I know that starting Christmas before Thanksgiving is something people have Opinions about and that’s okay. I do this because I travel a lot for work, I go nuts for Christmas, and I have approximately 2,346,892 jingle bells in the air at once — and, perhaps more importantly, I am not even remotely interested in delaying or explaining happiness. If something makes you happy, do it. If something makes someone else happy but it’s not your thing, shut up about it and go on with your life!

Historically, I send my special edition on Christmas well before Thanksgiving not because I’ve got it all together — HAHA, I absolutely do not — but because books take time to find and procure, and I want you to have plenty of joy, sparkle, and stories at the ready when the season really begins. (I also want you to win the nonexistent medal for being first on the library hold list. Here you go 🥇)

Little Fairy’s Christmas by Daniela Drescher (2010)

🍼 Babies & Toddlers (0–3)
🧒 Preschool–Early Reader (3–6)

The best part about Daniela Drescher’s books is her skill in preserving the simple magic of nature for young readers: there is never anything immense happening in her stories (which isn’t to say characters don’t encounter challenges), never anything of the citied world (everything happens in the forest or the sea, away from modern humans and their trappings). Her stories invite readers into the real world of the environment, but in a calm, sheltered way, one that wraps children in stillness and peace.

Never is this more apparent than in this gentle Christmas read, where a little fairy named Faith gets lost in the woods and is taken care of by various animals until she comes upon an elf boy in the same predicament. Faith gives him the gifts she has just received, and before long, they are both discovered by Father Christmas, who leads them to the warmth and safety of the elf’s home.

There is a strong message of generosity woven here in every thread, and coupled with Drescher’s mellow watercolor paintings, it makes for a snug, sweet reading experience. The simple ending makes clear that the best things in life — a safe haven, hot tea, tasty cakes, and good people — are even better when shared.

The Bear and the Star by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Bethanne Andersen (2019)

🧒 Preschool–Early Reader (3–6)

“Early one December morning,
Bear woke
and turned toward the horizon,
to a star —
a new star,
barely visible,
yet larger than any before.

It was time.”

So begins this lovely, lyrical story that follows Bear’s discovery of the perfect evergreen and his call across the wide, varied landscape to all who inhabit it.

It’s a simple premise made absolutely gorgeous by Andersen’s illustrations — oil paints on gessoed printmaking paper — which bring the winter landscape and the feeling of light and enlivening snowfall to life. More beautiful, if it’s possible, is the response to Bear’s invitation, all the animals and people who stop what they’re doing and gather together beneath the star, united in the simple, luminous wish for peace. Don’t miss this timeless, hushed tale that feels like a winter benediction in your hands.

'Twas Nochebuena by Roseanne Greenfield Thong, illustrated by Sara Palacios (2014)

🧒 Preschool–Early Reader (3–6)
📖 Independent Readers (6–9)

Greenfield Thong takes Clement C. Moore’s uber-famous poem, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, and reimagines it here in a romping, rhyming bilingual celebration of Latino culture.

While Thong does take a few liberties — it’s a reinvention, not merely editing the poem to include Spanish words (the narrator is a young girl, not the familiar father of the original, for instance) — the changes are fresh and thoughtful ones that allow the poem to flow naturally:

We clink our glass marbles and play lotería
while singing and laughing — qué maravilla!
When out in the jardín I hear such a clatter,
I spring from my silla to shout, ‘What’s the matter?’

Palcios’ digital illustrations are colorful and full of cheer, depicting a big, warm intergenerational family setting full of traditions and love. If you’re looking for a fresh — and fun — spin on an old classic, I highly recommend this.

(For another top-notch Spanish-English Christmas book, check out N is for Navidad by Susan Middleton Elya.)

One Foggy Christmas Eve by Kerilynn Wilson (2024)

🧒 Preschool–Early Reader (3–6)

When mist threatens to derail her family’s holiday trek to visit her grandparents, one little girl refuses the weather. Determined to deliver her handmade present, she uses her imagination — and a little unexpected luminous help — to light the way.

The text here is sparse — there’s more said in Wilson’s swirling, atmospheric pen, ink, and digital illustrations, but that’s not a bad thing. The images do an incredible job of storytelling — expect to be interrupted by questions from captivated younger readers as they try to make sense of what’s happening — and masterfully capture both the hush and the wonder of a chilly, fog-drenched December night. Things get a little dark, even a bit frightening at times, but the ending is cozy and reassuring — perfect for slowing down and savoring.

The Christmas Coat: Memories of My Sioux Childhood by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, illustrated by Ellen Beier (2011)

📖 Independent Readers (6–9)
📚 Middle Grade (9–12)

In this thoughtful story, Virginia’s winter coat is much too small and she dreams of a soft, red one, but as the priest’s daughter, she knows she won’t get first pick from the box of donations that arrives from New England twice a year. When her friend receives the coat she covets, Virginia can barely stand it, but she knows that others have greater needs than she does, so she manages her disappointment. Christmas doesn’t look like it’s going to be very exciting this year until her mother produces a box reserved just for her family…including a long, awkward one full of something soft and red.

Beier’s watercolor and gouache illustrations bring this story of sacrifice and making do to vivid life, as do the thoughtful details about life on a reservation from Sneve, who grew up on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota and is of Lakota Sioux heritage. This is a beautiful story with a strong message about selflessness, generosity, and the magic of Christmas.

The 13th Day of Christmas by Adam Rex (2025)

📖 Independent Readers (6–9)
📚 Middle Grade (9–12)

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: everything Adam Rex touches is gold — his books are so consistently and wonderfully inventive, I never need convincing to pick one up. His newest is no exception.

Here, Rex puts a wild and outrageously funny twist on “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” The unnamed narrator doesn’t know what to do with the gifts sent by his true love, who is out of town visiting her parents for the holiday, but he tries very hard to appreciate the partridge in a pear tree. And the two turtle doves. And ALL the things that come after. (This is only where the story begins!)

Things devolve rapidly. The gigantic crew accidentally starts a parade. Then a circus. I don’t even want to tell you what happens next because it’s perfect and hilarious, and, well, just get your hands on this book.

(My one word of caution: if you or your kids don’t know “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” this book won’t make any sense. It might still probably, maybe, be a good read, but not 1/12th as good.)

Welcome Comfort by Patricia Polacco (1999)

📖 Independent Readers (6–9)

This touching story about the power of finding acceptance, love, and magic where you least expect it begins with a foster child with the unlikely name of Welcome Comfort. Teased by the other children for being fat, Welcome is rescued from both his social situation and his unhappiness in life by the school custodian, “a joyous man,” Quintin Hamp.

Quintin and his wife, Martha, unofficially adopt Welcome and he becomes a natural part of their family — trusting them enough, even, to confess his fear that Santa isn’t real. Quintin encourages Welcome, telling him before he and Martha disappear north for Christmas Eve like they do every year with no explanation, “Believin’ is seeing,” and though Welcome is doubtful, a strangely real dream — in which he receives a special holly-leaf shaped pin — leaves him wondering if Quintin could be right.

The years pass until Welcome is grown, with a wife of his own, and finally Quintin and Martha invite the couple to join them on their mysterious Christmas Eve trip. Polacco’s signature evocative watercolor illustrations submerge the reader fully in this uplifting tale about the uncommon miracle of found family. Several surprises at the end will make a convert out of any Santa-disbeliever and remind the rest of us who have never wavered in our conviction that believin’ is seeing, indeed.

Letters to Never Send Santa by David Griswold, illustrated by Luis San Vincente (2024)

📖 Independent Readers (6–9)
📚 Middle Grade (9–12)

I can’t remember if it was the expression on this reindeer’s face ☝️ or the first poem in this clever, hilarious book, but I only had it in my hands 30 seconds before deciding to buy it immediately.

These “letters” — cataloging the “confessions, complaints, and outlandish requests from the files of St. Nick” — make up not only the most inventive Christmas poetry book I’ve come across, but also the best I’ve found for older readers, who are often left behind by Christmas books but can absolutely still fully appreciate the unexpected questions, quiet truths, and sly humor in each note.

San Vincente’s bold digital illustrations add to the playful and energetic feeling here, but it’s the poems themselves — sometimes laugh-out-loud funny and sometimes tender — that make this imaginative, fresh, and ultimately big-hearted collection one to read this Christmas, and for many to come.

I also have a Bookshop.org list, Books for Christmas, in case you’d like to visually browse and/or support this newsletter in another way — I get a tiny commission if you use this link to make a purchase. (Thank you!)

Books for Christmas

Merry Christmas, you jolly elves 💚
Sarah