Winter is my favorite season for reading books. There’s nothing like a cozy blanket and a great picture book to transition into bedtime. Introduce your child to winter holidays from many cultures and faiths, including Hanukkah, Yule, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Lunar New Year, with this diverse list of 15 cozy children’s books. You may discover winter holidays you want to start celebrating!
Explore winter holidays with these 15 engaging children’s books
Disclosure: For your convenience, this post includes affiliate links. If you purchase items through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
Children’s Books about Hanukkah
All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah by Emily Jenkins and Paul O. Zelinsky
Purchase from Bookshop (supports independent bookstores)
It’s 1912 in New York, and four-year-old Gertie’s big sister is telling her about how they’ll celebrate Hanukkah. Gertie is eager to show that she already knows the things Sarah is saying, and that she’s big enough to help make the latkes.
Mama doesn’t agree, fearing that Gertie will get hurt. So she has to watch her four big sisters do everything without her. Will Gertie’s reaction ruin their celebration? (Recommended for ages 4 – 8)
Queen of the Hanukkah Dosas by Pamela Ehrenberg and Anjan Sarkar
Purchase from Bookshop (supports independent bookstores)
A boy is supposed to let his little sister Sadie help him make dosas for Hanukkah. After all “making Indian food that my mom ate as a kid for a Jewish holiday that my dad grew up with – that was a lucky combination.” But he thinks they’ll be lucky if the house isn’t destroyed by Sadie. She’s always climbing things.
That almost leads to a disaster at the Indian market, when Sadie decides to climb a pyramid of coconut milk. That’s when her brother discovers he has the power to entertain her with his own spin on the dreidel song. (Recommended for ages 3 – 7)
Related post: 14 books that help children and teens understand anti-Semitism
December’s Gift: An Interfaith Holiday Story by Ashely Smith-Santos, Stasie Bitton, and Sandra Salsbury
Purchase from Bookshop (supports independent bookstores)
Each December, Clara and her parents celebrate two winter holidays. First they travel to her Bubbe’s home, where they celebrate Hanukkah. The most special part of her time there is making latkes together, as Bubbe tells her of the menorah that burned miraculously for 8 days on just one day’s worth of oil.
Clara also visits her Grammy each December, where they celebrate Christmas. Clara’s favorite part of Christmas Eve is making star shaped sugar cookies, as Grammy tells her the story of the miraculous star that guided the wise men to the new baby king.
That night, as Clara falls asleep, she dreams of the grandchild she will one day have, and how she will share both of these traditions with him. This will be December’s gift. The book also includes recipes for Bubbe’s latkes and Grammy’s sugar cookies. (Recommended for ages 4 – 9).
Related Post: 9 Children’s Books about Passover
Children’s Books about Yule/Winter Solstice
The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper and Carson Ellis
Purchase from Bookshop (supports independent bookstores)
Both Cooper’s simple but lovely poem and the muted illustrations communicate the idea that on the shortest day, the year has died. But, through light, evergreens, and reveling of the people, the shortest day also holds the power to wake up the new year!
Children who celebrate Christmas will recognize many of the decorations and traditions they’re used to, which are rooted in Yule. (Recommended for ages 3 – 7)
The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice by Wendy Pfeffer and Jesse Reisch
Purchase from Bookshop (supports independent bookstores)
While Cooper’s book is a poetic celebration of Yule, Pfeffer’s more in-depth nonfiction book is great for kids who want to understand the science of the solstice. She also explains how many civilizations, including the Incas, Romans, and Druids observed the solstice. There are also a number of fun activities in the endnotes. (Recommended for ages 5 – 9)
A Coyote Solstice Tale by Thomas King and Gary Clement
Purchase from Bookshop (supports independent bookstores)
Cherokee author Thomas King brings together coyote the trickster, winter solstice, and an anti-consumer message in this funny tale.
When a young girl shows up for Coyote’s solstice feast, he’s a little baffled. But after Coyote and friends share hospitality with her, they need to get her home. As they try to figure out where she came from, they see a blinding light, which the girl tells them is coming from the mall. She tells them it’s no place they’d want to spend time, but Coyote is ready to dive right into the greed and chaos. (Recommended for ages 6 – 10)
Children’s Books about Christmas
Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem by Maya Angelou, Steve Johnson, and Lou Fancher
Purchase from Bookshop (supports independent bookstores)
Maya Angelou first delivered the poem “Amazing Peace” at the 2005 White House tree-lighting ceremony. The cozy illustrations and the CD with Angelou reading the poem bring it to life for children.
Angelou wrote the poem in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and its somber beginning seems appropriate for the pandemic Christmas of 2020. She goes on to remind us that this is “the glad season,” one in which “hope is born again in the faces of children.” This year, my family will be celebrating a small, quiet Christmas. This book will be the one we read on Christmas Eve. (Recommended for ages 5 to adult)
A Piñata in a Pine Tree by Pat Mora and Magaly Morales
Purchase from Bookshop (supports independent bookstores)
Did you know that the twelve days of Christmas start on Christmas Day and lasts through the eve of Epiphany (January 5th)? Many Latino cultures celebrate The Feast of the Three Kings, and gift giving actually takes place on that day. So, Pat Mora felt like it was especially fitting to write a Latino version of the famous Twelve Days of Christmas song.
I love the vibrant, playful illustrations that will help children easily understand the Spanish names for the gifts in the story. There are also pronunciation guides for those who aren’t familiar with Spanish. From a piñata to luminarias (paper lanterns) to burritos bailando (dancing donkeys), these twelve gifts are sure to delight children. (Recommended for ages 3 – 8)
The Nutcracker in Harlem by T.E. McMorrow and James Ransome
Purchase from Bookshop (supports independent bookstores)
This enchanting picture book retells the famous story of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, set at the height of the Harlem Renaissance. Young Marie loves all the sights and sounds of Christmas, especially the singing. She’s afraid her voice isn’t beautiful enough to sing, despite others’ encouragement.
After being gifted a toy nutcracker, Marie dreams of toy soldiers and dolls dancing around an enormous Christmas tree. When an army of mice invades, Marie knows she must join the army of toy soldiers to drive them away. (Recommended for ages 4 – 10)
Related Post: 25 diverse and inclusive children’s books about Christmas
Children’s Books about Kwanzaa
My First Kwanzaa by Karen Katz
Purchase from Bookshop (supports independent bookstores)
A young girl and her family prepare to celebrate Kwanzaa in this adorably illustrated book for the youngest readers. Readers learn about the meaning of each day of Kwanzaa and see the child’s pride in her African heritage. (Recommended for ages 3 – 6)
Together for Kwanzaa by Juwanda G. Ford and Shelly Hehenberger
Purchase from Bookshop (supports independent bookstores)
Kayla loves Kwanzaa, but how can she celebrate it without her older brother? He’s stuck at college because of a snowstorm. Still, she and her parents continue their Kwanzaa traditions, hoping that Khari will be able to join them soon. Will he arrive by the seventh night, in time for the karamu (feast)? (Recommended for ages 4 – 9)
Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story by Angela Shelf Medaris and Daniel Minter
Purchase from Bookshop (supports independent bookstores)
Of the Kwanzaa books I’ve read, this is my favorite because it’s truly a story rather than being didactic. When seven selfish and argumentative brothers lose their father, they’re only interested in his inheritance. But the Chief informs them that the only way they’ll receive the inheritance is to turn seven spools of thread into gold, without any fighting. Otherwise, they’ll be left to beg.
For the first time in their lives, they decide to work together. They know their father loved them, so he wouldn’t have set an impossible task for them. (Recommended for ages 5 – 10)
Related Post: Best children’s books and activities for learning about Nigeria
Children’s Books about New Year’s Day and Lunar New Year
Freedom Soup by Tami Charles and Jacqueline Alcántara
Purchase from Bookshop (supports independent bookstores)
As Ti Gran teaches her granddaughter Belle how to make Freedom Soup for New Year’s Day, their celebrations almost seem to leap off the pages of this fantastic book. They dance to Haitian kompa as they cook, surrounded by the smells of pumpkin and garlic.
Ti Gran wants to make sure Belle knows why Haitians eat freedom soup on New Year’s Day. She tells the story of how hard they fought to win their freedom from enslavement. Finally instead of cooking soup for their enslavers on New Year’s Day, they could cook it for themselves! (Recommended for ages 4 – 9)
Related Post: 7 inspiring children’s books about Haiti
Every Month Is a New Year by Marilyn Singer and Susan L. Roth
Purchase from Bookshop (supports independent bookstores)
When does the New Year start? In some cultures, it’s in January, but in many others, it’s a different month! New Year’s isn’t even a winter holiday in many cultures.
I love the collage illustrations in the book, which vividly show celebrations from all around the world. Each holiday is introduced through a poem written from a child’s perspective. In Russia, a Babushka chides the grandchildren for not appreciating that they get to celebrate TWO new year’s! In Iran, a family ushers in the new year on Nowruz, a March celebration that celebrates spring. (Recommended for ages 4 – 10)
If this book appeals to you, you’ll also like Let’s Celebrate! Special Days from Around the World by Kate DePalma and Martina Peluso (recommended for ages 3 – 7).
Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin
Purchase from Bookshop (supports independent bookstores)
How does a family welcome Lunar Near Year? By sweeping the old year out of the house, hanging the spring-happiness poems, and making get-rich dumplings. At the party that evening, lions arrive to scare away last year’s bad look – but they’re a little too scary for the some of the kids in the family.
As with all of Grace Lin’s books, the illustrations and vivid and delightful! (Recommended for ages 3 – 7)