Kids Activities: 10 Christmas Picture Books from Around the World

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The Tomtes' Christmas Porridge by Sven Nordqvist (Sweden): A Tomte is a house spirit, native to the Scandinavian countries. In exchange for working to help people around the house all year long, on Christmas Tomtes expect a bowl of porridge, and woe to that family who forgets about this tradition! A good-humoured story with whimsical illustrations about what Tomtes have to do in the modern times.

Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett (Switzerland): The old story of the gingerbread man gets an unexpected twist in this retelling, set against a gorgeous Swiss landscape. Though the story does not mention any local traditions, the Swiss rural architecture and winter outfits are a delight to see! And making gingerbread cookies is the most natural thing after reading this book.

Cobweb Christmas: the Tradition of Tinsel by Shirley Climo (Germany): A big cleaning before the holidays must be a universal tradition. During such a cleaning in this story spiders get pushed outside of the house, yet they want to see the Christmas tree too! When they manage to come back, they leave a surprise, decorating the tree in the most unusual and elaborate way.

Christmas from Heaven: the True Story of the Berlin Candy Bomber by Tom Brokaw (Germany): When times are hard, like they were during the years WWII and afterwards, Christmas may seem to lose its importance. Yet in this story the pilot Hal shows true Christmas spirit to the poor children of defeated Germany, bombarding them with candies. This beautiful picture book is perfect for older children to learn that humans can be responsible for creating Christmas miracles.

The Legend of Old Befana by Tomie dePaola (Italy): In Italy, it is not Santa Claus who brings presents on Christmas, but an old woman called Befana. In this story children can learn about her, as well as how the legend came to life. Who knows, maybe this Christmas they will prefer a present from Old Befana!

The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola (Mexico): When I see poinsettias for sale, I know that Christmas is coming. But before reading this picture book, I did not known about their meaning during the holiday season.

Christmas in Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren (Sweden): If there was one place I would love to spend Christmas in, it would be a little village of three houses, called Noisy Village. Each of those houses is home to two or three children, hence the name. On Christmas, the village is even noisier than usually with everyone bustling around, getting ready for the holiday, and it is a pleasure to accompany the characters as they make gingersnap cookies, choose three perfect trees for each house, decorate them with hand-made toys and wait, wait, wait for the celebration to start.

The Carpenter's Gift: A Christmas Tale about the Rockefeller Center Tree by David Rubell (USA): The Rockfeller Center Tree is a world-famous Christmas tree, and a notable American tradition. But did you know what happens with these trees after they are put down? This beautifully illustrated story tells that along with the history of the first tree at the Rockefeller Center.

Christmas Around the World: A Pop-Up Book by Chuck Fisher: Featuring more than ten countries with their unique traditions, mythical figures and symbols, this book is a luxurious gift. Every page hides a big gorgeous pop-up, as well as removable booklets, pullouts and more.

Christmas Around the World by Mary D. Lankford: From religious celebrations to marketplace customs, from tasty foods to fun crafts, this book adds even more details to the vivid picture of Christmas celebration around the world.

Available on Amazon here.