New Christmas Books to Read with Kids

I used to do a book advent calendar for my daughter when she was younger, and I tried to fill it with as many books about Christmas and the winter holidays as I could. If you’re looking for a few new Christmas themed books for your library at school or at home, here are a few I’ve read recently.

Christmas by Annette Whipple (illustrated by Emma Randall) is narrated by Charlie and tells the story of his family’s preparation for and celebration of Christmas.

They have an advent wreath and play with a nativity set, write letters to Santa and make goodies to share with others. They go to a Christmas tree farm to pick out their tree and decorate it, have a movie night with friends and help out at the shelter. They attend a Christmas Eve service at church and celebrate on Christmas with presents, reading the Bible, food and fun with family.

The book includes a little bit of the traditional Christmas story within the narrative but also has more information at the back of the book about why Christmas is celebrated and the Christmas story. There are instructions for making your own nativity, scented ornaments and dipped pretzels, as well as a little information about how Christmas is celebrated around the world.

It’s a good overview of Christmas celebrations for kids who don’t celebrate or who see it as more of a secular event.

About the book: 48 pages, hardcover. Published 2024 by words & pictures. Suggested retail price $14.99.

One Christmas in Our Building: A Very Merry Mystery by Johanna Lindemann (illustrated by Andrea Stegmaier) is a cute, quick read about a holiday dinner that didn’t go according to plan. When dad buys a turkey for Christmas dinner that’s too big for the roasting pan, not to mention the fridge, the family decides to leave the turkey in the cool hallway to defrost, but in the morning it’s gone.

The family goes from floor to floor asking about their turkey and seeing different people getting ready for the day. In the end the community of their building comes together to share what they have, even though the missing turkey is still missing. It’s a sweet and silly story that shows a variety of families and how they can all celebrate together. It does not include any religious aspects of the holiday.

About the book: 36 pages, paper over boards. Published 2023 by Floris Books. Suggested retail price $17.95

My brother went through a phase where he was obsessed with maps. He loved to look at maps and he would draw maps of places real and imagined. He even drew maps that followed our route when we’d go to visit our grandparents in another state!

I assume there are still kids who go through map phases, and kids with an interest in history and how things got to be the way they are. Both kinds of kids will enjoy the book Borders: Understanding the Lines that Unite and Separate Us by Karim Ressouni-Demigneux, with illustrations by Karine Maincent.

The book describes how the original borders were natural, such as oceans, rivers, mountains and deserts, and while some of those borders are still in use today, many borders are human made, decided by treaties or carved out by colonizers. It covers the history of people congregating in one place and how city-states evolved into empires, how maps are drawn and how human conflicts can reshape borders.

There are stories about walls that reinforce borders, how borders work in the air and at sea, how people cross borders with passports or as refugees and how climate change is altering the borders of some countries.

You’ll also learn some fun border facts like the fact that if you stand in the middle of the bridge over the Zambezi River you can be in four countries at once because that’s where the borders of Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe meet. Or how there is only one border crossing between India and Pakistan that’s closed each night in an elaborate ceremony.

The book talks about time zones, border towns and places where countries and parts of countries are inside other countries and places where borders are less important such as the European Union.

While there are serious subjects in the book, it’s still a fun read that’s sure to interest those kids around ages 8-12 who like travel, maps and weird but true facts.

About the book: 72 pages, hardcover, published 2026 by Blue Dot Kids Press. Suggested retail price $21.95.

Have you read?

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