The Best Christmas Books for Toddlers & Preschoolers

“This one!” my toddler excitedly exclaimed as he pulled Christmas in the Manger off the shelf.

I smiled softly, glad that one had resonated with him in some way.

As I settled him into my lap, he pointed at the cover and said, ” I star.”

I gaped at him. Then caught myself, “Yes, ‘I am the star.’ That’s right.”

Clearly, this simple book that I’d read a handful of times, had meant something to him. And I was touched.

Books have a way of introducing topics and feelings that we sometimes can’t get across with our words. Had I tried to explain the birth of Jesus to my son at 1 year old, I would have been at a loss. The book gave him the perfect amount of information.

Holiday books are a great way to introduce the holidays to your toddler before they even begin. When you start wrapping presents and talking about Santa, these great Christmas books will give them some context.

I’ve put together this list of my favorite Christmas books for toddlers to help you choose books that will become holiday favorites for you and your toddler.

15 Books to Get Toddlers Excited About Christmas

Fun Books to Bring in the Holiday Cheer

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

1. Moo, Baa, Fa La La La La! Sandra Boynton

Best for: 0-2 year-olds

Moo, Baa, Fa La La La La!* is based on Sandra Boynton’s original book, Moo, Baa, La La La. It’s rare to find a Christmas book that you love more than the original, but this book is so good. It’s written to be sung like Deck the Halls using animal sounds and the wit that makes all of the author’s books great. It’s perfect for young readers who love Christmas songs. If you’re looking for a quick, fun Christmas book to bring in the Christmas cheer, you can’t go wrong with this one. The rhyming text makes it perfect for young toddlers.

You Might Also Like: The Best Christmas Books for Babies

2. Dream Snow Eric Carle

Best for: 1-3 year-olds

Like many of Eric Carle’s books, Dream Snow is simple and unimpressive to adults. But toddlers 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. My boys tend to gravitate towards this book out of many options. They love the animals, that it’s a lift-the-flap book, and the sparkling Christmas tree at the end.

3. Little Blue Truck’s Christmas Alice Schertle

Best for: 1-3 year-olds

All of your favorite characters from Little Blue Truck are back in this Christmas edition. Little Blue Truck is helping out at the tree farm, delivering trees to his friends. And in the end, who needs a tree? The last page includes a fully lit tree for your toddler to enjoy. Little Blue Truck’s Christmas is a cute book about helping out, that will get your toddler(s) excited about Christmas.

4. Llama Llama Holiday Drama Anna Dewdney

Best for: 2-3 year-olds

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 matters this time of year.

5. Bear Stays Up for Christmas Karma Wilson

Best for: 3-5 year-olds

This sweet book is about friends who don’t want the hibernating bear to miss Christmas this year. So they plan activities that will keep him awake until Christmas morning. When all of his friends fall asleep, Bear spends the night getting things ready and misses a visit from Santa. His friends all wake up to find their surprises from Bear and Santa.

This is a heart-warming Christmas book that you’ll love reading to your preschooler.

6. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Dr. Seuss

Best for: 3-5 year-olds

This classic Christmas book is a classic for a reason. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! tells the tale of the Grinch who hated Christmas. So he set out to steal everything Christmas and stop it from coming. But even without all the stuff, he found, that Christmas couldn’t be stopped.

This impactful children’s book is one of the great Christmas stories every child should read. This is a lengthy book but it rhymes so well that it makes it interesting and easy to read.

All About Santa Claus

If you think Santa is a fun part of Christmas and want to introduce him to your toddler, these books are great to start with.

7. Christmas Kitten: A touch-and-feel book Rosie Adams

Best for: 0-2 year-olds

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.

Related: The Best Books for 1-Year-Olds

8. My First How to Catch Santa Claus Alice Walstead

Best for: 0-3 year-olds

My First How to Catch Santa Claus is a fun, short book for toddlers that centers around catching Santa and hugging him. 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.

9. Christmas Cookies for Santa: A Touch & Feel Children’s Board Book

Best for: 1-3 year-olds

If you’re looking for an interactive Christmas book to read with your child, Christmas Cookies for Santa is the perfect option. Kids who love to bake will be thrilled by this book that gets them involved in baking Christmas cookies for Santa. They can even smell baking scents (peppermint, chocolate chips, cookies, etc.) as they go about baking the cookies in the book. If you’re a baking family or have a tradition of baking Christmas cookies, this would be a fun introduction to Christmas cookie baking.

10. The Night Before Christmas Clement C. Moore

Best for: 2-5 year-olds

The Night Before Christmas is a holiday classic that children today will still love. It’s Christmas eve and everyone is anticipating Santa’s arrival. This story is told in poetic format, which makes it easy to commit to memory. And will make your children want to read over and over. Older kids will also love this classic.

This edition includes beautiful illustrations by Roger Duvoisin that will help the story come alive for toddlers.

The True Meaning of Christmas

These books all introduce aspects of Jesus’ birth. If you’re looking for books that talk about the Christmas story and get your kids thinking and talking about Jesus, here are a few great ones.

11. Shh…Baby Jesus Is Sleeping Lisa Tawn Bergren

Best for: 0-2 year-olds

This is the perfect quiet, bedtime Christmas book that introduces Jesus. Shh…Baby Jesus Is Sleeping starts by shushing each baby animal while baby Jesus is sleeping. When he’s awake, they get to see the miracle of who He is.

This is the perfect book for your little one. It creates a calming effect and is a good way to bring reverence to the topic of Jesus’ birth.

12. Christmas in the Manager by Nola Buck

Best for: 0-2 year-olds

Christmas in the Manager is a short board book that resonates with toddlers. It introduces different characters who were present at Jesus’ birth and explains their role. But does so in an engaging and emotional way.

This is a great way to introduce the story of Jesus’ birth to a baby or toddler. It doesn’t explain everything but it helps toddlers understand that this event is important.

13. Good News! It’s Christmas! by Glenys Nellist

Best for: 1-2 year-olds

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.

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

Best for: 2-3 year-olds

Little Bible Playbook: The First Christmas is an introduction to the actual story of Jesus’ birth. The graphics are bright and highly detailed. It’s a good book to start a discussion of the meaning of Christmas with older toddlers. And perfect for introducing the full story.

I do 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.

15. God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren

Best for: 2-3 year-olds

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 beautiful story does a great job teaching us the reason for Christmas time.

16. Itsy Bitsy Christmas Max Lucado

Best for: 3-5 year-olds

Itsy and Bitsy (two mice) hear about a king who is coming to Bethlehem and set out to find him. They look in all the important places where a king might come with no luck. It’s only when they return home to the stable that they find the king who came for everyone.

If you’re looking for a book that will tell the Christmas story and teach them about who Jesus is, this is the perfect book. Because it’s told as a story, even young kids will love this.

Related: The Best Books for 2-Year-Olds & The Best Books for 3-Year-Olds

I hope some of these books bring joy to your family this Christmas and that you find some that resonate with your toddler. Any of these would make a great gift to help celebrate the most wonderful time of the year. Merry Christmas!

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