Giving Children's Books as Gifts: An Age-by-Age Guide

A book is one of the few gifts that can be opened in a minute and returned to for years. It also carries a small message: I thought about who you are, and I think you will like spending time here. This guide is for anyone choosing a book for a child, whatever the occasion: a winter holiday, a birthday, a new sibling, a last day of school, or no reason at all. It covers how to choose, what to write inside, how to pair a book with a simple activity, and a short list of ideas for each age.

How to choose a book gift

Start with the child, not the list. What do they talk about? What do they do with their hands? A child who builds, a child who collects facts, a child who acts out stories and a child who wants to be left alone with a long novel are all looking for different books. Lists, including this one, are a starting point.

Ask a parent one or two quiet questions. “What are they reading at bedtime right now?” and “Is there anything they already have three copies of?” save a lot of duplicates. If the family reads in more than one language, ask which language the child would most enjoy.

Think about who will read it. For babies, toddlers and most preschoolers, you are really choosing a book for an adult to read aloud, so pick something with language that is a pleasure to say. For newly independent readers, pick something they can manage on their own, or a read-aloud a parent will enjoy too. Our guide to Choosing Just-Right Books has more on matching books to readers.

Choose a little up rather than down, but not far. Children often enjoy being given a book that feels slightly grown-up. A book that is far beyond them, though, tends to sit on a shelf. Age ranges in this guide are editorial and approximate; individual children vary a great deal.

Consider the format. Board books survive teething and toddler handling. Hardcover picture books feel like a keepsake. A paperback chapter book fits in a backpack, which for a seven-year-old may be the whole point.

Check content for the child and the family. Some excellent books include loss, violence or mature themes. Our catalog notes flag these where relevant. When in doubt, a quick word with a parent is kind.

Inscribing a book

An inscription turns a copy of a book into this child’s copy. It does not need to be long or clever.

• Date it and sign it. “For Maya, December 2026, with love from Aunt Rosa.” Years later, the date is often what a reader treasures.
• Say why you chose it. “This was my favorite book when I was your age.” “You told me you love maps, and this one has a great map.” “I think Harold would like your drawings.”
• Leave room. For a baby, you might write a line now and add another on a future birthday. Some families pass a book between siblings, each adding a name.
• Keep it about the reader. Avoid inscriptions that sound like homework (“Read this to improve your vocabulary”).

Write on the front free endpaper or the title page, in pen, before wrapping. If you are giving a used or vintage copy, a short note about where it came from adds to the story.

Pairing a book with a simple activity

A small companion activity makes a book feel like an invitation rather than an object. Keep it simple and non-commercial: things a family already has, or something you make.

• A drawing kit for an imagination book. Tuck a single purple crayon and a stack of paper inside Harold and the Purple Crayon.
• A night walk for a winter book. Write a “ticket” for a quiet evening walk together to go with Owl Moon.
• A knapsack for an adventure. My Father’s Dragon has a map and an inventory of Elmer’s supplies; pack a small bag with a few of the same kinds of objects and let the child plan their own expedition.
• Black paper and a magnifier for a science book. Pair Snowflake Bentley with a sheet of dark paper kept in the freezer, ready for the next snowfall.
• A blank notebook for a writer. Give a plain notebook with The Poet X or any book about a character who writes.
• A promise of time. For any age, a handwritten card reading “Good for one chapter a night, read by me, for a week” may be the most valued part of the gift.

Ideas by age

Babies and toddlers (about 0–2)

Look for sturdy pages, faces, rhythm and things to touch or find. Pat the Bunny, first published in 1940, still works because a baby gets to do something on every page — pat, peek, touch — ideally on someone’s lap. Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes suits a new-baby gift: Mem Fox’s rhyme travels from baby to baby, wherever and however each one arrived, and every one has the same ten fingers and ten toes. More ideas: Books for Babies and Toddlers.

Preschoolers (about 3–5)

Preschoolers are ready for real stories with a little suspense and a lot of heart. Harold and the Purple Crayon — a boy who draws himself a moon, a path and a way home — pairs naturally with the crayon kit above. Corduroy, a department-store bear missing a button, carries a quiet message any small child can use: you can be loved exactly as you are. For a winter gift with a quiet, lyrical text, Owl Moon reaches toward the older end of this range. More ideas: Books for Preschoolers.

Ages 6–8

This is the age of first chapter books, and a gift can mark a real milestone. Ivy and Bean, about two girls who are sure they won’t like each other until one helps the other hide from her sister, is a good gift for a child just starting to read chapter books alone. My Father’s Dragon works well as a first read-aloud chapter book. For a child who loves real-world science, Snowflake Bentley tells the life of the Vermont farmer who photographed snowflakes. More ideas: Books for Ages 6 to 8.

Ages 9–12

Confident readers want books with substance, humor, or a puzzle. The Westing Game, a puzzle-will mystery with sixteen heirs, suits a child who likes to keep notes and argue about suspects. The Wild Robot, about a robot stranded among island animals, reads quickly thanks to its short chapters and pictures. The Phantom Tollbooth is a gift for the word-lover, full of puns that land better each year. For a child who loves comics, El Deafo is Cece Bell’s memoir of growing up with a hearing aid she reimagines as a superpower. More ideas: Books for Ages 9 to 12 and Graphic Novels for Kids.

Teens

With teenagers, respect their taste and, when possible, ask. A strong gift can introduce a new form. Gareth Hinds’s graphic-novel The Iliad makes Homer approachable for a teen who might never pick up the poem; note that it depicts battle violence. The Poet X, a verse novel for older teens about a Harlem girl who starts to write and perform poetry, pairs well with the blank notebook suggested above. More ideas: Books for Teens.

Presenting the gift

Wrapping matters less than timing. Give a book when there will be a quiet moment to look at it, not buried in a pile of toys. If you can, read the first page aloud together, or ask the child to read it to you. For a long-distance gift, a short recorded message of you reading the opening lines can travel with it.

If you are building a small collection over time, the reading list tool can help you keep track of what a child already has.

A note on this page’s history

This web address, /holiday-guide, once hosted a holiday gift guide published by the former Bank Street Bookstore; a 2013 West Side Rag article pointed readers to it. The store closed in 2020. The guide you are reading is new and original, written by the editors of BankStreetBooks.com, an independent children’s books journal that is not the bookstore and does not sell books. See About for more.