Okay, this one’s impossible to constrain, so I’ll be breaking it up into categories. First, if you want a great resource for finding some of the best picture books out there, check out Read Brightly. They generate some great lists.
Today, I’ll do a seasonal-style list … So, things related to Christmas, Hanukkah or the solstice for those who celebrate those days as well as some other wintery titles.
Some Favorite Hanukkah Tales
- Jeremy’s Dreidel by Ellie B. Gellman and Maria Mola
- Runaway Dreidel by by
- Honeyky Hanukkah by Woody Guthrie and Dave Horowitz
- A Hanukkah with Mazel by Joel Stein and Elisa Vavouri
- A Hat for Mrs. Goldman by Michelle Edwards and G. Brian Karas
- Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric A. Kimmel and Trina Schart Hyman
- Little Red Ruthie: A Hanukkah Tale by Gloria Koster and Sue Eastland
- Hanukkah Haiku by and Karla Gudeon
- In the Land of Happy Tears: Yiddish Tales for Modern Times by David Stromberg
This one’s a collection of stories!
Celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah?
Check out Daddy Christmas and Hanukkah Mama by Selina Alko!
Some Favorite Christmas Tales
(‘Twas) the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore is an obvious favorite, and there are so many wonderful versions out there. I just wanted to share ours, the one illustrated by Douglas W. Gorsline and the one illustrated by Rachel Isadora. Also, we haven’t read this one yet, but I have it on reserve and am excited to see it: ‘Twas Nochebuena by Roseanne Greenfield Thong and Sara Palacios.
- The Little Reindeer by Nicola Killen
- The Gift of Nothing by Patrick McDonnell
We once gave this, and only this, just many friends and family. - Silent Night by Lara Hawthorne
- Refuge by Anne Booth
- The Little Drummer Boy by Ezra Jack Keats
- Red and Lulu by Matt Tavare
- An Otis Christmas by Loren Long
- The Twelve Days of Christmas by Alison Jay
- Samurai Santa: A Very Ninja Christmas by Rubin Pingk
- The Wish Tree by Kyo Maclear and Chris Turnham
- Christmas Farm by Mary Lyn Ray and Barry Root
- The Night of Los Posadas by Tomie dePaola
- Little Blue Truck’s Christmas (board book) by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry
- La Noche Buena: A Christmas Story by Antonio Sacre
- The Nutcracker in Harlem by T.E. McMorrow and James Ransome
- Who Built the Stable? A Nativity Poem by Ashley Bryan
- Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border by Mitali Perkins and Sara Palacios
- Santa Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins
Other Winter Titles
These are some other favorite wintery tales.
- Snow Globe Wishes by Erin Dealey and Claire Shorrock
- Walking in a Winter Wonderland by Peggy Lee and Tim Hopgood
- Snow by Uri Shulevitz
- The Tomten by Astrid Lindgren
- just about anything Jan Brett but especially The Trouble with Trolls and The Mitten
- The Winter Train by Susanna Isern and
- Small Walt by
- Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell
- Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost and Susan Jeffers
- Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal
- Once Upon a Snowstorm by
- and of course, The Snowy Day (board book) by Ezra Jack Keats
- Also, this looks beautiful and I want to read it: First Snow by Bomi Park
Winter’s Solstice Books
- The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper and Carson Ellis
- The Winter Solstice by Ellen Jackson and Jan Davey Ellis
And for a multicultural tour of winter holidays, check out Lights of Winter by Heather Conrad and DeForest Walker.
Christina Dendy 