Looking for fun, educational, and diverse holiday books for kids? Holiday books are an excellent way for children to learn about holidays and celebrations around the world. Plus, these fun stories will help your whole family get in the holiday spirit!
To make it easy to find holiday stories your child will love, we’ve compiled a list of the best holiday books for kids. These books explore various holidays and celebrations, including Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years Eve, Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and more! These diverse stories are ideal for toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarteners, 1st graders, and older children.
So, what are we waiting for!? Let’s jump in! Here are the best holiday books for kids.
Table of Contents:
Fun and Diverse Holiday Books
Explore our list of educational, diverse, and fun holiday books below, including some of our all-time favorite stories!
All of these books (and many more!) are available on the Booka reading app for kids. So, if you’re looking for more holiday stories, download Booka today for access to hundreds of books, including read along books.
Please Note: We’ve organized the list below by holiday/celebration to make it easy to find the perfect story!
Christmas Holiday Books for Kids
Here are some of our all-time favorite Christmas books for kids.
Caillou - Happy Holidays!
Adaptation by: Marilyn Pleau-Murissi
Illustrated by: Eric Sevigny
Caillou - Happy Holidays! is a Christmas book that follows the popular children’s character Caillou as he learns about Christmas traditions and other holiday celebrations around the world! The fun stories and learning begin when Caillou gets an advent calendar from his dad. As Caillou counts down the days to Christmas, he learns there’s so much more to the holiday season than presents.
Why We Love This Book: This picture book is unique and includes bright, colorful illustrations. But, best of all, through this story, your child will learn where and how Christmas traditions began, get the chance to explore other holiday celebrations, including Hanukkah, and even learn how to say “Merry Christmas” in different languages!
Additional Educational Features: Counting, discussion of diverse cultures and traditions.
Grade/Age Level: This holiday book is ideal for preschoolers and kindergarteners (ages 3 - 5+).
Caillou - Happy Holidays! is available as a read aloud story on the Booka reading app for kids!
Santa’s Countdown to Christmas: 24 Days of Stories
Written by: Kim Thompson
Illustrated by: Élodie Duhameau
Santa’s Countdown to Christmas: 24 Days of Stories is a fun twist on the classic Advent Calendar tradition! The book contains twenty-four short stories to help kids count down the days until Christmas. Each story follows Santa, Mrs. Claus, the elves, and the reindeer as they prepare for their big night. With funny twists and turns, this story will keep your little one hooked and wanting more - from December 1st to Christmas Eve!
Why We Love This Christmas Book: We love this unique concept of turning a traditional Advent Calendar into a learning opportunity. Plus, the cute and colorful illustrations make the Christmas stories even more fun!
Additional Educational Features: Counting.
Grade/Age Level: This holiday book is perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarteners, and 1st graders (ages 3 - 7+).
Jingle Belly
Written by: Jacinta Froud
Illustrated by: Gabriella Petruso
Jingle Belly is a Christmas book that follows the adventures of a mischievous dog named Eddie. Eddie the corgi loves to chew! One Christmas Eve, he swallows the angel from the family Christmas tree before running out the door - with the sound of jingle bells coming from his belly! Eddie causes mayhem as he runs through town, with his family chasing after him. Will Eddie ruin Christmas, and how will the family get their angel back!?
Why We Love This Christmas Story: This hilarious Christmas book will have the whole family laughing! It’s lighthearted, easy to read, and includes fun pictures that clearly illustrate the storyline, making it simple for young readers to follow.
Additional Educational Features: Rhyming words.
Grade/Age Level: This holiday book is ideal for preschoolers, kindergarteners, 1st graders, and older children (ages 3 - 8+).
Jingle Belly is available as a read along book on Booka.
Christmas Song Books (Sing Alongs)
Is your child interested in Christmas songs? If so, these sing-along holiday books are perfect for the holiday season!
Jingle Bells
Adapted by: Kim Mitzo Thompson and Karen Mitzo Hilderbrand
Illustrated by: Ivy Dad
Jingle Bells is a sing-along book that showcases the classic Christmas Song “Jingle Bells.” Complete with music, lyrics, professional singing, and eye-catching illustrations, this Christmas song book is fun for the whole family!
Why We Love This Christmas Book: This sing-along story allows young readers (and even babies and toddlers) to follow along with the words to a familiar song, helping to enhance word recognition!
Additional Educational Features: Rhyming words, repetition.
Grade/Age Level: This holiday book is ideal for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and older children (ages 0 - 4+).
Jingle Bells is available as a read along/sing-along storybook on Booka.
Up On The Housetop
Adapted by: Kim Mitzo Thompson and Karen Mitzo Hilderbrand
Illustrated by: Ivy Dad
Up On The Housetop follows Santa and his reindeer as they deliver presents on Christmas Eve! Children (and parents) will love singing, reading, and dancing along to this popular Christmas song.
Why We Love This Holiday Book: With catchy music and professional voices singing the lyrics, this Christmas song book is a great way for children to develop word recognition. Some words are also highlighted using colored text, further promoting memory and recall.
Additional Educational Features: Rhyming words, repetition.
Grade/Age Level: This holiday story is excellent for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and older children (ages 0 - 4+).
Up On The Housetop is available on Booka as a sing-along story.
Santa’s Coming
Written by: Kim Mitzo Thompson and Karen Mitzo Hilderbrand
Illustrated by: Ivy Dad
Santa’s Coming is a fun sing-along holiday book that introduces children to Santa Claus. As they follow along, they’ll learn about the jolly man, where he’s from, who he visits, and more! Best of all, this original song is to the tune of BINGO and is, therefore, sure to be memorable.
Why We Love This Christmas Song Book: With bright, fun illustrations and a catchy, familiar tune, this holiday song book will have everyone in the family singing along.
Additional Educational Features: Rhyming words, repetition.
Grade/Age Level: This holiday book is ideal for babies and young children (ages 0 - 4+).
Santa’s Coming is available as a sing-along book on Booka.
Hanukkah Books
Looking for some great Hanukkah books to read at home? Your child will love these stories!
Hanukkah Is Here!
Written by: Kim Mitzo Thompson and Karen Mitzo Hilderbrand
Illustrated by: Iesha Wright
Hanukkah Is Here! teaches kids about the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah! Kids can read or sing along as they explore Hanukkah traditions, including lighting the menorah.
Why We Love This Holiday Book: This simple story/song is full of real-life images that demonstrate the customs of Hanukkah, including lighting the menorah, traditional foods, and more!
Additional Educational Features: Counting, rhyming words, and repetition.
Grade/Age Level: Hanukkah Is Here! is perfect for babies, preschoolers, kindergarteners, and older children (ages 0 - 6+).
New Years Eve Holiday Books
Whether it’s your child’s first time learning about the New Years tradition or they’ve celebrated before, they’ll love these stories about New Years Eve! From parties to countdowns, these fun holiday books will show them what the tradition is all about.
Happy New Year, Spots and Stripes
Written by: Laurie Friedman
Illustrated by: Srimalie Bassani
Happy New Year, Spots and Stripes is a New Years Eve book about a dog and cat duo - Spots and Stripes. Spots and Stripes’ mom, Ms. Green, leaves them home alone on New Years Eve to go to work at her flower shop. As she leaves, she asks them to plan a fun night so they can all celebrate the New Year when she gets home! But Spots and Stripes have very different ideas about what will be fun to do for New Years Eve! Will they overcome their differences and plan an evening that everyone can enjoy?
Why We Love This Story: Spots and Stripes’ disagreement and ultimate compromise teach children a great lesson about overcoming differences and finding creative solutions.
Looking for more stories that include life lessons? Check out these children’s books with moral lessons.
Additional Educational Features: At the beginning of the book, parents and caregivers will find suggested pre-reading activities and questions to ask during and after the story. These educational activities/questions are designed to promote comprehension skills.
Grade/Age Level: This holiday book uses more challenging text and vocabulary, making it ideal for children in grades 3 and up (ages 8+).
Happy New Year, Spots and Stripes is available on Booka as a read along story.
Books About Chinese New Year
Explore our favorite books about Chinese New Year below!
Caillou - Chinese New Year
Adaptation by: Corinne Delporte
Illustrations adapted by: Mario Allard
Caillou - Chinese New Year follows Caillou as he experiences Chinese New Year celebrations for the first time with his friend Sarah and her family. Kids can join the fun as they watch Caillou help hang posters, get a red envelope with a New Year coin, try new foods, meet a Chinese New Year dragon, and more!
Why We Love This Holiday Book: This children's book offers an easy and exciting way to learn about the celebration and traditions of Chinese New Year. The story also includes colorful and meaningful illustrations for a fun and memorable experience.
Additional Educational Features: The read-along version of this story allows children to follow along with the words as they learn new cultural and holiday-related vocabulary.
Grade/Age Level: This story is suitable for children in preschool, kindergarten, and 1st grade (ages 3 - 6+).
Caillou - Chinese New Year is available on the Booka reading app as a read aloud book.
Valentine’s Day Books
Is your child interested in Valentine’s Day traditions? If so, they’ll enjoy these Valentine’s Day books!
Be My Valentine
Written by: Kim Mitzo Thompson and Karen Mitzo Hilderbrand
Illustrated by: Iesha Wright
Be My Valentine is a fun read-along/sing-along book about one bee trying to impress another. Will she like the cards and chocolate he has for her? Will she say “Yes!” and be his Valentine?
Why We Love This Valentine’s Day Book: With fun illustrations and lyric-like lines, this holiday book is a great way to introduce young children to the concept of Valentine’s Day.
Additional Educational Features: Repetition, introduction of new vocabulary.
Grade/Age Level: This story is excellent for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers (ages 0 - 4+).
Little Hoo Makes Valentines
Written and illustrated by: Brenda Ponnay
Little Hoo Makes Valentines is a story about a young owl named Little Hoo. Little Hoo wants to make Valentine’s Day cards for his friends, but nothing is going as planned! The glue is too sticky; his paper hearts are too small - everything goes wrong. But thanks to Mama Hoo and her creative suggestions, Little Hoo slowly learns to overcome these challenges.
Why We Love This Story: This relatable story is a great tool for teaching important life lessons about patience and overcoming obstacles, frustration, and the need for perfection.
Additional Educational Features: Introduction of new vocabulary and world knowledge (e.g., mixing red and white paint makes pink paint!)
Grade/Age Level: This holiday book is excellent for preschoolers, kindergarteners, and kids in grade 1 (ages 3 - 6+).
Happy Valentine’s Day, Spots and Stripes!
Written by: Laurie Friedman
Illustrated by: Srimalie Bassani
Happy Valentine’s Day, Spots and Stripes! is a story about a dog named Spots and a cat named Stripes. When Spots and Stripes’ owner, Ms. Green, heads to work at her flower shop, they’re left alone to decide how to spend Valentine’s Day. Spots has an idea - but Stripes doesn’t like it. Stripes has an idea - but Spots doesn’t like it. Will they be able to decide on something they both want to do to celebrate?
Why We Love This Holiday Book: Entertaining books with colorful illustrations like this are a great way to introduce life skills. This book explores the ideas of resolving differences and coming up with compromises, even when you disagree with someone.
Additional Educational Features: Parents and guardians will find “Guiding Questions” at the beginning of this book. These questions can be asked before, during, and after reading to help promote strong comprehension skills.
Grade/Age Level: This story uses longer text and more challenging vocabulary and is best for children in grades 3 and up (ages 8+).
Happy Valentine’s Day, Spots and Stripes! is available as a read aloud on the Booka app.
Easter Stories for Kids
Easter is an exciting holiday celebrated in many parts of the world. But what Easter traditions are most common, and where did these traditions come from? With the help of these Easter stories for kids, your child can explore all the excitement the Easter holiday offers.
Easter Bunny
Written by: Kim Mitzo Thompson and Karen Mitzo Hilderbrand
Illustrated by: Iesha Wright
Easter Bunny is a sing-along (or hop-along) book that takes children on an Easter adventure! They’ll follow along as the Easter Bunny hops down a trail looking for colorful eggs. Your child can join the fun on each page by counting the eggs and singing along!
Why We Love This Easter Story: As a sing-along with repetitive text, this Easter holiday book promotes word recognition and story comprehension. Plus, the book’s cute illustrations and interactive elements make it a fun and memorable story. These aspects also make it a great first Easter book.
Additional Educational Features: Counting, rhyming words, repetition.
Grade/Age Level: This holiday picture book is ideal for babies, toddlers, and kids in preschool, kindergarten, and grade 1 (ages 0 - 6+).
Easter Bunny is available as a sing-along story on the Booka reading app.
Caillou - Easter Egg Surprise
Text by: Kim Thompson
Illustrated by: Éric Sévigny
In Caillou - Easter Egg Surprise, readers experience Easter Day with Caillou! Caillou’s sister Rosie falls asleep right before the big egg hunt. So, Caillou’s grandma suggests that he searches for his eggs and then hides more for Rosie before she wakes up! Caillou quickly discovers that hiding eggs for Rosie is just as much fun as finding them!
Why We Love This Easter Story: Young readers will love finding the hidden eggs on each page! Parents will also appreciate this holiday book, as it touches on important life lessons like patience, sharing, and thoughtfulness, making it both fun and educational.
Additional Educational Features: Interactive elements, introduction to life lessons.
Grade/Age Level: This Easter story for kids is perfect for preschoolers and kindergarteners (ages 3 - 6+).
Caillou - Easter Egg Surprise is available as a read aloud with professional narration on Booka.
Happy Easter, Little Hoo!
Written and illustrated by: Brenda Ponnay
Happy Easter, Little Hoo! follows a young owl named Little Hoo as he searches for Easter eggs around his house. Young readers can help Little Hoo on his Easter Egg hunt, pointing out eggs and counting them on each page.
Why We Love This Easter Book: The interactive elements of this book make it fun and engaging. In addition, the large, simple text and meaningful illustrations make it a great tool for reading practice and learning new household vocabulary.
Additional Educational Features: Option for counting practice, introduction to new vocabulary.
Grade/Age Level: This Easter holiday book is ideal for children in preschool and kindergarten (ages 3 - 6+).
Happy Easter, Little Hoo! is available as a read along story on Booka.
Halloween Books
In search of some spooky Halloween stories? The Halloween holiday books below will keep your child entertained for hours!
Five Trick-or-Treaters
Written by: Kim Mitzo Thompson and Karen Mitzo Hilderbrand
Illustrated by: Sharon Lane Holm
In Five Trick-or-Treaters, readers follow five young children as they go out trick-or-treating on Halloween. Where will the night lead them?
Why We Love This Halloween Holiday Book: The fun illustrations and costume depictions make this an exciting Halloween story. The book also includes numbers printed in large bubble letters, which is great for promoting number word/number name recognition.
Additional Educational Features: Introduction to numbers and counting, rhyming words.
Grade/Age Level: This Halloween book is excellent for babies, toddlers, and kids in preschool and kindergarten (ages 0 - 5+).
Five Trick-or-Treaters is available on Booka as a read-aloud story narrated by professionals.
Kids’ Halloween Party - Fun & Easy Games
Written by: Ken Carder
Book Design by: Matthew Van Zomeren
Kids’ Halloween Party - Fun & Easy Games is a children’s Halloween book with more than forty Halloween-themed party games, crafts, and activities! From Zombie Tag and Pumpkin Bowling to a Spider Obstacle Course and more, this book will make Halloween a ghoulishly good time!
Why We Love This Halloween Book: Whether you’re hosting a Halloween party or looking for activities to do as a family, this holiday book is filled with creative and simple options for a fun-filled night! Best of all, each activity/game includes a list of what you’ll need and instructions for how to play.
Additional Educational Features: Includes lists and instructions to broaden the type of content your child reads and introduces new Halloween-themed vocabulary.
Grade/Age Level: This Halloween game book is ideal for children in 1st grade, 2nd grade, and older students (ages 8 - 10+).
Say Boo!
Written by: Juliana O’Neill
Say Boo! is a simple Halloween book that’s part of the Reading Stars series for young readers. The story explores all the fun and spooky aspects of Halloween, including witches, ghosts, costumes, candy, and more, through rhyming text and vibrant illustrations.
Why We Love This Holiday Book: Like all Reading Stars books, Say Boo! includes less than fifty words and uses repetition to build reading confidence. The story also incorporates various sight words, including preschool sight words (like ‘a,’ ‘and,’ and ‘that’), kindergarten sight words (like ‘are,’ ‘on,’ and ‘with’), and first grade sight words (like ‘of,’ ‘the,’ and ‘your’).
Additional Educational Features: Rhyming and sight words, repetition.
Grade/Age Level: This Halloween book is ideal for babies, toddlers, and children in preschool, kindergarten, and 1st grade (ages 1 - 7+).
Say Boo! is available as a read-along story on Booka.
Thanksgiving Books
Looking for holiday books that share the history and traditions of Thanksgiving? Check out our favorite Thanksgiving stories for kids below.
Happy Thanksgiving Day
Written by: Kim Mitzo Thompson and Karen Mitzo Hilderbrand
Illustrated by: Iesha Wright
Happy Thanksgiving Day is a sing-along story that explores the delicious food and fun activities that are part of American Thanksgiving Day celebrations! Your child will love singing along (to the tune of the BINGO song) as they learn all about Thanksgiving dinner, dessert, and traditions.
Why We Love This Thanksgiving Book: The story’s fun tune, engaging pictures, and interesting fonts make it captivating for kids of all ages!
Additional Educational Features: Repetition, introduction to new food-related and Thanksgiving-themed vocabulary.
Grade/Age Level: This Thanksgiving holiday book is ideal for toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarteners, and 1st graders (ages 1 - 6+).
Happy Thanksgiving Day is available on Booka as a read aloud story.
Spots and Stripes Celebrate Thanksgiving
Written by: Laurie Friedman
Illustrated by: Srimalie Bassani
Spots and Stripes Celebrate Thanksgiving follows Spots (a dog) and Stripes (a cat) as they prepare a Thanksgiving meal. But Spots and Stripes are finding it hard to agree on what should be on the menu! Spots wants one thing, but Stripes wants another. Will they come to a compromise in time to cook/bake the perfect Thanksgiving dinner?
Why We Love This Thanksgiving Holiday Book: Besides being a fun holiday story, this book explores important life lessons like compromise and overcoming differences in opinion.
Additional Educational Features: At the beginning of the book, caregivers and teachers will find guiding questions they can ask before, during, and after the story. These questions can help build reading comprehension skills in young readers.
Grade/Age Level: This Thanksgiving book uses challenging text and vocabulary and is ideal for children in grades 2 to 3 and up (ages 8+).
The Feast
Written by: Christina Earley
Illustrated by: Anastasia Kleckner
The Feast is a Thanksgiving holiday book for kids that is part of the Blue Marlin readers series. The story follows the Pearl family as they get ready for a big Thanksgiving dinner!
Why We Love This Book: In addition to its focus on family, we love that this Thanksgiving story incorporates phonics (i.e., the long e sound) and uses the Dyslexie font to make the story easier to read for children with dyslexia.
Additional Educational Features: decodable text focusing on words with the long e (ea) sound, suggested activities for before, during, and after reading to help boost fluency, comprehension, and reading confidence.
Grade/Age Level: This Thanksgiving book is suitable for kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, and older children (ages 6 - 11+).
Explore More Holiday Books on the Booka Reading App for Kids
In search of more fun and diverse holiday books? Booka has hundreds of titles to choose from - all at the touch of a button!
Download the Booka reading app today and get access to a vast digital library that includes stories for kids of all ages. In addition to holiday books, you’ll find:
- Audiobooks for kids
- Books about life lessons
- First day of school books
- Decodable books
- Children's alphabet books
- Mystery books for kids
- Winter books for kids
- Books about spring
- Children's books about summer and more.
Ready to dive in? Get Booka today!