What better to gift to a child this Christmas than an amazing new book?! We read each and every one of them to make sure they were great. Below you’ll find our very very favorite’s from each age group so you can quickly pick one of the best children’s books to give for Christmas this year! Enjoy!
– Baby Books –
100 First Words by Nosy Crow
This 100 First Word book is a cut above the rest. The illustrations in the book are adorable, and the flaps are a nice addition. The pages and the flaps seem very durable, and my son loves all the colors. This is a must-have for ages 6 months to 3 years and makes a great gift.
Baby by Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon created another adorable book for children that you just have to add to your book shelf. This one goes over the major body parts. After I give birth to my next baby, I plan to incorporate sign language with this book when reading it to my son. Plus the illustrations are super cute.
Z is for Zoo by Greg Paprocki
The author of this book, George Paprocki, created several alphabet books including B is For Boo and A is for America. The illustrations look like classic American art from the 1920s, which I love. Z is for Zoo is a cute addition to our bookshelf, but really, all of their holiday books are must-haves, in my opinion.
S is for Santa by Greg Paprocki
Yes, the same author as above, S is for Santa is going to be a holiday classic for us that I’m going to read to my kids every Christmas along with The Night Before Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas. It’s just that good. Plus I’m so in love with the illustrations.
– Toddler Books –
Vincent by Frank Fraser
Another must-have for your bookshelf is this beautifully illustrated book without words. Kids will follow the journey of a sad little pig named Vincent who is given a mysterious gift that fills his heart with something he’s never had before: Love. Vincent is suitable for ages 3 and up and you’ll be amazed how without words, this book beautifully tells a story of discovering love and what happens when it’s shared. We love that this book teaches an important lesson to young kids that aren’t old enough to learn to read.
Grab this book from Sophia Institute Press.
My Mindful Book of ABC’s
If you love teaching your toddlers positive affirmations, this is a great book for your collection. This book is full of cute little mantras like “E is for excellence in all that I do” and “T is for Truth that I speak every day.” The collection of Mindfulness Books fosters well-being in kids.
Before I Was Me by Frank Fraser
Another top pick is this beautifully illustrated, delightful story of an imaginary conversation between God and a little unborn baby. We love this book so much because it shows children that from the very moment of conception, God gave them a soul and He has great plans for them. An excellent book for parents looking to teach their kids the value of LIFE, which is more important than ever before.
Grab a copy of Before I Was Me from Sophia Institute Press.
Alphabet Street by Ingela Arrhenius
This book is both a cute little town scene and a fun way to learn the alphabet. Not just a lift-the-flap book, it’s also a fold-out play-scene, and a beautiful art piece to decorate your room! My son loves to open the book and have his peg people pretend they are shopping through town! I make sure to keep this book near my son’s doll house.
Red Rover: Curiosity on Mars by Richard Ho
In this stunningly illustrated tale, RED ROVER explores the vast, inhospitable landscape of Mars through the lens of a little rover that is reminiscent of WALL-E. Kids will love reading about the little rover with its diligence and playful curiosity. My husband, being particularly interested in space, Mars exploration, and Elon Musk ‘s work towards expanding space travel, thought this book was a great conversation starter about technology, space, and mars with our 5 year old. This is an excellent addition to your collection, especially if your kids are interested in space.
– Elementary –
The Seed Who Was Afraid To Be Planted
This children’s rhyming book tells about a little seed who lives in fear of being removed from the drawer that he happily lives in with the other seeds. One day his worst fears come true and he gets buried in the ground! To his surprise, he realizes that he is going to grow into a beautiful tree overlooking a sunlit shore. This inspiring story is awesome for kids because it deals with being afraid of new experiences and change.
Grab this book and other uplifting books for kids, from Sophia Institute Press.
Thundercluck! Chicken of Thor
I absolutely love this book! With illustrations on almost every page, this book is an extremely manageable chapter book. A little bit of magic and mythology (with a hint of humor) make this book exciting and funny! My 9 year old son loves this book and Thundercluck! Chicken of Thor: Recipe for Revenge too. These are great chapter books for reluctant readers.
Star Wars Jedi Academy 5 Books Collection Set
If you have a young Star Wars fan, they will absolutely love this series. They are about a young boy and his sister and they have a lot of school-related antics. It is like a Diary of a Wimpy Kid but for little geeks. My 9 year old son and 12 year old daughter love the books in this series. They are anxious for book #9 to be released in April 2020!
Little Leonardo’s Makerlab: Building
This a great book for ages 4-8 and perfect for your little builder. This book has a bunch of simple hands-on activities related to building, construction, architecture, and design. Kid-friendly activities include designing and building bridges, dams, and skyscrapers too. These fun activities are designed to engage both the child’s hands and minds, which helps them better understand and retain the knowledge gained from doing the activities. The perfect Christmas gift!
Jon Klassen’s Hat Box
Hold on to all of your hats for this special collection of Jon Klassen’s celebrated trilogy of books about HATS!
The bear’s hat is gone, and he wants it back. A fish has stolen a hat; will he get away with it? Two turtles have found one hat, but the hat looks good on both of them so what will they do?! Jon Klassen’s hilarious tales about hats will delight and surprise readers of all ages. This beautifully packaged boxed set is great for gift giving and comes with a free frameable print too.
Included books are:
- I Want My Hat Back
- This Is Not My Hat
- We Found a Hat
Rainbow Rangers by Summer Greene
These books are probably best for very early elementary. Summer Greene’s books are based on the hit animated series Rainbow Rangers on Nick Jr.! This is a newer series and there are currently 4 books to enjoy. Lovers of My Little Pony and those who like teaching their kids about protecting the planet will like all of these books. There is a coloring book too!
– Preteen/Teen –
The Saints Chronicles
Dan Davis is a two time Eisner nominated comic illustrator that is currently co-penciling the Garfield comic strip under the close supervision of long-time Garfield strip artist Gary Barker and the big cat himself Jim Davis! The Saints Chronicles are my 9 and 12 year olds favorite books. Finally, comic books that are worth reading!! There are currently 4 books in the series and we can’t wait till there’s more! Get The Saints Chronicles series on sale for Christmas. Makes a great gift!
Scary Stories for Young Foxes
If your child is not sensitive, this book is extremely well-written. This is a perfect book to introduce children to macabre and horror. The artwork is one of my favorite aspects of the book. Ages 9-12 will love this weird, creepy and thoroughly entertaining tale! Just be ready for them to hop into your bed afterward. ;-)
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
This is a beautiful, illustrated copy of the classic book Black Beauty. This is an excellent read-aloud for older children. Your child may just appreciate reading this copy all by themselves, especially if they like horses. This is the kind of book your kids will pass down to their kids. It’s also a great coffee table book since the artwork is so beautiful. Really an amazing book to add to your library.
Stupendous Science
For the child that loves learning new things and exploring science, this is a must-have. Kids can learn to make ice cream with salt, a smartphone projector, a groovy lava lamp, and so much more with this brilliant book of simple at-home experiments! Using basic ingredients and equipment, your kids can turn your home into a laboratory! Be prepared to stand in awe as they perform up to 70 fun science experiments from this book.
The Slime Workshop
Maybe you’re not like me. Maybe you’re not sick of slime in your house, stuck to your rug, in the furniture, wiped on your child’s best jeans, and in the crevices of your kitchen cabinets. If you would like to have some extra slime varieties in your home, buy this book. Your children will definitely have fun! (Sorry, professional house cleaner not included.)
Cakes For Kids
From what I understand, this is a book for parents who want to make adorable children’s birthday cakes, BUT my daughter recently got into cake decorating so she loves this book. If you have a little baker in your family too, she will be so happy to try out the recipes in this book. It has simple cakes to start with and then it moves to more complicated cakes – all of them child-friendly and adorable.
Find more of our favorite books here.
