By Hillary Kleck
December is a wonderful month full of stories of faith, heritage, family and friends. Celebrate the season with these stories and open up the world for your child through braille and audio books. Try pairing the story with other sensory activities including arts and crafts for gifts, braille and tactile holiday cards and more. Whatever you decide to do, remember to cherish the time you are spending together this holiday season!
Christmas Books
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss. Hardcopy Print/Braille available from The Braille Superstore. Digital formats are available from Bookshare. Movie Alert! The movie is also available with audio description for blind viewers on iTunes and Amazon.
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. Hardcopy Print/Braille available from Seedlings Braille Books for Children and The Braille Superstore. Digital formats are available from Bookshare.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Hardcopy Print/Braille available from The Braille Superstore. Digital formats are available from Bookshare and can be downloaded by all – even without a current Bookshare Membership.
The Night Before Christmas by Clement Moore. Hardcopy Print/Braille versions are available from The Braille Superstore. Digital formats are available from Bookshare.
The Christmas Story by Deborah Hautzig is available in Hardcopy Print/Braille from The Braille Superstore. The Little Golden Books version by Jane Werner Watson is available in digital format from Bookshare.
Hanukkah Books
Latke, The Lucky Dog by Ellen Fischer and Tiphanie Beeke. Hardcopy Print/Braille available from National Braille Press.
Hanukkah Lights, Hanukkah Nights by Leslie Kimmelman. Hardcopy Print/Braille is available from Seedlings Braille Books for Children.
Hanukkah Around the World by Tami Lehman-Wilzig. Digital formats are available from Bookshare.
Let’s Get Ready for Hanukkah by Joanne Winne. Digital formats are available from Bookshare.
Runaway Dreidel! by Leslea Newman. Digital formats are available from Bookshare.
Kwanzaa Books
Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story by Angela Shelf Medearis and Daniel Minter. Digital formats are available from Bookshare.
Together for Kwanzaa by Juwanda G. Ford. Digital formats are available from Bookshare.
My First Kwanzaa by Karen Katz. Digital formats are available from Bookshare.
The Story of Kwanzaa by Donna L. Washington. Digital formats are available from Bookshare.
My First Kwanzaa Book by Deborah M. Newton Chocolate. Digital formats are available from Bookshare.
Winter Solstice Books
Arctic Lights, Arctic Nights by Debbie S. Miller. Digital formats available from Bookshare.
The Tomten by Astrid Lindgren. Digital formats are available from Bookshare.
Wishlist of Books We’d Love To Be Made Accessible!
- The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola
- Christmas Cookies by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
- Oskar and the Eight Blessings by Richard Simon & Tanya Simon
- The Winter Solstice by Ellen Jackson
Are there any books you wish were accessible in hardcopy braille or digital formats? Let us know in the comments below!
Where to Buy Braille Books for Kids
Searching for braille books for older kids or adults? You may also enjoy this Bookshare Blog Post Make the Holidays Special with Bookshare.
Additional resources for braille holiday books include Beulah Reimer Legacy, Future Aids The Braille Superstore as well as Christmas Carols, National Braille Press along with other braille gifts and Seedlings Braille Books for Children.
