11 best Christmas books for kids to read in the run-up to the big day

From the gold-foiled sparkle on the hardback cover to the uplifting message of kindness, this beautiful story by author-illustrator David Litchfield has Christmas spirit in spades. Telling the tale of Nicky Claus, who works in the Claus Brothers family toy shop with his three uncles, it shows how far an act of kindness can stretch – and it was a book every member of the family fell in love with.

Our three-year-old was happy to simply be immersed in the world of magical toy shops and reindeer (the illustrations are gorgeous), while our six-year-old loved reading aloud to us – the speech bubbles in particular were a big hit. The book leaves you with a big smile on your face, as well as feeling excited for Christmas. It’s one we’ll be reaching for for many years to come.

With a touch of the Krampus and a hint of the Grinch, this laugh-out-loud story introduces us to the Grumpus – a wonderfully grumpy creature who doesn’t like anybody or anything, except for his friend the stick, his stinky jumper and brussel sprouts. When the Grumpus heads into town to stock up on his beloved sprouts and finds the shops have sold out because it’s Christmas, he decides to take matters into his own hands and stop Christmas for good. Of course, it doesn’t quite work out like that – but we won’t give any more away.

Written and illustrated by Alex T Smith, creator of the incredible Claude series, it’s a genuinely hilarious, sweet story that has all the makings of a Christmas classic. Our six-year-old was regularly in bits as we worked our way through the chapters, while the amazing illustrations brought the story to life perfectly. This was a book we genuinely couldn’t wait to get stuck into each night and we’re already looking forward to hearing what the Grumpus gets up to next.

In this latest instalment of the Gaspard the Fox series, we follow Gaspard through the snowy London streets on Christmas Eve, as he discovers a homeless man in trouble and rallies his animal friends to help.

The theme of homelessness is central to the story, with all royalties from the book going to St Martin-in-the-Fields charity to support those affected. The topic is handled sensitively and introduced in an accessible way for children to understand – the �?Why don’t some people have a home?’ section at the back of the book was thoughtfully written and a great way to answer some of our six-year-old’s questions.

At its heart, the book is a celebration of community and delivers all the festive feels. Both our little readers loved the snowy illustrations and cute animal characters in this timeless tale.

This sweet story was a huge hit with our three-year-old, who “ahh”-ed their way through every reading – of which there have been a lot. Written by Samuel Langley-Swain and charmingly illustrated by Mirna Imamovic, we meet Arthur, a little boy who can sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed by the world – especially at Christmas. When he loses his favourite cuddly polar bear, he writes to Father Christmas to ask for a new one, only to wake up with a real polar bear cub in his garden the next day. It’s a story that really tugs at the heartstrings, touching on friendship and belonging with the perfect festive backdrop. We found it a very calming bedtime read, that has worked its way up to the top of our pre-schooler’s favourite book list – and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

With more than 140 advent-calendar-style doors to open, this is so much more than your usual lift-the-flap offering. Here, we join the Cat Family as they count down the 12 days to Christmas, with familiar scenes of mince pie making, Christmas card writing and carol singing. Each page has so many little doors to open that our three-year-old was discovering new ones with every read – even our six-year-old tester was desperate to get involved in spotting all the unexpected little details. We love the vintage-style illustrations that capture the warmth and magic in even the simplest of everyday activities during the run-up to Christmas. We never thought we’d want to be part of a cat family, but here we are! Packed with charm and all the fuzzy feelings you can muster, this is a real family favourite.

Who doesn’t love a true animal story, hey? Inspired by real events, this delightful picture book shares the adventure of Rosie, a tiny owl who manages to stow away inside a Christmas tree and travel far from her forest. It makes a cute and cosy festive bedtime read but was also easy enough for our six-year-old to read aloud to his little sister. The colourful illustrations capture the tale perfectly, and we all enjoyed reading the facts behind the story of the real Rosie the owl. It’s a fun page-turner that can be enjoyed year-round – our only issue is trying to explain to our three-year-old why we can’t get a tiny owl for Christmas.

Personalised books are the perfect way to really capture a child’s imagination – seeing their name inside the pages of a real book never gets old. This amazing quality hardback from Wonderbly gives you the chance to add the names of up to nine family members, friends or pets, as well as a bespoke dedication on the first page. The story itself follows a snowflake looking for a place to call home, travelling through various wintry scenes until it finds the place it truly belongs.

We found the rhyming text perfect for reading out loud, and both our six- and three-year-old loved spotting their names on stockings and as snowflakes throughout. The illustrations have a classic feel and we think it’s a fantastic keepsake that would make an excellent Christmas present.

If you’re looking for a Christmas book for a baby or toddler, this musical offering is a great choice. Inside, there are six colourful spreads featuring the cutest illustrations, lyrics and a button to press to hear the instantly recognisable festive song. We really loved how the songs were all sung by children – it definitely added to the cute factor – while our three-year-old could happily spend a morning pressing the buttons and singing along (seriously, it was hard to prise this book away from her). If your little reader is equally enamoured with the music, you’ll be thrilled to hear there is an on/off button tucked away behind a flap on the back page, just in case you need some quiet time.

When Dame Emma Thompson (yes, the Emma Thompson) joins up with illustrating legend Axel Scheffler (of The Gruffalo fame) you know you’re in for a treat. Inspired by Jim, the real dog of Sir Henry Cole – the man who created the first Christmas card – and set in the remarkable surroundings of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, it’s a funny, unexpected festive tale that we think independent readers will love to get stuck into.

It was the familiar illustrations by Scheffler that initially drew in our little testers, but as we read aloud they couldn’t help but fall for Jim in all his stinky, scruffy glory. The rich language and storytelling so clearly has Emma Thompson’s voice, and, as a result, is absolutely packed with charm. Great fun for big and little kids.

What could be more festive than a story written by Father Christmas himself? This very special book has magic coming out of every page – from the twinkly gold-foil on the cover to the enchanting illustrations by Claire Fletcher. It’s a celebration of children and their imaginations, explaining how “A toy is only a toy until it is placed in the hands of a child,” and we were all hooked from the first page. From shouts of “Look, it’s me!” from our little readers when they spotted other (not even that similar, to be honest) children in the book, to general stroking of the beautifully embossed cover, it captured the imaginations of our three- and six-year-old perfectly.

For us, it was the exquisite illustrations that delivered a heavy dose of nostalgia and gave us a serious Christmas spirit top-up. We think it’s a wonderful addition to the bookshelf, and one that we’ll undoubtably return to year after year.

These classic Raymond Briggs stories are as much a part of Christmas as mince pies and baubles. Here, they are brought to life in audio as a Tonie – a hand-painted figurine you place on top of your Toniebox audio player, for the story to play. Both our little testers are big fans of the books and films and sat enthralled listening to the (very relaxing) voices of actors Matthew Macfadyen and Benedict Cumberbatch as they retold the familiar tales. We found this a very welcome addition to bedtime, helping our littlest tester to drift off to sleep in record time. It’s also been the soundtrack to some suitably festive mince-pie making – the only thing missing for us are the magical songs that feature in each film.