#ChristmasBooks

With lyrical writing by Maggie C. Rudd and bright illustrations by Elisa Chavarri, The Days After Christmas is a joyful picture book that reminds us that magic and cheer can still be found even after the decorations are put away. Also features instructions for a post-holiday craft!

In the days after Christmas
When you wake up in your bed
And holiday memories
Float through your head…

After the bustle of the holiday season, grandparents wave goodbye and it's time to pack up the sparkly ornaments. The house feels too quiet. What do you do when the excitement and festivities are over?

The fireplace may be a perfect place to read new books with a cup of hot cocoa and some snuggles with Mom and Dad. And leftovers might still be pretty tasty. Upon reflection, the memories of the Christmas season can bring smiles, not sadness – and a hopefulness that there’s still so much to look forward to.

While Daddy is busy wrangling a mud-happy dog, someone else is collecting lots and lots of pinecones. Helen Yoon brings back the parent-child duo from Off-Limits in a droll celebration of high enthusiasm.

Daddy is a bit distracted on their autumn walk, while his curious child only has eyes for one of nature’s small wonders: a pinecone! And look, another pinecone! And another! In fact, she could gather an entire collection—an entire extended family—of pinecones if she wanted to (and she wants to!). But what then? In a story spun with visual comedy, the characters from Off-Limits return for a small adventure in outsize enthusiasm leading to a sparkly, holiday-cheer-worthy finish. Helen Yoon brings all her quirky warmth to bear on this tribute to little ones whose fixations tend to send them over the top—and the parents who lovingly help them to funnel all that passionate energy. And perhaps some of their own!

A special snow globe brings a magical Christmas Eve surprise to Lucy and Noah! This cozy Holiday picture book about the power of imagination is set to be a new Christmas classic.

Lucy and Noah open a present on Christmas Eve. It's a beautiful snow globe, with a house inside that even looks like theirs, except they don't have any snow. Lucy lies awake looking at the snow globe, disappointed that it won't be a white Christmas. Suddenly, she feels something soft and cold land on her cheek. It can't really be snowing inside the house, can it?

This charming picture book about festive excitement imagines a very special Christmas Eve where Lucy and Noah build a snowman in their bedroom, sledge down the stairs and fling snowballs over the sofa.

The Christmas Snow Globe is lovingly illustrated in a distinctive style with black and white pencils sketches and bursts of Holiday red.

With wit and affection, the inimitable Jarvis imagines the giddy wonder of a child who finds she has Santa all to herself—with free rein to ask all the questions that spring to mind.

Mr. Santa? Is it really you?
Did you read my letter?
And have you wiped your shoes?

When a little girl comes face-to-face with Santa in her own house, she can hardly believe it! After inviting him into her world (Do you want to meet my fishes? Do you want to hear me play?) comes that universal wish (Can I ride your sleigh?). With the two of them aloft, questions continue to fly: Can Santa eat clouds? Does he stop at traffic lights? Is his belly button innie or outie? Does he take a teddy to bed? With signature warmth and a gentle visual humor, Jarvis channels the excitement of every child who has dreamed of meeting the jolly, generous old soul who personifies the most magical night of the year.

It’s Christmas eve and the sled race is about to start. There’s a one-horse open sleigh, a two-sailed wooden yacht, a three-stroke snowmobile, and a four-blade sled. Each vehicle encounters obstacles on the way. Who will reach the finish line first and be declared the winner?

A brilliant reimagining of the song “Jingle Bells,” featuring animals racing in sleds of all shapes and sizes.

This is a great text to share and read aloud, full of detailed and humorous artwork, with fun and arctic-themed characters, and a host of elves. Wintry and Christmassy, this is a unique picture book with an original take on a famous rhyme.

Wide like an elephant and tall like a camel. That would be the perfect Christmas tree.

When Nisha and her father set out to pick out a Christmas tree, she wants a big tree, but her Baba wants a small one. Nisha tries to persuade Baba they need a big tree to fit the new ornaments from India. She'll even help pull the wagon! But Baba still insists on a small tree. So when Baba and Nisha surprisingly agree on the same tree, she suddenly isn't sure about it. Is the tree they both like big or small? In the end, the tree is the perfect size--for the ornaments, for their apartment, and for sharing Christmas cookies and silvery burfi.

Nisha's Just-Right Christmas Tree captures a familiar Christmas tradition through charming text and illustrations. Based on a true story from author Jaya Mehta's childhood, the book beautifully demonstrates a blend of cultures between Nisha's father, who is Hindu, and her mother, who is Christian, as they celebrate Christmas together in their Brooklyn Heights apartment. Backmatter shares more about blending cultures, including examples from both authors' lives.

An out-of-this-world remix of the classic poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas”!

It’s Christmas Eve. The Martians have hung their stockings and decorated their trees in hopes that Santa will finally visit the red planet. But what are the excited Martians to do when Santa’s sleigh shudders and shimmies and stops? Then teeters and totters and drops? It’ll take a dose of Christmas magic and some help from the Outer Space Rescue Division to get this holiday back on track.

Humorous, rhyming text and vibrant illustrations combine to make a perfect winter read-a-loud, destined to become a classic.

One little girl has the perfect present for her grandparents, and she can’t wait to give it to them on Christmas Eve. So when her parents say it’s not safe to travel because the weather is horrible and the fog is too thick, she has to find a way to save their Christmas tradition—even if she can barely see farther than her front porch. With a lot of imagination and maybe just a bit of magic, the girl lights a way to her grandparents’ house. But—oh no!—she loses her present along the way. Luckily, Nana knows that the best gift of all is creativity and family.

With dazzling artwork and minimal text, Kerilynn Wilson’s debut picture book presents one little girl’s determined walk to her grandparents’ house as an adventure full of magic, ingenuity, and courage. One Foggy Christmas Eve celebrates the gift of sharing your imagination and your story with those you love. For readers of Gideon Sterer’s The Christmas Owl and Susan Jeffers’s Jingle Bells. 

Mac Barnett and Sydney Smith team up for an unforgettable celebration of Christmas.

We all know that Santa makes everyone’s dreams come true every Christmas, but it turns out that he needs a little help getting into the holiday spirit himself. Instead of letting Santa get right back to work after he returns home to the North Pole on Christmas morning, his loyal elves want to make sure he experiences the same Christmas cheer he provides for others. With the perfect tree, lots of delicious treats, and, of course, presents, Santa experiences the magic of Christmas for the very first time.

Beloved children’s book creators Mac Barnett and Sydney Smith have unveiled Santa unlike ever seen before, and as a result, created a merry new Christmas classic.

Perfect for graduation, Thanksgiving, and the new year, Each Day is a Gift is a beautiful present that encourages gratitude for children

When we receive "a brand-new bike kind of gift" or "a trip-to-the-amusement-park kind of gift," it's easy to be grateful. But when we encounter an "extremely un-asked-for" gift, it can be harder to appreciate what matters. Full of wisdom and affirmations, this thoughtful picture book shows the beauty in everyday living, making it a standout in gratitude books for kids.

Each Day Is a Gift gently reveals how gifts' purposes are not always clear immediately, and while we can't choose what gifts we receive, we can choose how to use them. Detlefsen's prose describes events that we might not consider gifts at first in ways that makes us thankful, and Vasilica's light-filled illustrations show how even the hardest things can be made meaningful. Together, they encourage us to embrace each day with mindfulness.