main focus.
*All book blurbs (shown in italics) are taken from marketing material on Amazon.com