December Books for Your Kid's Bookshelf

One of the best months of the entire year is here and as an avid lover of books and all things Christmas, I consider it my civic duty to provide you with a unique list of books to have on your kid's bookshelf for the month of December.

I think one of the hardest things about this time of the year is that there are SO many options for Christmas books and we want to buy them all, but then we get home and realize that maybe the book isn't as good as we would hope for it to be.

Well, you better not pout and you better not cry because I've done the work for you!

If you're interested in growing your library, don't worry, I have you covered. HERE is the link to shop all of the books I'm about to cover, but I will also encourage you to shop from a second hand bookstore if you're able. There's just something so special about having a book that's not in perfect condition and has been loved well by another family.

Alright, let's get to the good part! Let's talk books!

DECEMBER BOOKS FOR YOUR KID'S BOOKSHELF

Little Blue Truck's Christmas: This one is a personal favorite of ours and it's one of the first ones the boys grab every year. Come along with Little Blue Truck and frog as they count and deliver Christmas trees to all of their farm friends! At the end of the book, there's a Christmas tree with beautiful blinking Christmas lights that actually work. Rated solid 10/10.

Construction Site, Merry and Bright: Another great Christmas book brought to you by your favorite construction crew. Come to the construction site and watch as all of the trucks decorate for Christmas. It has flaps that lift up for your kids to be engaged in the reading and feel like they are moving or "unwrapping" presents. It's one of our personal faves and a solid rating of 9/10.

Golden Books The Christmas Story: Golden Books are a timeless classic and while I don't personally love all of them, I think that they definitely have their moments to shine and this is one of those moments. This takes you on the journey of the birth of Jesus and tells the story in beautiful detail accompanied by gorgeous illustrations. It's a wonderful way to share the true meaning of Christmas with your kids. Rated at 9/10.

The Legend of St. Nicholas: Follow a young boy as he goes Christmas shopping with his dad, but leaves with a bigger understanding of who the real St. Nick really is. This story tells the story of who St. Nicholas was, what he did, and encourages a heart of giving rather than receiving. It's a really great book and we love it! Rated at 9/10.

Sounding Joy: First of all, the illustrations on this book are beautiful and very Christmas cozy. This book walks the reader through one question- what does joy sound like? It sounds like falling snow or a kiss on the cheek, but the best sounding joy is the celebration of a new born King- Jesus! Another great book to help bring the focus of Christmas back to Jesus. Rated at a 9/10.

Star Bright, Christmas Night: This is another great rendition of the true meaning of Christmas- the birth of Jesus. It takes you through the whole story with engaging illustrations and a soft, yet simple story to help little readers understand the big message of why we celebrate Christmas. We've had this one for a long time and it will always have a place on our shelf. Rated at a 9/10.

The Night Before Christmas: This timeless tale will always be welcome on our shelf, especially this specific copy that I've linked for you above. The poem is so beautiful and tells the story of Santa's journey through the night of Christmas. The illustrations draw you in and give a good dose of Christmas nostalgia. Having this on your shelf is a MUST! Rated at 10/10.

The Shepherd on the Search: I've linked the whole kit for you above and the book is included with the kit. It's super affordable and serves as a replacement for the Elf on the Shelf. Instead of the focus being on Santa and the presents, The Shepherd on the Search shows the little shepherd's journey to find the manger where Jesus is born. He travels around your home and every morning, your kids look to see where he is on his journey. Then, on Christmas morning, he finds his place at the manger with Jesus. We personally, put our manger right next to our tree and just have the shepherd move to different places in our home. He doesn't do anything silly, he's just traveling. This is a great tradition to include each season to help your kiddos understand the true meaning of Christmas and it's one we really love because it has a big meaning, yet requires low effort from the parents each day. Rated at 10/10.

Steam Train Dream Train Next Stop, Christmas: We are big fans of the regular "Steam Train Dream Train" book so grabbing this one was a no brainer. Our kids love this book and it takes you along as the animal train crew loads up the train for Christmas. The illustrations are very engaging for the kids and it's a really sweet bedtime story. I think you'll love it just as much as we do! Rated 10/10

The Polar Express: You better believe this book sits on our shelf proudly! It's been one of my favorite books since I was a kid and now my kids absolutely love it as well. It's the story of a young boy who is invited on a magical train on Christmas Eve. The train has one stop: The North Pole and as the train arrives, the kids aboard get to see the beauty of the North Pole while meeting a few elves and finally, Santa himself. Santa gives the first gift of Christmas before he dashes off in his sleigh to deliver presents around the world. It's such a beautiful book with amazing illustrations. Rated at 10/10.

The Christmas Promise: Another amazing book to help keep the focus of Christmas on Christ. This book has beautiful illustrations and takes kids through the story of the very first Christmas. It talks about how God promised to send a very special King and how Jesus was the King and promise kept. This is a new book for our home, but so far it's been really great and we love it! Rated at 9/10.

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I hope this gives you a solid place to start as you create an intentional book nook for your kiddos this Christmas. Doing this for my kids is one of my favorite things and it's also really nice to be able to switch out the books as needed.

The Importance of Switching Out Books

Whether you have a seasonal shelf in your playroom or in each of your kid's rooms, there are SO many benefits to switching out your books with the changing seasons. First of all, it helps your kids to have a better understanding of the structure of the year and the different things you get to do or experience within that time. Second of all, it really helps to keep your books fresh and lively versus reading the same books all of the time.

How We Store Our Seasonal Books

I have a bunch of small buckets (which I'll link HERE) that house our seasonal books and I store them in our game closet, but you could also store them in the garage. I have a bucket for each big season or holiday- Spring, Easter, Summer, Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and so on. I store everything I need for the seasonal shelf in the bucket and each bucket is labeled so it's easy to find. You could also use large ziplock bags depending on how many books you have (you don't need a lot of books in order for this to feel special).

When it Comes to Buying Books

Let's state the obvious- books can be really expensive. That's why I always try to link new books that are $10 or less (when or where I can) because I know how crazy expensive it can be. This is also why I encourage you to shop at a used bookstore or consignment sale when possible! Many of our books are not new and have been purchased second hand, so don't forget to look for seasonal books the next time you go thrifting! Sometimes you can find them for as low as $1 each.

Setting Up the Book Nook

Our current Book Nook is located on a wall in our playroom. It was super easy to put together, but I also want you to know that it didn't start out this way. Our seasonal books started out as a simple basket in the boy's room with the right books for the season or holiday. As they got older and we moved to a new house, I decided to make a more permanent space which is where we are today.

I found the baskets on Amazon and this was probably the most important part because you want to make sure you're finding baskets that are sturdy enough to hold a lot of books. The baskets I use and would recommend are linked with the books and come in a set of four.

Once I have those in place, I add a few simple things to make it a little more festive. A seasonal banner, from the one and only Hunny Prints, hangs above the books and I usually try to add another element for the season like a garland, etc.

This is a super easy thing you can do to magnify the magic of each holiday or season and once you fall into a routine, it may just become your new favorite thing. As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me.

Stay tuned because I'll be sharing our Winter Book Nook next and you don't want to miss it! Thanks for stopping by and I'll see ya again real soon.

SB