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Nothing heightens the excitement of Christmas like a good story. Whether you like to get into the festive spirit early by counting down the days to December 25 with a Christmas book each night at bedtime or prefer to record a very special Christmas tale for the day before the big day, there are titles fantastic (new and old) to choose from.
Books provide a moment of calm during the often hectic time leading up to Christmas. It’s the perfect way for your kids to get lost in the magic of the season, without sitting in front of a screen – or without having to spend a fortune on festive activities.
Party books make a great addition to a Christmas Eve box or, if you feel like going all out, you can make your own family book advent calendar with a different story for each day of December. It’s something you can pull out every year to add to the countdown fun.
When choosing a Christmas book, you need to think about your child’s age and reading level. Babies and toddlers will love board books with clear pictures – anything that plays music or makes sounds is a guaranteed hit. For preschoolers and young children, picture books that you can read to them at bedtime are a great choice, but for older, independent readers, an engaging chapter book gives them something. something to really get involved in.
The best Christmas books provide that warm, fuzzy feeling through heartwarming tales, beautiful illustrations, and unforgettable characters. The ones that made our list are the books our little testers searched for again and again – and the ones we were more than happy to read for the 12th time that week.
How we tested
Our Christmas-crazed (and book-crazed) three- and six-year-old testers listened to, read, and flipped through countless books to compile our list of the best. At bedtime and quiet times of the day, we searched for quirky books, beautiful illustrations, stories that captured their imaginations, and books that really sparked real excitement for Christmas. Those who received the most enthusiastic thumbs up are featured here.
The best children’s Christmas books for 2022 are:
- Best overall – Kid Christmas: from the Claus brothers’ toy store by David Litchfield, published by Frances Lincoln: £10.99, Waterstones.com
- Best Christmas Chapter Book – The Grumpy Man and His Despicable, Dreadful Christmas Plan by Alex T Smith, published by Macmillan: £11.13, Amazon.co.uk
- Best Charity Book – Gaspard’s Christmas by Zeb Soanes and James Mayhew (illustrator), published by Graffeg: £14.24, Bookshop.org
- Best Moving Tale – Where Björn belongs by Samuel Langley-Swain and Mirna Imamovic (illustrator), published by Owlet Press: £6.99, Blackwells.co.uk
- best flip book – Cat Family Christmas by Lucy Brownridge and Eunyoung Seo (illustrators), published by Frances Lincoln: £11.30, Amazon.co.uk
- Best True Animal Story – The owl who came for Christmas by John Hay and Garry Parsons (illustrators), published by Macmillan: £6.99, Foyles.co.uk
- Best Custom Story – The Christmas Snowflake by Julia Gray and Diana Renjina (illustrators), published by Wonderbly: £22.99, Wonderbly.com
- Best Music Book – Listen to Christmas songs by Marion Billet, published by Nosy Crow: £8.99, Jojomamanbebe.co.uk
- Ideal for older children – Jim’s Christmas Spectacular by Emma Thompson and Axel Scheffler (illustrator), published by Puffin and the V&A: £14.99, Vam.ac.uk
- Ideal for illustrations – The history of toys by Santa Claus and Claire Fletcher (illustrator), published by Tiddlywinks the Elf at Polar Post: £10.99, Polaspost.co.uk
- Best Christmas Audiobook – The Snowman / The Snowman and the Snow Dog read by Matthew Macfadyen and Benedict Cumberbatch, for Tonies: £14.99, Tonies.com
