Netflix’s A Dog’s Perfect Christmas Has Two Books. Which One Should You Read?

If you came to A Dog’s Perfect Christmas through the Netflix movie, start with W. Bruce Cameron’s 2020 novel. It’s the book the film adapts. If you’re choosing a book to read aloud with a child, pick the 2026 picture book, also by Cameron and illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett. It follows Ruby, a puppy trying to figure out what humans mean when they say “Merry Christmas.” Netflix lists November 4, 2026, as the film’s U.S. release date.

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Read the novel if the family story drew you in

Christmas is already proving difficult for the Goss family when an emergency puts more pressure on the household. Then a lost puppy arrives. What looks like one more problem to solve gives the family a chance to reconsider how they’re treating one another. That premise makes the novel the better pick if what drew you to the film was the idea of a family trying to get through a hard Christmas together.

One difference is worth knowing before you open it. Netflix introduces Winstead, a basset hound who helps a teenager and her grandfather hold their household together. The publisher’s description of the novel puts the arrival of a lost puppy at the center of the story. The film and the novel share the setup of a family under strain, and each introduces its dog from a different starting point.

Read the picture book if you want a Christmas read-aloud

The picture book gives Ruby a problem a puppy might actually have. People keep saying “Merry Christmas,” and she has to work out whether it has something to do with the shiny wrapping paper, the food on the table or the strange white stuff outside. Her new friend Ello joins her through the mishaps. Odd Dot published the book on September 29, 2026, and recommends it for ages 4–8. Odd Dot

Ruby’s guesses give children something to do while you read. Pause before she acts and ask what they think she’s about to do with the wrapping paper. If you’re picking a book for Christmas Eve, that small guessing game is a good reason to choose the picture book, even if nobody has seen the movie.

Do you need to read A Dog’s Purpose first?

You can start with either Christmas book. The novel follows the Goss family, and the picture book introduces Ruby on her first Christmas. If you recognize Cameron’s name from A Dog’s Purpose, that book begins Bailey’s story, which continues in A Dog’s Journey and A Dog’s Promise.

For more holiday read-alouds and novels, see our best Christmas books to read this season.

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