Best Books to Gift 2025 - for Kids

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

Updated November 19, 2025
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A merry little mystery
Sutton, Layla.
Lift a flap. Find a clue. Crack the case. Learn something new!  Introduce your little one to the most wonderful time of year with this holiday board book filled with lift-the-flaps, rhyming riddles, and a merry little mystery to solve!  Team up with the charming detective...
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...
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
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...
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
Paper Book
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 construction site and a sewing machine to the river and a blanket...
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...
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...
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
Meet Max, a Little Axolotl! He's new to school and just a little bit shy, but he's already making waves. This 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, like dolphins,...
Paisley & Peck. Jurassic farm
Torres, J.
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
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
★ 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<...
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 ...
Star sailor, the story of words
Cassidy, Sara
Paper Book
Humans need words to communicate, whether they are spoken, written, signed or even sung. But what exactly is a word? And why does the way we use words continue to change? The English language has morphed, melted and remade itself since its beginning. From imitating the sounds of the world...
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...

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