Image by Mariya Muschard from Pixabay
Can you believe that Christmas is in less than three weeks (17 days at the time I am writing this). This holiday season has zoomed by too quickly. I honestly don’t think I’ve had a chance to truly enjoy it. I hope things settle down soon so that I can. I haven’t even watched my favorite movies and specials yet.
Thankfully there is more than one way to enjoy the holidays, especially when it comes to quality time with your children and/or grandchildren. I’m referring to thinks like decorating, baking, and snuggling up with a good book.
If you are looking for more great books to add to your family’s library, check out these offerings which are available now where ever books are sold (Amazon, Barnes and Noble…).
Christmas Gnomes
Written by Kelly Green and illustrated by Lisa Anderson.
Based on the popularity of Christmas gnome decorations, this shaped board book with a fuzzy beard is the perfect gift to give and display during the holiday season.
There’s a little gnome secret
You’ve never heard before.
The Christmas gnomes are here
and knocking at your door!
Celebrate the season with the Christmas gnomes! Whether they are trimming the tree, singing carols, or baking sweets, the five gnomes are a merry little crew. Readers can count their arrival with every page turn, and the touch-and-feel beard on the cover makes the book irresistible to the youngest of readers.
This book is about a bunch of gnomes that knock on someone’s door. Each gnome brings something special to celebrate the holidays. I wish a gnome would come knocking on my door.
The illustrations are adorable too. I love how soft and colorful they are.
Good Dog: Snow Show
Written by Cam Higgins and illustrated by Ariel Landy.
In the adorable sixteenth book of the Good Dog series, a cool winter breeze brings excitement to the barn…along with sniffles.
Winter has arrived and brought a chilly breeze to cool down the Davis Family Farm. Bo feels the celebratory spirit at once—even the pesky barn cats are in brighter spirits! All the animals decide to put on a snow show. But when Bo begins to sniffle, sneeze, and feel drowsy, he fears it might be curtains before the stage is set.
With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Good Dog chapter books are perfect for emerging readers.
This is another book in the Good Dog series. I have read a few of them in the past and they are very enjoyable. If I was younger I would definitely requests my parents gift me the newest books in the series.
This is a chapter book, but the chapters are very quick to read. This book is an easy reader.
I love that there are illustrations on each page too. They are all in black and white. There are no color illustrations except for the cover art.
Could That Be An Elf?
Written by Hannah Eliot and illustrated by Saoirse Lou.
Think you can find the elf in this sweet and funny holiday board book? Peek through the holes on each page of this interactive story!
It’s almost Christmas day
and there’s one more thing to do.
Find an elf and make a wish—
watch your Christmas dreams come true!Young readers will love the game of hide-and-seek a sneaky elf is playing in this festive board book. Just when it looks like the elf might be on the next page…look again! Can you find the elf who will grant your Christmas wish?
You can’t really tell from the photo, but there are cut outs throughout this book. On the cover the cute little elf it’s cut out so when you open up the front cover the shape of the elf (as a hole) can be seen on the back of the cover.
I took a photo of one of the pages (above) so you can see an example of the cut outs. There are windows, doors and a tree too.
The illustrations are so cute and very cheerful. They are very colorful too. This is such a sweet book, and a quick read too.
Hap-pea Holidays
Written and illustrated by Keith Baker.
Keith Baker’s New York Times bestselling peas are merry and bright in this picture book filled with all the most festive and fun parts of the holiday season!
The holidays are here, and that means plenty of gifts to give and joy to share for the peas! There are ornaments to hang, candles to light, and snowballs to throw as a fun-filled, pea-filled year comes to a close.
I LOVE the Hap Peas book series. There are several of them.
The books feature adorable little peas doing a variety of things to get ready for the holidays. Even if a child can’t read they will still enjoy the book and checking out all the little peas. Mr. Baker is very creative when it comes to what the little peas look like and what they are doing. Just look at them. They are hanging up wreaths, carrying a lot of wreaths (even around ones waist), and peeking out the window. Too cute!
As far as the story goes, it’s a quick read but really gets you in the holiday spirit.
Muttcracker
Written by Anna Kemp and illustrated by Sara Ogilvie.
A pug pliés into the spotlight in this delightfully funny picture book about a dancing dog and an unforgettable Nutcracker ballet!
Biff is not like other dogs. He’d much rather plié than play fetch. So the second Miss Polly tells the ballet class they’ll be performing The Nutcracker for their Christmas show, Biff starts dreaming of the fluffiest tutu! The twinkliest tiara! He wants to be the sugar plum fairy.
Instead he and his human are…bon bons. Woof.
This is a fun twist on the classic holiday ballet the Nutcracker.
Kids will enjoy seeing a cute pug in a tutu trying to dance like a ballerina.
It’s hard to tell from my photo, but this is a hard cover book.
It’s a very easy read filled with funny illustrations to go along with the story.
My Little Deer
Written by Hannah Eliot and illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell.
Cozy up with your little dear and share this sweet, rhyming board book that’s perfect for wintertime snuggles.
My little deer,
we’re cozy together,
no matter the time or place
or the weather.This charming board book with a padded cover is the perfect read-aloud for your little dear.
I am in love with the illustrations in this book. They are so cute. I especially love the “softness,” if that makes sense.
I liken this book to other books that parents read to their young ones to let them know how very much they are loved. Books such as I’ll Love You Forever and Guess How Much I Love You. This book is similar to those classic and beloved books.
This is a keepsake book that you’ll want to re-read over and over again.
Snowman Code
Written by Simon Stephenson and illustrated by Reggie Brown.
In this cozy winter story, a six-hundred-year-old snowman and a ten-and-a-half-year-old girl strike up an unlikely friendship as they try to bring an end to the longest winter ever.
This book is for older children (9-12 year olds).
This is a lovely story about love and friendship. While it’s not necessarily a Christmas book, it’s still very fitting for the season.
There are illustrations, but they are in black and white. Not every page is illustrated either.
There are 27 chapters in this book, but each chapter is only a few pages. This would be a great read for a child who needs to read 15-30 minutes each day, or reads a chapter or two before bedtime.
Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer
Written by Robert L. May and illustrated by Antonio Caparo.
Celebrate Christmas with this hardcover edition of Robert L. May’s famous Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Beautiful, classic artwork makes this book a holiday keepsake.
This is a beautiful book. I LOVE the classic, retro looking illustrations. The book’s description mentions “keepsake” and I totally agree with that. This book is a keeper.
I love that this is a rhyming story. Even words that seemed difficult to rhyme have a word to rhyme with it. It’s very creative.
This is the perfect read for the holiday season. It’s such a beautiful book.
The next two books are classics – The Nutcracker and A Christmas Carol. They are both meant for older readers.
This are keepsake books as well (in my opinion) because they are the classic stories that we all know and love. These books are a great way to introduce the classics to a new generation.
Both are hard cover books.
Essential Christmas Classics Boxed Set
Celebrate the season with this collection of popular holiday stories from Christmases past. This set includes E. T. A. Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker, the story of a girl’s Christmas gift coming to life and battling the sinister mouse king, which later inspired Tchaikovsky’s popular holiday ballet. Next is A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens’s renowned novella about the miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge being confronted with his greed and learning the meaning of Christmas.
Rounding out the set is The Twelve Classics of Christmas, a collection of twelve holiday short stories. From favorites like Clement C. Moore’s “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” and O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” to lesser-known tales from beloved authors like Louisa May Alcott, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the Brothers Grimm, this anthology is the perfect way to count down to Christmas.
This is a must have boxed set of timeless holiday classics. This set includes;
These books are great to read together or on your own. Young and old alike will enjoy and appreciate these beautiful, collectable, books.
I love that it’s a boxed set too. You can put the books back in the same box when not being read, or put them in your bookcase individually.
The books are also sold individually (same cover art).
The next book has “Advanced Reader” written on it. It will not be released until February 11, 2026. I thought I would include it so that it’s on your radar.
Snow Pals Soccer (Feb. 11, 2026)
Written by Lisa Marie Burgess.
That night, as agreed, the two children ask the moon: “Please let our snowpals play soccer.” Then each child adds a secret wish upon the stars: “I wish that my snowpal wins the soccer match!”
After the storm and after the children build snowmen comes a whimsical tale — In the light of moon and stars the SnowPals come to life to play an epic game of soccer. A story of joy and the delight of play for all children.
A primer in sportsmanship in English and French this analogue book, illustrated with stitch and seam, harkens back to an era before the uniformity of computer generated
illustrations.
You’ll notice that the book has words written in French on it. The book is in both English and French. One side of the page is in English and right next to it is French. I guess this is a good way to learn some French words too.
The way this book is “illustrated” (for lack of a better description) is what stands out the most to me, even more than the French. It looks like it was done with real materials. For example, the snowmen look like they were made with those cotton round make up remover pads.
The way the images are created will really stand out to not only children, but also adults. It’s so creative. I love it.
The story is really nice too. I love how the children’s wishes for snowmen to come to life and play soccer is certainly unique.
You can find these books where ever books are sold (with the exception of Snow Pals Soccer – you’ll have to wait until February).
Image by Holger Grybsch from Pixabay
Kimberly
*I received free book samples in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
