Best Christmas Gift Books for Kids

Books are a fantastic gift for children at Christmas and a safe bet for the kid on your Christmas list who might be hard to buy for. Even the most seasoned video-gamer will often have a favorite book series. And classic Christmas stories are books that kids can enjoy year after year.

Choose from either these Christmas classics or from these popular kids' books for 2010, and young readers will have a gift they can enjoy long after they've grown bored of the video games.

Classic Christmas Gift Books:

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus by Francis P. Church, illustrated by Joel Spector We've all heard the story of the young girl named Virginia who wrote to the New York Sun in 1897, asking if Santa Claus was real. The response from Francis P. Church is retold here along with beautiful Victorian illustrations.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Brett Helquist The darkly comic illustrator of the Lemony Snicket A Series of Unfortunate Events provides just the right atmosphere to this version of Dickens' tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and his visits from three Christmas ghosts.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss Even the most grouchy and evil-hearted Grinch can't resist the Christmas spirit of all the Whos in Whoville.

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, illustrated by Mary Engelbreit The traditional Christmas Eve story by Clement C. Moore enhanced by Mary Engelbreit's colorful folk art.

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg A modern classic tale of a boy's trip to the North Pole to see Santa and to receive the first gift of Christmas.

2010 Popular Books for Kids:

Art & Max by David Weisner The newest picture book by three-time Caldecott winner David Weisner tells the story of two artists, both lizards, one studious, the other a bit more frenzied.

Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama, illustrated by Loren Long The President's lovingly crafted children's book introduces young readers to notable Americans such as Georgia O'Keefe, Albert Einstein, and Helen Keller.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth by Jeff Kinney The popular illustrated series for young readers following the middle-school exploits of Greg Heffley and his friends led to a hit movie in the summer of 2010. This is the ninth book in the series. For kids who haven't yet tried the series, a box set is available with the first four books.

The 39 Clues, Book 9: Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park Join the hunt for the 39 clues! An interactive series combining books, online gaming, and card collecting, each book in the series is written by a well-known children's author.

Guinness Book of World Records 2011 For over fifty years, Guinness World Records books have been bestsellers. The current edition is full of beautiful photos and expanded content on records set in the United States.