10 Best Christmas Books for Kids in Chinese and English!
Our favorite time of year is here, and my kids are devouring their favorite English and Chinese Christmas books! The stories range from the origin of Christmas (birth of Jesus Christ), to popular fictional tales about Santa Claus and snowmen, as well as modern Christmas traditions.
Some of the Chinese Christmas books are compatible with Luka Reading Companion while others have free Mandarin narration on Ximalaya. Otherwise, the Youdao Dictionary Pen (reviewed here) can help with translating unfamiliar Chinese characters.
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I first wrote this article 5 years ago, and sadly many of the Chinese Christmas books have since gone out of print. So this list has been shortened to just the available Christmas books that my children have loved.
Christian Christmas Picture Books in Chinese and English
These Christmas stories the celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and the history of the holiday.
A Very Noisy Christmas
This playful retelling of the Christmas story features big and small font to encourage families to read along in their loudest and softest voices. How fun!
Non-fluent families will also be thrilled about the Pinyin phonetic support for each Chinese character. (God knows I need the help!)
We were so lucky to get this bilingual English and Chinese picture book as a gift from the publisher, but we genuinely think it’s a fantastic Christmas book for all families.
- 作者 (Author): Tim Thornborough
- Simplified Chinese, Pinyin, and English/ ISBN: 9781784988159
圣诞节 Christmas
Like all of Gail Gibbon’s other books, this non-fiction book goes over the history of Christmas traditions, both religious and secular. The book begins with the birth of Jesus Christ and also reviews Santa Claus, Christmas decorations, greeting cards, caroling, and gifts. This is not a Christian book per se, but since it begins with the Jesus’ birth, I thought it would fit better in this category.
- 作者 (Author): Gail Gibbons
- Simplified Chinese / ISBN: 9787544729130
- English / ISBN: 9780823417674
Christian Christmas books in English
Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale
Room for a Little One is very special in our family, as it’s one of the first books that we read to our first kid. With each turn of the page, Kind Ox welcomes a different animal into his warm stable. At the end of the story, Joseph and Mary are also welcomed so that Jesus has a safe place to be born.
- 作者 (Author): Martin Waddall
- English/ ISBN: 9781416925187
God Gave Us Christmas
This is a very cute anthropomorphic story about a little polar bear who learns that God – not Santa – gives us Christmas. The bold-colored, cheerful illustrations plus rhythmic text makes this one of my son’s favorite books!
- 作者 (Author): Lisa Tawn Bergren
- English / ISBN: 9781400071753
Christmas in the Manger
This rhyming board book has big words and cute pictures. I think this book is perfect for babies and toddlers. Older siblings who are learning to read will find this a great way to practice new words!
- 作者 (Author): Nola Buck
- English / ISBN: 9780694012275
- Audio narration: Luka Reading Robot (English only)
The Christmas Story for Children
This is a faith-based picture book for older kids that begins with angel Gabriel’s message to Mary, takes readers to Bethlehem for Jesus’s birth, and concludes with Jesus’s baptism that began his ministry on earth. Very detailed, realistic illustrations!
- 作者 (Author): Max Lucado
- English / ISBN: 9780310735984
Explore this: 12 Bible Verses on Faith and Parenting in English, Chinese, and Korean
Secular Christmas Picture Books in Chinese and English
We also enjoy reading fictional Christmas tales, including the stories of Santa Claus. Despite being forthcoming about Santa with the kids, our children still find Christmas to be very magical and fun!
极地特快 / 北極特快車 Polar Express
This classic, Caldecott Medal-winning tale is about the magic of a child’s imagination. When a boy is supposed to be sleeping, he is invited onto a special train to the North Pole. During this adventure, he sees Santa and all of the elves at work, and is left with a special reindeer bell as a keepsake.
Note that we only have this book in English, but we read in Mandarin Chinese with Luka Reading Robot. Since many of the illustrations are dark, Luka was a little slower at recognizing each page.
- 作者 (Author): Chris Van Allsburg
- Simplified Chinese / ISBN: 9787513314497
- China Sprout (USA)
- Traditional Chinese / ISBN: 9577620663
- China Sprout (USA)
- Books.com.tw (Taiwan, ships internationally)
- English/ ISBN: 978544580145
- Audio narration: Luka Reading Robot
一个不能没有礼物的日子 The Best Christmas Ever + CD
This was the first Chinese Christmas book that we bought last year, and we still love it very much. A bear family is struggling financially and wondering what to do about Christmas presents. But is it necessary for gifts to be new?
On Christmas Day, presents appear magically under the bear family’s tree! As the bears open each gift, they find joy in rediscovering familiar items, such as a missing coat button and hat. Therefore, it was the best Christmas ever for this bear family!
The moral of this story is that expensive and new gifts are not the point of Christmas. Rather, we should be grateful for what we have. With humility and appreciation as the focus, I look forward to reading this story with my children every Christmas! This Chinese book comes with an audio CD and English translations.
- 作者 (Author): 陳致元 (Chih-Yuan Chen)
- Simplified Chinese with English translations/ ISBN:9787537636025
- China Sprout (USA)
- Traditional Chinese with English translations / ISBN: 9789869318075
- China Sprout (USA)
- Audio narration: Luka Reading Robot, Ximalaya FM (Mandarin); YouTube (Cantonese)
玛德琳的魔法圣诞夜 Madeline’s Christmas
On Christmas Eve, Miss Clavel and the other children are sick except brave Madeline. Madeline tries to take care of everybody, but she gets help from a magical merchant who arranges a Christmas adventure!
Since my kids adore Madeline, we have this book in both English and Chinese. In the Chinese translation, most of the Chinese translations have rhymes like the English version.
- 作者 (Author): Ludwig Bemelmans
- Simplified Chinese / ISBN: 9787549560356
- English / ISBN: 9780670806669
- Audio narration: Luka Reading Robot, Ximalaya FM
威廉先生的圣诞树 /威洛比先生的神奇樹 Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree
This is a cute and funny story about a tree that is too tall! Every time it is cut short, the remaining piece becomes a new tree for another family. But the tree is again too tall, so it is divided over and over again for other families.
- 作者 (Author): Robert Barry
- Simplified Chinese / ISBN: 9787539422572
- Traditional Chinese / ISBN: 9789862419717
- English / ISBN: 9780385327213
- Audio narration: Luka Reading Robot, Ximalaya FM
圣诞夜的空袜子 / 聖誕夜的空襪子 The Empty Stocking
This is a silly story about twins named Sam and Charlie who are worried about whether they will get presents from Santa. Although Sam is well-behaved, Charlie is “naughty”. However, Santa makes a mistake, and Charlie learns to make a good decision out of sibling love.
- 作者 (Author): Richard Curtis
- Simplified Chinese / ISBN: 9787550269392
- English
Secular Christmas picture books in English
Here are a couple of wonderful stories that capture the magic of Christmas!
A Christmas Wish
This is a gorgeous book with giant photographs! Anja is a little girl who wants to be an elf, leaves her home via skis on an animal-filled adventure to find Santa.
- 作者 (Author): Lori Evert
- English/ ISBN: 9780449816813
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
Jonathan Toomey is a woodsmith who is lonely and sad after his wife’s death. One day, a widow and her son stop by to ask for help. The son is fascinated by Jonathan’s work and asks if he can watch. This is the start of a meaningful special relationship that helps two families find new love.
- 作者 (Author): Susan Wojciechowski
- English/ ISBN: 978-0763678227
What are your children’s favorite Christmas books in Chinese and English?
I would love to know which books your kids are reading for Christmas! Which Christmas books are your family’s favorites? Please share in the comments below.
More Chinese books for kids
- For all book recommendations, explore our favorite Chinese books for kids!
- If you’re wondering where to buy children’s books, click here for the best online Chinese bookstores!
Holiday shopping guide for kids
If you’re shopping for holiday gifts, check out our educational gift guides!
- Ultimate Gift Guide for Kids Learning Chinese!
- 10 Best Toys For Children That Promote Creativity and Learning
- Favorite Jigsaw Puzzles for Kids of All Ages
- The Best Human Anatomy Toys and Science Gifts for Kids
- Favorite Educational Montessori Toys on Etsy