Updated November 6, 2024.
There are hundreds of picture books for the Holidays – but only a few have a Canadian twist! We hope you find a few new family favourites in this round-up. Add one to your storytime library to get the kids in the mood for the festive day! (Not that they usually need much help!)
You’ll find more holiday books on Amazon, or at your favourite local bookstore!
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10+ Canadian Books for the Holidays
1. Perfect Snow
by Barbara Reid (Author, Illustrator)
Barbara Reid’s award-winning winter classic is now available in paperback! A perfect snow has fallen, and first-grader Scott and fourth-grader Jim have been daydreaming the morning away, making plans, doodling sketches of snowmen and snow forts, all in anticipation of recess and the endless possibilities of this perfect snow. Perfect Snow is a timeless Canadian tale that will beautifully enhance any snowy day.
Available in Hardcover and Paperback.

2. Deck the Halls: A Canadian Christmas Carol
by Helaine Becker (Author), H. Werner Zimmermann (Illustrator)
Join Canada’s favourite porcupine for a hilarious Christmas Eve party! Loons, beavers, moose and more appear, decorating, wrapping girfts, and of course, eating holiday goodies… until the big surprise is unveiled! Come sing along with this sturdy board book edition!
Available in Hardcover, Paperback and Board Book.

3. The Night Before Christmas
by Clement Clarke Moore (Author), Barbara Reid (Illustrator)
Barbara Reid’s brilliant, detailed Plasticine art is the perfect complement to this classic poem. A charming family of mice romp through the story, in their frenzied, detailed household, bringing a lively and very Canadian slant to these iconic words words.
Available in Hardcover, Paperback and Board Book.

4. The Night Before Playoffs
by Stella Partheniou Grasso (Author), Paula Becker (Illustrator)
Full of hockey action and lively animal illustrations, this Canadian take on the Christmas classic “A Visit from St. Nicholas” will be the perfect read-aloud for hockey fans young and old!
“’Twas the night before playoffs; the rink was pristine
And the glimmering ice appeared simply serene.
The medals were polished, the ribbons were pressed.
The cup was all set to be claimed by the best”
Available in Paperback.

5.The Twelve Days of Christmas in Canada
by Ellen Warwick (Author), Kim Smith (Illustrator)
O Canada, in Christmastime! Come with Juliette and her “crazy Canuck cousin” as they take a holiday trip across the country, all the way from Prince Edward Island and Vieux-Québec to Winnipeg and Vancouver. Along the way Juliette gets really cool Canadian gifts—like 8 bears a-swimming, 6 Mounties marching, and a loon in a maple tree!
Available in Hardcover and Board Book versions.

6. Sounds Like Christmas
by Robert Munsch (Author), Michael Martchenko (Illustrator)
A very Munsch Christmas! Grandma is baking Christmas cookies, so she asks Lincoln and Georgia to decorate the tree. And what a tree it becomes! In addition to the lights, garlands and balls the kids compete to add some very special and extremely noisy ornaments, including a talking doll, a chirping bird, the neighbour’s dog and more. What will their grandparents ― and Santa ― think?
Available in Hardcover and Boardbook Versions.

7. We Wish You a Merry Christmas: A Canadian Carol
by Helaine Becker (Author), H. Werner Zimmermann (Illustrator)
Porcupine and his friends are back, singing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas!” Sing your way through the season with Porcupine, Beaver, Moose and the gang!
Available in Hardcover and Boardbook Versions.

8. Finding Christmas
by Robert Munsch (Author), Michael Martchenko (Illustrator)
Canada’s best loved author and illustrator team creates a festive story to ring in the holiday season ― based on Robert Munsch’s own family! Every year Julie finds the Christmas presents her parents hid: in the basement, under the bed, in the garage. But this year it’s Christmas Eve and she has found nothing. NOTHING! She’s worried ― will be there no presents at all?
Available in Paperback and Hardcover.

9. Dashing Through the Snow: A Canadian Jingle Bells
by Helaine Becker (Author), H. Werner Zimmermann (Illustrator)
When Sasquatch upsets Santa’s sleigh, everyone gets the wrong presents. But that doesn’t stop them from having a great time! Join in the merriment and mayhem as a wild (and familiar) cast of Canadian characters take over the Christmas holidays once again.
Available in Hardcover and Boardbook Versions.

10. Twas the Night Before Christmas in Canada
by Jo Parry (Illustrator)
A classic Christmas story featuring all the magic of Santa combined with the magic of your favorite city, state, or country. It’s the night before Christmas and you’re nestled snug in your bed. Your stocking is hung by the chimney with care―will Santa visit your house? Follow Santa’s journey in this magical retelling of a Christmas classic starring the locations and landmarks that make the place where you live special!
Available in Hardcover, Paperback and Kindle.

11. Santa ABC
by George Fewster (Author & Illustrator)
Canadian illustrator George Fewster is a former bookseller and an aspiring mall Santa. He lives outside Toronto with his family and brings us bold and colourful illustrations in his new children’s book Santa ABC. Take a tour through the alphabet with your old pal Santa, from Astronaut Santa to Zombie Santa. There are lots of funny bits, some surprises and a few teachable moments. Santa ABC is festive, mildly educational and guaranteed to make even a hardened grinch crack a smile or two.
Available as a Board Book.

12. A Porcupine in a Pine Tree
by Helaine Becker (Author), H. Werner Zimmermann (Illustrator)
A hilarious cast of distinctively Canadian characters populate these Twelve Days of Christmas! Christmas, as only Canadians can celebrate! Where else do Mounties frolic, squirrels enjoy a fine game of curling, and hockey players mark the season as lords-a-leaping? This hilarious, tongue-in-cheek re-setting of the popular Christmas carol is the perfect gift for Canadians new and old, young and young-at-heart.
Available in Hardcover, Paperback and Board Book.

13. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas in Canada: 101 Stories about the Joy and Wonder of the Holidays
by Amy Newmark (Author), Janet Matthews (Author)
Need help getting into the spirit of the holidays? Moms and Dads will appreciate this special edition of Chicken Soup for the Soul! It’s Christmas in Canada! Get in the spirit with these 101 stories about the joy and wonder of the holidays. All stories are “Santa safe” so they can be enjoyed by the whole family, and they haven’t left out Hanukkah either!
Available in Hardcover, Paperback versions.
