Christmas books for little kids

You'd better watch out. And you know why: Pretty soon, you're going to have a visitor come down your chimney or through a window or door of your house and leave you presents if you've been good. No doubt, you're excited for that, and for the twinkly lights and the holiday music.

Christmas can't some soon enough, so why not spend your time waiting by reading these great books ...



For any kid who's asked for a new pet from Santa, "A Stray Dog for Christmas: How Suzy was Adopted" by Jack Jokinen, illustrated by Wendy Tan (Sourcebooks Kids, $14.99) is the book to read. It's the story of a puppy without a name who was accidentally locked in a house.

There are people who live there. Will they like her? Will they be her friend? Will they give her a name, once and for all, of her very own? Animal-loving kids ages 3 to 6 will want to find out! Be sure to check out the afterword, too, and meet the real Suzy. You can't go wrong with a classic Christmas tale, and "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," adapted by the poem by Clement C.

Moore, illustrated by Jane Chapman (Sourcebooks Kids, $18.99) is that, with a twist. Here, Pa, and Ma in her kerchief are bears, as is Santa, whose sleigh is pulled by eight kinds of dogs sporting antlers on their heads.

As the story unfolds, other animals join the tale, and it's adorable on steroids. Kids ages 5 to 8 who love Christmas won't want you to put this book away with the decorations. They'll want to have it read to them year-round.

Children who are familiar with the "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" books will be happy to see "Chicka Chicka Ho Ho Ho" by William Boniface, illustrated by Julien Chung (Beach Lane Books / Simon & Schuster, $18.99) on the top of their Christmas book TBR pile. Here, A talks to B, and B convinces C to meet in the Christmas tree, which starts a tale of decorations and presents and "oh, no!" Kids ages 2 and 3, those who are just learning their alphabet, will have fun with this picture book, and the shiny illustrations inside are very appealing.

Older children (ages 4 and 5) will love that the story reads so much like a jazzy, bebop rhyme that they might even be tempted to make up a tune to go with it. And if these and your personal favorite childhood Christmas books aren't enough for your youngster, be sure to check with your favorite bookseller or librarian and ask for new favorites and new traditions. Anyone at the bookstore or library can steer you toward even more picture books – literally, there are dozens of new ones for small children released every year – and they'll be happy to show you what's new in holiday books for older kids and teens, and books for you, too.

As for the above titles, though ...

you'd better watch out for them..