Babies & Little Ones Christmas Gift Guide
Books are such great gifts for the very littlest in the family as they tend to hold their interest longer (and have more longevity) than toys. I've gathered a list of books that I think are perfect for babies and little ones to enjoy, not only now, but to grow with them. My bairns are 3 and 5 and they would have loved these books both as babies but they also still enjoy reading them now - making these books the gifts that really keep on giving!
I won't share any festive reads here as personally I prefer to give books that will last all year round but you can find my festive recommendations linked here. So if you do like to give festive books at Christmas time then please go check those out.
Before I share, I just want to say that there are many many great books out there for little readers but these are some of our favourites that we have discovered this year. It would be impossible to compile a fully comprehensive list so this is more of a highlights guide. If you want to see our gift guides from last year, or any of our other gift guides from this year you can find them all linked here. I've tried to include a variety of books so that there is something for everyone.
On the Go/Homes by Hextor Dexet
Some of the books my bairns loved best as babies had high-contrast illustrations (though neither actually liked black and white books once they were passed the very little stage) and books that had a tactile element. So I know these would have been firm favourites! (In fact they both quite enjoyed them now!)
Homes features all sorts of houses for all kinds of creatures from villages to desert islands to tree trunks and even haunted houses! And On the Go looks at all different ways to travel from boats, trucks and trains to limousines and hot air balloons. They both feature peep-though holes throughout and the bright and bold illustrations are utterly charming. Highly recommend these for any babies who are ready to explore books and as they are a slightly larger format than typical board books, they would be a great way to engage children in tummy time! Brilliant and will be my next baby gift for sure!
Nibbles: Colours by Emma Yarlett
One of our all time favourite characters is back nibbling his way through a book of colours. Little ones can follow Nibbles along as he chomps his way through the rainbow! From the first page flap, to all the delightful little finger-sized cut-out holes in each page, there's so much for little ones to explore. With bright and inviting colours, this is a colour book that provides more than simple colour teaching. The rhyme scheme makes it enjoyable to read aloud and allows little ones to predict the next colour in some pages. BookBairn also enjoys that Nibbles, like in the previous books, has nibbled a hole in the back of the book and escaped! Such a versatile little book!
Spaghetti Hunters by Morag Hood
I knew from the premise of this one it was going to be laugh out loud funny and the bairns really do enjoy this one and we've read it several times. It tells the story of Duck who has lost his spaghetti. It has vanished. But never fear, Tiny Horse has a plan to save the day. But what exactly do you bring on a spaghetti hunt? And this is where things get interesting and the bairns start shouting at the book "no, silly Tiny Horse!!" Tiny Horse wisely and without hesitation packs a spade, a fishing rod, a jar of peanut butter, cutlery (I mean these might actually be useful) and some binoculars - obviously! Cue: hysterical laughter from the bairns. Together they search far and wide but all they come up with as worms, a ball of string and even a snake. But no spaghetti! Disaster! So Duck decides it's probably better to consult his recipe book and gathers flour, eggs and a pasta maker and sets about making his own spaghetti. But does Tiny Horse approve? This really is a laugh out loud caper that on the surface may seem like just a silly story but it actually opens questions about where our food comes from and encourages home cooking too! Brimming with wit and dry humour as well as lots of fun and Morag's typical simple-but-not-simplistic illustrations (how she gets across all those character expressions in such simple lines and colours is beyond me!), this is such a superb read! As are all her books! I really could not choose a favourite as all have held high places in our hearts!
Pop Out and Play: Doctor's Kit/Cook's Baking Set
If you’ve got a little one who is a lot more hands-on with their stories then these new books are perfect for you! Each page has a pop-out baking tool, or items from a Doctor's Kit that little ones can play with as you read the simple text to them. These just have so much play potential! And then it’s like a jigsaw puzzle putting all the pieces back in the right slots of the book. The illustrations are bright and fun and have plenty detail to talk about as you read/play. The previous books in the series - Builder's Toolkit and Shopping List - were on our previous gift guide. Such a great concept and they would make brilliant gifts too!
There's A Mouse in My House by Ross Collins
I 'm a little late to the game with this series! But then this second book is just new out so perhaps not too late?! This is the follow-up to the popular There's a Bear on My Chair and Bear and Mouse are back following on from that final page in the first book - where Mouse is in Bear's house. And he's intent on staying. With some of the most brilliant rhymes it's truly joyful to read aloud and the illustrations add so much to the story! It's an expert pairing of words and pictures to tell a story that both kids and adults will enjoy immensely! And the bairns adore it (and the original - now added to our collection too!) and ask for the over and over!
Room on the Broom (Push, Pull and Slide Book) by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler
For those of you who don’t know this is a condensed version of Room on the Broom - a brilliant rhyming romp about a witch and a cacophonous of creatures who fit on the broom, until it snaps and the witch gets almost eaten by a dragon! As I say this is condensed so it makes sense to have a full version of the story to hand or have familiarity with the characters. But we really love this one! And can not recommend it highly enough!! It's the book I've read most often this year!
I hope that helps you find something for the little readers in your life! And if you want any specific recommendations please feel free to get in touch! All our social media links are in the header at the top of the blog - or you can just search 'bookbairn' to find us!
I have also added this list to my Amazon shop so you can find the links easily, just click on the section for Babies or the section for Toddlers where you'll find these books and many others. This year I've also signed up to be an affiliate for Bookshop.org.uk where you can shop online whilst still supporting local independent bookshops!
And of course you can always take a note of the books titles and go to a local bookshop or place an order with them.
Happy Christmas Shopping,
Kim and the elves xx
Disclaimer: We were sent some of these books free for review purposes by the publishers. Words and opinions are my own. If you click on the affiliate linked stores above and you choose to purchase on amazon.co.uk, amazon.com or bookshop.org.uk, I will receive a small sum (around 20p-£1.50 per book) from those sites at no extra cost to you. I understand that you may not want to use an affiliate link, but if you like reading our blog please just think of it as a small tip for a tip-off to an awesome book. And know that your support means I can buy more books! For more information check out our 'For Our Readers' section.
Both BookBairn and the Wee Page Turner loved interactive books when they could stick their fingers in holes and turn flaps etc. It’s great to see “Dimbles” back eating his way through the pages.....and Room on the Broom is one of my favourites.
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