12 Best Christmas Books for Kids in Chinese and English
Ready to celebrate Christmas? I’m excited to share the best English and Chinese Christmas books for kids and families to enjoy. The stories range from the origin of Christmas to popular fictional tales about Santa Claus and snowmen and modern Christmas traditions.
In Chinese, “Christmas stories” translates to 圣诞节的故事/聖誕節的故事 (shèngdàn jié de gùshì). Some 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 translate unfamiliar Chinese characters.
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Christian Christmas Picture Books in Chinese and English
These Christmas stories celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and the holiday’s history.
A Very Noisy Christmas
This playful retelling of the Christmas story features big and small fonts, encouraging 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 Jesus Christ’s birth and reviews Santa Claus, Christmas decorations, greeting cards, caroling, and gifts.
This is not a Christian book per se, but since it begins with Jesus’ birth, I thought it would fit better in this category.
- 作者 (Author): Gail Gibbons
- Simplified Chinese / ISBN: 9787544729130
- English / ISBN: 9780823417674
Chinese video stories about Christmas
YouTube is a treasure trove of educational videos, including heartwarming Chinese Christmas stories. If you can’t access Chinese books, here are the best videos about the true meaning of Christmas.
The First Christmas 耶稣诞生了/耶穌誕生了
This bilingual Chinese-English video explains the story of Christmas in a simple, child-friendly manner. With cute graphics and references to Bible verses, children can learn about the birth of Jesus and the love, hope, and goodwill of the season. Subtitles are in simplified Chinese and English.
The Christmas Story in Chinese 圣诞节的故事/聖誕節的故事
This stop-motion video is another wonderful “book” for children to learn about Christmas in Mandarin Chinese. It explains the birth of Jesus in simple terms with cute animations. Subtitles are provided in simplified Chinese characters.
Christian Christmas books in English
Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale
Room for a Little One has been a special part of our family since our first child was born.
With each turn of the page, Kind Ox welcomes a different animal into his warm stable. What a beautiful message!
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 Waddell
- English/ ISBN: 9781416925187
God Gave Us Christmas
God Gave Us Christmas is a 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 make 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 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 faith-based book 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. The realistic illustrations have beautiful details! We recommend this Christmas book for older children.
- 作者 (Author): Max Lucado
- English / ISBN: 9780310735984
Secular Christmas Picture Books in Chinese and English
We also enjoy fictional Christmas tales, including the stories of Santa Claus. Despite being forthcoming about Santa with the kids, our children still find Christmas magical and fun!
玛德琳的魔法圣诞夜 Madeline’s Christmas
On Christmas Eve, Miss Clavel and the other children are sick except for 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 Christmas book in both English and Chinese. The translation retains many of the original rhymes.
- 作者 (Author): Ludwig Bemelmans
- Simplified Chinese / ISBN: 9787549560356
- English / ISBN: 9780670806669
- Audio narration: Luka Reading Robot, Ximalaya FM
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 the elves at work and is left with a special reindeer bell as a keepsake.
Although our copy of this Christmas book is in English, we read it in Mandarin Chinese with Luka Reading Robot. Since many of the illustrations are dark, Luka was a little slow 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 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)
威廉先生的圣诞树 /威洛比先生的神奇樹 Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree
This whimsical English and Chinese Christmas book has a theme of sharing. Once upon a time, a Christmas tree was too tall! Every time it was cut short, the remaining piece became a new tree for another family. But that tree was again too tall, so it was 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 from 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, 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 woodworker 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 observe. This sparks a meaningful 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.
Holiday shopping guide for kids
If you’re shopping for holiday gifts, check out our educational gift guides!
