Best Holiday Books for Babies and Toddlers

This bright and colorful book keeps things simple for teaching baby all about the basic and most essential traditions of Diwali, from the flowers and rangoli that bring the color to every household to the glowing lights and candles that help showcase the meaning behind the Festival of Light.

This sweet rhyming story shows a family’s step-by-step process to prepare for and then celebrate Diwali with their loved ones, teaching young kids all the love and joy (and hard work) that goes into the largest Hindu holiday.

One of the easiest ways to introduce the basics of anything to little ones is to include a well-known, well-loved character, so here’s the Very Hungry Caterpillar (ubiquitous in nearly every baby’s life) to teach the basic traditions of Hanukkah, from the lighting of the menorah and singing of songs to playing with a dreidel and exchanging gifts.

Another favorite character is here to help little ones learn all about Hanukkah. When Elmo is invited to spend the holiday with his friend, he learns all about how to play dreidel (plus a few other traditions, too).

The classic song for the classic Hanukkah game is recreated in this cute sing-along book featuring a variety of forest animals all preparing to celebrate the holiday. The lyrics of “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel” appear alongside images of menorahs, latkes, gelt and, of course, dreidels.

With all the excitement through the eight nights of Hanukkah, some little ones may be tempted to misbehave. But do dinosaurs misbehave during prayer time and rituals? Your kiddo may be shocked to learn a lesson from some well-mannered dinosaurs.

December 21st is the official first day of winter, but the transition between seasons usually doesn’t happen in a single day. As two children walk through their neighborhood, they greet many different parts of nature—from leaves and farm animals to clouds and the North Star—which all answer back about their shift from autumn into winter. This simple story is great for teaching little ones about all the natural changes that take place as the seasons change.

Cultures throughout history have celebrated the shortest day of the year in their own unique ways, but for everyone, it marks the same thing: the beginning of the winter season. This book’s simplistic explanations of ancient and modern traditions make this a great winter starter for toddlers and preschoolers, while the scientific facts and astrological charts in the back of the book are fun for older children.

A city is blanketed in snow, and everything is peaceful and quiet. Only the crunch, crunch, crunch of snowy footsteps can be heard. Join a small child as they experience their first snow and are in awe of the city’s transformation.

Written to the rhythm of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” the story of this adorable little snowman’s sledding adventure is sure to keep your spirits up during the chilly winter season.

At nearly 200 years old, this classic holiday poem is still read every Christmas Eve by countless adults to wide-eyed little ones as they await Santa’s arrival.

There are lots of words that can be used to describe Christmas—so here’s 100! Plenty of the words in this book will be familiar to your little one, but combined with more festive words like “wreath,” “advent calendar,” “elf” and “Nativity,” it’ll get the whole family in the Christmas mood in no time.

This sturdy lift-the-flap book will lead baby on an exciting search for presents, and it’s perfect for getting even your smallest family member involved in the festivities.

If you and baby aren’t already familiar with The Little Blue Truck, this holiday story is a great time to be introduced to the friendly little truck (truly a modern classic in children’s characters!). Follow Little Blue as it delivers Christmas trees to all its friends, and then celebrate as it gets to keep a tree for its very own. And the best part of this book? The real flashing Christmas lights on the last page!

The seven days of Kwanzaa are filled with family and festivities to embrace community and heritage. Get your little one ready to celebrate their first Kwanzaa with this holiday and vocabulary primer.

In this family, everyone has their own special part to play during the Kwanzaa celebration. On each of the seven nights, one family member gets to light one of the candles in the kinara and tell the rest of the family all about one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. And the youngest family member can’t wait for their turn! This story also comes with a few critical reading questions to help older toddlers and preschoolers interact with what they’re learning.

This book takes the familiar poem about The Night Before Christmas and turns it into one family’s celebration of New Year’s Eve. Their lively activities range from a late-night feast of their favorite foods to party poppers and the Times Square countdown, helping introduce your little one to some of the common traditions of the American New Year.

Black-eyed peas are a cherished New Year’s tradition for many American families, so when Shanté’s grandma forgets to cook them, she’ll have to rely on help from her neighbors to bring the good luck food for the new year.

All the essentials of Lunar New Year celebrations are listed out in simple terms for even the youngest kiddos, so they can learn about and take part in hanging paper lanters, receiving a lucky red envelope and watching fireworks.

This little story follows one little girl and her brother through all their family’s Lunar New Year traditions, with each one accompanied by a brief explanation behind the reason for it in words simple enough for younger children to understand.