The best Christmas books for kids in Australia

Wombat Divine by Mem Fox (1995). The most-loved Australian Christmas picture book of the last thirty years. Wombat keeps auditioning for the nativity and keeps being told he’s the wrong shape for every part. Mem Fox’s rhythm is unmistakable, and Kerry Argent’s native animals give it the midsummer Christmas feel imported titles never quite capture. Paperback $14.99 at Booktopia, hardcover $24.99 (May 2026). Ages 3 to 7.

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (1985). The Caldecott Medal winner that has sold over 7 million copies worldwide. The illustrations are still extraordinary, and the bell at the end is the bit kids remember twenty years later. Hardcover around $24.99 at Dymocks (May 2026). Ages 4 to 8.

Stick Man by Julia Donaldson (2008). Donaldson and Scheffler’s quieter sibling to The Gruffalo: Stick Man tries to make it home to his family for Christmas Eve. Reliably one of the most-borrowed picture books in Australian public libraries each December (ALIA). Paperback $14.99 at Booktopia. Ages 3 to 6.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (1957). Almost seventy years old and still the funniest Christmas book your child will own. Built for reading aloud, and the moral lands without being saccharine. Hardcover $19.99 at QBD or Booktopia. Ages 4 to 8.

An Aussie Night Before Christmas by Yvonne Morrison (2005). The Aussie rewrite of Clement C Moore’s 1823 poem: six white boomers pull Santa’s ute, and the kids leave Vegemite sandwiches on the verandah. Paperback around $14.99, hardcover $19.99 at Big W and Booktopia (May 2026). Ages 3 to 7.

If you only buy one classic this year: Wombat Divine for Australian households, The Polar Express for the older end of the age range. Both are in print and stocked at every major Australian bookshop.

Bluey: Christmas Swim (Penguin Random House Australia). ABC Books and Penguin keep releasing Bluey Christmas titles, and they keep selling: Bluey was Australia’s top-selling children’s book franchise of 2024 (Australian Publishers Association). Paperback $9.99, hardcover $14.99 at Big W and Booktopia. Ages 2 to 5.

Little Reindeer by Nicola Killen. Cut-out pages, foil details and a quiet Christmas Eve story. The production is what makes it gift-worthy. Hardcover $19.99 at Dymocks. Ages 2 to 5.

Pig the Elf by Aaron Blabey. The Pig the Pug series has sold over 9 million copies since 2014, the highest-selling Australian children’s series of the last decade (Scholastic Australia). Pig the Elf is the December title. Paperback $14.99 at Booktopia or Big W. Ages 3 to 6.

Most Christmas-book lists ignore personalised books, because they’re written from publisher catalogues and personalised books aren’t in them. That leaves out the one book about the child themselves. Three kinds, by how personal they are (prices checked September 2026):

• Name-only template books. The child’s name dropped into a fixed story. Dinkleboo from $33.99; Wonderbly from A$59.99. Good production, little story depth.
• Avatar template books. You build an avatar (skin tone, hair, glasses) that is drawn into a fixed Christmas story. Hooray Heroes is the standout, with hand-drawn avatars, at A$69.99.
• Photo-based books. The child’s photo becomes the pictures. Imagitime puts a photo-based character into one of its fixed stories: A$64.99 paperback, A$79.99 hardcover plus delivery. A Paperlake book is a story written for one child, with every picture made from their photo: $99 hardcover or $119 Keepsake, delivered.

Our guide to personalised Christmas books compares the services side by side, and a baby’s first Christmas book has its own page. For every brand, see personalised children’s books in Australia. For something free, make them a letter from Santa.

Booktopia. Australia’s largest online bookshop. Free shipping over $45, almost every classic here in stock, and ships from Sydney in 2 to 5 business days. Best for a stack of three or four titles: most Christmas hardcovers are $14 to $25, so a four-book order clears the threshold easily.

Dymocks. Shops plus online, with click and collect at most metro stores in 1 to 2 days. Stronger on premium hardcovers and gift editions. Free shipping over $50; list prices slightly higher than Booktopia on average.

QBD Books. The suburban-mall favourite, often with December buy-2-get-1-free deals on picture books. Free shipping over $45; in-store stock is excellent for the major titles.

ABC Bookstore. The place for Bluey, Hardie Grant and ABC titles. The Christmas range tends to land in late October. Free shipping over $50.

Big W. The cheapest place to grab a paperback in person, with same-day click and collect at most stores. The catch is range: about the top 30 Christmas titles, not the long tail.

For picture books from Penguin Random House Australia, Allen & Unwin, Hardie Grant, Scholastic Australia and Walker Books Australia, where the book is printed barely matters: the shops hold stock and deliver in days.

Two classics, one newer title and one about them, for a five-year-old. About $159, and about 15 minutes of ordering.

1. Wombat Divine, hardcover ($24.99). The Australian classic. Booktopia, by 15 December.
2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas, hardcover ($19.99). The international classic that survives a fifth reread. Booktopia or Dymocks.
3. Pig the Elf, paperback ($14.99). From Australia’s top-selling kids’ series of the last decade. Big W or Booktopia.
4. A Paperlake hardcover ($99, delivered). The book about them. Order by Monday 30 November. Personalised Christmas books.

Two read-aloud-once books, two reread-every-December books, and one that goes on the shelf next to the photo albums.

We started from the children’s bestseller lists at Booktopia, Dymocks and QBD, and ALIA library borrowing data for the last three Decembers. We kept titles still in print, stocked at three or more major Australian bookshops, and reviewed well by Australian parenting publications including Kidspot and ellaslist. Newer titles were chosen on December bestseller status.

Personalised books were judged as on our personalised books comparison: how much of the story is theirs, how the pictures are made, delivery time and total delivered price. We publish this guide, and Paperlake is included as one book of ten.

1. Booktopia children's Christmas books: Prices and stock, May 2026
2. Dymocks Christmas picture books: Prices and stock, May 2026
3. Booktopia delivery: Ships from Sydney in 2 to 5 business days
4. Australian Publishers Association: BookScan 2024: Bluey the top-selling children's franchise
5. HMH Books: The Polar Express: Sales history and edition details
6. Scholastic Australia: Pig the Pug at 10 years: Series sales
7. ALIA Australian library statistics: Public library borrowing
8. ellaslist Christmas book guides: Australian parenting publication
9. Kidspot Christmas reading lists: Australian parenting publication