Our Favorite Secular Christmas Picture Books
I love reading aloud Christmas picture books! The majority of the ones we own are about the nativity/birth of Jesus, since those are the ones we re-read over and over during December and are the most important to us. However, we have a lot of fun general/secular Christmas books we've borrowed from the library the last few years that aren't about the nativity, but are still a fun addition to our Christmastime reading. They are lighthearted and celebrate the joyful time of the season. Some mention Santa while others focus on winter weather (snow and trees) and others are folk tales. Many of these have character-building traits such as generosity and kindness, so I will mention which character traits I felt could be a focus, if you want to add some character-building discussion to your read-alouds in December.
Speaking of Santa, we approach him as a "fun story" in our home. So we will read some beloved books that includes him, but don't focus too much on him overall. It's worked in our home to include him a bit as a fun fairytale we hear about in books and carols, but not believe he is really the one who delivers Christmas gifts. It keeps some of the fun wonder and imagination of Christmas without compromising my own convictions about focusing on Christ during Christmas. I'll mention which of the below books include Santa in case you want to either gravitate towards or away from those books!
Merry Christmas, Curious George!
Little E loves Curious George, so this was an obvious choice. Curious George brings joy to children spending Christmas in the hospital.
Santa Radar: Brief visit by Santa at the end
Read-aloud recommendation: A bit long, so older toddlers/preschoolers and up
Bear Stays Up for Christmas (Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman)
We love Bear Says Thanks, so this was another obvious choice. Bear's friends wake him from hibernation to celebrate Christmas, but will he be able to stay up for the special day?
Santa Radar: Very brief at the end
Read-aloud recommendation:: A bit long for an infant, but should be fine for young toddlers and up.
Red & Lulu (Matt Tavares)
A pair of cardinals are separated when their home, an enormous evergreen, is chopped down and transported to NYC's Rockefeller Center. Red frantically searches for Lulu, reuniting with her in the perfect ending to this heartwarming and beautifully illustrated book. My son loves cardinals, so this was a special book for both of us and one we eventually purchased after years of checking it out from the library.
Read-aloud recommendation: Toddlers and up
Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree (Robert E. Barry)
A silly book about a big tree that is too tall for Mr. Willowby's house, so the top gets cut off over and over again for different people and animals until it finally is the perfect size for a family of mice.
Read-aloud recommendation: A bit long, so probably best for preschoolers and up
Night Tree (Eve Bunting)
A heartwarming story of a family who has a tradition of decorating the same evergreen tree in a nearby forest with a popcorn chain, apples, oranges, and other treats for the woodland animals to enjoy. Each year we read it, we make a popcorn chain (like in the book) and make sure to refill our bird-feeders as the story is a good reminder of the scare food available for animals in the winter.
Read-aloud recommendation: A bit long, so preschoolers and up
Jingle Bells (Iza Trapani)
This fun picture book starts with the first two verses of the original song, then continues with new verses, each focused on a different country and their Christmas traditions. This is a fun book to introduce different cultures, especially if you have bells to shake while singing it to your child. We also have a globe nearby to point to the different countries mentioned (like Philippines, Poland, Russia, and Mexico)
Read-aloud recommendation: any age
The Polar Express (Chris Van Allsburg)
Little E loves trains, so this was a given. He absolutely loves the book and the movie, so we pair them together. To bring it alive even more, I add white paper atop his train table to look like snow and create his own winter wonderland/Polar Express scene.
Santa Radar: Santa is definitely a big part of this story and they focus on him being real.
Read-aloud recommendation: A bit long, so older toddlers/preschoolers and up
The Story Orchestra: The Nutcracker (Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky, Katy Flint, Jessica Courtney-Tickle)
A fun introduction to the classic ballet story with buttons to push on each page to bring the story and music to life! I love The Story Orchestra series (The Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Hall of the Mountain King). I introduced it to Little E at two and he's still enjoying it years later, especially since this year we watched a shortened version of the ballet! He still enjoys pressing each of the page's buttons to play the short clip that corresponds to that part of the story. The bright illustrations help tell the creative, somewhat zany story of a little girl named Clara who enters the magical Land of Sweets. We also love the version by Susan Jeffers (longer, but the illustrations cannot be beat)
Reading level recommendation: A bit long, so older toddlers/preschoolers and up
Carl's Christmas (Alexandra Day)
Little E and I love the Carl books, so this was a given. We enjoyed reading how Carl the dog keeps the baby entertained while he babysits her, from decorating a house plant with ribbon and wrapping paper, to visiting a toy store, and watching carolers. I am always amazed that parents would let a dog babysit a baby, but this is a kids book after all, so I suspend any doubts and just enjoy the sweetness of these wordless stories about Carl. The fun thing about wordless books like this one is that you can tell the story a little different every time and the child can even tell the story if they're not reading yet since the beautiful illustrations "tell" what's going on so well.
Santa Radar: At the end, a quick appearance by Santa
Read-aloud recommendation: Any age
Walking in A Winter Wonderland (song by Peggy Lee, illustrations by Tim Hopgood)
Little E and I enjoy Hopgood's other song adaptations we've read, What A Wonderful World and Singing in the Rain, and really enjoyed this one too. Bright, fun illustrations in Hopgood's style are perfectly matched with the whimsical lyrics.
Reading level recommendation: Any age
The Twelve Days of Christmas: A Peek- Through Picture Book (Britta Teckentrup)
The classic song, accompanied by creative peek-through holes and darling illustrations. A fun way to practice counting and just so engaging even for the youngest children because of the holes they can poke their fingers through! There are so many different versions of this song made into picture books, so grab any copy you can find, though this one is fun with the holes in the pages.
Read-aloud recommendation: Any age, but probably best for toddlers and up since it is a longer song (though you can stop at whatever number you want!)
Where Do Diggers Celebrate Christmas (by Brianna Caplan Sayres, illustrated by Christian Slade)
Little E loves Where do Steam Trains Sleep At Night and the rest of the books in the series, so this was another hit every year. Different trucks, from diggers to cherry pickers and zambonis (the trucks on ice-skating rinks) spread Christmas cheer in this rhyming book in the style reminiscent of the aforementioned.
Read-aloud recommendation: toddlers and up
A Christmas Wish for Corduroy (based on the character by Don Freeman, story by B.G. Hennessy, illustrated by Jody Wheeler)
It is about Corduroy before he had the green corduroy overalls and taken home by Lisa. It's a sweet story set in the same department store around Christmastime and connects to the first Corduroy book in a sweet and creative way.
Santa Radar: a quick appearance of a store Santa
Read-aloud recommendation: older toddler/preschool and up
This is part of the Bear and Mouse series. Little E cracks up and I just think it is the funniest book as well. Bear hasn't ever had a real Christmas, but he's invited Mouse over to celebrate together with (what he deems) the essentials: pickles and poems! But Mouse has another p-word on his mind: presents! He digs around the house, searching for presents after Bear insists presents are "most unseemly... unnecessary hogwash!" But Bear has a surprise up his sleeve ... and so does Mouse! I love Bear's advanced vocabulary and Little E, though he doesn't understand it, thinks its hilarious because of how I read it in a pompous, silly voice.
Read-aloud recommendation: older toddler and up (it's a bit on the long side)
Merry Christmas, Little Elliot (story and illustrations by Mike Curato
Little E has two other books in this adorable series about a spotted elephant. He also has a stuffed Elliot the Elephant, which he hugs repeatedly while we read this endearing story. Elliot can't seem to find the "Christmas spirit" as he and his best friend Mouse join in all the Christmasy things in a vintage NYC, and he keeps getting bonked on the head to boot! First with a ballet slipper at the Nutcracker show, then an ornament off the tree at the Rockefeller Center, then snow off a branch in a tree in Central Park. He is just about to get more bummed when a letter (addressed to Santa), flying with the wind, lands on his forehead. He and Mouse rush to deliver the letter to the department store Santa, but it's too late, so they must find a way to make things right, and in the process, he finds his Christmas spirit by helping a little girl who just wants a friend for Christmas. Funny, sweet, and filled with illustrations of an older time (1920s maybe?), this is just such a sweet modern book that reads like a classic.
Santa Radar: Store Santa
Read-aloud recommendation: older toddler and up (it's a bit on the long side)
How to Hide a Lion at Christmas (story and illustrations by Helen Stephens
An adorable story of a pet lion who intends to follow his friend (a little girl) to her Christmas part to surprise her, but falls asleep on the train and tries to find her aunt's village on a snowy Christmas Eve night.
Read-aloud recommendation: older toddler and up (it's a bit on the long side)
A Charlie Brown Christmas (by Charles M. Schultz)
A classic that Little E and I both adore reading and then watching the cartoon afterwards. Charlie and the gang are trying to get into the Christmas spirit and finally find out what it's all about, thanks to Linus.
Read-aloud recommendation: older toddler and up (it's a bit on the long side)
Another classic. It is wordless, so I tell the story a bit differently every time since the illustrations have so much detail and make the storytelling very easy. There is an old animated film that follows the book (and is a silent film with just beautiful music in the background). A perfect way to slow down, imagine, and just delight in the cold wintry weather and childlike joy of building a snowman.
Recommended read-aloud age: All ages
Christmas Day in the Morning (story by Pearl Buck, illustrations by Mark Buehner)
An endearing, wholesome book about a fifteen-year-old boy who surprises his dad by milking the cows early on Christmas morning before his dad wakes him up to do the chore together. His dad says it's the best Christmas gift he's ever received when he finds out the surprise. After reading this tender book, my son kept cleaning up his toys at random times of the day to surprise me.
Recommended read-aloud age: Pretty long, so it's probably best for pre-k up to grade school.
Exquisitely illustrated with life-like illustrations and a most heart-warming story of a kindhearted little girl, this is just such a sweet one. When she repeatedly notices an organ grinder and his monkey shivering in the cold near her home, she finds a way to share the joy of the season. I definitely cried on the last page because of the beautiful ending.
Read-aloud recommendation: preschool and up (its pretty long)
A beautiful family story about the simplicity of Christmas many years ago on a farm. When a beloved apple tree gets destroyed during a blizzard, a young girl is devastated, but her father finds a way to keep the memories they shared alive through his sweet gifts to his girls.
Read-aloud recommendation: preschool and up (its pretty long)
The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story (written by Gloria Houston; illustrated by Barbara Cooney)
A heart-warming story of a family who are chosen to provide the Christmas tree for the Christmas program, but the father, who was away at war and trying to make his way back home after the end of the war, isn't there in time, so the young girl and her mom bravely go in the woods to find one. The girl is also the angel in the pageant, so you see the love of her mother, who cuts up her own wedding gown and Christmas gift to provide a beautiful gown with flowy wings and a doll who looks just like her daughter, bringing delight to the girl as they await the return of the dad. It is such a sweet story of a poor, simple family.
Read-aloud recommendation: preschool and up (its pretty long)
The Story of Holly and Ivy (written by Rumer Godden, illustrated by Barbara Cooney)
A woman wishes for a child, a little girl wishes for a family, and a doll wishes for a girl to love her. A sweet story about three characters who all have a Christmas wish to end their loneliness, and the surprising way their wishes all come true. The illustrations are perfection, as is always the case with Barbara Cooney, one of my favorite illustrators.
Read-aloud recommendation: preschool and up (it is very long, so we split it up over a few days)
Jan Brett's Wintery Books
Many know of The Mitten, but there are a ton more wintry picture books by Jan Brett that are just as delightful. My son and I love that all her books have illustrations on the side panels that give you clues for what will happen later in the story or what is happening behind the scenes. Home For Christmas is about a rascal of a troll who runs away from home when he's sick of chores . . . only to discover how much he wants to be home for Christmas after all. The Snowy Nap is about a hedgehog is is trying his hardest to avoid hibernation when his woodland friends tell him how great winter is. The Animal's Santa is about a mysterious woodland animal who delivers gifts on Christmas. Who's Knocking On Christmas Eve is Brett's version of a funny folktale from Norway about trolls who yearly ruin Christmas for a family when they eat all their food . . . until a kind visitor and his polar bear come to visit. Lastly, and I don't have a photo of it above, is Brett's version of The Night Before Christmas!
Read-aloud recommendation: They're all a bit, long, so probably preschool and up
For more Christmas picture books:
Christ-Focused Christmas Picture Books
Favorite Christmas Sing-Along Picture Books
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Elle Alice