‘Tis the season to snuggle up with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book! Whether you’re looking for a great new Christmas story to add to your collection (or to include in your 12 days of Christmas book tree Advent calendar) or introducing your wee ones to the classic holiday tales of your own childhood, you’ll find plenty of fabulous holiday reads on our list.
It’s Christmas Time!
Salina Yoon | Scholastic Canada | Buy it
This bright and cheerful interactive board book by Salina Yoon is perfect for keeping wee ones entertained during the holidays. With six colourful discs to use as props, little readers will learn about the popular sights of the season while decorating snowmen, cookies, Christmas trees, and more. What fun!
Little Blue Truck’s Christmas
Alice Schertle | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt | Buy it
The third book in the Little Blue Truck series, this holiday tale follows Little Blue as he delivers Christmas trees to his farm-animal friends. Along with sweet illustrations by Jill McElmurry, Alice Schertle’s story will help little ones work on their counting skills and number recognition as Little Blue drops off his trees, one by one. Kids are sure to be delighted when they discover a Christmas tree with real twinkling lights at the very end.
Snowmen at Christmas
Caralyn Buehner | Scholastic Canada | Buy it
What do snowmen do at night while we’re all sleeping soundly in bed? They come together to sing and dance, play games and celebrate the holidays, of course! Kids will love this imaginative tale by Caralyn Buehner that explores the secret world of snowmen, brought to life by Mark Buehner’s vivid illustrations.
Mortimer’s Christmas Manger
Jane Chapman and Karma Wilson | Simon and Schuster | Buy it
Mortimer Mouse is looking for a new house and decides to take up residence in a Christmas nativity scene after discovering that the manger is just his size. Night after night, Mortimer drags the statues out of the nativity and makes himself at home. But when he overhears the story of the nativity and realizes that the manger is for the Baby Jesus, Mortimer has a change of heart.
This sweet book by Jane Chapman and Karma Wilson is the perfect way to introduce young children to the story of Jesus’ birth and the true meaning of Christmas.
The Jolly Christmas Postman
Janet and Allan Ahlberg | Little Brown and Company | Buy it
This delightful interactive book by Janet and Allan Ahlberg celebrates one of the most underrated joys of the holiday season—getting Christmas cards in the mail! The sequel to the much-loved Jolly Postman (1986), this holiday edition features sweet and funny greetings from fairy tale characters like Goldilocks and the Big Bad Wolf, tucked into envelopes for little readers to discover and enjoy
Dashing Through the Snow: A Canadian Jingle Bells
Helaine Becker | Scholastic Canada | Buy it
In this follow-up to her wildly popular book A Porcupine in a Pine Tree (2010), author Helaine Becker puts a Canadian twist on the classic holiday tune “Jingle Bells,” with a Ski-Doo replacing the traditional one-horse open sleigh.
Kids of all ages are sure to love the cheery watercolour illustrations by Werner Zimmermann, in addition to Becker’s playful lyrics. This book is just pure fun. Don’t be surprised when you find yourself singing along!
The Night Before Christmas
Barbara Reid | Scholastic Canada | Buy it
Clement C. Moore’s beloved Christmas poem gets a whole new look thanks to award-winning Canadian illustrator Barbara Reid. With her incredibly detailed Plasticine artwork, Reid re-imagines Moore’s poem with adorable mice in the starring roles—a detail that is sure to please your audience of little ones!
The Christmas Tale of Peter Rabbit
Emma Thompson | Penguin Random House | Buy it
Fans of the beloved characters created by Beatrix Potter will love this new tale of Peter Rabbit that sees clever Peter and his cousin Benjamin Bunny working together to save their feathered friend William from becoming Christmas dinner. The book includes a CD with an audio version of the story, read by author Emma Thompson (yes, that Emma Thompson).
Santa Is Coming to Canada
Steven Smallman | Sourcebooks | Buy it
Santa Claus has loaded up the sleigh and is heading for the Great White North! Travel across Canada with Santa as he flies over iconic spots from coast to coast, including Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick, Sudbury’s Big Nickel, and the Stanley Park Totem Poles in Vancouver.
Looking for something a little more local? Smallman’s book is available in multiple city- and province-specific editions, including Santa Is Coming to Toronto and Santa is Coming to Ottawa.
Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia
Peggy Parishi | Harper Collins | Buy it
In this holiday edition of the classic series started by Peggy Parish back in 1963, Amelia Bedelia is helping Mrs. Rogers get ready for Christmas. But when she takes directions too literally, Amelia Bedelia creates some hilarious scenes, like putting calendar pieces into a cake and turkey stuffing into Christmas stockings. Kids are sure to have a good laugh at all of the silly antics in this book.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Dr. Seuss | Penguin Random House | Buy it
Our list of great holiday reads wouldn’t be complete without a nod to Dr. Seuss’ 1957 hit about a mountain-dwelling Grinch who decides to do away with Christmas in the town of Whoville.
After stealing all of the gifts, decorations, and even the food for a big holiday feast, the Grinch is surprised to find that Christmas comes anyway. With Dr. Seuss’ trademark rhyming text and whimsical illustrations, the entire family can enjoy this book that touches on the real meaning of Christmas.
A Christmas Carol: The Graphic Novel
Charles Dickens | Campfire | Buy it
It’s hard to believe that a story first published more than 170 years ago could still top a list of must-read holiday books, but such is the case with Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This adaptation takes Dickens’ tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and presents it as a graphic novel, illustrated by Naresh Kumar, making it a little edgier and more accessible than the original. This one is sure to be a hit with tweens who are just starting to explore classic literature.
