The Best Christmas Board Books

December is flying by, but it is not too late to get these fantastic board books to read before Christmas. These are some of my favorite board books for Christmas that were all big hits with my toddler class around Christmas time.

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Christmas in The Manger by Nola Buck is a shiny, simple little board book that my toddler class adored! Toddlers love babies and the baby Jesus in this board book is as sweet as can be. This is a great book to go along with learning about the manger and activities like our Nativity Scavenger Hunt. 

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Bell by Lucille Colandro is a fun, festive read, and so much fun to read to a group. Of course, it is ridiculous that an old lady would swallow all these things that Santa needs to get ready for Christmas, but it’s so silly it’s funny. I love the rhymes, and the kids love that I try hard to read it faster and faster and get all tongue-tied and out of breath. Swing back here tomorrow for my super fun circle time lesson plan to go with this book!

Maisy’s Christmas Day by Lucy Cousins is about as simple as a book about Christmas can get which is why my toddler has asked me to read it to her 300 times.  Maisy’s friends are all with her to celebrate, and after opening gifts, they sit down for Christmas dinner complete with paper crowns from their Christmas crackers. I like that the focus on sharing the day with people that matter.

Llama llama, Jingle Bells by Anna Dewdney is a lovely little book for toddlers to read independently. No, I am not suggesting toddlers can decode words but after one reading my students LOVED this book and could “read” it to themselves. The super short text really just labels the beautifully detailed illustrations of different holiday happenings. Grab this book!

Merry Christmas, Ollie (Gossie & Friends)by Olivier Dunrea captures the feelings of children leading up to the holidays – wait, wait, then more waiting…I remember those feelings well. Patience is a hard thing to learn for big people, but it’s almost impossible to be patient when you are waiting for something as magical as Christmas when you are little. This book is a great vehicle for talking about being patient, and the little geese will enchant you!

Duck & Goose, It’s Time For Christmas by Tad Hills is a lovely little story about two friends, different opinions, and problem-solving. The book itself offers parents and teachers a chance to talk about traditions and how the holidays can mean different things to different people, but if you want a book about Jesus this isn’t it!

Counting Christmas by Karen Katz is what you might expect from this awesome author. It’s sweet and cute, getting your littlest readers excited for Christmas. I like the sentiment that Christmas is a magical day to share with family. My daughter adores the illustrations of all the babies, and the math element is a great bonus too.

What Is Christmas? by Michelle Medlock- Adams is a great board book for little children about Christmas. It touches on all the fun and cultural aspects of Christmas positively. However, it also reminds the readers that it’s about Jesus’ birth. I like the book because it doesn’t make the rest of the traditions out to be wrong or bad but instead explains that the holiday’s Christian origin in a simple matter of fact way. While there is a little discussion about Santa, this book downplays it, so I still thought it best for this list.

Merry Christmas, Mouse! (If You Give) by Laura Numeroff is an adorable little Christmas counting book. Most of the praise should really be on Felicia Bond, the illustrator. The pictures take the cake on this one. The book follows the mouse as he decorates the Christmas tree, 1 Star, 2 angels, etc.. It’s perfect to read and then count the ornaments on your own tree. After reading, then my son and I found four bells, and three trains on our own tree.

Fa La La by Leslie Patricelli is a funny little book that captures the parts of Christmas that matter most to toddlers. We enjoyed a good laugh and even better discussion about going to see Santa and how darn scary that is. We giggled a lot reading this simple little book.

 

10 Trim-the-Tree’ers (Holiday Counting Books) by Janet Schulman is a favorite at our house after only a few readings. We are huge fans of this series that also includes Halloween, Easter, and Valentine’s Day versions as well. In this one, the group of little friends is decorating a Christmas tree. Readers count along as they add their items to the tree all with a rhyming text. I found the text a little awkward, but it didn’t bug my daughter one bit. We love counting the ornaments over and over and playing little math games while reading.

Mouse’s First Christmas by Lauren Thompson is a beautiful board book for toddlers. I love this series and read them to my class of 2 and three-year-olds all the time. The book is short but introduces many of the different ideas of Christmas so the adult can expand on relevant ones easily. I love how Mouse’s discovery of these new items also matches a 2 or 3-year-olds discovery of their family traditions. One of the cutest board books for toddlers.