One of the things that I like about this time of year is snuggling up with my children and reading picture books. A few years ago, I shared a list of picture books that we like to read during December and January. Below is an updated (and hopefully better organized) list.

Advent Books:

Annika’s Secret Wish by Beverly Lewis
Apple Tree Christmas by Trinka Hakes Noble
Celebrating Advent with the Jesse Tree (St. Joseph Picture Books) by Rev. Jude Winkler*
Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck*
Christmas in Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren*
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski*
The Donkey’s Dream by Barbara Helen Berger*
The Fussy Angel by Mary Arnold*
The Jesse Tree by Geraldine McCaughrean
Marta and the Manger Straw by Virginia Kroll*
Mortimer’s Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson
Mousekin’s Christmas Eve by Edna Miller
An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polacco*
The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden*
Take Joy! The Tasha Tudor Christmas Book by Tasha Tudor*
The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story by Gloria Houston

Why Christmas Trees Aren’t Perfect by Richard H. Schneider

Feast Day Books:

December 6: Kersti and Saint Nicholas by Hilda Van Stockum*
The Legend of Saint Nicholas by Demi
Saint Nicholas by Ann Tompert
The Miracle of Saint Nicholas (Golden Key Books) by Gloria Whelan*
December 8:  Mary: The Mother of Jesus by Tomie dePaola*
December 12: Our Lady of Guadalupe by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand* (added 12/12)
The Lady of Guadalupe by Tomie dePaola*
December 13:  Lucia, Saint of Light by Katherine Bolger Hyde
December 26:  Good King Wenceslas by John M. Neale, illustrated by Tim Ladwig*
January 6:  The Legend of Old Befana by Tomie dePaola*
We Three Kings by Gennady Spirin*
The Little Drummer Boy illustrated by Kristina Rodanas*

The Animals Christmas Carol by Helen Ward

The Christmas Bird by Bernadette Watts

I recommend looking for the 1st edition of this Golden Book. The original publication included the Magnificat. I don’t know why the publishers at Golden Books edited it.

Christmas Trolls by Jan Brett

The Little Donkey: A Christmas Story by Gerda Marie Scheidl, illustrated by Bernadette Watts

Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale by Martin Waddell*
My children (ages 6 and under) thoroughly enjoy this book and will often ask me to reread it.

Silent Night: The Song and Its Story by Margaret Hodges
A Small Miracle by Peter Collington
This is a beautiful, wordless picture book.

This Is the Stable by Cynthia Cotten*
Cynthia Cotten uses lyrical verses to tell the story of the first Christmas.  The illustrations add to the beauty of the story.

The Tomten by Astrid Lindgren

The Twelve Days of Christmas illustrated by Jan Brett*

Dates indicate Feast Days when we make a point of reading or rereading a book.