Some Classic Christmas Picture Books

Hello! Here are six classic books you might want to read at Christmastime! (You can read the first post if you haven’t already.) The December booklist on Read-Aloud Revival is massive, if you want more.

Six Classic Christmas Books

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats is a gentle story about a boy who explored his city and talked with his neighbors on a day when snow covered the streets. We’re all drawn into little Peter’s awe and wonder. There’s also an animated movie based on the book.

The Christmas Trolls by Jan Brett is a delightfully illustrated Scandinavian tale about some ornery trolls and a girl with a big heart who wants to teach them about Christmas. All her stories are great; you can get seven of them in Jan Brett’s Christmas Treasury.

The Elves and the Shoemaker, adapted by the Brothers Grimm and illustrated by Jim LaMarche, is about two little elves who help a poor, struggling cobbler get all his work done while he’s sleeping. This is one of my favorite stories because my mom taught my brother and I how fun it is to do nice surprises for others to give them a break…and she would give credit to sneaky magical beings, just for whimsy’s sake. She would secretly clean my room or I would secretly complete some of her tasks and we would say, “Oh, it looks like some fairies came to take care of this for you!”

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg is the wonderful, almost eerie story that came way before the movie. (The same author-illustrator also created Jumanji and Zathura, which I also didn’t know started out as books.)

Christmas in the Big Woods, adapted by Laura Ingalls Wilder and illustrated by Renee Graef, gives us a peek into the simple joys of a cozy cabin Christmas. You can also get The Little House Christmas Treasury, which includes 9 unabridged stories and beautiful illustrations.

A Christmas Carol, adapted by Charles Dickens and illustrated by Brett Helquist, is a good introduction to the classic ghost story. As a companion, read A Boy Called Dickens by Deborah Hopkinson and illustrated by John Hendrix. And, of course, you must watch some version of A Christmas Carol this year; my personal favorite is the Mickey Mouse/Scrooge McDuck version, but please don’t fight me if you favor the Muppet one 😉

Movie Suggestion

It’s A Wonderful Life

As classic as classic gets. It has heavy themes and scary moments, but kids still love it and there’s a lot to get out of it. You walk away feeling massively grateful for exactly the life you have, even all the twists and turns that have caused you pain.

Hopefully you enjoyed these! If you’re wondering if any of the recommended books/movies will be more distinctly about Jesus, next week’s post will focus on some favorite Christian Christmas stories 😊