Must have Christmas Books for Kids 2021
*AD -Some of the books featured in this post are press samples. This post contains affiliate links
Christmas is one of my absolute favourite times of year and whether it’s creating a book advent or simply gifting books for Christmas, you can always rely on December releases to bring you lots of new festive fun and escapism for the kids. There is no better feeling than snuggling down with the kids in your matching family PJs and reading a book together!
This year has really treated us with new festive books for kids, with loads of new editions that I am confident will become firm favourites for many years to come! Whether it’s preschoolers, early readers or confident readers, here is our round up of the best Christmas Books for the Kids in 2021.
Preschoolers
That’s not my Christmas (5 book set)
Books 2 Door are home to a great selection of Christmas books and book bundles. This year they have a fab book bundle that is perfect for preschoolers and babies. Chances are; you’ll have heard of the ‘That’s Not My’ books before, but if you haven’t, then seriously, where have you been?
These chunky board books are perfectly sized for small hands to hold and have lots of different textures to touch and explore. Little ones will love touching the fabrics and materials in each character as they repeat ‘thats not my [bear]…’ before discovering the THAT’s my [bear] on the final page.
This lovely festive 5 pack set comes with That’s not my Santa, That’s not my Reindeer, That’s not my Polar Bear, That’s not my Penguin and THat’s not my Elf.
Squirrel’s Snowman by Julia Donaldson (illustrated by Axel Scheffler)
My girls have grown up LOVING the Tales of Acorn Wood series with their lift the flap adventures. In this latest edition, Squirrel’s Snowman, squirrel is attempting to make her own snowman, but will she find what she needs? Lift the flaps as she goes on the hunt for all the snowman building essentials!
Squirrel’s Snowman is everything you would expect from Julia Donaldson’s Tales from Acorn Wood books – with beautiful illustrations, easy lift flaps and an engaging rhyming text – an ideal choice for creating those warm and fuzzy festive feels!
Books to Gift
If you are looking for some Christmas books for kids that are a little bit special and unique, then these special books are just the ticket!
Christmas Street by Johnathan Emmett and Ingela P Arehenius
This spectacular lift-the-flap Christmas alphabet story is a book as well as a fold-out play-scene!
Everyone is busy on Christmas Street! Who is baking gingerbread? Who is wrapping presents? And who’s that coming down the chimney?
With bright, cheerful artwork from Ingela P Arrhenius and a clever rhyming text from Jonathan Emmett, children will love reading the rhyming story, as they lift the festive flaps for every letters of the alphabet. When you’re finished, flip the book and have fun with the giant snowy concertina play-scene on the reverse!
The Snow Queen – Hans Christian Andersen (illustrated by Lesley Barnes)
The Snow Queen is a traditional tale from Hans Christian Andersen – but this book is anything but traditional! Open the pages to reveal some of the most intricate, beautiful and striking pop ups that I have ever seen with absolutely stunning illustrations from Lesley Barnes
The Snow Queen is a hard back book with a difference. You can see a reel of this book in all it’s glory over at whatthekidsread.
Weather Pop Up Book
Another amazing pop up book is The Weather by Maike Biederstaedt (Prestel publishing).
The Weather Pop Up Book is an educational non fiction book with a difference. Not only does it teach children all about weather, the seasons and climate change, but has some STUNNING pop up interactive pages – again you can see this in all its glory over at my sister channel – whatthekidsread on instagram.
Picture Books
Fly Fly Fly your Sleigh by John Hay (illustrated by Gary Parsons)
If your looking for a festive book to raise some laughs and encourage sing song, then you can’t go wrong withFly, Fly, Fly Your Sleigh – This book is packed full of funny festive rhymes inspired by the song Row Row Row your Boat.
It’s Christmas Eve, and in Santa’s workshop all is not well. The elves are hard at work but oh no! – this year Santa’s feeling fed up and he doesn’t want to deliver the presents.
The elves are determined to cheer Santa up with some jolly songs. Starting with Row, Row, Row Your Boat… and moving on to classics such as Hang, Hang, Hang Your Socks… and Peel, Peel, Peel the Sprouts… But can they get Santa smiling again and onto his sleigh in time?
Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam: Santa’s Stolen Sleigh by Tracey Corderoy & Steven Lenton
Adventure awaits Shifty and Sam in this action-packed Christmas picture book and check out the gorgeous shiny foil on the cover!
Shifty and Sam are off to Lapland to bake a festive feast for Santa and his elves. But there’s a Christmas crisis – the elves are unwell and can’t finish the toys! Does mysterious stranger and gadget queen, Flo Frost, really want to help? Or could she have her eyes on the most magical gadget of all . . . Santa’s flying sleigh?! It’s up to Shifty and Sam to race across the snowy slopes and save Christmas for everyone!
Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam is a hugely successful, action-packed series about two baker-dogs who used to be robbers, but now solve mysteries and sniff out crimes and this latest edition doesn’t disappoint!
How Winston Came Home for Christmas by Alex. T. Smith
If you don’t want to spend a fortune but are interested in doing book advent with your children How Winston Came Home for Christmasfrom the author of the Claude series, is ideal, with stories and activities to read and entertain every day on the run up to Christmas.
It is five days until Christmas and Winston has a Very Curious Mystery to solve. He has hazy rememberings of another mouse, and he just knows that someone very important to him is lost. After promising Oliver that he will be back in time for Christmas, no matter what, Winston sets out on an exciting round-the-world adventure to find the missing mouse, helped along the way by wonderful old friends and delightful new ones, too.
This gorgeous hardback Christmas story is written in 24-and-a-half-chapters – making it an ideal bedtime story for each night of advent. Each chapter also comes with it’s very own festive activity for all the family to enjoy together – including crafting decorations, making Christmas food, discovering Christmas traditions from around the world and so much more!
Croc O Clock by Huw Lewis Jones and Ben Sanders
A Crocodile might not seem like the most obvious Christmas story, but my gosh this has been a HUGE hit with my two. It’s feeding time for the crocodile, but it turns out, this guy really loves his grub! With rhyming songs to the turn of 12 Days of Christmas (and five donut rings instead of golden rings), children will love singing along to the Croc and all his culinary Christmas treats!
Croc O’Clock – is a great festive read with a difference. Expect lots of laughter, loud singing and attempts to keep up with all the lyrics! It’s almost impossible not to smile with this one (even if you’re a great big Scrooge!)
The Big Freeze by Pippa Curnick
The Big Freeze is a really funny festive read with a great reminder about the importance of working as a team. Sharma and Bahama Llama are really looking forward to the Winter Woolly Party, but when the Big Freeze arrives they realise their old jumpers are a little worse for wear. Suddenly EVERYONE is after a new jumper from Granny Brock’s Jumper Shop.
Can they make it to the shop before she sells out? What can they achieve if they work together?
The Christmas Department Store By Hoang Giang
I always love reminding the girls about the true meaning of Christmas – that it’s not about toys and presents, but about being grateful and spending time with the ones we love.
The Christmas Department Store is all about family and love. Christmas has lost its magic for BEnji as his family can’t afford a tree or gifts. Then he stumbles upon the most magical department store with some very curious employees! Can they save Christmas?
Monster Christmas by Giles Andreae and Nikki Dyson
My girls absolutely love Giles Andrae (he’s the author of some of our absolute favourite bedtime stories) so I was fairly confident that this one would be a hit!
In Monster Christmas Father Christmas is getting on, and decides its about time that (quite literally) someone else took over the reins. When a little Monster applies for the job and becomes Monster Christmas it seems like he’s found the perfect candidate – but everyone is scared of him!
A book about kindness, acceptance and not judging a book by it’s cover, this is an adorable story of a little monster who finds his way!
A Winter Treasury by Angela Ferraro-Fanning
If you’re looking to keep the kids busy over the Christmas break then this beautiful illustrated treasury from Little Country Cottage is an adorable choice.
A Winter Treasury of Recipes Crafts and Wisdom is packed full of accessible, eco friendly and fun crafts, bakes and activities that make the most of our natural surroundings. Even the book itself is made from 100% recycled paper!
The Little Fir Tree
If you’re after a traditional story – The Little Fir Tree by Christopher Corr is ideal. Again, based on the traditional tale by Hans Christian Andersen this beautiful story is based deep in the forest.
A beautiful little fir tree longs to see the world and cannot wait till the day he is taken to town at Christmas. When the moment finally comes, it feels like his dreams have come true, but what happens after?
A great reminder to appreciate what we have, The Little Fir Tree highlights how the little tree was so distracted by the future, that he forgot to enjoy the present.
The Toys Christmas by Claire Clemment and Genevieve Godbout
The Toys’ Christmas is all about the toys we know and love at Christmas. Noah’s toy elephant Fan Fan is missing, but little does Noah know that Fan Fan has joined the other toys for a secret Christmas Eve mission for a very important customer!
This beautifully illustrated hard back book is full of warmth and magic!
An Odd Dog Christmas by Rob Biddulph
I’ve made no secret of the fact that as a family, we bloody love Rob Biddulph. Not only did he save my sanity during lockdown with his draw with Rob episodes on YouTube, but he’s also written and illustrated some of our all time favourite children’s books, including Odd Dog Out -a story of acceptance.
Rob Biddulphis back withAn Odd Dog Christmas – in this latest release, the Odd Dog is trying to find the perfect gift for his friend, but is rapidly running out of time! When he meets a new friend that needs his help, Odd Dog realises that Christmas is not all about presents but presence!
As always the illustrations are adorable, and this book comes with a great message about the real meaning of Christmas too.
Peter Rabbit Christmas is Coming
Another beautiful treasury to enjoy with your children all through advent (and not strictly released this year but worth sneaking in is this adorable Peter Rabbit book – Christmas is coming!
Christmas is Coming is a great way to count down the days to Christmas with 24 brand new stories and an activity to enjoy every day of Advent and an ideal festive tradition for Peter Rabbit fans young and old.
Peter Rabbit is very excited – it’s nearly time for Christmas! He can’t wait to eat mince pies, decorate a tree and open all his presents. Join Peter and all his friends every day in December as they count down to Christmas and have lots of fun adventures along the way.
Oh No! Shark in the snow! by Nick Sharratt.
Another really funny and less traditional Christmas book is Oh No! Shark in the Snow! by Nick Sharratt.
When little Timothy Pope goes for a walk in the park with his dad he spots something shocking through his telescope! Is that really a shark in the snow?!
On further investigation, things aren’t always what they seem…. or are they??
Early Readers
Bumper book of Christmas Fun for 6 year olds is an ideal festive themed stocking filler for kids (With versions for 7, 8 and 9 year olds too!)
Packed full of age appropriate puzzles, games, trivia and activities, this one is a great option to buy you some time before you head down to the tree on Christmas morning. If your kids normally wake you up at 5am, you can thank me for this one later! 😀
How Winston Delivered Christmas by Alex. T. Smith
How Winston Delivered Christmas is a heartwarming illustrated story by Alex T. Smith, bestselling author of the Claude series. With beautiful illustrations throughout, this first chapter book is ideal for those who are just becoming confident reading alone.
Winston is on a Very Important Mission. On Christmas Eve, he finds a letter to Father Christmas that did not make it to the post box – so, with no time to lose, he sets out to deliver it himself in time for Christmas Day! Will he find Father Christmas in time?
Middle Grade Readers
A Secret in Time by Sally Nicholls and Rachael Dean
The FOURTH book in the time-slip adventure series by Sally Nicholls, Alex and Ruby, tumble back to 1947!
When siblings Alex and Ruby tumble back through the mirror, they find themselves in the freezing-cold winter of 1947. Food is scarce in the aftermath of the Second World War and life at Applecott House is hard.
As Alex and Ruby discover they must solve the mystery of a missing family heirloom to ever have hopes of returning home, their adventure takes them trekking across the snow and treacherous ice on a perilous treasure hunt.
Will they make it home and back to the present day or will they be stuck in 1947?
A Secret in Time is a superb time-slip story which brilliantly brings history to life and is suitable for readers aged 7+.
Fledgling by Lucy Hope
A dark, gothic adventure set deep in a Bavarian forest, with angels and owls and magic and a boy who isn’t all that he seems to be…
A cherub is blown into Cassie Engel’s bedroom during a thunderstorm, triggering a series of terrifying events. Cassie must discover if its arrival was an accident or part of something more sinister.
With a self-obsessed opera singer for a mother, a strange taxidermist father, and a best friend who isn’t quite what he seems, Cassie is forced to unearth the secrets of her family’s past. As the dark forces gather around them, can Cassie protect all that she holds dear?
Fledgling is a fantastic debut novel from Lucy Hope, with cover illustration by Anna Shepeta.
The Christmas Carrolls
An amazing Christmas Debut, this book has sprung straight to the top of the amazon Wishlists this Christmas, and it’s clear to see why.
We all love the idea of it being Christmas every day – but for Holly Carroll – it really is. When Holly starts a new school, she quickly realises that not everyone shares her enthusiasm for the festive season
The Christmas Carrolls is a story about spreading magic and Christmas cheer and a reminder about the power of friendship. Just lovely.
The Christmas Pig by J.K. Rowling
A book that needs no introduction, is The Christmas Pig. When Jacks childhood toy is thrown out the window by his mean step sister, Jack fears he will be lost forever. But when DP’s replacement introduces Jack to the land of the lost, he goes on a mission to get him back – a mission that is full of adventure, suspense and tension.
Will he ever be reunited with his beloved DP?
The Christmas Pig is out now with an adorable golden foil cover under the dust sheet!
Tinsel by Sibeal Pounder
Last but not least, if you’re looking for a chapter book with a strong feminist vibe – this one is just the ticket and has literally just come out in paper back. Tinsel is the story of the Girls who invented Christmas and turns everything you thought you knew about Christmas on its head! Join Blanche Claus and her best friend Rinki for a funny festive sleigh ride you’ll never forget!
Tinsel was a HUGE hit with my eldest daughter – an exciting adventure filled book of friendship!
Have you read any of these? Which were your faves?
