Children’s books are the perfect non-toy gift idea and are wonderful gifts for any occasion. Here are some of our family’s favorite books for kids! (PLUS, a list of beloved Christmas books!)
It’s That Time Again!
Time to start thinking about Christmas presents! (Or, maybe you’re one of those moms that already has all her shopping done. I hear they’re out there, though I’m definitely not one of them!)
And let me tell you, ever since I became a mom — especially a mom of more than one child with more than one set of belongings — I have been a HUGE fan of non-toy gifts. Because toy clutter is ugh, and kids stop playing with 90% of them by February, anyway.
So, last year, I created two gift guide posts FULL of (mostly) non-toy gift ideas that wouldn’t be a waste of money. There was a list for toddlers and a list for preschoolers since those are the ages I currently have. And they were wildly popular!
25 Gifts for Toddlers (That Won’t Be a Waste of Money )
25 Gifts for Preschoolers (That Won’t Be a Waste of Money)
This year, I’m building on that non-toy idea with a book-buying gift guide!
In this post, you’ll find a list of some of the board books, picture books, and early chapter books (for read-aloud sessions) that my kids are currently loving. At the end, you’ll also find a list of beloved Christmas books that would be perfect for starting a 25 Days of Christmas Books tradition.
I almost guarantee that any of these books would be sure to please, and would make excellent gifts for Christmas (or birthdays, or “just because”)!
**Links in this post may be affiliate links. This means that if you click that link and purchase the product, I may receive a small compensation. I am, however, committed to honestly assessing the products mentioned. Please read my disclosure policy for more details. **
FAVORITE BOOKS FOR KIDS
Board Books
All the Colors That I See — Little Words Matter
Little Blue Truck — Alice Schertle
Barnyard Dance — Sandra Boynton
Moo Baa La La La — Sandra Boynton
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb — Al Perkins (Bright & Early Board Books)
Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? — Dr. Seuss
Sheep in a Jeep — Nancy E. Shaw
Giraffes Can’t Dance — Giles Andreae
Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? — Brianna Caplan Sayres
Steam Train, Dream Train — Sherri Duskey Rinker
Corduroy — Don Freeman
Picture Books
Elephant & Piggie books — Mo Willems
Our favorites are:
Elephant & Piggie: Let’s Go For a Drive!
Elephant & Piggie: Listen to My Trumpet
Dragons Love Tacos — Adam Rubin
The Cool Bean — Jory John & Pete Oswald
The Day the Crayons Quit — Drew Daywalt
What Should Danny Do? — Ganit & Adir Levy
Lexie the Word Wrangler — Rebecca Van Slyke
Our favorites are:
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes
Jamberry — Bruce Degen
Caps For Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys, and Their Monkey Business — Esphyr Slobodkina
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt — Michael Rosen
Purple, Green, and Yellow — Robert Munsch
Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site —Sherri Duskey Rinker
Llama Llama Red Pajama — Anna Dewdney
The Book With No Pictures — B.J. Novak
Press Here and Let’s Play — Herve Tullet
Duck on a Bike — David Shannon
Non-Fiction Books
Who Would Win? series — Jerry Pallotta
Children’s Illustrated Animal Atlas — DK
Ordinary People Change the World series — Brad Meltzer
Brave Heroes and Bold Defenders: 50 True Stories of Daring Men of God — Shirley Raye Redmond
Courageous World Changers: 50 True Stories of Daring Women of God — Shirley Raye Redmond
Early Chapter Books
Stuart Little — E.B. White
Charlotte’s Web — E.B. White
A Bear Called Paddington — Michael Bond
The Mouse and the Motorcycle — Beverly Cleary
Nate the Great — Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Here are more of our favorite early read-aloud chapter books!
**Update: Here are some of our favorite chapter books now that my oldest is getting older!
Psst… Don’t want to do all the read-aloud reading yourself? Audiobooks totally count! Try Audible and Get Two FREE Audiobooks today!
Christmas Books
Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale — Martin Waddell
The Crippled Lamb — Max Lucado
I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas — John Rox
Polar Express — Chris Van Allsburg
Llama Llama Holiday Drama — Anna Dewdney
One Small Donkey — Dandi Daley Mackall
Home for Christmas — Jan Brett
Gingerbread Christmas — Jan Brett
The Wild Christmas Reindeer — Jan Brett
Humphrey’s First Christmas — Carol Heyer
‘Twas the Evening of Christmas — Glenys Nellist
The Pine Tree Parable — Liz Curtis Higgs
The Night Before Christmas — Charles Santore
How the Grinch Stole Christmas — Dr. Seuss
Bear Stays Up For Christmas — Karma Wilson
Christmas in the Big Woods — Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Smallest Gift of Christmas — Peter Reynolds
Pete the Cat 12 Groovy Days of Christmas — James Dean and Kimberly Dean
Those are some of my kids’ current favorites. Are any of them favorites at your house, too? What are some other books your kids enjoy that aren’t on my list? Share with us in the comments below!
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Share your thoughts!