Table of Contents

• Why is it important as a Christian Family?
• How do I incorporate Christmas Picture books into our schedule?
• Are there any special books that Christians Read?
• Christmas Picture Books about the birth of Jesus
  • 1. Mortimer’s Christmas Manger
  • 2. ‘Twas the Evening of Christmas
  • 3. Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story
  • 4. The Silent Noisy Night
  • 5. The Nativity (Touchy-Feely)
  • 6. Nativity Flap Book
  • 7. Who Is Coming to Our House?
  • 8. One Small Donkey
  • 9. Itsy Bitsy Christmas
  • 10. Humphrey’s First Christmas
  • 11. The Very First Christmas
• Christmas Picture Books that are Christian
  • 12. A Birthday Party for Jesus
  • 13. God Gave Us Christmas
  • 14. Santa’s Favorite Story
  • 15. The Berenstain Bears and the Joy of Giving
  • 16. The Perfect Christmas Pageant
  • 17. Mouse’s Christmas Gift
  • 18. The Legend of the Candy Cane
  • 19. The Legend of the Christmas Cookie
  • 20. The Legend of the Christmas Stocking
• Christmas Picture Books that have no Christian theme (but totally worth it!)
  • 21. The Sweet Smell of Christmas
  • 22. Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree
  • 23. Redheaded Robbie’s Christmas Story
  • 24. Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia

I am a Christmas Picture book collector. There! I said it. I collect Christmas Picture books all year long, and I have an embarrassingly large amount of books. I will say though that I only buy the really good ones.

I began collecting Christmas Picture books before I had my own children, and now I LOVE reading my children these books all of December to help us keep our eyes on the true meaning of Christmas. Today, I am going to be sharing my top 24 Favorite Christmas Picture Books that you should most definitely pick up over the next few years.

*Affiliate Disclosure: I do have affiliate links in this blog post. If you purchase something from my link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.  This comes at no cost to you, but is paid by the company.  I do not take becoming an affiliate with any company lightly.  If I am, it’s because I believe in the company and their product.

**Alisa(The Pastor Mom) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Why is it important as a Christian Family?

Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus. As a Christian family, it can be really difficult to keep the focus on Jesus for the month of December, but I encourage you to make it a priority for your family.

Your children will really benefit and grow in their faith if they understand that Christmas is about receiving the best gift they will ever receive.

Jesus’ birth means that God became flesh and dwelt among us, and that He would die on the cross for our sins. It isn’t just a nice story about a baby being born in a manger, some animals, a few shepherds and wisemen. It is THE reason we celebrate Christmas.

Teaching your children about Jesus and the meaning of Christmas through picture books is a beautiful way to keep Jesus at the center of December.

How do I incorporate Christmas Picture books into our schedule?

Creating Christian Christmas Traditions for your family can be something that teaches your children about Jesus and something they look forward to each year.

I have already written about some awesome Christmas Traditions, but I didn’t mention in that post about a Christmas Picture Book tradition that I have in my house.

I have incorporated Christmas Picture books into our home three different ways, and it all depends on how much I can take on during the holidays. All three have been a hit for my children.

Here they are:

• Wrap 25 Christmas Picture books in fun wrapping, and put them under the tree.
  
  Each night at bedtime, unwrap one book to read as a family. Talk about the true meaning of Christmas being Jesus.
  
  *This tradition takes the most planning! I loved doing this, but I ran out of margin in my life to do this.
  
  
• Each day during the month of December, bring out one new Christmas Picture book to add to a basket or shelf.
  
  Read it several times to your children throughout the day, and then read it whenever they bring it back to you throughout the month. Always bring the meaning of Christmas back to Jesus.
  
  *When I only had two children, this is the way I incorporated Christmas Picture books into our schedule.
  
  
•  Place all Christmas Picture books on a shelf or in a basket on the 1st of December, and let your kids enjoy them however they would like throughout the month.
  
  Whenever they bring you one to read, help them remember that we celebrate Christmas because we received the best gift of all-Jesus.
  
  *This is the option I went with since the birth of my 3rd child.

Related Blog Post: 3 Best Christian Christmas Traditions for Families

Are there any special books that Christians Read?

Yes, there are so many special books that Christians can read to their children at Christmas time.

For convenience, I have broken the list of Top 24 Christmas Picture Books for Kids into three categories.

Christmas Picture Books about the birth of Jesus

1. Mortimer’s Christmas Manger

Age range: all ages

Hands down, this is my most favorite Christmas Picture book for kids. It is such a sweet story about a little mouse who tries to find himself a comfortable home for himself. While trying to make his newly discovered home a cozy spot, he learns about the birth of Jesus and the true meaning of Christmas. A must buy for every Christmas Picture book collection!

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2. ‘Twas the Evening of Christmas

Age range: all ages

This Christmas book takes the rhyming and phrases of the famous story, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, and turns into a rhyming story about the birth of Jesus. The illustrations and the rhyming make this a great addition to your Christmas picture book stash.

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3. Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story

Age range: all ages

Whimsical is the best word to describe this Christmas picture book. It is a beautifully illustrated story of how the entire earth stirred in wonder and expectation at the arrival of Jesus. Little children love the animals in this story and older children love the message of God’s great gift to us. 

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4. The Silent Noisy Night

Age range: baby to 1st grade

Kids of all ages will love look at the pages of this Christmas picture book about how the animals celebrated the birth of Jesus. Instead of the Silent Night that we think of, the animals made all of their animal noises to cheer for the happy day.

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5. The Nativity (Touchy-Feely)

Age range: baby to preschool

This is my favorite Christmas picture book for little ones! The touch and feel pages tell the story of Jesus’ birth so the youngest of children are feeling and listening to the story of Christmas. I highly recommend this book as a gift for a baby’s first Christmas.

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6. Nativity Flap Book

Age range: baby to preschool

Similar to the book above, this is such a cute little Christmas picture book. The story of Jesus’ birth is told using flaps that can be opened to reveal more of the scene. My almost 2 year old loves this book right now.

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7. Who Is Coming to Our House?

Age range: baby to preschool

The animals in the stable are getting their home clean and in order for someone special to visit. In the end of the story, the animals welcome Jesus as that special person who is visiting their home. A perfect addition for any toddler to preschooler.

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8. One Small Donkey

Age range: baby to kindergarten

I love this Christmas picture book that retells the story of Jesus’ birth from the donkey’s perspective. The donkey had an important job to do as he carried Mary to Bethlehem, and he learned the true message that God has big plans for everyone.

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9. Itsy Bitsy Christmas

Age range: 3 years old to 4th grade

In this sweet Christmas picture book by Max Lucado, two mice go searching for the King born in Bethlehem. Many try to discourage them from searching because of their size, but they learn that Jesus is for all of us no matter our size.

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10. Humphrey’s First Christmas

Age range: Kindergarten to older elementary

The Christmas tale that keeps your kids giggling is Humphrey’s First Christmas. It is about the camel who carried one of the Wise Men on a cold and long journey to Bethlehem. Humphrey learns an important lesson about the true meaning of Christmas on his journey. A great addition to your Christmas books for elementary children.

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11. The Very First Christmas

Age range: Kindergarten to older elementary

This Christmas picture book is perfect with its real looking images and relatable story line. The story is about a boy whose mother is reading to him about the birth of Jesus from the Bible. The boy asks many relatable questions as his mother is reading, and the entire book answers so many questions that children have about the true story of Christmas.

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Christmas Picture Books that are Christian

12. A Birthday Party for Jesus

Age range: baby to Kindergarten

The animals in the forest are celebrating Jesus’ birthday, but Little Bunny cannot figure out what gift to give to Jesus. In this adorably illustrated Christmas picture book, Little Bunny learns that the greatest gift ever given and received was love.

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13. God Gave Us Christmas

Age Range: 3 years old to 4th grade

I absolutely love this Christmas story about a baby bear going on an adventure with his mama to learn all about how God gave us Christmas. The illustrations and storyline are a win for my children, who love this book.

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14. Santa’s Favorite Story

Age Range: 3 years old to elementary (until they don’t believe in Santa)

If your children believe in Santa, this book is a MUST to help you keep Jesus more important than Santa. This thoughtfully crafted book is a story about how Santa shares with the animals the story of the first Christmas. The illustrations are whimsical and the overall book is wonderful. 

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15. The Berenstain Bears and the Joy of Giving

Age range: Kindergarten through older elementary

Who doesn’t love the Berenstain Bears Family? In this Christmas picture book, Brother and Sister are so excited to receive gifts for Christmas, but during their Christmas performance, they learn that the true meaning of Christmas is about the joy of giving.

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16. The Perfect Christmas Pageant

Age Range: Preschool to elementary

This Christmas book was a favorite of my daughters for three years in a row. It is such an adorable story about a hippo directing the town Christmas pageant. Through the story, the hippo learns what Christmas should be all about. *note, I cannot currently find this book for a picture as my kids ran off with it when it came out of the box.

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17. Mouse’s Christmas Gift

Age range: elementary

A story about a mouse who works so hard to bring Christmas together for a small town. This heartwarming story reminds you that celebrating the birth of Jesus is worth doing every year no matter the circumstances.

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18. The Legend of the Candy Cane

Age range: elementary

Candy canes are such an iconic part of Christmas. Through the beautiful pictures and adorable story in this Christmas book, listeners learn that the candy cane represents something that points us to Jesus. This heartwarming story is perfect for four year olds and older.

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19. The Legend of the Christmas Cookie

Age range: elementary

Everyone loves to make Christmas cookies during the holidays, and this book shares how Christmas cookies helped one boy understand the true meaning of Christmas. Such a sweet story, and one of my favorites for older children.

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20. The Legend of the Christmas Stocking

Age range: elementary

This is two Christmas stories in one that helps you learn how Christmas stockings came to be a part of many Christmas traditions. As you can see from the last three recommendations, I really like The Legends of Christmas series.

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Christmas Picture Books that have no Christian theme (but totally worth it!)

21. The Sweet Smell of Christmas

Age range: toddler to preschool

A scratch and sniff book takes me back to my childhood for sure. In this scratch and sniff Christmas picture book, a little berry celebrates Christmas with six holiday scratch and sniff smells. Such a cute book for little ones to interact with that will be sure to delight their eyes and nose.

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22. Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree

Age range: Preschool to early elementary

My middle son absolutely loves this book. This is an adorable tale about Mr. Willowby’s Christmas tree trimmings bring Christmas joy to so many other individuals. A good reminder that one’s trash can be someone else’s treasure.

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23. Redheaded Robbie’s Christmas Story

Age range: elementary

Robbie is a little boy who struggles speaking in front of others, and this heartwarming Christmas picture book is about how he was selected to share a Christmas story in front of the entire school. With the help of his friends, Robbie is able to share a beautiful Christmas message. Even though this isn’t a Christian themed Christmas book, my children have loved it, and the message can easily be tied to God.

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24. Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia

Age range: Kindergarten through elementary

Even though I wouldn’t consider this a picture book, it is a small chapter book that is so cute. This funny Christmas story is about the famous Amelia Bedelia who is in charge of getting the house ready for Christmas. Your children who are 4 years old and older will surely enjoy laughing as they listen to book.

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This list doesn’t cover all of my favorites, but these are some solid Christmas Picture books that your children are sure to love. Do you have a favorite Christmas Picture Book for you or your kids? I would love to hear about it in the comments. I am always looking for new great ones 😉

If you liked this blog post, check out these other related posts:

3 Best Christian Christmas Traditions for Families
10 Best Podcasts for Christian Moms
Parents’ Prayer for Children: Why and How to Pray for Your Children