Merry and bright Books still prove the perfect gift for eager young readers
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/12/2025 (235 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Books are always a favourite gift for young children at holiday time. The fall releases have provided a bounty of titles — some related to the season, and others in a range of genres and styles for every level of reader.
Here are a few suggestions for that special gift.
Younger readers (up to nine years)
Who’s Digging?
For the smallest of the small, board books provide the first gateway to the world of literacy. Who’s Digging? by Katrina Moore (Abrams, 22 pages, board book, $15) is a joyful rhyming book for little ones aged 1-3, showing the variety of jobs (all involving digging) that a child might be engaged in when they grow up.
Construction, farming, paleontology and other jobs are represented in the appealing pictures by Benson Shum, and big lift-up flaps reveal the product of all that hard work. A mirror at the end shows who’s digging — the child, of course.
Have Yourself a Cheesy Little Christmas
Jory John injects wry commentary about extravagant celebrations in Have Yourself a Cheesy Little Christmas, a book for children ages 4-8 (HarperCollins, 48 pages, hardcover, $20). A cheese thinks it’s a Big Cheese because of the fancy decorations and indulgent snacks at its house, and the fancy gifts it gives to its friends.
When a power outage pulls the plug on its flashy plans, Cheese attends a modestly decorated, simple party at a friend’s home. To its surprise, it has a great time, and comes to realize that Christmas shouldn’t be a competition, but a holiday of gathering and community. Twelve holiday cards, illustrated by Pete Oswald, are included.
Community Snowman
Community Snowman (Groundwood, 32 pages, hardcover, $22), a wordless picture book, shows young readers aged 3-5 that building a snowman is easier and more fun when everyone joins in. Writer Deborah Kerbel developed the plot, complimented by Tine Modeweg-Hansen’s playful illustrations.
A little girl, excited to build a snowman, is joined in the project by her friends and passersby of all sorts. They contribute atypical items to build the snowman — a pickle for a nose, bagel halves for ears, lychee buttons for the coat. The weather may be cold, but this story will warm hearts when its lesson of love is shared, with love.
Firefly
Open the velvety, purple cover of Firefly by Robert Macfarlane (Magic Cat Publishing, 32 pages, hardcover, $25) to find a meaningful poem about the ups and downs of life. The story tracks the changing seasons through poetry: “In the darkness of December,/Through the winter’s deepest snowing,/…Then’s the time to see what’s glowing/Find and gather, bring together.”
Black-and-white drawings by Luke Adam Hawker show a child braving the elements and add further meaning to this evocative verse. Written for children aged seven and up, this book can be used for kids of all ages as a catalyst for conversation and inspiration.
The Little Ghost Quilt’s Winter Surprise
The Little Ghost Quilt’s Winter Surprise by Riel Nason (Tundra, 48 pages, hardcover $25) teaches children from ages 3-7 that something can be made from nothing. A ghost made of cozy quilting material loves the winter and wants to share it with his sheet-clad friends, who hide in the house in colder weather.
The little ghost quilt finds a way to make the celebration boo-tiful, with Byron Eggenschwiler’s ghostly but endearing illustrations making their party extra special.
The Snowball Fight
The Snowball Fight by Beth Ferry (Clarion Books, 48 pages, hardcover, $25) will motivate children aged 4-6 to go outdoors, stuffed into snowsuits, boots and scarves, ready to rumble.
A bouncy, lyrical poem (“Bundle up and start your fort./Pack the bottom for support”) takes children through the work, imagination and fun of playing outdoors in winter. Ferry’s longtime artistic collaborator, Tom Lichtenheld, has created perky illustrations set on a backdrop of a blue sky and bright white snow. Get out your mittens!
Anne: The Chapter Book Collection
A box set makes a very special present. Anne: the Chapter Book Collection (Tundra, 63 pages each, softcover, $66), adapted by Kallie George, is an excellent way to introduce the enduring Anne of Green Gables story to young readers aged 6-9.
The narrative in each of the six books is simplified and spare, but Anne’s pluck and heart shine through. Abigail Halpin’s detailed illustrations on bright white paper will make this set a well-thumbed gift.
The Wizard’s Guide to Magical Thinking
The Wizard’s Guide to Magical Experiments: 40 Science Experiments to Try at Home (Magic Cat Publishing, 32 pages, hardcover, $32) by A.J. Wood is a science book masquerading as magic lessons. Every two-page lesson is different, thanks to clever illustrations by Jo Rioux.
Scientific information is highlighted with appropriate pictures, and foldout or lift-up flaps reveal experiments or magic tricks for curious scientists and would-be magicians aged seven and up to follow, using ordinary ingredients around the house. This book will keep kids busy over the holidays.
Older readers (age nine and up)
Words Matter
For readers aged 9-12, Words Matter: The Story of Hans and Sophie Scholl and the White Rose Resistance (Groundwood, 72 pages, hardcover, $22) is an accessible biography of two German university students, brother and sister, who were executed by the Nazis for distributing leaflets that called on people to rise up against Hitler.
Author Anita Fitch Pazner’s crisp writing has a tension that reflects the danger of thinking differently. Montrealer Sophie Casson’s pencil colour drawings complement the text, showing the ugliness of the fascist authorities but also the courage the siblings displayed as they carried out the dangerous plan of spreading hope.
In these days of book bans, attacks on immigrants and the rights of gay and trans communities, it’s important to teach children about the importance of standing up to ignorance and bigotry. If we don’t learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it.
The Poisoned King
The Poisoned King (Puffin Canada, 304 pages, softcover, $27) by Katherine Rundell (with art by Ashley Mackenzie) is an exciting fantasy/murder mystery for children ages 10-12. The second instalment in the Impossible Creatures series, the story follows a princess (who doesn’t want to be a princess) and an “ordinary” boy who set out to discover who killed her grandfather, the king.
Rundell uses grandiose language and an array of grand characters, including a sphinx, dragons, magic birds and more imaginary beasts, all of whom rally what’s right and good, and put their lives on the line for it.
The Others
It seems that we like to give ourselves nightmares, hence the popularity of horror books and films. In Cheryl Isaac’s The Others (Heartdrum, 336 pages, hardcover, $25), a sequel to The Unfinished, what’s supposed to be the “perfect” summer turns into a terrifying race for teenage Avery to save her boyfriend, her family and the residents of an idyllic resort town from being replaced by doppelgangers.
There are plenty of eerie chapters that will raise goosebumps on the arms of readers ages 13 and up, and keep them guessing about what’s real and what’s not. One important lesson all the characters learn: fun houses are not always that much fun.
Blood Letters
Kudos to Winnipeg writer Ariel Gordon and local illustrator GMB Chomichuk for their intriguing futuristic novel for young people aged 13-18. Blood Letters (Yellow Dog, 258 pages, softcover, $22) is an epistolary tale of siblings caught in a never-ending war. Their letters record the dystopian world — the enemy is a flesh-eating fog, wounded limbs are repaired by worms, human-like robots fight alongside them. They see the worst in humanity and they themselves engage in inhumane acts; what keeps them going is their longing for home.
Chomichuk’s thought-provoking interpretations of their hellish, bizarre experiences are exceptional.
Harriet Zaidman is an award-winning children’s writer and reviewer. Her novel, What Friends Are For, was released this fall and would make a fine gift for young adult readers.
