Holiday Gift Guide 2024: Child(ish) Reads

We’re ending the week with books for kids 0-10. Publishing categories fairly closely match up with age groups, so we’re listing books by type this time. It also should go without saying that these should be physical books. We would hold off with eBooks until middle school, or when your kid can read on a device without it affecting their vision or attention.

Here are our book picks for 2024:

Board Books (Infants and Toddlers)

Educating Amy
We saw Little Medic at the Bookstore and thought it was so cute. Educating Amy makes handmade felt books, so they are very durable and perfect for newborns and infants. They are also a bit pricier, getting more expensive depending on size. So if you snag one of these, know it’ll be passed down from kid to kid.

Hey! Look at you!
Sandra Boynton books are always a good option for board books. This one has a mini mirror built in that babies love.

Poke-A-Dot! By Melissa & Doug
This interactive board book series has little buttons throughout. So while you are reading about the ocean or the farm, there are pop buttons on each page to keep your kids attention and satisfy tactile needs.

Moomin Tummytime
We loved how these Moomin books accordion out so that your baby can interact with the book on their tummy. Here is another similar tummy time box set that is also high-contrast/Black and white.

Picture Books (Toddler through Kindergarten)

Oliver Jeffers is a personal favorite, so I’m listing The Dictionary Story.

The Book That Can Read Your Mind by Marianna Coppo
This was super clever and we think kids will go crazy over how the logic works.

The Power to Choose Series by Ganit and Adir Levy
My girls have What Would Darla Do?, but I didn’t know that it had its own series. This is a great set featuring Darla and Danny, introducing the concept of Choose Your Own Adventure. We like that you can re-read the story and have different outcomes and moral lessons each time.

Looking for more classic picture books? Browse the Caldecott Medal Award winners list.

Early/Young Readers (Kindergarten through 2^nd grade)

This can be a difficult in-between group. I found my kids were very reluctant to pick books that didn’t have illustrations throughout. Alternating reading before bedtime was frustrating. So we had to be a bit diplomatic, choosing books that would challenge their reading skills but wouldn’t turn them off completely.

A shortcut is to go to the library instead of the bookstore. The library keeps the beginner reader books in its own spot, so your kid can just grab 10 of them and whiz through it. Beginner readers (Levels 1 and 2) are often just condensed versions of beginner chapter books, so borrowing is much better than buying.

Now, when it comes to chapter books, I feel like my kids pick the shiniest, weirdest, cartooniest titles. We’ve gotten into Fly Guy, Unicorn Diaries, and Little Goddess Girls (not to be confused with regular Goddess Girls). It’s not my favorite, but they are on their way to becoming independent readers.

Other titles that are frequently recommended are: Diary of a Pug, Dragon Masters, and Eerie Elementary.

For this age group, you would also browse the Geisel Award list.

Middle Grades (3^rd through 5^th grade)

The Kids Book of Sticker Love by Irene Smit and Astrid ver der Hulst
Our kids love getting their hands on stickers, but often they end up looking kinda crappy or forgotten, or torn. This book gives the stickers a purpose and flexes their arts and crafts skills.

The Handbook of Forgotten Skills by Elaine Batiste and Natalie Crowley
If your kid is curious about how to do small things around the house, have them give this a try. Growing up, I feel like I was not taught many skills because my parents were just like, “No, you don’t know how.” This book covers: Tying knots, writing a thank-you note, building a campfire, using a compass, wrapping a gift, sewing, fixing a flat bicycle tire, and more.

Start a Series
Age 7-10 is most likely where your kid is going to start their first chapter book series. Go old school with Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys (both original or reboot). For older elementary kids, you can start introducing full Harry Potter (not the illustrated editions), Percy Jackson, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Anne of Green Gables.

Young Reader editions
New to consider would be a Young Reader Edition of an adult title or memoir.
The Radium Girls by Kate Moore
I, Sun Tzu: The Art of War for Kids
The Boys in the Boat
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
Murdle Jr.: Curious Crimes for Curious Minds (Junior edition of the best logic puzzle book)

Still not sure what to pick? You have the Newberry Medal Award winners list

Stocking Stuffers
Our little book-giving loophole. Fun book stocking stuffers would be joke or riddle books, Magic Eye or iSpy books, or go all in with an Audible membership with shared family library.

Our first grade teacher also recommended getting a diary. This would challenge kids to not only write every day, but make a habit of reflecting and stringing together events and thoughts.

All of the linked items can also be found on our Child(ish) Advice Holiday Amazon Storefront.

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