Best Books to Gift 2025 - for Kids

Books to entertain and inspire each young reader on your list.

Updated November 19, 2025
G
Greater Victoria Public Library
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
A dance with Santa Claus
Boynton, Sandra
Celebrate Christmas with one magical dance with Santa in this adorable picture book from a New York Times bestselling author, the inimitable Sandra Boynton. "Now everybody's rushing toward Christmas Eve, but I'm quietly...
Interrupting chicken saves the nutcracker
Stein, David Ezra
Paper Book
"Stein's metafictive narrative is sidesplittingly funny, capturing with aplomb young children's endearingly exasperating tendency to speak up when it's least convenient." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) At her first ballet ever, can an excitable little Chicken resist helping...
North for the winter
Podesta, Bobby
A fun, heartwarming holiday adventure about a girl, a flying reindeer, and the biggest Christmas mission ever! When Virginia (yes, Virginia) spots a real flying reindeer in the sky, she can hardly believe her eyes. She's just moved to a new city, she misses her mom, and...
The book of candles : eight poems for Hanukkah
Snyder, Laurel
From Sydney Taylor Award winner and National Jewish Book Award honoree Laurel Snyder comes a warm, reverential, surprising, and fresh story of one very special Hanukkah. In a dark, dark room, one thin candle wakes, bursts to life Thus begins the first...
Feelings Come, Feelings Go
Roberts, Jillian
Paper Book
No matter how little you are, you can have big feelings. Some feelings are easy, some are hard, but they all matter. When you feel sunshine on your face, you might feel happy. When a new friend wants to play, you might feel shy. When you have to say goodbye, you might feel sad. Feelings...
Penny Penguin
Raffi
Paper Book
March, hop, slip, and slide through a winter wonderland in this adorable sing-along board book from beloved children's musician and performer Raffi. Put on your penguin suit and waddle along with Penny Penguin and her penguin pals as they spend a day in the snow together! ...
Your farm
Klassen, Jon
Paper Book
"A simultaneously empowering and instructive bedtime tale." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) From the incomparable Jon Klassen, one in a trio of companion board books for the youngest of children This is your sun. It is coming up for...
Cats in construction hats
Bardhan-Quallen, Sudipta
Colorful cats in construction hats are on the job to build a house in this adorable, bouncy, rhyming picture book! Kids will delight in learning about colors while giggling at the hilarious antics of these forklift driving kitties. Yellow cat. Green hat. Dig this....
Dreaming alongside
Gray Smith, Monique
Let Dragonfly lead you on a journey of inspiration! Following your winged guide, visit the places and things that can help you find strength in the present and imagine your amazing future. Dream alongside everything from a giant construction site and a sewing machine to the river and a...
Moon song
Goade, Michaela
Cuddle up with this celebration of winter and explore the wonders of nature's light with Moon Song from Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade. On an island at the edge of a silvery sea, when the moon rises and night falls, a girl spins a story for...
Pop! goes the nursery rhyme
Bird, Betsy
Paper Book
In this laugh-out-loud spin on a classic nursery rhyme collection, a feisty weasel continuously interrupts the narrator's carefully prepared recitation--adding exuberant mischief to the timeless rhymes we all know and love. The sensible Secretary Bird wants nothing...
The bad idea and other stories
Pizzoli, Greg
Paper Book
This giggle-inducing early reader kicks off a brand-new series featuring two unlikely friends, for fans of Frog and Toad, from beloved Geisel Award-winning author of The Watermelon Seed. Earl and Worm have been friends for a very, very long time, but their...
Bulldozer's big rescue
Broach, Elise
Paper Book
From the award-winning team who created Masterpiece comes a charming chapter book about a young bulldozer who is nervous about making friends and starting school. ★ "Broach and Murphy rev up for a promising new series.... ...
Eliza and the flower fairies
McDonald, Megan
Paper Book
"[A] joyful tale of learning to believe in oneself and rejoicing in magic both grandiose and mundane."--Publishers Weekly From the beloved author of the Judy Moody and Stink series comes the first in a sparkling series of chapter books about a girl whose love for magic...
Growing home
Ferry, Beth
Paper Book
An instant New York Times bestseller! "A meditative, charming delight." --School Library Journal (starred review) An unlikely team of talkative plants, a curious spider, and a grumpy goldfish use their newfound magical abilities to defend their...
Family forever
George, K.
Paper Book
Courage, kindness, and adventure abound in this charming, illustrated chapter book series! While the search for a golden acorn has Fernwood Forest all a-fluster, Mona the mouse plans a surprise of her own to bring all the animals together. Everything is...
Bark twice for murder
Lekich, John
Paper Book
After the death of his parents, Harry keeps busy by making food for the unhoused in his grandmother's food truck. That's how he meets and befriends Stanley, an excellent cook and teacher with only two possessions: a precious recipe binder and a grumpy dog named Waffles. Then Stanley turns...
The last resort
Kelly, Erin Entrada
Paper Book
The next evolution in storytelling from New York Times bestselling, Newbery Medal Winning author Erin Entrada Kelly! Twelve-year-old Lila has two goals for the summer: 1. Win back the friends who ditched her for being "too dramatic" 2. Stop being so dramatic ...
Sleuths on the loose
Karber, G. T.
Paper Book
Inspired by the global phenomenon of the Murdle puzzle books comes the first novel in a new thrilling mystery series, for fans of Mr. Lemoncello's Library and The Swifts.   It's a cloudy day on the Sacred Kidney playground, but Jake likes it that way--dark and...
Snoop
Korman, Gordon
Paper Book
From Gordon Korman, the bestselling author of Restart, the story of a boy who's stuck at home with two broken legs... and who starts using cameras and a drone to spy on his classmates, neighbors, and a possible criminal who's come to town. If Carter hadn't been checking his phone,...
Max, a little axolotl : an original graphic novel
Spiotto, Joey
Paper Book
Meet Max, a Little Axolotl! He's new to school and just a little bit shy, but he's already making waves. This funny and sweet graphic novel is perfect for fans of Narwhal and Jelly! It's Max's first day at Coral Elementary school. The school is filled with marine animals,...
Paisley & Peck. Jurassic farm
Torres, J.
Paper Book
A riotous new graphic novel series following two misfit barnyard friends Paisley is not only a neat and tidy pig. He's also a foodie who refuses to eat slop and dreams of becoming a food critic. Peck is an enthusiastic chick who is not a morning bird and refuses to grow up to be the farm's...
Carousel summer
Gros, Kathleen
Paper Book
For twelve-year-old Lucy Stulligross, a boring summer without her best friend turns into an unexpected coming-of-age journey of firsts. Perfect for fans of Kayla Miller and Jarad Greene. With her best friend away at camp, tons of chores to do, and her dad always on her case...
Oasis
Guojing
Paper Book
★ SEVEN STARRED REVIEWS! ★ "It's rare to find a book so thought-provoking and haunting that also feels like it's welcoming the reader with a warm hug." - The New York Times With all the heart of The Wild Robot and the wonder of A Rover's Story<...
True colors growing up weird in the '90s
Gravel, Elise
Paper Book
Growing up is always just a little too much for a kid to handle, but taking your time is all it takes Tweeny-bopper Elise knows she's different, but kind of just chalks it up to being a weirdo. And in the 90s, who isn't? Other girls might be shifting their attention to boys,...
Natalie Babbitt's Tuck everlasting : the graphic novel
Woodman-Maynard, K.
Paper Book
Celebrate Tuck Everlasting's 50th anniversary with the bestselling graphic novel adaptation of this beloved and spellbinding children's classic that has sold more than 10 million copies. What if you could live forever? In this timeless story about...
It's Busy Down in the Woods Today : Friends to Meet, Places to Explore, and over 100 Things to Find
Piercey, Rachel/ Hartas, Freya (ILT)
Paper Book
Discover how the animals of Brown Bear Wood spend their days and search for over 100 hidden things in It's Busy Down in the Woods Today, a brand-new picture book from the creators of the internationally bestselling If You Go Down to the Woods Today ...
How to build everything
Dolan, Hannah
Paper Book
Discover 200 LEGO® build ideas, featuring tips and techniques from expert LEGO builders! Go on a creative journey in this bumper book of LEGO building fun, featuring the best builds from across DK's How to Build LEGO series! You'll find LEGO models of all kinds to inspire...
I know dino! : amazing breakthroughs, mega mistakes, and unsolved mysteries in dinosaur science
Ricci, Sabrina
Paper Book
Get the deets on dinos and find out how we know what we know about them, from the hosts of the popular podcast I Know Dino! Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years, but the world of dinosaur science has never been more alive! Over the last few decades, amazing...
Kid olympians: winter
Stevenson, Robin
Triumphant, relatable, and totally true biographies tell the childhood stories of a diverse group of international athletes who have captured the world's attention at the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, including Johnny Weir, Chloe Kim, Alex and Maia Shibutani, Surya Bonaly, and 13 other...
Minecraft Official Blocks Guide
Mojang AB.
Bursting with facts on over 650 unique blocks! Minecraft continues to grow every year and Minecraft: Official Blocks Guide catalogues every single block in the game, including the very latest additions. Ever wanted to know how to make obsidian, or find out where you...
Octopus ocean : geniuses of the deep
Leiren-Young, Mark
★"Vivid and fascinating...Budding scientists and animal lovers will keep this stellar title in full-circulation as they learn the mysteries and history of octopuses."--School Library Journal, starred review With their blue blood, big brains and eight arms, octopuses are dramatically...

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.