11 New Picture Books for Christmas: A Christmassy Construction Site, Cookiesaurus Returns, and a Very Grumpy Santa

The Broken Ornament, by Tony DiTerlizzi
Jack is determined to have the best Christmas ever. He will have a giant tree, decorations galore, and heaps and heaps of presents. In his frenzy for more, Jack insists on adding another ornament to his family’s already decked out Christmas tree. When he breaks it by accident, Jack learns that the ornament was a gift from his great grandmother to his mother. The broken ornament also reveals Tinsel, a fairy willing to grant Jack one wish.  Can she help make Jack’s Christmas dreams come true? The Broken Ornamentis filled with magic and mystery and is beautifully written and illustrated by children’s book veteran, Tony DiTerlizzi.

Construction Site on Christmas Night, by Sherri Duskey Rinker and A.G. Ford
Sherri Duskey Rinker’s latest picture book is a new Christmas favorite. Set in a bustling construction site on Christmas Eve, five vehicles are hard at work. Rinker’s characters include: Excavator, Bulldozer, Crane Truck, Dump Truck, and Cement Mixer. Once they finish their job, each character finds a tailormade Christmas present. Dump Truck gets a new set of tires. Excavator gets a shiny yellow scoop.  Cement Mixer gets a candy cane striped drum! Filled with inventive rhyming and solid storytelling, Rinker’s writing sparkles in Construction Site on Christmas Night.

Over the River and Through the Wood, by Emma Randall
Illustrated by Emma Randall, this book breathes new life into Lydia Maria Child’s poem about visiting family for the holidays. Originally published in the 1800s, Over the River and Through the Wood, has long been a holiday classic. Randall’s modern and cheerful rendition follows two children as they travel by sleigh to their grandparents’ house. During their journey, they brave winter winds and see a happy collection of forest animals. Randall’s book is a bright and colorful vision of the poem.

Oliver Elephant, by Lou Peacock and Helen Stephens
Noah is on a Christmas shopping trip with his mother and baby sister. As he explores the mall with his family, Noah keeps Oliver Elephant, his beloved stuffed animal, close by his side. Noah and Oliver Elephant stay busy during the shopping trip. The stuffed elephant tries on a sock, hides in a toy house and dances on a table. But as the day winds to a close, Oliver Elephant goes missing. The family must retrace their steps in order to find Noah’s favorite friend. Helen Stephens’s illustrations have a lovely, vintage quality that make the book feel timeless. Oliver Elephant is a sweet Christmas story that many parents and children will find relatable.

Pip and Posy: The Christmas Tree, by Nosy Crow and Axel Scheffler
It’s a Pip and Posy holiday story! The two rabbits are set to decorate a Christmas tree. Their ornaments are of the tasty variety—there are candy canes, chocolate bells, and Christmas cookies. As they decorate, Posy notices something strange, the ornaments keep disappearing. Before long, the tree is completely bare. Where did the ornaments go? Posy soon discovers the Christmas culprit on the couch with a bellyache. It was Pip all along! The Christmas Tree is a merry addition to the Pip and Posy series.

Santa Bruce, by Ryan T. Higgins
Santa Bruce is another wonderful picture book from Ryan T. Higgins. Fans of the series will be delighted to learn that their favorite grumpy black bear has been conned into playing Santa for an entire forest of animals! Bruce is even in charge of delivering this year’s Christmas presents. Bruce’s luck just keeps getting worse and worse! Higgins’s latest book is a charming and humorous tale that readers will want to read and reread every Christmas.

Cookiesaurus Christmas, written by Amy Fellner Dominy and Nate Evans, illustrated by AG Ford
Cookiesaurus Rex is back just in time for Christmas. The dino with sass will do anything to be chosen as one of Santa’s Christmas cookies. Anything. Including, shoving lesser cookies off the plate! Young ones won’t be able to read this book without giggling.

One Christmas Wish, by Katherine Rundell and Emily Sutton
Katherine Rundell’s story centers on Theo, a young boy home alone on Christmas Eve. Well, almost alone. Technically, Theo has a babysitter, but she’s fallen asleep on her phone! Theo has one wish: to have company on Christmas. His parents are always working, even during the holidays. When Theo sees a shooting star, his wish comes true. Three threadbare ornaments—an angel, a bird, and a rocking horse—come to life. The boy has company at last! Each of Theo’s new friends needs his help. Together, they embark on a journey, finding a music tutor for the bird and a new pair of wings for the angel. One Christmas Wishis warm-hearted, whimsical, and wonderfully lengthy. Rundell’s story is one that can be read to children over many December evenings.

This is Christmas, by Tom Booth
A curious chipmunk is eager to learn the meaning of Christmas. The chipmunk wanders the forest with his mother and watches animals prepare for the holiday. Badgers decorate their burrows with red berries. Ducks exchange leafy cards. A flock of geese sings carols. The chipmunk learns that each of these things is part of Christmas. But it isn’t until the chipmunk wakes to a snowy Christmas morning, that he learns one of the day’s deeper meanings. With their decorations and presents buried under a blanket of snow, all the animals have is each other—and it’s the perfect Christmas day. In the end, the chipmunk learns that Christmas means time spent in the joyful company of others.

I Got the Christmas Spirit, by Connie Schofield-Morrison and Frank Morrison
In Schofield-Morrison’s book,a young girl experiences the Christmas spirit in many different ways. She hears the Christmas spirit in the song of carolers. She feels it while twirling and spinning on ice-skates. She chases the Christmas spirit through stores. She wishes for it on Santa’s lap. I Got the Christmas Spiritis a unique and exuberant vision of the holiday. By the end of the book, readers will be positively brimming with the Christmas spirit.

A Christmas Advent Story, by Ivy Snow and Hannah Tolson
Ivy Snow’s A Christmas Advent Story is supremely charming. The text is warm and playful, and hunting for the 25 flaps for Advent is surprisingly entertaining. Behind each flap readers will find animals and objects that feel a part of their larger Christmassy scenes. For example, in a snowy forest, a squirrel and bird hide behind two flaps. In a cozy indoor setting, a lamp and book are behind another set of flaps. Each flap is accompanied by the word that describes the hidden image (i.e. a picture of a dog is labeled “dog”) which is helpful in expanding the reading vocabulary of those following along. Highly recommended!