9 Best Christian Christmas Books for Kids

Some of my warmest memories of ministry are Christmas Eve services with a crowd of kids on the front steps, listening to the nativity story like it was brand new. A good Christmas book can do the same thing at home. It gives children the real story of Jesus’ birth in words they understand, and it gives parents and grandparents an easy way to talk about why we celebrate.

These are my favorite Christian Christmas books for kids, from board books for toddlers to read-alouds for early elementary. Order by early December so they arrive in time for the season. If you only have a minute, start with my top three.

Christian Christmas books for kids compared

How I chose: I looked for books that tell the true Christmas story clearly, fit the age they’re written for, and leave room for good questions at bedtime.

1. Best Overall: Song of the Stars

Sally Lloyd-Jones tells the Christmas story from the point of view of creation itself: the stars, the animals and all of creation whisper that the King is coming. It’s poetic without losing the plain truth that God sent His Son. Alison Jay’s crackled, old-world illustrations make every page feel like a Christmas card, and the build-up to the manger makes it a natural read on Christmas Eve with the lights turned low. If your family loves The Jesus Storybook Bible, this will feel like coming home.

2. Best Nativity Retelling: The Christmas Promise

Alison Mitchell starts with God’s promise of a King and follows it all the way to Bethlehem, so children see that Christmas was God keeping His word. It’s faithful to Scripture with no made-up additions, and the bright illustrations hold little ones’ attention. That’s a big deal at a season when kids hear so many versions of the story. The Tales That Tell the Truth series is known for getting the Bible right in simple words, and this one is short enough to read more than once a night when they ask for it again. The board book edition is great for toddlers.

3. Best Picture Book Art: Holy Night and Little Star

Little Star thinks her light is too faint to be useful, until she’s given the job of welcoming the newborn King. It’s a story about how God uses small things, and the illustrations show a young Holy Family that looks like it belongs in the Middle East. Khoa Le’s art is rich and glowing, the kind of picture book kids pore over on their own. It also opens up a sweet conversation with a child who feels overlooked: God sees the small and the quiet, and He has a place for them in His story.

4. Best Rhyming Book: ’Twas the Night

William Dean set the nativity to the rhythm of the poem every child knows, and he stays close to Luke’s account: only the shepherds visit, with no wise men squeezed in. It’s fun to read aloud and an easy swap for the Santa version. The familiar rhythm means kids pick up the lines quickly and start saying them with you, and it began as a church Christmas program, so it’s built to be performed. It works well for a Sunday school class, a family reading or a little ones’ play on Christmas Eve.

5. Best for Advent: The Advent Storybook

If you want one book that lasts the whole season, this is it. The 25 stories trace God’s promise of a Rescuer from Creation to Bethlehem. Each story is short enough for bedtime and ends with a key verse and a question, so it naturally turns into a family conversation instead of just a reading. Kids love having “their” story to look forward to each night, and by Christmas morning they understand why the baby in the manger matters so much. For more countdown options, see the best Advent devotionals.

6. Best for Toddlers’ Questions: God Gave Us Christmas

Little Cub wants to know who made Christmas, and Mama Bear takes her on a search for the answer. It gently puts Jesus at the center without making a big fuss about Santa, which makes it a good fit for families who include both. The snowy Arctic illustrations are cozy and sweet, and the tender back-and-forth between Mama and Little Cub mirrors the questions real preschoolers ask. It’s a soft, simple way to tell a young child that Christmas is God’s gift of His Son.

7. Best Board Book: Christmas Is Coming!

This is a natural companion to Easter Is Coming!, another of my Easter book picks. It’s short enough for the youngest listeners and focuses on what Christmas means rather than on decorations and gifts. Tama Fortner keeps the words simple and the message clear: God had a plan, and Jesus was the gift. The sturdy board pages can handle chewing, tugging and a lot of rereading, and the small size slips right into a stocking.

8. Best Christmas Legend: The Legend of the Candy Cane

Lori Walburg’s story has been a Christmas favorite for years. It’s a legend, so I tell kids that up front, but the message is pure gospel: the J for Jesus, the white for His purity and the red for His sacrifice. In the story, a stranger opens a candy shop in a prairie town and uses the candy cane to share the good news with the children who visit. Richard Cowdrey’s new illustrations are warm and detailed. Tuck it in a stocking with a real candy cane and you’ll have a ready-made Christmas morning lesson.

9. Best for Curious Kids: The Very First Christmas

Paul Maier was a professor of ancient history, and that shows. A boy named Christopher wants facts, not fairy tales, so his mother tells him what really happened that first Christmas. Along the way, kids learn about the census, the journey to Bethlehem and the shepherds in a way that respects their questions. It’s a lovely way to show kids the nativity is history, not make-believe, and it gives parents good answers for the child who is starting to ask whether the Bible is really true.

What a good Christian Christmas book should teach

• Jesus is God’s promised King and Savior, born just as God said He would be
• The story comes from the Bible, from Luke 2 and Matthew 1 and 2
• Christmas is about God’s gift to us, not just the gifts under the tree

My final picks

Pick one or two of these, wrap them up early, and start a tradition of reading them together every December.

Need a Bible to go with the book? See the best Bibles for kids by age, or browse my full Christian gift guide.