New children's books we love
Every month, we review dozens of books for children and teenagers. Here are the ones we like best in December: guaranteed to get your child reading...
Whether they're a teeny toddler or a very particular teen, this is where you can find your child's next amazing book: just scroll down to find books for a range of ages.
You can also keep track of the latest titles by looking at our past reading recommendations for:
December | November | October | September | August | July | June
We've sorted our favourite new books into rough age ranges, but this is just a guide and readers might find something they'll love in a different category.
Fancy writing a book review yourself? Read our handy guide and have a go!
Bookmark Book of the Month
A beautiful and thought-provoking picture book about a mum losing her hearing.
If It’s Christmas and You Know It...
Bright, inviting illustrations and catchy, rhyming text make this a super festive, super fun book to share with babies and toddlers. With sliders to push and pull!
How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?
This absolutely brilliant Christmas picture book is just as deadpan and hilarious as you might expect, given this is the team that gave us Circle and Square, and The Wolf, the Duck and the Mouse. New and old fans of Klassen’s will love his adorable, offbeat illustration, and the text is warm and quirky too. A real treat.
When Emma’s turkey goes missing, her neighbours join forces to ensure she has an extra special Christmas day. A heart-warming picture book, full of Christmas spirit.
Peace on earth – what a wonderful idea that would be! The idea of a sparkling, joyful world is a beautiful one. Yet, sometimes, we can hurt each other, and feel the fires of rage burn deep within us. At times like that, it’s hard to find a sense of peace.
It’sonly been ten minutes since Albert’s dad left the living room, but in that time, chaos has occurred! Dad comes in to find a flustered Albert lying amongst toppled-over furniturewith mud and macaroni cheese covering the walls. Albert blames the mess on the dog in the room. But wait a minute – Albert doesn’t have a dog...Whose dog is this?
Where's Mr Penguin Buggy book edition
With felt flaps to lift, and a mirror at the end, this small and sturdy book can be attached to a buggy or highchair and enjoyed wherever Baby is! An absolute treat.
This sturdy lift-the-flap board book provides a first introduction for very young children to Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights.
Kiona and Mummy are playing catch, but Kiona is finding it tricky. Everything she tries to catch is either too big, too small or too hard or too soft. Luckily, Mummy knows there is a very special something Kiona can always catch...
While waiting for her mama to return from work, Mama’s sleeping scarf becomes an object of magic and whimsy in Chino’s imaginative play.
Bunnies in a Sleigh: A Crazy Christmas Story!
This absolutely brilliant Christmas romp of a picture book is a real delight. Ardagh’s rhyming text rolls off the tongue very satisfactorily and there are lots of nice repetitive moments that invite little ones to repeat along and even shout out – particularly when the sleigh appears to be headed straight for a clock tower! Ben Mantle’s lovely illustrations …
Read more about Bunnies in a Sleigh: A Crazy Christmas Story!
Funny picture book about a Badger who is loud and wild and eventually finds his tribe in a heavy rock band.
Let’s get to know monsters a little better.What do they like? What don’t they like? The simple text promotes conversations about what makes us different, using slightly scary – but thrilling! –monsters.
A delightful book about a small frog on a perilous journey, filled with fun actions and words to share and copy. Perfect for bedtime!
In this joyful picture book follow-up to classic Christmas tale How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch has changed his ways.He is no longer the grouchy, mean-spiritedhermit who wants to ruin Christmas for the Whos, the residents of Who-ville. In fact, he now loves Christmas.
The magical Night Train takes some very special passengers to Sleepy Town, where they will become the main characters in children’s dreams. An imaginative, wintery tale with short chapters and colourful, expressive illustrations.
This delightful first chapter book is illustrated in black and white on every page and is a great way for newly independent readers to experience Christmas in India in the company of two excited young boys.
Princess Katie’s Kittens: Suki in the Snow
A charming chapter book starring a curious kitty and a princess who loves her very much. Wintry, snowy fun!
The Littlest Yak – Home is Where the Herd Is
This beautiful rhyming picture book re-introduces Gertie the little yak and her yak family as they are about to embark on an epic journey to relocate to a new home for the herd. Will Little Gertie get to their new home without any disasters? Funny and heart-warming.
Read more about The Littlest Yak – Home is Where the Herd Is
Welsh Book of the Month
Illustrated Welsh Folk Tales for Young and Old
Lavishly illustrated in glorious colour, the stories in this stunning collection range from updates of ancient, traditional tales to charming snippets of entertaining nonsense but both text and pictures share a quirky edge and slightly anarchic humour with knowing winks and witty asides to the reader.
Read more about Illustrated Welsh Folk Tales for Young and Old
Animal Tales from India: Ten Stories from the Panchatantra
This engaging collection of ancient Indian animal fables is accompanied by stylish, vibrant illustrations.
Read more about Animal Tales from India: Ten Stories from the Panchatantra
Copy That, Copy Cat: Inventions Inspired by Animals
The rhyming text intentionally leads the child towards a wrong answer every time, and then the real answer is revealed under the large flap. With repeated reading, this might mean that children will learn the correct answer, remember it, and then get the pleasure of being right when they revisit the book.
Read more about Copy That, Copy Cat: Inventions Inspired by Animals
Despite being terrified of water, Ita feels strangely drawn to the nearby river and, when she ventures to put her hands beneath the surface, discovers something unexpected and magical that gradually changes how she sees the world.
Cat on the Run: Episode 1: Cat of Death!
This hilarious, action-packed comic bookis both a funny story with the relatable set-up of internet celebrity, and an astute take on cancel culture and social media. Presented in black and white, with highlights of red for a pop of colour, and short chunks of text, it’s a more accessible book for struggling readers, and should have great appeal for reluctant…
Evolution: Join us on an exhilarating journey from the origins of life to the present day!
Evolution can be defined as the way that living things change over time to suit their environment. In this rather stunning and highly informative read, real-life scientists Sarah Darwin and Eva-Maria Sadowski introduce readers to some of the amazing animals, plants and fungi that have lived on our planet, from dinosaurs to early humans, mushrooms and bacteri…
The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’s Christmas Shenanigans
When the Mouse King steals all the sweets across the land, the Nutcracker embarks on a riotous journey to Marshmallow Mountain to save Christmas. This hilarious tale with vibrant, energetic illustrations is sure to become a festive favourite.
Read more about The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’s Christmas Shenanigans
A funny, informative collection of inventions, both useful and failed, across the centuries from a best-selling author and illustrator pair.
Humphrey the egg isn’t allowed to do anything energetic – especially not climb walls. But when he and his new friend are locked in the park, he has to escape somehow! A very funny graphic novel that will have children giggling out loud.
Harper suspects Mum’s new boyfriend, Nick, is really Father Christmas. He works with reindeer and has a big white beard, for goodness sake! But can she prove it? A fun, festive read.
Luna and her family are doing something a little different this year for Christmas – they’re volunteering. First, Luna helps Mum deliver food bank packages to neighbours and then she and Dad bake cookies for the big community Christmas dinner. A truly magical book and a real celebration of community and family.
A festive treat of a book that will provide stimulus for conversation, imaginative dreaming and much bonding over choosing the same thing! Fun, brightly illustrated and part of a brilliant series.
Irish Book of the Month
Dealing with contemporary concerns such as climate change, yet steeped in ancient Irish myth, history and folklore, this thrilling fantasy crackles and fizzes like the magic within its pages.
Casander Darkbloom and the Threads of Power
When Cas discovers hemust defeat a powerfully evil Master of All, as the Foretold, he goes to the Wayward School tolearn to control his magical powers. Packed with themes of friendship, courage and kindness, and with good disability representation.
Bookfinder
Use the Bookfinder to find the perfect book for you, your family and friends.
You can use our special tools to search hundreds of children's book reviews by age, category and theme.
You might also like...
Themed booklists
Looking for a great book on a theme? Our booklists cover a large range of subjects, from everyday issues to genre, disability, diversity, sporty books, funny books and more.
Great Books Guide
Looking for new books to get kids hooked? The Great Books Guide gives you the lowdown on the ONE HUNDRED best children's books published in 2023.
100 best books over 100 years
This is our list of the 100 best books for children from the last 100 years. It is the ultimate booklist to read before you're 14, with books for children across a wide range of ages.