Christmas at the North Pole is happening behind every flap. Santa and Mrs. Claus are icing cookies, the elves are hammering toys together, and the reindeer are waiting on their supper. Your toddler lifts, looks, and finds the next surprise, then does it again tomorrow, and the day after that.

The flaps here are the reason this one survives a toddler. They are thick chunky board rather than thin paper, and each carries a peek-through hole so a child who cannot yet work a hinge still gets a reward for trying. That small design choice is the difference between a book that gets loved for three Decembers and a book that gets taped back together in January.

Written by Holly Berry-Byrd, illustrated by Kathrin Fehrl, and sized for laps and small hands at a shade over seven inches square. Give it early in the season and let it become the countdown.