I don’t know about you, but I sometimes happen to be short of ideas on things to gift a friend’s or relative’s child with. Every idea that comes to my mind it’s either something the kid already has, or something I’ve already given to him. So, I’ve decided that from now on, I only give books as presents! If you want to replenish your collection or look for a new birthday gift, here are some ideas for a new children’s book, directly from our home favorites!
Table of Contents
First books
Making an exhaustive list is impossible. There’s a children’s book for all budgets, ages and themes.
So, to begin with, I’ll start with the books we have at home, which my kids love to read aver and over again.
If you want some international suggestions, you can also take a look at the pages in Italian and French, where the list is different as in not all books have been translated.
Moreover, if you do need a specific suggestion for a new children’s book, you may want to take a look at the Children’s Library Lady. She has a broader collection of reviews/
Or, if you specifically need suggestions on the best bedtime readings for your children according to their age, you may want to check the SleepHelp.org page.
Connected : Can you read a story?
A new children’s book for the 0 to 2
I deliberately avoided putting titles in this section.
As you can read in the article about how to read a book with a child, there is no need to wait for him to grow up to offer him a book; the characteristics you need to look at are :
- used material – resistant, of course; but also, with inserts in different materials to let the child explore through touching
- few, contrasting colors
- simple shapes
- stimulating the child’s senses
For the rest, any title will be fine! I no longer have any, because by dint of playing with them … they were destroyed!
Children’s books, 2 and up
At this age the child begins to explore and understand others. The child learns through books and stories to associate words with what he lives, and to put himself in other people’s shoes.
Music books like in this series. They are made of carton board, so they are perfect for young children; they need to put their fingers in the right spot to listen to different music extracts. It’s perfect to distract kids during a trip, to getting them used to music, to let them explore.-
I remember reading “The Rainbow Fish” aloud to my daughter when she was about 3, and talking to her about the importance of being nice to other people, sharing, and having friends. She loved the simple, yet colorful pictures and could have me read it on an infinite loop.
A new children’s book for the 3 to 5 year-olds
Stories and illustrations start to get more complex; pictures still predominate over the text, but the child is much more involved in finding out what happens.
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“The tickle test” shows the peculiar adventure of 3 tickling mice, who go about tickling other animals. Perfect to play with the kid, the book has such bright colors and rhyming sentences you’ll love reading it, too!
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“The Color Monster” is simple, colorful, poetic. I used it a lot when my daughter had big outbursts of anger, fear or sadness. I would talk to her about the colors associated with the emotions in the story, and somehow, that helped her clarify what she was feeling. -
In “What George forgot” you can discuss morning routines in such a funny way! While your kid follows George as he gets ready for school, he’s reminded of all the things he need to think about every morning – bingo! -
“Dino Diggers” has been one of my son’s favorite for over a year now. We didn’t play much with the carton digger to build that’s included, but oh boy, does he love to look at the construction workers’ site and the dinosaurs! And the story depicts the benefits of team work and problem-solving. -
“Sophie's squash” is such a sweet story. It made my kids love squashes, and beg me to plant one in our garden, while they didn’t even know what a squash was before. It talks about nurturing friendships and taking care. -
I really like the illustrations and the values conveyed through Debi Gliori's books. I absolutely adore them – they are small works of art; poetic, tender, they go straight to the heart talking about what binds us, of our being in the world.
- Finally I highly recommend all Julia Donaldson's books – we don’t personally own them, but among the schools and friends and relatives we read so many of them: beautiful both for the stories and for the illustrations!
A new children’s book for the 4-5 year-olds and up
When they begin to read by themselves, to ask a thousand questions … to really want to discover the world!
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“The Wolf who wanted to be an artist” is a journey in search for oneself, for our talents and desires, and how to pursue them … And then for once the wolf is not the bad guy! -
Actually, we discovered “The squirrels who squabbled” by complete chance. Friendship, sharing and collaborating are the main themes. What makes it special though, is the combination of its rich rhyming texts and its fantastic illustrations. A little marvel. -
“Dear Dinosaur - T-Rex on tour” is full of letters to open and read, which is what my kids love the most about this books. Of course, the fact that it’s packed with dinos traveling all over the world makes the book even more appealing! -
“Emotionary” is a sort of illustrated encyclopedia on emotions. There are references, questions, insights; all child-friendly, but also extremely legible for adults; a real journey through a world of almost dreamlike images. Beautiful.
Books to discover the world, to do activities and so on
For me this category has no age, because the books we have are used indiscriminately by my two children, only with a different approach.
Many (but not all of them) are edited by USBORNE – there is something for all tastes and types, and I recommend them absolutely.
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In “Why do we need nature“, small flaps reveal the answer to the different questions. Children love exploring the book by themselves before reading it together. -
The book on bees is of the same type: “Why do we need bees“. Opening the different flaps makes children more focused; it helps them grasp even complicated concepts like the pollution that endangers the survival of bees. -
One of the Rounds series, “Parker Penguin” shows children the life cycle of a penguin. It’s cute, simple but packed with information, that can be adapted depending on the child’s age. -
“The great big search and find activity book” is our go-to book when it comes to going to places where we know we’ll have to wait. It’s really great I promise! -
One of our last purchases, a little more difficult as a reading under 6 but whose theme is very close to my heart : “Fantastically great women who made history“. Let’s our kids grow knowing that women can be scientists, mechanics, astronauts, explorers..
To conclude..
Please note that the links to Amazon on this page are affiliate links. It means that if you make a purchase after clicking, I receive a small commission, at no cost to you. The books that I presented are the ones I prefer among the many we have at home, there is a bit for all tastes!
And please :
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If you know of other books you may want to suggest, add them in the comment section!
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This is an excellent list of books! I can’t lie, I actually really enjoy kid’s books, even as an adult! I’ve loved Search and Find books since elementary school (Where’s Waldo, Find Freddie, Search For Sam, etc.). I’m an illustrator, so a lot of the books give me ideas for illustrations. I’m actually hoping I can get my drawings in a children’s book one day. Thanks for this list!