book brunch

We tend to gift books for friends/family babies.

We always gift "Where the Wild Things Are" as it is my husband's favorite and he always tells it to kids.

Then we think about books our kids love. The last books we gifted were "Just So Stories" by Kipling and "Santa Calls" by William Joyce. Bith books are loved by our kids. Dh reads "Santa Calls" every Christmas.

Our kids are 34,32, & 23 and they still love these stories and their dad reading or telling them. Especially around the campfire.

I like it when people bring their favorite book, or a book that had an impact on their lives. Such as, first book that made them love reading.

I went to a retirement party recently and everyone brought a book for the retiree since he now had time to read and it was interesting listening to the reasons each chose their book. I think it could easily translate to a baby or child gift idea too.

The books that I read most to my kids, and across the widest age range, were the Faraway Tree / Enchanted Woods series by Enid Blyton. They were also my favourite books when I was a kid. I know they're probably outdated in a lot of ways, but kids still love them. I got the big books with pictures, that would appeal to my kids when they were younger. I have kept them all so that I can read them to my grandkids one day.

Oooh, I've never heard of these, I'll have to check them out. I was also a huge fan of all the classics (especially as my daughter was an early voracious reader so they were more on level for her for both difficulty and appropriate content. 

I don't know if they count as bedtime books, but we loved Sandra Boynton board books. The rhymes and illustrations are fun and the kids like to "read" along with you because they memorize them .

Adding to my list if for grands - if I'm lucky enough to have them. 

I loved these Enid Blyton books when I was young, and was amazed at how much of them I remembered when I bought them for my own kids. But then, I used to reread them every few months when I was a child! I desperately wanted to go to the Enchanted Wood and meet Moonface, Saucepan Man and Silky, and I regularly used to search the woods behind my house in the hope of finding the Magic Faraway Tree. 😊

I am going to third the idea of Sandra Boynton board books. I just ordered what’s probably my 6th or 7th copy of What’s Wrong, Little Pookie for my niece’s newborn baby. It was my grandson’s favorite when he was little.

There are plenty of years ahead when you’ll be able to gift this child books for young readers. But if you want him to grow up loving and wanting to read, he will need age-appropriate books NOW that his parents can read to him.

Enid Blyton wasn’t a known author in the states, but my grandmother lived in Canada where her books were very popular.  She would send us each a few books for birthdays and Christmas and I absolutely loved them.  I ended up reading them to my son when he was little as well and I still have them.  He particularly loved the Adventure series and I used to read to him as he got ready for school in the mornings.  If he stopped getting ready, I stopped reading.  It was a huge motivator.  

I also read to him as he cleaned his room.  Same thing there as well, if he stopped, I stopped.  There were times at night where he wanted the next chapter read so badly that he begged to get up and clean something, just to hear the next chapter.  I didn’t let him get up, but sometimes I caved and read the next chapter to him.  I really wanted to foster a love of books.

I agree with this especially the “Going to Bed” book.
“And down once more,
but not so fast,
they’re on their way
to bed at last”.

23 years later I still know that page.


My son liked Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Trashy Town by other authors.
10 in the bed is a song, but it is on book form.
”There were 10 in the bed and the little one said “roll over, roll over”.

My grandson has a hardcover copy of Curious George Bedtime Stories. There are 10 stories that are perfect for nighttime reads. It’s a favorite of his and would be a lovely gift. 

Enid Blyton was my absolute favourite as a child and my kids who are now 18 and 20 also loved them. The Faraway Tree and Wishing Chair books were the ones we loved the most. We read them all all multiple times.   My dog as a child was named Timmy after the dog in the Famous Five series.

We loved Richard Scarry Books.

I have a set of Jack & Jill beginner readers that I used to learn to read with in first grade. I can read, but my son and grandson had difficulty reading and I swear that if they went back to this concept, kids would learn to read again. So many are behind in that skill.

For a bit older, Velveteen Rabbit, Pippi Longstockings were a couple of favorites.

I agree with lucyg I would not get something too advanced or for older ages. I would get something that would keep a toddler interested, to foster a love of learning from an early age. Plus you never know what their interests will be. For example when I was in grade school I loved the Little House on the Prairie books. When my daughter was the same age she HATED them, but loved to read other stuff.

I would stick with Sandra Boynton or Robert Munsch or something similar