December Read-Alouds
We are wrapping up our series of posts celebrating and honoring different holidays of the year from the well-known holidays to the odd, funny, and wacky holidays. Enjoy these read-alouds for the December holidays. Bring joy and playing into children’s lives through books.
Books for Kids About December Holidays
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December 1st: Rosa Parks Day
If A Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks by Faith Ringgold is the story of a young girl who learns about a woman who stood up for civil rights.
December 2nd: Play Basketball Day
Achieving at high levels doesn’t come easy. It takes lots of practice, persistence, and some pure luck. Tacko Fall is the tallest player in the NBA and one of the tallest people in the world. Some may say he was destined to play basketball. But, it took a lot of work, determination, and sacrifice to get to where he is. Tacko’s mother gave him the advice to succeed he must have courage and that with courage and hard work, anything is possible. Readers will be inspired to chase those dreams. Enjoy Tacko Fall To New Heights by Tacko Fall and Justin Haynes.
December 3rd: Let’s Hug Day
Hug Machine by Scott Campbell is a comical story about a little boy whose favorite hobby is hugging! He expresses great enthusiasm for his chosen mode of showing love and will also give you a chuckle when he creatively figures out how to hug even the spikiest and slippery of friends.
December 4th: National Cookie Day
If you can’t reach the cookies, of course, you need to build a cookiebot. That is just what Harry does in CookieBot! by Katie Van Camp. But, will everything go according to plan?
December 5th: International Ninja Day
The Ninjabread Man by C.J. Leigh takes you on a ninja adventure in this lively tale. Children will enjoy practicing ninja moves while listening to the story making this a good one for a little gross motor practice.
December 6th: National Gazpacho Day
We giggle like crazy when we read the rhyming tale called Gazpacho for Nacho by Tracey Kyle. Maybe you’ll be inspired to try some gazpacho after reading.
December 7th: National Letter Writing Day
I can’t think of a better letter to write that an ode to marvelous libraries. Check out Dear Reader: A Love Letter to Libraries by Tiffany Rose.
December 8th: National Christmas Tree Day
My favorite book to read in December is Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Barry. A too-tall tree is trimmed and the excess is discarded. But the topper becomes a tree for another creature and then another and then another.
December 9th: National Llama Day
You know about Mary and her lamb, but do you know about Maria and her llama? Check out Maria Had a Little Llama by Angela Dominguez.
December 10th: Gingerbread Decorating Day
In Cookiesaurus Rex by Amy Fellner Dominy, Rex thinks he should be decorated first. But, he starts to see all the other decorations going on the other cookies and starts to get a bit jealous. Serving cookies while reading is optional.
December 11th: National Have a Bagel Day
Jalapeno Bagels by Natasha Wing tells the story of a young boy who is trying to decide what to bring for International Day at school. He decides on an item that blends his father’s Jewish background with his mother’s Mexican background.
December 12th: Poinsettia Day
The Legend of the Poinsettia is a Mexican legend that tells how the poinsettia came to be the flower of the Holy Night. Tomie dePaola is a master storyteller and the pictures in the book are beautiful.
December 13th: National Horse Day
Wild Horses by Melissa Marr takes us to Arizona where we get up close the majestic wild horses that roam there.
For more read-alouds about horses, check out this list.—> Books About Horses for Kids
December 14th: Monkey Day
Monkey Time by Michael Hall also explores the concept of times specifically the 60 minutes that make up an hour.
December 15th: International Tea Day
Did you know that it is common to add yak butter to tea in Tibet? Or, that pulled tea is the national drink in Malaysia?Teatime Around the World by Denyse Waissbluth is filled with interesting tidbits that only enhance the read-aloud experience.
December 16th: National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
On the Corner of Chocolate Avenue : How Milton Hershey Brought Milk Chocolate to America by Tziporah Cohen introduces us to that name that probably first comes to mind when you think about chocolate.
December 17th: National Maple Syrup Day
Maple Syrup from the Sugarhouse by Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton explores tapping the trees to collecting the sap. Children will learn all about the process of making maple syrup.
December 18th: Hanukkah Begins
Celebrate the holiday with others in Hanukkah Bear by Eric A. Kimmel from eating latkes to playing the dreidel game.
For more books about Hanukkah, visit What Do We Do All Day’s list.—> Hanukkah Reads
December 19th: Look for an Evergreen Day
In Zee Grows a Tree by Elizabeth Rusch, we meet a little Douglas-fir tree. The seedling emerges on the same morning that Zee is born. Zee and the seedling grow up together on the Christmas tree farm.
This informational picture book teaches all about Douglas-fir trees from nutrients to windburn alongside a story about a girl and her tree growing up together.
Enjoy reading more about trees.—> Books About Trees for Kids
December 20th: Go Caroling Day
How about a little caroling with a twist? Twelve Days of Winter by Sherri Maret is sung/read to the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” We are introduced to all the wildlife one might see in winter from moose to trout to cardinals. A fun way to talk about winter animals, counting, and noticing details. Compare that moose from the beginning of the story to the end. What do you notice?
December 21st: Winter Solstice
Daylight grows shorter and we celebrate that in The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper.
December 22nd: Mathematics Day
Add, sort, count, and more in Bears Make the Best Math Buddies by Carmen Oliver. A young girl and her bear friend explore friendship and lots of math in this sweet book. Don’t miss Bear’s sweater on the cover. It’s full of patterns.
For more books about math, I’ve got a big list for you.—> Books About Math for Kids
December 23rd: National Forest Day
Tree of Wonder: The Many Marvelous Lives of a Rainforest Tree by Kate Messner will be especially loved by math lovers. Learn about multiples while exploring the rainforest in this one.
December 24th: Christmas Eve
The Night Before Christmas is a classic poem that has been illustrated by Loren Long. Yes, Loren Long of the Otis books.
December 25th: Christmas
A Homemade Together Christmas by Maryann Cocca-Leffler is a heart-warming book about the best gifts are those that come from the heart.
For more Christmas books and activities, check out this list.—> Christmas Books and Activities
December 26th: Kwanzaa Begins
Learn all about Kwanzaa in Seven Candles for Kwanzaa was written by Andrea Davis Pinkney.
December 27th: Visit the Zoo Day
Life at the Zoo by Michael George is a lengthy picture book best read aloud in small pieces or given to an independent reader. The book explores animal training, playtime, medical care, and more.
December 28th: Pledge of Allegiance Day
30,000 Stitches: The Inspiring Story of the National Flag by Amanda Davis is the story of the flag that was placed on the wreckage of the towers by workers. It became worn and tattered thus resulting in its removal and getting stored away. Years later it traveled to another rebuilding after tragedy and a new idea was stirred. The flag continued to be repaired by my hands from around the USA traveling to each state. This is the story of its journey to its final place of honor
December 29th: Still Need To Do Day
Should we hurry up or slow down as the end of the year approaches?
What I like about Hurry Up!: A Book About Slowing Down by Kate Dopirak is that it focuses on one pair of opposites- hurry/slow. We really get to feel what those two words mean and how different they are from each other. And, most importantly the book has a great message to help us remember to slow down.
December 30th: Bacon Day
Yes, do not forget the bacon! Enjoy Don’t Forget the Bacon by Pat Hutchins.
December 31st: New Year’s Eve
Different cultures celebrate the new year at different times of the year. Explore some of those through poems in Every Month Is a New Year: Celebrations Around the World by Marilyn Singer.
For more New Years books, check out this list.—->New Years Books
Printable List of December Holiday Books
Grab a printable list of the books to enjoy with the kids.
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