We all like to celebrate the New Year and contemplate what happened before and what lies ahead. But, for a child, each New Year is significant in their short lives, so they need encouragement and reinforcement. Kids need reminding of the good they have done and how they can grow in the year ahead.

Parents and teachers can help kids on this journey, and books about New Year resolutions and goal setting are a great help and also an engaging way to encourage children to read.

Here is our list of top picks of kids’ New Year’s books for holiday reading and making resolutions for the coming year. Some of these books are the latest books for kids, while others are favorite books, New Year books for children that have heard the clock strike twelve on New Year’s multiple times.

Parents can pick out great books for kids on new years day. They can be books for toddlers if you have young children - or maybe kids on new years can read their own books if they are older and can choose their own new years books.  If you are teaching, these books can help with classroom management and social emotional learning.

If young readers don’t know what resolutions are, stroll around the forest with Squirrel, be inspired to make your dreams come true with Little Penguin, or learn about traditional Chinese New Year celebrations with fireworks and spectacular parades. There are wonderful things children can enjoy: see spectacular fireworks, hang decorations and streamers, dragon parades, find ingredients for baked goods, learn more about your growing process, and start the New Year with a fun story about January, the first in a book series.

With which of these new children’s books are your kids celebrating New Year?

Preschool Children’s Books – Read Aloud Books and Picture Books to Celebrate a Happy New Year’s

Happy New Year, Spot!

If your little one hasn’t met Spot yet, then the cute book, Happy New Year, Spot! by Eric Hill, is the perfect introduction to Spot and the seasonal celebrations. Like many young children, Spot is also too young to stay up until midnight, waiting for the clock to strike twelve to celebrate New Year.

But that doesn’t stop Spot from celebrating New Year with family. So, put on your festive party hats, stock up on sparkly streamers, hang decorations, and get ready to celebrate New Year with Spot – and join him with more fun adventures throughout the year.

Flight School

The board book Flight School is for dreaming children thinking they can do something and is excited about it, just like Penguin is about flying. Although his body wasn’t made to fly, he wanted to soar like an eagle. So, he left the South Pole for flight school.

With watercolor and pencil illustrations, Lita Judge describes Little Penguin’s journey and emotions with simple clarity, and his red flight goggles visually convey his feelings. This fun story is an excellent book for preschoolers and a tool that helps children discuss their emotions and learn to adapt in the classroom. In addition, the hilarious book is a perfect read-aloud lesson on building confidence for kids anxious about going to school.

NEW RELEASE: 2-Minute Stories For 2-Year-Olds Read Aloud

The 2-Minute Stories For 2-Year-Olds is one of the best New Year’s books for toddlers. It’s an engaging book with a collection of classic stories to pass on reading traditions. And a great book for the holidays or to start New Year’s resolution early by reading a bedtime story the night before New Year.

Instead of creating a list of new books to buy, this toddler’s story book is all the favorite books for kids in one. You’ll find classic fairy tales like Goldilocks, Dinosaur Marching Band, Little Dragon Goes Fishing, Four Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, and more lovely bedtime stories for young kids getting sleepy. Forgotten is their plan of staying awake until the clock strikes twelve – it’s story time!

NEW RELEASE: You Are Growing All The Time

Released on November 8th, You Are Growing All The Time is one of Deborah Farmer Kris’ latest books. This new book talks about the tremendous changes as toddlers grow and is one of the best children’s literature to help an adult lift a child’s spirits into the new year.

The heartwarming message that life is challenging, but the love and support of caregivers are always there is told with charming affirmations and whimsical rhymes. This new kids’ book helps children learn how to grow socially, emotionally, educationally, and physically. Delightful examples give children the freedom to recognize and learn how simple questions give answers and how to deal with emotions in different situations.

New Years Books For Kids That Read On Their Own

Squirrels New Years Resolution

In the chapter book Squirrel’s New Year’s Resolution, written by Pat Miller, Squirrel asks a valid question many kids will ask at the beginning of a new year – What is a resolution? This book motivates kids to find the answer to this simple question and start the year with their New Year’s resolutions.

In this appealing picture book, Squirrel starts her journey by visiting Bear at the library, who explains to Squirrel what is a New Year’s resolution. As Squirrel ventures through the forest, she helps her friends with their New Year’s resolution but is stuck in finding one for herself. This is an excellent tool for making resolutions and helps little kids with goal setting.

NEW RELEASE: Celebrating Chinese New Year

In the book Celebrating Chinese New Year, author Eugenia Chu from a first-generation Chinese American family, introduces children to the traditions, treasured customs, history, and folklore of celebrating Chinese New Year. Also known as the Spring Festival and Chinese Lunar New Year, these holiday customs are not limited to Chinatown but are celebrations around the world.

This versatile book is filled with fun facts teaching learners about how New Year is celebrated in other countries. In addition, the children’s book features fun celebration activities, including making paper lanterns and cultural dim sum dumplings for celebrating New Year’s Chinese style.

Shanté Keys and the New Year’s Peas

In this children’s book, Shanté Keys and the New Year’s Peas, Gail Piernas-Davenport tells a sweet story about how grandma fixed baked hams, cornbread, chitlins, and greens to eat on New Year’s day but forgot about black-eyed peas. Shanté Keys loves New Years’ celebrations, and it’ll be bad luck without black-eyed peas.

So Shanté makes visits all around the neighborhood to borrow some peas to save the family tradition. With beautiful illustrations and rhyming text, she invites neighbors and learns about the deep-rooted traditions of different cultures and customs of nations and their favorite New Year’s celebration dishes.

Meet January

January is my name. In this cute story, Meet January, the first in the Calendar Kids Series of children’s books, elementary school teacher April Martin introduces each calendar month with a fun character. Starting on January 1st, with colorful illustrations, each month’s character has new clothes, hairstyles, and habits to help children remember the months of the year.

The Calendar Kids series of books for kids include monthly facts, recipes, and discussion questions about every month, from January to December. Elementary school teachers can also use additional online digital resources for classroom activities.

With which of these diverse books are your children celebrating the New Year countdown?

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