A collection of recommended picture books to read with 4-year-olds that will make the wait for Christmas exciting
Christmas is just around the corner! For 4-year-olds, it’s a special season filled with excitement as they look forward to Santa and presents.
What makes the magic of Christmas shine even brighter is discovering heartwarming picture books.
They can comfort children as they wait for their gifts, or introduce them to little-known stories about Santa.
We’ll introduce a variety of wonderful, fun picture books that are perfect for this time of year.
Enjoy the unique world of Christmas stories together with your 4-year-olds!
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Books to Read with a 4-Year-Old! A Collection of Recommended Picture Books That Will Make Christmas Feel Even More Exciting (21–30)
13 Santas
If you want to choose a Christmas picture book with impact, how about “The 13 Santas”? The characters are 13 mischievous Santas…
or are they? They don’t wear red suits like the Santa we all know; instead, they lick frying pans, bang doors, and do all sorts of quirky things.
They look different from the widely recognized image, but they’re full of personality and really fun.
Set in Iceland, the story also offers a glimpse into people’s everyday lives there.
Enjoy each unique character and be sure to read it together as a parent and child.
Before the morning comes
It seems that the mother in this story has to go to work after the children have fallen asleep.
Her job is a pilot… Even though it can’t be helped because it’s her work, she must be worried about her kids.
Perhaps that’s why, in this picture book, someone wishes to “change the world before morning.” Is it because heavy snowfall can cancel flights? Is it the mother’s wish, the children’s wish… or perhaps both? This is a wintertime picture book I recommend, one you’ll want to read carefully and savor.
The Nutcracker
A story that has long been beloved: on Christmas night, a magical adventure begins that fills children with excitement.
The young heroine meets a mysterious nutcracker, faces the Mouse King, and journeys to the Land of Sweets.
The colorful balls and the sparkling world of confections will greatly expand children’s imaginations.
With each turn of the page, a magical world unfolds, making this a book that adults can enjoy alongside children as they embark on a dreamlike adventure.
It also makes a perfect Christmas gift, so be sure to read it together with the grown-ups, too.
Merry Christmas
Many children write letters to Santa at Christmas, don’t they? The siblings in this story, Yoshi and Na-chan, also wrote to Santa every year and set out some juice for him.
But then their mother suggests that, instead of juice, they should leave alcohol on Christmas.
It seems she’s planning to keep all the presents in the world for herself.
However, Yoshi doesn’t want everyone to end up feeling sad, so he…? This gentle, Christmas-themed tale depicts children’s growth.
Please pick it up and give it a read.
Little Santa
The story’s protagonist is a boy who wanders into Santa Claus’s house.
In that house stands a Christmas tree with many cards hanging from it.
The cards are messages to Santa from children.
Seeing them, the boy wonders what it would be like if he could become Santa Claus himself… and then he actually transforms into Santa.
It’s a dreamy tale, but the developments that follow may give adults more to think about.
What is the true meaning of Christmas? This picture book seems to depict questions we hadn’t even thought to ask.
Hikari’s Adventure
Betty is a girl who loves picture books.
One day, a bear named Cosmo popped out from the pages.
Though Cosmo is afraid of the dark, Betty invites him into the nighttime world, and their adventure begins.
It’s a charming story with gently dreamlike illustrations that make this a delightful book.
The very idea of an animal leaping out of a picture book is enough to fill any child with excitement.
Maybe Betty wanted to keep playing with Cosmo all along.
It’s also a perfect choice for bedtime reading.
Fir Tree’s Wish
Fir trees have those distinctive jagged needles, don’t they? The fir tree in this picture book absolutely hates its own leaves and longs for the soft, rounded leaves of others.
So it asks a fairy to change the shape of its leaves.
The fir tree is delighted—but once its leaves have changed, new problems it had never imagined begin to appear…
It’s an intriguing setup, with the fir tree—often the star of Christmas—struggling with self-doubt, and it makes you want to know what happens next.
Will the fir tree learn to like the way it looks, different from those around it, and find confidence in itself?