Japanese and English Christmas Picture Books for Babies and Toddlers

サンタさん　どこにいるの？

My daughter has a lot of fun with interactive books so I knew she would enjoy this book, and I wasn’t wrong! サンタさん　どこにいるの？(Where are you, Santa?) by Mitsue Hiragi has your child search for Santa by pulling and pushing tabs in the book. The story is quite simple but the repetition is good for learning. It’s also a sturdy board book so you can be certain that it will survive even the most destructive toddler.

ノンタン！サンタクローズだよ

My husband chose this book as a gift for our daughter last year for Christmas when she was almost six months old. Nontan (ノンタン) is a classic picture book series in Japan by Sachiko Kiyono that features the life of a little cat named… you guessed it, Nontan! In this book, Nontan searches for Santa to let him know what he wants for Christmas but the search isn’t as easy as it seems. This book is unfortunately not a board book so there is a possibility of it getting destroyed (we’ve already removed the cover), so this may not be the best book if your child is mobile and enjoys ripping things apart.

クリスマスのおばけ

This is not the most traditional Christmas book but that’s what makes it an interesting read because let’s face it, most Christmas stories tend to be the same. Considering how much my daughter loves Halloween picture books (which she is still reading in December despite us trying to put the lot away), I knew this book would be a hit when I gave it to her, and again, I was right. (Take that, Husband!) This book follows a girl during Christmas and … a ghost? No, it’s not the Ghost of Christmas Past but instead an obake (ghost), the same one that appeared before in the hit Japanese picture book ねないこ だれだ by Keiko Sena. This is not a scary book in the slightest and instead, you sympathize with the main character and feel sorry for the poor ghost. But don’t fret, it has a happy ending (because it’s Christmas, after all!).

クリスマスえほん

Although the title is pretty simple (A Christmas Picture Book), this is an adorable little book by Kimika Warabe that has colorful and cute illustrations. Best of all, クリスマスえほん is a pop-up book that comes with interactive flaps that your little one can lift and tabs they call pull to make things move. I hesitated to buy this because I felt like my daughter would destroy it but it was such a good deal for a pop-up book that I got it anyway. My daughter is always so excited to read this book both in the morning before she goes to daycare and when she comes home. She’s also learned to be careful with it or else the book gets taken away (which sometimes leads to tears, but I guess that’s a given with a headstrong toddler).

ふゆといえば

ふゆといえば 。。。(Speaking of Winter…), written by Hiroyuki Arai, is a truly unique book on this list as it shares not only obvious things about winter (like snowmen) but also things we love about winter in Japan, such as burying under a kotatsu, eating piping-hot nabe, and relaxing in an onsen. Considering how commercialized Christmas is and that Japan has adopted the Western tradition, it’s nice to see a picture book that focuses on Japan and its winter culture.

Spot’s First Christmas

What would the holidays for a young child be without a Christmas-themed Spot the Dog book by Eric Hill? My daughter is obsessed with lift-the-flap books and Spot books are no exception. In this book, it’s Christmas Eve and there’s a lot to do (and many flaps to lift) as Spot gets ready for his first Christmas.

Dear Santa

My daughter loves Dear Zoo, which is another classic lift-the-flap book by Rod Campbell (she cried at around 8 months old whenever I finished the book). This is why I didn’t hesitate to buy the Christmas version for her last year (although I wish I got it this year because they released a beautiful new cover in celebration of the book’s 15th anniversary this year!). The storyline follows the same pattern as Dear Zoo except that the narrator is asking Santa to send them something for Christmas. As a bonus, the last page has a fun, textured surprise that my daughter is always absolutely thrilled about. (Although I will give a huge spoiler here — the last gift is a pet, which is understandably controversial.)

Where’s Santa Claus?

This book is by Ingela P Arrhenius, who also authored Where’s the Witch?, which I introduced in my article on Halloween picture books for babies and toddlers. As I had gotten the Japanese translation of Where’s the Witch ( ハロウィン いないいないばあ！) for my daughter a few months prior, I wanted to try out the English version of the Christmas book. Similar to the Halloween book, this book has soft felt flaps that your child can easily lift to see what winter character is hiding underneath, and on the last page, there’s a very special “character” to reveal. My daughter still enjoys this kind of book very much and as it’s quite durable, it’s the only lift-the-flap book she hasn’t destroyed! The illustrations are also quite vivid and stylish for a children’s picture book.

There’s a Japanese translation of Where’s Santa Claus? as well called クリスマス いないいないばあ!