The magic of Christmas and young children is unparalleled. The following picture books help celebrate this magic and are good for ages three through eight.
Mr. Santa, by Jarvis, is full of questions when a young girl finds Santa placing a candy cane in her stocking. Every page has one or two questions from this cute youngster. Santa is rich with expression even though he never answers or talks. As she asks questions to Santa himself, she makes her way to the reindeer and ends up flying to the North Pole. The delightful illustrations were done digitally.
Santa Mouse Finds a Furry Friend, by Michael Brown and beautifully illustrated by Robert McPhillips, is a sweet rhyming tale about Santa and his little mouse friend as they get ready to deliver presents around the world. When Santa mouse sees a lone kitten, of course they must rescue it making for a Christmas to remember.
Socks, by JD McPhearson and digitally illustrated by Anika Orraock, is actually based on McPhearson’s well-known Christmas song. This rhyming tale has a youngster tip-toeing downstairs well before dawn and finding a wrapped box. He picks it up and shakes it only to discover there are socks inside. But eventually he finds there is much more to Christmas that opening presents.
Merry Christmas, Zoo, by Lisa Eickholdt and Lola M. Schaefer and digitally illustrated with vibrant detail by Laura Watkins, is a great rhyming story as Santa’s helpers assist to prepare for a wondrous Christmas for the animals in the zoo. You’ll find at the back of the book that there are many zoos that create edible gifts for Christmas for their animals. Be sure to Check out the clever end-pages.
Chicka Chicka Ho Ho Ho, by William Boniface and brightly illustrated by Julien Chung, is a book based on the famous Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. This great book is the perfect book to help teach letters to youngsters with the rhythms and rhymes found throughout. The bright letters become the decorations on the Christmas tree.
Dolly Parton’s Billy the Kid Comes Home for Christmas, by Dolly Parton along with Erica S. Perl and brightly illustrated by MacKenzie Haley, is an adorable story about a cute dog and his dog-band. Billy and his friends are excited to go on tour but when their touring ends up over Christmas, they realize what’s really important in their lives.
Alice in a Winter Wonderland, by Jan Brett, is richly and gorgeously illustrated by this renowned author/illustrator. If you haven’t seen any of her elaborate picture books, you are missing out! This story is a take-off from the famous Alice in Wonderland story. The book takes place in the northern hinterlands with the main character being dressed in muk-luks and riding in a dog-pulled sleigh. When she chases a white rabbit and falls down a glacier crevasse, she encounters animals from Alaskan regions. The intricate illustrations were done in watercolor and gouache with some collage.
Bunnies in a Sleigh: A Chaotic Christmas Tale, by Philip Ardagh and fun-filled illustrations done in pencil and finished digitally by Ben Mantle, is a rhyming story that finds Santa’s elves eating too many candy canes and getting tummy aches. What will Santa do? Enter-bunnies! As they hop on his sleigh, they are everywhere in each house causing much chaos. But finally ending in great fun!
Everett Green: The Not-So-Christmas Tree, by Freddy Wexler and illustrated using Photoshop by Fanny Berthiaume, has Everett who is a performing palm tree desiring to make it big with his singing. He decides he must travel to NYC where the arrival of the Christmas tree brings many people. But when trouble stops his path, he soon realizes what Christmas is truly all about.
Knock Knock Merry Christmas, by Rob Hodgson, is a brightly colored board book with googly eyes. Each page asks the traditional question of “who’s there”. By turning the page, new googly eyes reveal a different Christmas guest.
Christmas Cookbook for Kids, by David Atherton and nicely illustrated digitally by Katie Cottle, has perfectly laid-out recipes so kids can bake, make and learn to cook. These recipes are simple, yet the end product is delicious and will surely give kids a great sense of accomplishments.
Busy Betty & The Perfect Christmas Present, by Reese Witherspoon and vibrantly illustrated by Xindi Yan, presents a problem for young Betty when she realizes it’s close to Christmas and she has no money to buy her family presents. What she does and what she ends up realizing is the theme of what Christmas is all about.
How Carrot and Cookie Saved Christmas, by Erica S. Perl and illustrated with much humor by Jonathan Frenske, is a very clever story that had me laughing out loud! Carrot and best friend Cookie can’t find the perfect present for each other. But a calamity happens with Santa, and they quickly come up with a remedy. There are puns found throughout making this a very punny story!
Here is a list of other new board books toddlers will enjoy: Christmas Cheer is Everywhere, All By My Elf, Relish the Season, Little Fir Tree, Silly Santa Ho Ho Ho! Ha Ha Ha! Giraffes Can’t Dance Jingle Bells.