Diverse Christmas Books for Kids
Enjoy these new diverse Christmas books for kids! Diverse books are important all year long, even at the holidays. All of the books in this list have diverse characters, and some even feature a Black Santa and Mrs. Claus! All were published in the last 18 months, and they range from board books and picture books to an early reader and early chapter book. Let us know what you think!
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Diverse Christmas Books for Kids
Here are some of our favorite new diverse Christmas books for kids! Which one is your favorite?
Merrytale: A Christmas Adventure is part of the Abrams Trail Tales, along with Spookytale. It is a joyous interactive adventure, as young readers lift the flaps and peer through cut-outs, on a trip to visit the North Pole. My daughter loves opening and closing the gatefolds – and of course she adores all the animals throughout the story! My favorite spreads are of the magical trip through the forest to get to the North Pole. Kids will love the foldout peppermint slide in the toy workshop. The two children who make the trip are diverse, as are the elves in the workshop.
One Good Night ’til Christmas is a sweet board book that features diverse families on the night before Christmas, excitedly preparing for the following day. A cozy read for younger children that captures the anticipation of Christmas Eve.
Little Santa’s Workshop is an adorable board book that brims with the joyful chaos of Santa’s workshop. With simple text, it highlights what makes the workshop so special – toy making, treats, and lots of love.
In the Nick of Time Too is a warm, uplifting book, the sequel to In the Nick of Time (see my full review). Everyone knows what Santa looks like, right? Cooper certainly think he does. So when he sees a Black Santa come down the chimney of his best friend Nick’s house on Christmas Eve, Cooper is very confused! I love that this book addresses the issue of Black Santas head on, in a very loving and compassionate way that is easy for kids to understand. It helps us all to dig deeper and think about what’s really important about Santa – his looks, or his love? Be sure to watch my interview with author Deedee Cummings about the book!
Murray Christmas is a cute, funny story about a dog who just wants to protect his humans. Murray is puzzled when his humans (a diverse family with two dads) start acting strangely, by doing things like planting a tree in the living room. All of their strange holiday behavior makes guarding them more difficult, but nothing is quite as challenging as the night when a stranger comes down the chimney in the middle of the night. Thankfully, after a tough first encounter, Santa and Murray come to an understanding and work together to make it a special Christmas for Murray’s humans – and for Murray, too.
The Truth About Mrs. Claus is a gorgeous picture book about an elf finding the courage to follow her passion. Amalia comes from a long line of teddy bear makers, but what she really loves is telling stories. Amalia is afraid to disappoint her family by telling them how she feels. When she goes to Santa for advice, she instead discovers Mrs. Claus, who tells Amalia her own surprising story about discovering her passion. A beautiful story that encourages kids to follow their hearts and never be afraid to tell their stories.
No Peeking at Presents is a cute picture book about a biracial family whose children are trying very hard not to peek at the presents before Christmas morning! The oldest brother tries desperately to keep his younger siblings from peeking, despite their elaborate plans to sneak past him. But in the end, will he find the presents just as irresistible as they do?
The Real Santa also addresses the issue of what exactly Santa looks like. A young boy loves all the Santas decorating their house, but he wonders what the real Santa looks like. When the adults all tell him that no one knows because no one has ever seen Santa, he is determined to become the first to capture Santa on film. Will he be able to stay awake and find out the truth about Santa?
Carla and the Christmas Cornbread is a lovely book based on the author’s own warm memories of Christmas. When Carla accidentally takes a bite of the cookie meant for Santa, she is worried that she’ll be in trouble – and end up on Santa’s naughty list! I love her family’s compassionate response, which shows Carla that everyone makes mistakes. Granny helps Carla make a batch of her famous cornbread for Santa. Carla is worried that Santa won’t like it, but Santa leaves her a special thank you note. Great lesson for kids about how to fix their mistakes, and that it’s okay to do things differently from everyone else. After all, Santa must get tired of having only cookies! Includes recipe for the cornbread.
Do you have a child that is full of questions about Santa? Then you need Santa in the City! Deja is a curious little girl with endless questions about Santa. How can he get into her city apartment without a chimney? How can Santa work at the North Pole if it’s so cold? Luckily, she is surrounded by caring adults who have great answers. (Some of which I’m going to borrow!) Deja learns that even if her home and her neighborhood look different than in most storybooks, Santa, with all his magic, has no problem coming to the city.
The Biggest Little Boy comes from CNN anchor Poppy Harlow. It centers on Luca, who wants to have the biggest Christmas tree for their house. Although Luca is biracial, the difference the book focuses on is that, as a child, Luca feels too small for everything. He feels constantly overlooked by adults and thinks that having a big Christmas tree will help him feel bigger too. In the end, Luca finds the perfect tree for his family and learns that special comes in every size.
Ty’s Travels: Winter Wonderland is part of a series of early reader books about a young boy with a big imagination. Ty wants to go to the North Pole, so Mamma helps him dress warmly then they set off together. The trip itself is imagined by Ty – indicated by the illustrations, which switch from realistic to crayon-drawn. Ty becomes sad as the trip starts to wind down with no sign of Santa. Will they get to visit with him before they have to return home?
Elves on the Fifth Floor is an early chapter book with an important message about bravery and challenging norms. On the surface, it’s an adventure story about a family that has an opportunity to help Santa Claus get ready for Christmas. But there is a bigger message about not being afraid to challenge systems that are hurtful. The author wrote the book so that more kids could see their families reflected in stories. The book centers around the Greco-Aiden family – two moms and their children – who move to the city of R, hoping for a better life after their type of family was outlawed in their last home. Instead, the family find a world where the adults are distrustful of strangers or anything different. Luckily, the children don’t feel the same way! They have an underground network that challenges that system, and when the Greco-Aiden family needs help, the children of the town come together to provide it. An uplifting story about making “good trouble” when what adults tell you doesn’t make sense.
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The booklists below also include diverse Christmas books.
Books About the True Holiday Spirit
