The Best Christmas Picture Books of 2022
It’s finally December, and I don’t know how it looks where you’re at, but it’s certainly starting to look like Christmas around here. We already did our yearly duty of going to the Christmas tree farm, which has really become a post-Thanksgiving tradition that we all look forward to. And we’ve even gotten a few rare early snows to get the season started.
And heading to the Christmas tree farm isn’t the only post-Thanksgiving tradition around here. The beginning of December also means it’s high time for one of our major picture book lists on Dad Suggests. Our big annual trifecta of book lists is Halloween, Christmas, and the best picture books of the year - and it’s time to check off number two on that list!
We always bring in tons of new holiday books for these lists (perhaps too many) and it can be pretty tricky to narrow them down - and even trickier to rank them top to bottom. And it can even be tricky just to decide how many books to include in the article period. Sometimes I don’t know where to do the cutoff, and sometimes it feels a bit arbitrary. I don’t want to simply include every new Christmas book we’ve read, but where do I draw the line?
Well, this year I’m using a number that makes a lot of Christmas sense to me. In honor of the 12 Days of Christmas, we’re going to go with the top 12 Christmas picture books of 2022! Some really tough cuts had to be made to narrow it down to the 12 holiday books on this list, but I’m really happy with the result. And I think we’ll stick with the number 12 going forward for Christmas.
The books on the list this year feature, first and foremost, some really spectacular and beautiful art. I have to admit that the illustrations were the deciding factor for lots of the Christmas books on this year’s list. Of course that’s usually the case when it comes to which books stand out to us - but I just wanted to make a point of assuring you that these are all very handsome books that would fit in well on a beloved Christmas book shelf.
I also decided to keep my list narrowed down to books that were published and available in the US this year. On our list of the best Christmas picture books of 2021, the winner was actually only published in the UK, and it wasn’t published in the US and carried in US bookstores until this year.
I suppose that means it could have or should have been our winner this year, and that’s all a bit confusing to me. So, to make a long story short, make sure to check out last year’s winner How Winston Came Home for Christmas because it was just released in the US. And if there are any beautiful new UK Christmas books from this season - we’ll wait for them to pop up in US stores to add them to our next Christmas list.
I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful December and a happy holiday season. And I hope you enjoy many of the books on this year’s list together!
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. These links will lead you to view the books' listings on Amazon or Bookshop.org.
12. The Silly Sounds of Christmas
Written and Illustrated by Mike Petrik
I’ve enjoyed the art of Mike Petrik ever since I discover Sammy’s Spooktacular Halloween, and that book also serves as a good example of how much appreciation Mike has for the holidays. Last year saw the release of his great Halloween board book - The Silly Sounds of Halloween - and this year he’s released another book in the series called The Silly Sounds of Christmas.
Since day one in our bookstore, it’s been very apparent how much parents love board books. They’ve been selling much better than I anticipated - so I know I certainly didn’t want to overlook books for the littlest readers when it comes to building this list. Without a doubt, if you’re looking for something along the lines of baby’s first Christmas book - this is an awesome pick. With lots of lift-the-flaps and the fact that mom or dad is going to be making lots of silly sounds, this one will be a winner.
11. Unicorn Christmas
Written by Diana Murray and Illustrated by Luke Flowers
Another illustrator that I’ve been following for a while is Luke Flowers, and a big part of what I enjoy about his art is the fact that he’s chosen a lot of projects that show off his love for great shows like The Muppets and Mister Rogers. His illustrations are always vibrant and lively and full of fun detail, and they always bring us a lot of happiness.
Unicorn Christmas is a part of a unicorn series now - teaming up with author Diana Murray. It’s a rhyming book that kids will enjoy listening to, and Luke Flowers definitely brings this unicorn world to life. I know there are a lot of unicorn lovers out there, and if you happen to be doing Christmas shopping for a unicorn lover in your life, then it’s a no-brainer!
10. Cat Family Christmas
Written by Lucy Brownridge and Illustrated by Eunyoung Seo
This is a very beautiful and special book - particularly for all of you cat lovers out there. On the cover it calls it a “lift-the-flap Advent book,” and, while it certainly has it’s fair share of lift-the-flaps (over 140!), I’m not sure I would call it an Advent book. First of all, it counts down from 12 instead of having something for every day of December. But I suppose you could read 1 page each day starting on the 12th.
Honestly I think it’s fine to just read this book all at once. It’s really beautiful and it’s very fun to lift all of the dozens of flaps - many of which happen to be hiding a mouse. If you enjoy Christmas countdown books, and especially if you’re a cat family, you’re going to want to check this one out.
9. The Christmasaurus
Written by Tom Fletcher and Illustrated by Shane DeVries
It just so happens that this year’s crop of Christmas books features a lot of books for people with very specific loves - cats, unicorns, and, in this case, dinosaurs. If you’re shopping for a dinosaur lover, make sure to check out The Christmasaurus. It’s based on a novel by the same name - and it contains a great message about believing.
This picture book is also obviously quite an original concept. You might be wondering to yourself how someone could possibly pull off the concept of Santa trying to teach a dinosaur to fly - but it really works. The art of Shane DeVries is well matched for the story and really brings this funny concept to life - even making the wintry dinosaur quite endearing. I love to see artists get creative like this, and this one turned out to be a very sweet and original Christmas tale.
8. Trek the Halls
Written by Robb Pearlman and Illustrated by Luke Flowers
Okay, I see something of a theme developing here. If you know someone who really loves Star Trek - this is the Christmas book for you. And this is by far the most specialized book on this list. If you’re not a fan of Star Trek, there’s a very good chance the names and terms in this book will read like gibberish. But fans will adore it!
Big Gorn is reading a story to Little Gorn - teaching him about how the Federation celebrates holidays. Robb Pearlman and Luke Flowers have teamed up to deliver a holiday love letter to Star Trek that truly impresses with it’s plentiful references to many beloved characters and adventures. And the whole thing reads as a song parody of Deck the Halls. Quite frankly, this is one of those picture books where you will know if you need it!
7. If I Were Saint Nick
Written by Alastair Heim and Illustrated by Tom Brannon
Who knew they were still releasing Cat in the Hat books? And who knew they would be good. Honestly, if you would have told me that this book was released in the 50s with the original The Cat in the Hat - I would believe you. It’s very much more of the same great adventures - simply set at Christmastime.
The Cat is basically doing the job of Santa in this book, and he’s narrating what he would do if he was in charge. Of course you get prominent appearances from Thing 1 and Thing 2, and the whole thing is honestly just really well done. The rhymes are great and it reads really well - and the art looks exactly like you would expect. I’m a huge fan of when classics get a sequel that’s well done - and this one most certainly is.
6. Murray Christmas
Written and Illustrated by E. G. Keller
At first I didn’t realize why I liked Murray Christmas so much - but I suppose it’s because it was created by the illustrator that did the spectacular A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo. As far as I know, this is the only “Murray” book. And that’s interesting to me, because it certainly looks and sounds like a Christmas spin-off of a series - but it isn’t. That means it’s just an original Christmas story with great art - and that’s a recipe for success in my book.
Murray is a dog who is quite troubled by all of the changes that happen around Christmastime. The laundry hanging by the fire, the tree that’s indoors, and the man in the red suit that the family seems to love so much. It’s all very confusing. But the biggest surprise comes when Santa comes down the chimney on Christmas Eve. This book is sweet, it’s funny, and it’s beautiful - and that’s why it ended up so high on this year’s list!
5. It’s Christmas Everywhere
Written by Hannah Barnaby and Illustrated by João Fazenda
As far as sales numbers go, It’s Christmas Everywhere has been the big winner this year. That’s because it has two very big things going for it. First of all, it’s a board book, and an originally shaped board book at that - and those are really popular in our children’s bookstore. Second of all, the book unfolds and sticks together with magnets to actually make a little Christmas tree. It basically doubles as a Christmas decoration, and that’s just genius.
Inside the book you’ll find a description of the way people celebrate Christmas all over the world. You’ll learn about traditions in places like Australia, Germany, China, Ethiopia, and more. It’s a great combination of a quick and easy to read poem - and more in depth information on each page to dig in to if you want. Phaidon crafts some beautiful children’s books and they deserve big props for this inventive one.
4. The Twelve Cats of Christmas
Written by Feather Flores and Illustrated by Carrie Liao
What do you know? It’s another book for cat lovers! I guess that’s no surprise since we’re a crazy cat family now. We have 5 furry felines in our house now, and we’re always at risk of rescuing another. And, trust me, The Twelve Cats of Christmas is a holiday book cat lovers will adore. We’re experts on this cat loving thing.
This is another parody of The Twelfth Day of Christmas, and it's really well done. The great thing about this book is that all the gifts are the same - more cats! The cats are doing cat things - like batting bows, shredding paper, and chasing ribbons. And you keep getting more cats each day! It sounds great. And the cats are really adorable in this book. Plus, as an added bonus, all of the cats are named in the back of the book, with a complete list of likes, dislikes, and favorite Christmas activities. This one is a treasure.
3. The Big Christmas Bake
Written by Fiona Barker and Illustrated by Pippa Curnick
The Big Christmas Bake is another 12 days of Christmas book - and it ends on Twelfth Night with the preparation of a traditional Twelfth Night cake. It’s also another parody of the original song in a way - and it’s perhaps the most creative one yet. That’s because they actually keep the original gifts of each day - the golden rings, the geese, the leaping lords, and everything - but somehow make them all a part of the baking process. And in the back of the book you’ll find a description of this Twelfth Night tradition - and even a recipe for Christmas cupcakes.
Obviously this book has finished very high on this year’s Christmas list, and there’s a very good reason for that. It’s certainly creative and very well written. For a parody structured around the song - it’s not clunky or forced at all. It’s a very well-crafted book. And the art is just spectacular. It reminds me of the art of last year’s winner, Alex T. Smith. I absolutely adore the style of Pippa Curnick, and can’t think of enough positive words to convey how happy this art makes me.
2. The Christmas Book Flood
Written by Emily Kilgore and Illustrated by Kitty Moss
The Christmas Book Flood is based off of the Icelandic tradition by the same name (or Jólabókaflóðið in Icelandic). I had never heard of it before, and I think it sounds like a pretty magical tradition. Apparently it began around World War II, and it’s not just a tradition to gift books to each other for Christmas, but then to spend all night reading. How wonderful is that?
This is a dreamy book, and I love how much it focuses on a love for books, and a desire to find the perfect book magical book to bring loved ones joy. It’s really a book-lovers dream - an ode to imagination and coziness alike. And when you throw in the high-quality illustrations, it’s clear that this is one of the most special Christmas books we’ve seen in a while. The style and the detail and some of the creative decisions being made are beyond impressive. If you like to collect special Christmas books, do NOT miss this one!
1. Strum & Drum: A Merry Little Quest
Written and Illustrated by Jashar Awan
The title of the best Christmas picture book of 2022 goes to Strum & Drum - and I have to say that there was some very healthy competition this year. But Strum & Drum sets itself apart in a variety of ways. It’s a memorable adventure that checks a lot of boxes for us - with moments that are funny, and moments that are spooky. And, it’s constructed incredibly well - with a great concept that’s flawlessly executed.
I don’t want to entirely spoil it for you, so stop reading now if you want to experience it for yourself. But Strum and Drum are actually Christmas ornaments, and they are going on an adventure through a Christmas tree. There are several clues that point to this along the way, but it’s still a very beautiful and clever Christmas surprise for children reading the book. The characters are endearing, the story is memorable, and the art is masterful - particularly at the execution of the big reveal. If I had to predict one book becoming a Christmas classic this year - it has to be Strum & Drum.
Do you want to shop this list of the best Christmas picture books of 2022?
Shop this list on Bookshop.org
Shop this list on Amazon
And if you still want more ideas, don’t forget to check out our other Christmas picture book lists:
The Best Christmas Picture Books of All Time
The Best Christmas Picture Books of 2019
The Best Christmas Picture Books of 2020
The Best Christmas Picture Books of 2021
What’s your favorite new Christmas picture book? Let us know in the comments!
