My Favorite Christmas and Holiday Picture Books

No surprise here, but when I was a kid I loved to be read to way before I could read on my own. We still have the majority of my picture books, and I love to go through them at any time, but especially during the holidays. I thought I would share a few of my favorite Christmas picture books today to get you into the Christmas spirit, and to remind you to pull out your old favorite picture books every once and awhile.

The Hat by Jan Brett

I love Jan Brett's illustrations. They are so intricate and beautiful, but my favorite part about her books when I was young was the abundance of pictures on the side borders of the pages. With those pictures I could make up my own story and "read" to my parents. I own many of Brett's works and read them over and over as a kid.

The Night Before Christmas by Jan Brett 

This is my favorite illustrated version of this poem. Again, the illustrations are beautiful, and you can see a sample of Brett's side-border illustrations. 

Welcome Comfort by Patricia Polacco

The Trees of the Dancing Goats by Patricia Polacco

Patricia Polacco is another on of my favorite picture books authors/illustrators. Her books are so full of color. culture, and love. I will warn you, her books have a large amount of words for picture books so the littler ones may not be able to sit through the whole book, but the stories are beautiful and these books are great for upper elementary and even middle school kids. She has so many different books about different cultures and holidays, and a beautiful illustration style. 

Aunite Claus by Elsie Primavera 

 If I had to pick a favorite Christmas book, this would be it. I love, love this book. It's so magical and heartwarming and captures the spirit of Christmas beautifully. I know there is another book featuring the same characters, but I have yet to check that one out, but I so need to. The second one is called Auntie Claus and the Key to Christmas.

The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

This book is a Winter classic. It contains no words, just beautifully illustrated pictures that tell the story of the adventure a young boy and his snowman have. This is great for younger kids because they can make up their own story and feel like they are reading all by themselves, plus you get to listen to their unique story. The colors in this books are gorgeous and kids are really drawn to this book. This books is not about a specific holiday, just winter in general, meaning it's great for every child, regardless of what holiday they celebrate. 

The Snowy day by Erza Jack Keats

While this book isn't about a holiday, it sure is a winter classic. Kids love this book. There is just something about this book that draws kids in and captivates them. The pictures and colors are beautiful and the story is sweet. If there is a young child in your life that you have a hard time getting interested in books, I would suggest giving this one a try. I know my little cousins love this book, and want to read it back-to-back even though they will hardly sit still for five minutes any other time.