Children's Holiday Gift Book Recommendations
- carolyntillery
- Dec 17, 2025
- 6 min read
Books are among my favorite gifts to give and receive. In books, we explore, get creative, solve crimes, find inspiration and courage, challenge our intellect, discover goodness within ourselves, and even find reasons to laugh. Imagine how wonderful that is for children. Yeah, books are incredible gifts for children of all ages. Here are just a few suggestions if you’re shopping for children this holiday season.
Andy: A Dog’s Tale
By John Kelly
Recommended for Ages 4 to 8
Andy: A Dog’s Tale, adapted from the award-winning short film of the same name, is a heartwarming children’s picture book that follows a lovable, determined puppy as he overcomes obstacles to fulfill his true purpose as a service dog.
The sweet yellow puppy introduces readers to the important work of service dogs and how they help people with disabilities. It’s a gentle story about overcoming challenges and finding where you belong, ideal for young readers.
“With its universal themes of resilience, compassion, and the power of purpose, Andy’s story will resonate with young readers, families, dog lovers, and people of all abilities. This touching tale reminds us that unlikely heroes often come from small beginnings—and that what matters most is the size of your heart.”
Love Grows Here
By Amy Adele
Recommended for Ages 3 to 6
Love Grows Here is a beautiful story by Amy Adele about the healing power of gardens and friendship, featuring lovable animal characters.
In a rather ordinary neighborhood sits a house with a secret: Its little back garden is anything but ordinary. In this garden, more than vegetables grow. Love sprouts and flourishes here.
The garden is the delight of the elderly homeowners, Stan and Mabel. When Mabel must go to the hospital for an extended period, Stan loses heart, and soon neglect overtakes the garden where love used to bloom.
Luckily, all the animals living in the garden unite to make it beautiful again for Stan and Mabel. Their compassion and work are rewarded when, in the spring, the garden blooms and they receive a wonderful surprise.
Paper Chase
By Julia Donaldson, Illustrated by Victoria Sandoy
Recommended for Ages 4 to 8
Julia Donaldson, bestselling author of the wildly popular The Gruffalo, now brings young readers Paper Chase, a story of friendship, loss, and adventure centered on one very special tree.
Under a tree, a boy with a book and a girl with a paper plane meet and enjoy a wonderful day of play. At the end of the day, they part, perhaps never to meet again. Not long after their meeting, the tree is felled and begins a new journey, becoming paper that makes hundreds of different things, including a book for a girl and a notepad for a boy. Could a new paper plane find its way to reunite the friends?
The prolific author’s evocative and heartfelt rhymes are ideally paired with the warm, detailed artwork of Victoria Sandøy.
The Trouble with Giraffes
By Lisa Mantchev, Illustrated by Taeeun Yoo
Recommended for Ages 4 to 8
The Trouble with Giraffes, a sweet tale of friendship and problem-solving, is the second book in The Pet Club series and a perfect companion to the bestselling and critically acclaimed Strictly No Elephants.
In this tender picture book, author Lisa Mantcheva tells the story of a girl and her pet giraffe who are friends despite their size difference.
Having a pet giraffe poses some challenges, like finding a way to take walks together when their legs are very different lengths, but the girl isn’t deterred. The unlikely duo face another dilemma: her giraffe doesn’t fit through the Pet Club clubhouse door. But the Pet Club members unite to find a way for him—and everyone—to be included because that’s what friends do.
Young readers will discover new friends to love!
The Mystery of the Blue Train (Mini Mysteries)
By Marci Kay Monson, Illustrated by Greg Paprocki
Recommended for Ages 4 to 8
This retelling of Agatha Christie’s The Mystery of the Blue Train is the second installment in the Mini Mysteries series of interactive picture-book mysteries for children; the first is The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Once again, young sleuths can work alongside Hercule Poirot, “the Greatest Detective in the World,” as he uses his little grey cells to solve a perplexing case.
The Mystery of the Blue Train is one of Agatha Christie’s early detective novels featuring Poirot. Set on a train bound for the French Riviera, the story is a true whodunit full of mysterious characters, missing jewels, and crafty clues. The book also includes activities, games, and puzzles throughout to help engage children. There is also a glossary of terms and French words, mon ami.
As a lifelong Christie fan, I’m delighted with this series and have given both books as gifts. They’re a terrific way to hook young readers on whodunits. I’m thrilled that Marci Kay Monson is continuing this remarkable series by adding another mystery icon to the collection: in Spring 2026, she’ll introduce budding mystery fans to the world’s favorite girl detective, Nancy Drew, with The Secret of the Old Clock.
Growing Home
By Beth Ferry, Illustrated by Terry Fan and Eric Fan
Recommended for Ages 6 to 9
From New York Times bestselling author Beth Ferry comes an entertaining story of acceptance, friendship, resourcefulness, and cooperation told by delightful characters.
Ivy is the beloved houseplant of young Jillian Tupper, much to the irritation of Toasty the goldfish, who believes he’s the Tupper household’s favorite. Soon, a mysterious sequence of magical events transforms their lives.
First, Arthur, a knowledgeable, curious spider with a broken leg, arrives hidden in an old typewriter. Then Jillian surprises everyone with Ollie, a sweet schoolhouse plant who sings. When Toasty the fish splashes the plants with his tank water in frustration, they discover magic.
It turns out Toasty’s fishtank isn’t just an aquarium; it was built by a curious inventor who gave it special powers that, in the wrong hands, could disrupt everything. The team also encounters a curious man with purple shoes who wants that tank at any cost. Can Ivy, Toasty, Arthur, and Ollie become friends in time to work together to save their beloved Tupper family from utter ruin?
Hurricane Heist (The Sherlock Society)
By James Ponti
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12
The game is afoot again for the Sherlock Society when a hurricane uncovers new information about a decades-old jewel-theft cold case. In Hurricane Heist, the second novel in the action-packed and funny Sherlock Society middle-grade series from Edgar Award–winning author James Ponti, a hurricane hits Miami Beach, uncovering a body buried at the renowned Moroccan Hotel.
The body is identified as the hotel’s bell captain from sixty years ago—and the primary suspect in the million-dollar jewel heist that occurred just before his disappearance. Since the bell captain clearly didn’t make off with the goods, the Sherlock Society members set out to uncover the real culprit—and the jewels.
The young sleuths understand that the thief may now also be responsible for the bell captain’s murder, and even sixty years later, there are people who want the truth to remain firmly buried.
I Am Rebel
Recommended for Ages 9 to 12
This New York Times bestseller by Rose Montgomery actually debuted last year; however, now out in paperback, I think Rebel deserves a spot on my list. I love dog books, especially ones told from the dog’s point of view.
I’m Tom’s dog, and he’s my human. We belong to each other.
Rebel is a good dog enjoying his simple, perfect life on the farm with his owner, Tom—until one day, when the war comes too close. Tom is determined to join the rebellion to defeat the king’s men, but Rebel’s smart and knows that war is dangerous. And this devoted dog will stop at nothing to save his beloved human. How can he bring Tom home before it’s too late?
Rebel is a heartwarming adventure told from a dog’s perspective as he travels across a pseudo-Civil War Britain on his loyal mission to protect his human.
From the World of Percy Jackson—The Court of the Dead: A Nico di Angelo Adventure
By Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro
Recommended for Ages 11-Plus
From the always-exciting popular world of Percy Jackson comes the second Nico di Angelo adventure by New York TimesNo. 1 best-selling authors Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro, The Court of the Dead. This time, Nico di Angelo is teaming up with his half-sister, Hazel Levesque, to protect . . . monsters?
A few months after returning from the depths of Tartarus, demigods Nico di Angelo and Will Solace agree to join Nico’s half-sister, Hazel Levesque, at Camp Jupiter on the West Coast. She’s got her hands full managing a situation the boys inadvertently caused and needs their help cleaning up the mess. Demigods Nico and Will have shown the monsters of the Underworld that they have options; they don’t have to be evil.
Seeking freedom, some of those monsters have now taken up residence at Camp Jupiter. While Nico and Will are on site assisting Hazel, one by one, monsters start disappearing from the camp. A mysterious dark force is at work, and its plan is to punish all monsters for their past crimes.
The situation spirals when Nico, Will, and Hazel learn that they’re all involved in ways they hadn’t imagined.
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