7 New Bilingual Children’s Books to Celebrate Navidad and the Holiday Season

These newly released, beautifully illustrated books in Spanish and English will delight kids and give parents, abuelos y tíos the opportunity to share inspiring fun stories with los pequeños.

With its spirit of love, peace, and generosity, Christmas is a special time for all. But for children it can be truly magical. 

So, come Dec. 25, when Santa and his reindeer crew deliver presents, or Jan. 6, when los Reyes Magos place their regalos under el arbolito de Navidad, these beautiful books will make a great gift for the special children in your life. 

Blanco, the Little Donkey That Saved Christmas/Blanco, El burrito que salvó la Navidad

Sensitively written by Stella Pope Duarte and beautifully illustrated by Yuliia Zolotova, this is the story of Blanco, a little donkey teased and bullied by other animals because they see him as strange, and fear that if they get too close, they, too, might become white as snow! 

But on Christmas Eve, everything will change for Blanco, when he meets Santa Claus and the impossible becomes possible. This beautiful story lets children understand how wrong it is to bully others. 

The Three Wise Men/Los tres Reyes Magos

This illustrated children’s story reveals the reason why on Jan. 6, Melchor, Gaspar y Baltazar, los tres Reyes Magos, leave presents for all the children who have behaved well. Little Joe’s mom explains it in this independently published story by T. Vega that helps children learn to read while gently teaching them beautiful lessons of love and family.

La Noche Antes de Navidad/Twas the Night Before Christmas

“Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house…” Who doesn’t remember Clement C. Moore’s cherished holiday classic? Now the poem that has been inspiring kids for over two hundred years has been beautifully rendered into a bilingual book for children (and the parents who still love it!). This edition includes five spot-the-difference Christmas scenes that are for fun for the whole family.

Llama, Llama, Holiday Helper/El ayudante de las fiestas

Made famous by Anna Dewdney’s best-selling picture books, the busy little Llama is now the star of his own original series, airing on Netflix. In this fun-filled story, Llama and Mama Llama are done getting ready for the holidays, so Llama decides to help out his friends Gilroy, Nelly, Euclid, and Luna to prepare to celebrate their favorite time of year. Fans of Llama and his pals will treasure this colorful adventure. 

Nativity Scene Story and Coloring Book on the Birth of Jesus/Bilingual 

Perfect for ages 3-to 5, this coloring book published by Keeping Kids Creative is also an illustrated version of the nativity that will help kids remember the true reason for the season. Each page depicts a character or scene in the story of the birth of Jesus Christ, and contains a Spanish word or storyline, with the English version as a follow up. Makes a great arts and crafts activity to share with parents and grandparents.

The Christmas Desastre: El Desastre de Navidad

This is the second book in the series The Little Miss Adventures of Ariah, a story that celebrates being African American and Latina. Written by Sandra D. McCoy and illustrated by John M Dickinson, the adventures of Ariah and her family during Christmas (and the interesting stuff children will learn!) will keep kids engrossed and laughing. This book will be released Dec. 6.

Bilingual Fairy Tales in Spanish and English

This may not be technically a book about Christmas, but it certainly makes a wonderful Christmas present. Published by My Daily Spanish, this collection of bilingual fairy tales includes “El patito feo” (“The Ugly Duckling”), “La cenicienta” (“Cinderella”), and “Pulgarcito” (“Tom Thumb”). The stories are written with a mix of dialogue and description that helps boost reading comprehension. As an added bonus, when you purchase this book, you will also get an audio accompaniment, available in both Spanish and English.