The best Christmas books for kids this year, by age: We’re Going on a Sleigh Ride for toddlers, Letters from the North Pole for ages 5 to 7, The Snowman Code for ages 7 to 11, and Christmas at Hogwarts for older readers. Every one is chosen and reviewed by our editors.

Christmas books by age

Looking for books for a particular age all year round? See our guides for 4 year olds, 5 year olds, 6 year olds, 7 year olds, 8 year olds, 9 year olds, 10 year olds, 11 year olds, 12 year olds, 13 year olds and 14 year olds.

Books make perfect Christmas presents!

Books make wonderful presents, and with so many titles for children and teenagers published each year, choosing the perfect one can be a challenge. At LoveReading4Kids, we’ve read thousands of this year’s new releases, and in this collection, we’ve gathered our very favourites - from gorgeous hardback gift editions and beautiful picture books to captivating anthologies, stunning non-fiction, and collectable classics.

Many of these titles include an Opening Extract and have been reviewed by our expert editorial team, helping you decide whether each book is the perfect fit for your young reader.

Scroll down for our selection of beautiful gift books and Christmassy stories, and if you are looking for more ideas we have hundreds of books, reviewed and recommended in our Collections.

Christmas Book ideas for our Youngest Readers

Babies and toddlers are naturally drawn to books, and in this special collection, you’ll find a gorgeous range of beautifully illustrated Picture Books from some of our favourite emerging picture book creators.

You can also explore 40 Great Bedtime Stories for the Under 5s, featuring timeless favourites by Julia Donaldson, Michael Rosen and Jill Murphy, alongside modern classics from Oliver Jeffers, Chris Haughton and Eoin McLaughlin. Many of these editions are available as charming little library box sets - perfect for gifting!

Don’t miss our brilliant collection of fun novelty board books with an irresistible range of Lift-the-Flap Books that young readers will love to explore again and again.

See it, say it, cook it, eat it with Jamie Oliver’s delicious board books! Jamie Oliver's Little Food Library is a first recipe board book series designed with the youngest cooks in mind. In four simple steps, young chefs can make pancakes or pasta, pizza or cookies. As LoveReading4Kids' expert reviewer Andrea Reece notes of the series, “Design and illustrations certainly make each food item look good enough to eat, the flaps are a lovely size and very sturdy, and these tasty little books are a great way to expand children’s vocabulary too. Yum yum!” 

Inspire Curious Minds with the Best Information Books for Kids this Christmas

The Stuff That Stuff Is Made Of by Jonathan Drori and stunningly illustrated by  Jiatong Liu & Raxenne Maniquiz is an awe-inspiring guide to the many ways plants have been used for centuries to enrich our lives. Did you know that there's seaweed in ice cream, cork in spacecraft and dandelion in truck tyres? Have you wondered how paper or thread are made, or why the mandrake is so mysterious? In this celebration of the natural world, Drori introduces us to the stories and behaviours of 30 different plants, sharing the myriad of ways humans have (and in many cases still do) used them. 

The hugely popular young people’s newspaper The Week Junior has created an awesome series of information books, packed to the brim with brain-expanding facts and mind blowing information. Whatever their hobbies and interests, you’ll find masses to intrigue, enlighten and entertain young readers in the Big Book of Knowledge, and the follow-up Big Book of Even More Knowledge. As with The Week Junior magazine, the information is presented via lively text on pages full of colour photograhs, and it’s accessible, inspiring and perfectly pitched for its young audience. Definitely one to squeeze into a stocking!

Non-fiction books make great presents as they can be read over and over again and are lovely to keep. You'll find lots more in collection of 100 Great Information Books for Kids Who Like to Know the Facts with books on animals, history, famous people, interesting places and more. 

Get Festive with this fantastic selection of Christmas stories

Sparkling with the true magic of Christmas - caring, sharing and being kind - Mac Barnett and Sydney Smith’s Santa's First Christmas is sure to prompt plenty of pre-bedtime talk around Santa and thinking of others. Witty, and as warming as a mug of thick chocolate, this has the feel of a Christmas classic that’ll be read year on year.

The Snowman Code is a beautifully hopeful, funny and heartwarming tale about the lasting power of love and friendship, from the critically-acclaimed and award-winning screenwriter behind Pixar's Luca and Paddington 2, Simon Stephenson. This is the story of Blessing, aged ten-and-a-half, and Albert Framlington, aged six hundred - an eccentric snowman who has seen many winters in many cities, and who is duty-bound by the Snowman Code to help any child in need. Together, Blessing and Albert must find a way to defeat Blessing's bullies, win back Albert's long-lost love Clementine, and even overcome the never-ending winter itself…  

We’re back in Mr Pottifer’s Parlour of Plants in How to Grow a Reindeer by Rachel Morrisroe and Steven Lenton. The Parlour is always a place bursting with cheer, never more so than at Christmas, so when a stressed Santa arrives Mr Pottifer and his friend Sarah are ready to help. The problem is Santa’s reindeer, who’ve all got Antler Flu. Who will pull his sleigh? The answer is, of course, to grow some more reindeer from seeds: meet Snooze, Fizzy, Dazzle, Dizzy, Pudding, Storm, Spruce and tiny Bruce! Told in Rachel Morrisoe’s jolly rhyme and with delightfully festive illustrations by Steven Lenton (little Bruce with his disco ball nose is particularly cute!), this is a fun and original Christmas story that keeps teamwork and good cheer at its heart.

Discover even more Christmassy tales in our Festive Fiction collection, along with plenty of inspiration to help you find the perfect book.

For even more Christmas Inspiration, explore our Stocking Fillers, Gift Sets and Favourite Annuals - all filled with wonderful recommendations for the perfect children’s books to unwrap on Christmas morning.

Questions we get asked

What is a good Christmas book for a 5 year old?

Letters from the North Pole by Annie Atkins or The Muttcracker by Anna Kemp. Both are picture books made for reading aloud in the run-up to Christmas.

What Christmas books are good for toddlers?

Lift-the-flap books work best at this age. Try We’re Going on a Sleigh Ride by Martha Mumford, then our favourite lift-the-flap books.

What is a good Christmas book for a 9 or 10 year old?

The Snow Girl by Sophie Anderson, or The Snowman Code by Simon Stephenson for a story that is funny and moving in equal measure.

What Christmas books suit teenagers?

Christmas at Hogwarts by J.K. Rowling is a beautiful gift edition for Harry Potter fans. For something new, try Fia and the Last Snow Deer by Eilish Fisher.

When should I order for delivery before Christmas?

Our Christmas delivery page gives the last order dates for this year.

Let us know which books are on your wishlists! And don't forget, with each book sale, we give 25% of the retail price to your nominated school for them to re-invest in books for their libraries. So help stock your school library AND share the gift of reading for pleasure.