11 Books to Get Your Toddler Excited About Christmas

I slowly closed the book and reached for another, immediately feeling that settling feeling of disappointment.

Why are so many Christmas books poorly written? Christmas is a great time to bond with your family, create new traditions, and to begin to teach your children about the true meaning of Christmas. Reading books with your young children is a great way to introduce these topics and have discussions about them as they get older.

But how do you know which books to choose and which will disappoint you? I’ve put together this list of some of the better Christmas books for infants and toddlers. I hope this helps you choose some great books for your little kids.

11 Books to Get Toddlers Excited About Christmas

Fun Books to Bring in the Holiday Cheer

These books talk about holiday activities and holiday time. If you want get your kids in the Christmas spirit, these are engaging books to start with.

Llama Llama Holiday Drama* by Anna Dewdney

The Llama Llama books have a way of creating emotion with the cadence of the story. Llama Llama Holiday Drama is about the holidays and all of the crazy that can come with them. Buy the presents, decorate the tree, and bake 100s of cookies. Llama gets overwhelmed and has a meltdown because of all of this drama. It’s a great reminder for kids (and adults) to slow down and pay attention to what really matters this time of year.

Best for 2-3-year-olds.

Moo, Baa, Fa La La La La! by Sandra Boynton

It’s rare to find a Christmas book that you love more than the original. Moo, Baa, Fa La La La La! is based on Sandra Boynton’s original book, Moo, Baa, La La La, which is one of her many fun board books for babies and toddlers. This book is written to be sung like Deck the Halls using animal sounds and the wit that makes all of her books great. If you’re looking for a quick, fun Christmas book, you can’t go wrong with this one. (This is currently my 1-year-old’s favorite book.)

Great Christmas book for all toddlers. A little short for older ones, but they’ll still love it.

Dream Snow by Eric Carle

Like many of Eric Carle’s books, Dream Snow is simple and unimpressive to adults. But kids love it. It’s a simple story about a farmer who forgets Christmas. The beginning of the book is calm and slow-paced. Only to lead to a flurry as the farmer rushes to make Christmas happen. I bet your baby or toddler will quickly come to love it.

Best for 1-3 year olds.

All About Santa Claus

If you think Santa is a fun part of Christmas and want to start your kids on that tradition, here are a few books that include Santa.

Christmas Kitten: A touch-and-feel book by Rosie Adams

This is a cute, Christmas-themed touch-and-feel book for infants and toddlers. The story rhymes, which helps keep young children engaged. And it includes familiar Christmas characters, like Santa and Rudolf. If you want to get your baby/toddler into the Christmas spirit, Christmas Kitten is a good book to have some fun with.

Best for 0-2 year olds.

Christmas Cookies for Santa: A Touch & Feel Children’s Board Book by Cottage Door Press

I had to include Christmas Cookies for Santa because it, not only is a touch-and-feel book, but a smell book. Your kids can smell the different cookie ingredients as they’re baked. If you’re a baking family or have a tradition of baking Christmas cookies, this would be a fun introduction to Christmas cookie baking.

Best for 1-3 year olds.

My First How to Catch a Santa Claus by Alice Walstead

My First How to Catch a Santa Claus is a fun, short book for toddlers that centers around catching Santa and giving him a hug. The book describes toys and tasks that are common to toddlers–like building towers with blocks. Which they will surely connect with. They’ll soon find themselves thinking about how they can catch a Santa Claus themselves.

Great Christmas book for all toddlers.

The Night Before Christmas by Roger Duvoisin

The Night Before Christmas is a holiday classic that children today will still love. The poetic format makes it easy to commit to memory. And makes it one your children will want to read over and over.

Best for 2-3-year-olds.

The True Meaning of Christmas

If you want a few books that introduce the Christmas story and get your kids thinking and talking about Jesus, here are a few great ones.

Little Bible Playbook: The First Christmas by Allia Zobel-Nolan

Little Bible Playbook: The First Christmas is an introduction to the story of Jesus’ birth. The graphics are bright and highly detailed. The story is a good discussion point and helpful for familiarizing young children with the story. I wish it rhymed or had some rhymic appeal to make reading more engaging. But it is more of an explanatory story that may lead to questions from your child about the details not included.

Still a good way to introduce the story to a 2 or 3-year-old if you want your child to get all the details. Younger children will have trouble sitting through it.

Good News! It’s Christmas! by Glenys Nellist

Good News! It’s Christmas! is a great, simple introduction to the Christmas story. It tells of the birth of Jesus in a rhythmic way that will engage and stick with young children. If your children know little about the birth of Jesus or the reason for Christmas, this is a great book to start with. If they already know the story, it will be even more helpful to refresh those memories.

Best for 1-2 year olds.

God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren

God Gave Us Christmas does a great job of explaining the meaning of Christmas. Who is God? Why did Jesus come? All of those questions that you really want your child to understand are explained in this story about a polar bear trying to show her cub who God is and where to find Him.

This is one of the great Christ-focused Christmas books for toddlers, but is a little complex and long for babies.

Best for 2-3 year olds.

Shh…Baby Jesus Is Sleeping by Lisa Tawn Bergren

If you’re looking for a quiet, bedtime book that introduces Jesus, Shh…Baby Jesus Is Sleeping is a great one. This is the perfect book for your little one. Each animal is asked to quiet down because baby Jesus is sleeping. In the end, it creates a calming effect and is a good way to bring reverence to the topic.

Best for 0-2 year olds.

Christmas in the Manager by Nola Buck

Christmas in the Manager is a short board book that really brings a lot more than you would expect. It introduces different characters who were present at Jesus’ birth and explains their role. But does so in an engaging and emotional way. Again, this is a great way to introduce the story of Jesus’ birth to a baby or toddler. My 1-year-old son was able to repeat parts of it after just a few reads.

Best for 0-2 year olds.

Related: The Best Books for 2-Year-Olds

Christmas Books for Toddlers

Use these books to get your toddler excited about Christmas.

• Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney
• Moo, Baa, Fa La La La La! by Sandra Boynton
• Dream Snow by Eric Carle
• Christmas Kitten: A touch-and-feel book by Rosie Adams
• Christmas Cookies for Santa: A Touch & Feel Children’s Board Book by Cottage Door Press
• My First How to Catch a Santa Claus by Alice Walstead
• The Night Before Christmas by Roger Duvoisin
• Little Bible Playbook: The First Christmas by Allia Zobel-Nolan
• Good News! It’s Christmas! by Glenys Nellist
• God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren
• Shh…Baby Jesus Is Sleeping by Lisa Tawn Bergren
• Christmas in the Manager by Nola Buck

I hope some of these books bring joy to your family this Christmas and help you avoid Christmas book disappointment.

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