Now that December is here, we can unashamedly jump for joy as we break out all the Christmas decorations, sugar cookie recipes, and (of course) our favorite seasonal books. But this time of year isn’t only about re-reading the Christmas classics—it’s also a wonderful opportunity to refresh your child’s bookshelf with stories that point their hearts toward truth, courage, creativity, and joy.

Whether you’re hunting for the best Christmas books for kids or simply looking for meaningful gifts to tuck under the tree, this season invites us to slow down and share stories that shape our little ones in all the right ways.

There’s something special about gathering close with our kids or grandkids and opening a book that captures their imagination. Some stories help them understand the wonder of Jesus’ birth. Others gently walk them through big feelings, remind them that God loves them, or simply make them laugh until they can’t breathe. And sometimes the best gift is a book they’ll return to again and again as they grow.

Below you’ll find a collection that includes a few beloved Christmas titles, beautifully illustrated picture books for everyday reading, and thoughtful gift ideas that encourage faith, resilience, and delight.

Have you ever thought about how to explain foster care to young children? It can be challenging to find the right words to describe sensitive situations in ways that honor everyone involved. We’re grateful to highlight a new resource that does just that.

God Loves Kids is written by Jamie C. Finn, the founder and president of Foster the Family, a national nonprofit that serves vulnerable children and the families welcoming them, as well as the founder of the Filled Gathering, the largest gathering of foster and adoptive moms in the world.

She shares about the real life of a foster and adoptive mom on her popular social media accounts, is a sought-after speaker, and is the mother of seven children through foster care, adoption, and birth.

Beautifully illustrated, God Loves Kids is a trauma-informed, gospel-centered children’s picture book designed to help you navigate difficult conversations about foster care with kids ages 3+.

Beginning with God’s initial plan for kids and families, the story introduces, with compassion and sensitivity, the challenges that bring about the need for foster care, what it looks like for foster families to show up for kids, and the different feelings everyone involved in foster care may experience.

If your child struggles with fear, I’d love to share a few ways you can help them overcome it in four simple steps.

PONDER

Talk with your child.

Have you ever felt afraid? You’re not the only one. Fear is no fun, but I promise you you’re not alone. Lots of people feel afraid, for lots of different reasons. Whenever fears come, we might wish they’d just go away— but guess what? We can do something even better. We can take them to the God of the entire universe, who cares so much about everything we’re facing. He even has some very helpful instructions for how to turn fear into peace!

PRAY

Pray with your child. 

God, as we’re adventuring and feel afraid of unexpected things, help us to take care and be safe, but also to remember that you have given us a spirit of boldness. Even when we don’t feel brave, you can strengthen our hearts to take the next step. You made us to do great things— but you don’t ask us to do them alone. You stay with us every step of the way, and give us everything we need.

Check out this list of books and devotionals that encourage us to love our kids more deeply and teach them about God’s truth for Easter.

The celebration of Jesus’ resurrection at Easter is just a few short weeks away and with it the opportunity to fill up your child’s Easter basket with stories that will remind them of God’s love! We’ve gathered below a list of some of our favorite Christian children’s books to encourage your child’s faith and growth this spring. What better way to prepare to celebrate the real joy of Easter with your kids? 

We didn’t forget about the parents, either! With family devotionals and books on loving your kids and having tough faith conversations, we have a list of our favorites for you, too!

Easter Books

If you are looking for Easter-specific books for your kids, look no further! For young kids, check out Snuggle Time Easter Stories, That Grand Easter Day!, and The Most Glorious Easter Morning. We can’t get over these sweet stories designed to help even your youngest child start to understand the wonder of the Easter story.

Do you have a middle school girl who loves horses and can’t get enough great horse stories? Here is a list of amazing horse stories to add to her list!

If you have a middle school girl in love with horses, you’ve probably already seen the whole Black Stallion series in her hands. Once a girl catches “horse fever,” she will do almost anything to get her hands on a horse–or books about them.

I know. I’ve been there. Bitten by the bug around age eight, I didn’t get my own until I was fourteen. I begged, borrowed, and weaseled my way into horse rides while devouring every horse book we owned and the ones the library had to offer.

Why should you encourage this in your own daughter? Let me tell you a secret which I never heard as a child.

Horses actually teach us to be better people.

The lessons cover subjects like how to fall and get up again, how to fail but keep trying until you succeed, how to control emotions even when nerves race out of control, how to work as a team with people and horses, and how to trust.

Jump into the season with this list of amazingly illustrated picture books about spring. Allow the magic of spring to fill your heart and imagination!

When I was a girl, I knew spring was on the way by the green shoots of daffodils and hyacinths popping up in our flowerbeds. We rarely had snow even in the winter months, but the faithful bulbs were a welcome sight amid the seemingly never-ending April showers. 

Now that I live where snow can linger into March and come again as a bit of an April Fool’s, the signs of spring aren’t always quite so obvious. But when my children’s windowsills fill up with pots of tiny green shoots of vegetable plants and flowers, I know spring must be around the corner. 

Here on our farm, spring is synonymous with seeds, sprouts, and salad greens. So many of our favorite picture books for this time of year have to do with gardening (picture books, after all, can be an integral part of homeschool nature study!). Below I’ll share some new picture book titles and a few vintage favorites—all celebrating the themes of growth, beauty, and seasons.

Our children need to know that Jesus loves them. Knowing Jesus’ love can help our children be brave and strong no matter what may come along.

If only you could’ve seen the look on her face.

Her smile beaming like a ray of sunshine filled the room. And to think only days before, her eyes were nothing but gloomy clouds at the thought of her sister getting married.

Oh, she liked the guy who would be her brother-in-law. It wasn’t him to whom she objected.

It’s mainly because this girl does not like change, and this felt like the most significant family change she’d ever known. No matter how many times we enthusiastically explained that her sister had found her lifelong love and was taking on a new last name, she considered the whole thing a terrible, horrible idea.

We did our best to have her look on the bright side: we now had a wedding to look forward to! But not even the prospect of traveling to an exciting event could cheer her up. Quite the opposite: she was extremely nervous, anticipating getting on a plane for the first time.

If you’re looking to get ready for winter and get into the spirit of snow with your kids, check out these super cute picture books about snow!

Every time the temperature dips, my children expect snow. It might be mid-August and have simply dropped from 98 to 75 degrees, but if it feels colder to them, they’re sure snow is right around the corner!  The fact that even in winter snow is a very occasional event at our house doesn’t seem to dampen their excitement and expectations.  

A plethora exists of darling picture books about snow.  

Winter is Here (by Kevin Henkes) depicts snow as winter, “crouching in doorways” and “sticking to the trees in clumps and curls.” Why, snow is even inside, “feathering the window and dusting the dog…”  

In Ten Ways to Hear Snow (by Cathy Camper) we’re reminded that snow may be heard in the scritch, scratch of skis and the thwomp of a snowball.  

The beauty of snow crystals is explored in the amazing, true story of Snowflake Bentley (by Jacqueline Briggs Martin), which will encourage your little ones to marvel in the wonder of the world God has made.  

Have you ever thought about the many animals hiding, adventuring, or snacking under the snow?

Looking for a character-building resource for your tweens? Here’s one of my favorites for encouraging, inspiring, and entertaining those tween-age kids!

What resources do you recommend for raising tweens? You know, those kids who are no longer “little” but not quite teenagers yet either.

I’m asked this question often.

Probably because I have a bunch of kids (8 is technically considered a “bunch,” right?), and so we’ve done this tween-thing a time or two.

But also because it’s such an important age – those “in-between” years are so critical – and what can we do for them?

I get it.

Which is why I’m sharing with you a couple of my favorite resources for encouraging, inspiring, and, yes, even entertaining those wonderful tween-age kids.

Ready? Da-ta-ta-da!! (I’m guessing I just embarrassed our older teenagers).

We love Jonathan Park and The Adventum  Audio Adventures!

Our older children listened to these engaging stories for hours. And I mean, hours.

And so those kids grew up, and then the younger set began enjoying them every bit as much as their older siblings.

Fall is such a fun season to enrich all your senses. Colors, smells, cooler air (in many places), and delicious cider! Enjoying charming picture books about fall is a great way to get excited about the coming season.

There is something satisfying about the season of autumn, with its leaf piles, fallen apples, and cooling temperature. It’s a joy for me to watch the change from green into a beautiful myriad of colors. For my children, the chance to jump and dance in the leaves never seems to lose its thrill. 

Now that I live where summer is rather humid, the coming of autumn is welcome for reasons other than the fall colors. Although I’m far away from Mom’s apple trees, I can still enjoy an apple pie now and then, even though it seems almost sacrilegious to buy apples when I’m used to them growing in my backyard! 

This time of year is also a chance to pick up some thematic books to enjoy with my children. As we see this season through a variety of picture books, their stories and illustrations help us appreciate the world outside our doors all the more. 

Charming Picture Books for Fall

A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting

Mr.