18 Best Christmas Picture Books

Mr. Willowby's Christmas tree is too tall for his parlor, so he cuts off its top. The discarded piece begins a journey through other homes, with each new owner finding a use for it in Robert Barry's illustrated holiday tale.

Cardinals Red and Lulu live together in an evergreen tree until an unexpected event separates them. Red's search brings him into New York City's Christmas bustle in Matt Tavares's illustrated story about determination, companionship, and the importance of being near loved ones.

A father awakens on Christmas Eve to an unexpected visitor arriving by sleigh with eight reindeer. Clement Moore's rhyming poem follows St. Nicholas's nighttime visit, bringing together the quiet household, festive surprises, and imagery associated with Christmas anticipation.

On Christmas Eve, a sleepless boy boards a mysterious train that appears outside his house and rushes him and other children to the North Pole. Chosen to receive the first gift of Christmas, he asks for a single sleigh bell that only true believers can hear ring.

The Grinch hates the noise and cheer from Whoville, so he steals every decoration and gift he can find. But Christmas shows up anyway, and the Grinch has to rethink what the holiday is really made of.

A family picks a pine tree and prepares it for Christmas, unpacking ornaments, adding decorations, and anticipating the lights. Patricia Toht's rhythmic text and Jarvis's illustrations celebrate the shared rituals that turn an evergreen into the centerpiece of a holiday gathering.

Marla Frazee imagines the work behind Santa's gift-giving, showing his year-round efforts to understand children and their toys. Playful illustrations accompany a look at his demanding schedule and the care involved in matching each child with a suitable present.

A doll named Holly longs to be chosen for Christmas, while orphaned Ivy longs for a real home. Their wishes move toward each other in a warm, quietly magical holiday story.

Santa was once a very unusual baby, drawn to red clothes, chilly rooms, chimneys, and giving away his toys. This warm, funny origin story imagines the childhood clues that pointed him toward his future job.

Young Frances cannot stop thinking about the organ grinder and his monkey shivering outside her city window at Christmas. When it is her turn in the holiday pageant, she finds brave, simple words that turn concern into welcome.

Santa delivers gifts by helicopter, peering through small windows to decide who lives in each house. His mistaken guesses create funny mismatches, while cutouts and page turns let readers discover the surprises hidden inside.

Yukio wants a Christmas Eve snowball fight, but the other young ninjas fear ending up on Santa's naughty list. His plan to drive Santa from Ninja Village runs into an unexpected samurai in Rubin Pingk's graphic novel-inspired picture book.

Cordelia celebrates Christmas with her dinosaur friends, whose enthusiasm complicates holiday preparations. Decorating, treats, and a precarious tree create mishaps in Molly Idle's picture book, pairing polite narration with the disorder that enormous prehistoric guests can bring to a home.

Santa begins to doubt whether a child named Harold really exists, despite the letters, cookies, and Christmas traditions he enjoys. When friends feed his uncertainty, he devises an investigation in this picture book's reversal of familiar doubts about Santa.

Three trees dream of becoming a treasure chest, a mighty ship, and a towering tree that points people toward heaven. Their unexpected futures connect this traditional Christian folktale with events in the life of Jesus.

Pam Muñoz Ryan contrasts children celebrating a snowy modern Christmas with the Nativity story in Bethlehem. Poetic text and Dennis Nolan's illustrations shift between the settings, inviting young readers to imagine the first Christmas in a distant place and time.

A jingling sound wakes a little girl, drawing her into the forest on Christmas Eve. There she meets a lost reindeer and begins a magical adventure in Nicola Killen's illustrated story of an unlikely friendship and nighttime discovery.

New York City Ballet presents The Nutcracker through a retelling based on George Balanchine's production. Valeria Docampo's illustrations draw on the ballet's scenery and backdrops, while the story follows its choreography to introduce young readers to the holiday tale.