My Favorite Winter Holiday Read Alouds

I think this is, by far, the hardest collection to narrow down to just nine books. There are so many amazing read alouds centered around this time of year, and on every holiday and tradition, that you are rarely at a loss for good literature!

I have tried to narrow this down to some of my favorites you may not have heard of in hopes of giving you even more meaningful moments with your classroom this month. My favorites remain the Grinch and Polar Express, but by third grade, these are familiar favorites and I like to branch out a bit to keep these read alouds fresh.

I am fortunate to work in a school where we teach about the many holidays that are celebrated this time of year, starting in Kindergarten. It has been so heartwarming to hear my daughter come home and share some of the details with me, so I know she'll be a fan of some of these titles as well, especially Olive, the Other Reindeer.

Because I teach third, I tried branching out to incorporate some longer pieces (An Orange for Frankie), as well as a thought-provoking piece about Hanukkah that blends humor with the important fact that is is not a "Jewish Christmas"; The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming is a hoot, but also teaches a lot about this unique holiday and its lessons in a highly-engaging way!

To extend these read alouds, be sure to see my holiday Word Work, Brain Breaks, Writing Prompts, QR Math activities and more in my TpT Store HERE. There are also some great technology links for Winter Holidays HERE, and be sure to check the additional links at the bottom for even more holiday-themed tech ideas!

To check out these books, simply click on any of the book titles below. Each book cover will link you directly to its page on Amazon where you can look inside, read the reviews, and find similar titles.