Picture Books for the Advent Season

ByDanielle Ayers Jones

This is a season to shine the wonder of God to our kids! its also a time of year to cozy up and display our own love to them by capturing every intentional moment we can. These picture books for advent are a great way to share the story of Christ's love with your littles ones this season!

Christmas is a time for classics. It is time for grandpa’s famous eggnog and grandma’s annual pecan pie. It’s time for favorite Christmas carols around the old piano and movie marathons of White Christmas and Holiday Inn.

And it’s also time for our own family’s tradition of pulling out our favorite Christmas picture books and piling on the couch for some Advent-themed reading while the lights on the tree twinkle and shine.

Today I wanted to share some of our faith-based favorites. Some are retellings of the biblical story of Jesus’ birth while others are completely fictional, but all point children to the true meaning of Christmas.

One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham
A young boy is caught in a snowstorm and takes refuge with a woman who tends to his injured ankle and tells him the Christmas story. The book can be used as a family devotional and has detailed and rich illustrations.

Christmas in the Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
A whimsical little poem about Christ’s birth.

Stable in Bethlehem by Joy N. Hulme
A counting book with beautiful illustrations for young children.

Who Was Born this Special Day? by Eve Bunting
A simple story for very young children about Jesus’ birth.

Jacob’s Gift by Max Lucado
A young carpenter apprentice in Bethlehem gives a gift to the newly born Christ-child.

The Little Spider by Sigmund Brouwer
A story about Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus’ flight to Egypt, told through the story of the animals that accompany them.

Father and Son: A Nativity Story by Geraldine McCaughrean
A poignant and imaginative story from Joseph’s point of view about the birth of Jesus.

Humphrey’s First Christmas by Carol Heyer
This book is worth the amazingly detailed illustrations alone. Humphrey is a selfish, pompous, and easily disgruntled camel–until he meets the Christ Child, that is.

Christmas Tapestry by Patricia Polacco
A young boy named Jonathan has just moved Michigan with his family and fears a leak in the church his father pastors will ruin Christmas Eve. However, the leaky disaster will instead bring about a modern Christmas miracle!

The Tale of Three Trees retold by Angela Elwell Hunt
This traditional folktale is easily a Christmas or an Easter book and it gets me every. single. time.

What is your favorite Christmas picture book for the Advent season?

Blessings,

Danielle Ayers-Jones

Danielle Ayers Jones is a storyteller. Whether it’s with paper and pen or behind the lens, it’s one of the things she loves to do best. Her love of all things bookish and artsy led her to earn a degree in English and Graphic Design and to work in an art museum pre-motherhood. She has written for Ungrind.com, iBelieve.com, StartMarriageRight.com, Thriving Family, Clubhouse, Jr., Radiant, and Relevant. She also combines her love of writing and photography on her blog. It’s a space where she seeks to find beauty in the everyday, joy in hardship, and encouragement in unexpected places. Danielle lives in Maryland with her husband and three children.

Similar Posts

2 Comments

  1. We LOVE “Jotham’s Journey,” “Tabitha’s Travels,” “Bartholomew’s Passage,” and this year we are reading “Ishtar’s Odyssey” (all by Arnold Ytreeide). We are also currently enjoying “The Jesse Tree” by Geraldine McCaughrean.

Comments are closed.