Gift Guide for Kids: Books!
Picture books, graphic novels, chapter books + more
Books will always be my favorite gift to give anyone — but picking the *right* book can be a lot of pressure! Here are some picks for kids that we’ve loved, read and re-read, fallen asleep on, and often given to friends / new parents. I always pick a few titles and bundle them up for my kids as a holiday gift, and while unwrapping a stack of books never elicits the reaction that LEGOs or roller skates do, it’s what I find them curled up with hours after the toys have been abandoned.
All books are linked to the Kids Book Recs storefront on Bookshop.org (unless otherwise noted) where you can also find tons of other recs!
Picture books
The Unfortunate Life of Worms by Noemi Vola: Julian’s book of the year. A humorous, beautiful, existential, imaginative, and informative look at life from the perspective of a worm.
The Sato the Rabbit books by Yuki Ainoya: A boy in a bunny suit exist in a profoundly imaginative relationship to everyday magic. (Sato the Rabbit, Sato the Rabbit: The Moon, Sato the Rabbit: The Sea of Tea)
Books Make Good Friends by Jane Mount: A story about a shy girl named Lotti, who struggles to make friends with anyone but her books. This book is also an encyclopedia of amazing children’s books.
Little Witch Hazel by Phoebe Wahl: a tiny witch—also a midwife, caretaker, and explorer—lives in the forest and navigates the seasons with the other creatures of her community. One of my favorites to read aloud again and again.
The Triangle, Square, Circle series by Jon Klassen and Mac Barnett: It is very hard to choose just one Barnett / Klassen collab, but this trio is a delightful and beautiful story about three very distinct friends who live in a world rich with shapes and textures. Gift one, or all three (and watch “Shape Island,” the show these books inspired).
Anything by Shinsuke Yoshitake, which are full of pondering questions, absurdity, humor, and the possibilities with which kids see the world. My kids love It Might Be An Apple (I could only find on Amazon) and There Must Be More Than That!
Mr. Coats by Sieb Posthuma: Mr. Coats is cold and no matter how many coats he wears he can’t get warm! Turns out you gotta warm your heart to warm your body, as Mr. Coats soon learns. Gorgeous illustrations + a very fun story.
The Wolf Suit by Sid Sharp: Sometimes to get what you want (blackberries), you have to partake in a little trickery and be the sheep in wolf’s clothing. A funny tale with great illustrations that’s dark around the edges.
Need a House? Call Ms. Mouse by George Mendoza: Ms. Mouse, legendary architect, designs the perfect house for each of her friends and their habitats. Incredible illustration, designs, and imagination.
Where’s Halmoni? and Where’s Joon? by Julie Kim: Where’s Halmoni is a classic in our house, about two grandchildren (who look remarkably like my own kids), who go searching for their missing Halmoni in a magical world with references to Korean landscapes, food, fairytales, and games. The recently released Where’s Joon? is a search for the little brother, who has also disappeared through a magical portal.
Etc. I also wholeheartedly recommend anything by Tomi Ungerer, Elise Gravel, Esme Shapiro, Eric & Terry Fan, and Inga Moore.
Graphic Novels (lower grade —> middle grade)
Robot Dreams and New Shoes by Sara Varon: Varon authors/illustrates my favorite graphic novels for younger kids which feature strong friendships between animals, robots, and other non-human creatures, who have remarkably strong feelings.
Olga and The Smelly Thing From Nowhere (book 1 of a 3-part series) by Elise Gravel: Ada references jokes and details from this book perhaps more than anything else she’s read. Olga is an animal-loving child scientist who discovers a bizarre new species.
The Witches of Brooklyn box set by Sophie Escabasse (4 books, link to books 1-3 box set) : What more does a kid want than to discover that magic runs in the family? So it is for Effie, a girl in Brooklyn.
Babysitters Club Graphic Novel Set, Books 1-7 (multiple authors): This set is more enduring than I could have ever anticipated. Ada’s read all of these many times (and the Babysitters Club Little Sisters series as well).
Raina Telgemeier 5-Book Boxed Set featuring Sisters, Guts, Ghosts, Smile, and Drama. There is no set of books that Ada’s read more… themes of sibling-hood, anxiety, dental drama, illness, moving, and friendship dynamics.
El Deafo by Cece Bell: Bell’s autobiographical graphic novel about growing up as a kid with hearing loss. A beautiful story, now in a new edition with extra photos.
The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil by Tom Gauld: about a bald man whose life is upended when his beard just won’t stop growing. Deeply weird and wonderful.
The Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman (4 books + a Netflix show): Shy and bookish Charlie and athletic, popular Nick are very different, but form a friendship that turns to more.
Chapter books + series
Three Tales of My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett: a fantasy trilogy about a boy named Elmer Elevator and the baby dragon he befriends. The first chapter book we read and forever a classic.
The Heartwood Hotel Series by Kallie George: Mona the mouse escapes a storm and stumbles upon the grand Heartwood Hotel, a hotel in a grand tree, run by animals. These books track Mona and her adventures at and near the hotel across the seasons. A very sweet series! (A True Home, The Greatest Gift, Home Again, Better Together)
Once Upon a Tim Box Set by Stuart Gibbs (4 book box set): Somewhere between a chapter book and a graphic novel, this comical series follows a lowly peasant named Tim on his quest for princedom. My kids *love* this series. Available for pre-order, ships 11/28.
The Fudge Series by Judy Blume (5-book series): Blume’s decades-old favorites about Peter Hatcher and his mischief-making little brother Fudge, and their always-slightly-disheveled parents.
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser: Part of the many-kids-under-one-roof-getting-into-mishaps genre (that I do so love so much). The Vanderbeekers live in a brownstone on 141st street and have 11 days before they’re evicted and need to find a way to stay in their beloved home. They are many other books in the series if you end up enjoying this one.
A Series of Unfortunate Events (13-book box set) by Lemony Snicket: This would be a very splurg-y gift, so I also recommend getting the smaller 1-3 boxed set, or just the first book, but Ada loves this series about three orphaned siblings who must navigate an evil relative who is after their family fortune.
The Wild Robot Series (3-books) by Peter Brown, about a robot that Roz who discovers she’s alone on a remote, wild island.
Phoebe’s Diary by Phoebe Wahl: An illustrated diary of a teenager girl that merges fact with fiction and bares the honest experience of the rollercoaster that is adolescence.
Compendiums / Non-fiction:
100 Things to Know about the Unknown from Usborne, from the great “100 things to know” series. Giant squid” The sphinx? Supernatural wonders? If your kid is a weird facts hound, this is a great pick. (pre-order for December 5th shipping)
A Day in the Life… Of An Astronaut, Mars and The Distant Stars by Mike Barfield and Jess Bradley: This book does an incredible job of taking space concepts and making them fun, funny, and hyper informative in a way that’s fun to read with a kid.
Wow in the World: The How and Wow of the Human Body by Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas: an illustrated adventure through the human body by the hosts of the Wow in the World podcast. (Also excited for the forthcoming Wow in Space: A Galactic Guide to the Universe and Beyond, which you can pre-order for 12/5 shipping).
The Sleuth & Solve books by Ana Gallo and Victor Escandell: use science (or history, logic) to solve these fun and tricky mystery stories.
It was so challenging winnowing down this list! If you can’t choose, a gift card is also always a great option. What are your favorite books to gift the kids in your life? Picture books? Chapter books? All ages books?
Thanks for this great compilation! I like to buy about 10 of the same book at the beginning of the year to have on hand for kids’ gifts as they come up and it looks like there are some contenders here.
The Chirri and Chirra series by Kaya Doi is very popular with our 4-year-olds. And everything I’ve read from the publisher of those books, Enchanted Lion, has been enchanting as well!
If I give a kid a gift, it is always a book. I love gifting Marianne Dubuc's picture books, especially Your House My House and Mr Postmouse Delivers the Mail. Both are great for kids into buildings. Also Frank Ashe's Baby Bear books are so fun and sweet.
For chapter books, I love The Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, Ramona books, and most Lois Lowry books, especially the Anastasia series. The originals, not the updated ones. They hold up pretty well.