15 Books To Teach Kids About ALL Of The Winter Holidays and Traditions Around The World

Lights of Winter, written by Heather Conrad, is a fantastic book filled with pictures for young kids to see all the winter celebrations that take place around the world including Solstice, Yule, Christmas, Kwanza,  and Hanukkah.

Diwali (Celebrate the World), written by Hannah Eliot, will teach your kids about the 5 days of Diwali, the Hindu-originated festival and how it’s celebrated. One Amazon reviewer said, “This book is illustrated well, it explains the 5 days of Diwali in an easy to understand way, and it captures the essence of the holiday. My kids love it. Even recommended the book to my kids school.”

A New Look at Thanksgiving, written by Catherine O’Neill Grace, portrays a more realistic example of what happened on the first Thanksgiving in 1621. One mama on Amazon said, “This is a very informative book. I read this to my kids during quarantine. It was a great addition to our home schooling. We have the paperback version. This is an easy read, easy to understand for children and adults and the pictures in the book are re-enactments but are very detailed and helpful in giving visual representations.”

Oskar and the Right Blessings, written by Tanya Simon and Mark Simon, is a beautiful picture book that takes you to a night in 1938 in the middle of New York City on the 7th day of Hanukkah.

All About Hanukkah, written by Madeline Wikler, goes through many of the rules, songs, recipes and stories that surround the Hanukkah holiday. One Amazon reviewer raved, “Great book!! Great for kids but still a pleasant and informative read for adults. Nicely summarized and pretty too!! Yasher koach!”

The Legend Of St. Nicholas, written by Dani Daley Mackall, is about the true spirit of St. Nicolas — a man who anonymously gave the poor all over the world. St. Nicholas Day is celebrated on December 6.

Lucia Morning In Sweden discusses the traditions of St. Lucia Day, celebrated on December 13, and explains the story of Saint Lucia from the perspective of three modern-day Swedish children.

The Shortest Day, by Wendy Pfeffer, book has amazing illustrations and explains the Winter Solstice, its history, and how it’s observed and celebrated in different cultures. A fellow mama and Amazon reviewer said, “A great book that includes a non-Christian view of celebrating winter. I feel it’s important for my children to understand how traditions and celebrations were originally celebrated (as much as we know). I was surprised to find a few pages of science at the back which was great since I was using this in homeschool.”

Many of us recognize the beloved poem, The Night Before Christmas, written by Clement C. Moore, and have a copy that comes out every year with the holiday decorations. It’s truly magical, regardless of how many times we’ve heard the lyrical story.

The Night of Las Posadas, written by Tomie dePaola, tells the story of how Mary and Joseph went door to door looking for shelter for their new baby on Christmas Eve. A teacher reviewed the book on Amazon and said, “The Night of Las Posadas is a great story about the Mexican Christmas tradition of Las Posadas. I read this book to my students every December when I teach Christmas around the World. My students always love it! This book is wonderfully written and has beautiful illustrations! I highly recommend this book!”

Together for Kwanza, written by Juwanda G. Ford, is the perfect introduction into Kwanzaa and various traditions surrounding this holiday.