Favorite Christmas Books, Old and New

I started my Librarian career as a Children’s Librarian and the saying goes, once a Children’s Librarian, always a Children’s Librarian. Even after I moved to other kinds of librarianship, I continued to collect books and after my children were born, every Christmas, there were books under the tree, some for them, and some for me! Some of them were pricey at the time but they are now being enjoyed by the next generation so I feel like they were worth it. I put a selection out on the coffee table every Christmas and they serve as wonderful decorations but they also receive lots of special attention from family and friends. I decided to share a few and it was very difficult to choose! they are currently available on Amazon as new or used books except for the two on the lower right although I would try to support your local book store if you can. (You may find the missing two at a used book store.) Some of these are not in publication but you can find them on the secondary market. (I don’t receive any benefit from your purchase, I just like to share some of my favorite things.)

I have a tradition of buying a new “Night before Christmas” book every year even though my children are grown and gone. When they come home for the holidays with grandchildren, they still love these books, old and new. I love books with full page illustrations and I just love this Santa face!. Amazon gives you a sneak peak at a few pages from this book so you can see what I mean. It was published in 2011 but it is still available.

I have always been a fan of the artist and illustrator Mary Engelbreit and this version of “The Night before Christmas” is so colorful and the illustrations are so detailed that little ones will really enjoy looking closely at each page. The book was published in 2002.

This is a wonderful story about what happened in Bethlehem on the evening of Christmas. The full page illustrations are absolutely wonderful. It was a Christian Book Award finalist in the children’s category and it was published in 2017.

My mother loved poinsettias and I love them too. I have collected a few books about the poinsettia flower and this one is a favorite. It was published in 1994 and it is still available in paperback. You may be able to find the hardcover in a used book store.

I have always loved the artist and illustrator Jan Brett and this is one of my favorite versions of all my “Twelve Days of Christmas” books. It was published in 1989 but you can still find copies in various formats.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without Rudolph! This is the original version of the story of Rudolph written in verse in 1939. I adore the full page illustrations. It was published in 2001.

This book is dear to my heart. I loved Peter Spier’s books when I was a Children’s Librarian and after my children were born, I bought this one when it was published in 1983. It is a wordless book and the detailed illustrations on each page tell a wonderful story about a family’s activities while celebrating the Christmas season. My children are adults now but they still love to sit and look at this book. It is still available in different formats.

Well-illustrated children’s books can be expensive but I have always felt that an expensive toy often doesn’t last that long. A special book can be read over and over even continuing on into the next generation, and the memories that creates are priceless.