Children’s Book Gift Guide

If you are like me you shy away from toys with too many lights or sounds and really if you could you’d give books as gifts for almost every occasion. The problem is what book do you choose? We have compiled a list of our favorite picture books and early chapter books for children by personality type . There are no reviews on this page however each of these has been reviewed. Check out full reviews by theme on our Book Page. All book lists include affiliate links to Amazon.com .

Picture Books

Animal Lover

• Animalia by Graham Base
• Moo Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton
• Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
• Dog”™s Colorful Day by Ema Dodd
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
• Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

Little Artist

• Touch the Art: Brush Mona Lisa”™s Hair by Julie Appel and Amy Guglielmo
• I Ain”™t Gonna Paint No More!by Karen Beaumont
• Hugo and Miles In I”™ve Painted Everything by Scott Magoon
• Willow by Denise Brennan Nelson
• SQUEAKING OF ART, The Mice Go to the Museum by Monica Wellington

 Ballerina or Ballerino

• Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen
• Ballerino Nate by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
• Brontorina by James Howe
• Tallulah”™s Tutu by Marilyn Singer

Bitty Bug Catcher

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle
• Beetle Bop by Denise Fleming
• Buzz by Eileen Spinelli
• I Love Bugs!by Phileomon Sturges

Jr. Construction Worker

• Machines at Work by Byron Barton
• Building by Elisha Cooper
• Tip Tip Dig Dig by Emma Garcia
• Road Builders by B.G. Hennessy
• Construction Countdown by K.C Olson

Cowgirls and Cowboys

• Cowboy Slim by Julie Danneberg
• Every Cowgirl Needs a Horse by Rebecca Janni
• Cowboy Small by Lois Lenski
• Cowboy Camp by Tammi Sauer
• I Want to be a Cowgirl by Jeanne Willis

Future Doctor

• Doctor Meow”™s Big Emergency by Sam Lloyd
• Curious George Goes to the Hospital by Margaret and H.A. Rey
• How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? by Jane Yolen

Little Firefighter

• Firefighters to the Rescue by Kersten Hamilton
• Firefighters: Speeding! Spraying! Saving! by Patricia Hubbell
• Big Frank”™s Fire Truck  by Leslie McGuire
• Flashing Fire Engines by Tony Mitton
• Firefighter Frank by Monica Wellington

Future Foodie

• Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi and Ron Barrett
• Dinner at the Panda Palace by Stephanie Calmenson
• Eating the Alphabet: Fruits & Vegetables from A to Z by Lois Ehlert
• Alphabet Soup by Scott Gustafson
• The Duchess Bakes a Cake by Virginia Kahl.

Jr. Indy Driver

• Sputter, Sputter, Sput! by Babs Bell
• The Berenstain Bears and the Big Road Race by Stan and Jan Berenstain
• Everything I Know About Cars: A Collection of Made-Up Facts, Educated Guesses, and Silly Pictures about Cars, Trucks, and Other Zoomy Things by Tom Lichtenheld
• Cool Cars by Tony Mitton
• Alphabeep!: A Zipping, Zooming ABC by Debora Pearson

Little Librarian

• Lola at the Library by Anna McQuinn
• The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians by Carla Morris
• Wild About Books by Judy Sierra

Mini Marine Biologist

• A House for Hermit Crab  by Eric Carle
• Hooray for Fish!: Candlewick Storybook Animations by Lucy Cousins
• Barry the Fish with Fingers by Sue Hendra
• Swimmy by Leo Lionni
• Fish Schoolby Nancy Poydar

Future Paleontologist

• Tadpole Rex by Kurt Cyrus
• Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo by William Joyce
• Dinosaur vs. the Potty by Bob Shea
• Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaurs: The Definitive Pop-Up by Robert Sabuda
• Dinosaur Roar! Board Book by Paul and  Henrietta Stickland

Princess

• The Very Fairy Princessby Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton
• Princess Smartypants by Brenda Cole
• The Princess Knight by Cornelia Funke
• Princess Pigsty by Cornelia Funke
• The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

Junior Scientist ( non fiction books)

• Germs Make Me Sick! (Let”™s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) (Reading Rainbow book) by Melvin Berger
• From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Deborah Heligiman
• Look, Listen, Taste, Touch, and Smell: Learning About Your Five Sensesby Pamela Hill
• From Tadpole to Frog by Wendy Pfeffer
• Our Stars by Anne Rockwell

World Traveler

• My Granny Went to Market by Stella Blackstone
• Rooster”™s Off to See the World by Eric Carle
• All Aboard!: A Traveling Alphabet by Bill Mayer
• Hugo and Miles In I”™ve Painted Everything by Scott Magoon
• How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman

Little Zoo Keeper

• Inside a Zoo in the City by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
• Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
• The Great Escape from City Zoo  by Tohby Riddle

Early Chapter Book Series For New Readers

 

Future FBI and CIA agents

• Cam Jansen 16 Book Set by David A. Adler
• A to Z Mysteries (26 Book Set)by Ron Roy
• Capital Mysteries #1: Who Cloned the President? by Ron Roy

Super Fans and Athletes

• Ballpark Mysteries #1: The Fenway Foul-up by David A. Kelly
• A TOPPS League Book: Book One: Jinxed! by Kurtis Scaletta

History Buffs

• Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne
• The Little House Collection by Laura Ingalls Wilder

World Travelers

• Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventures by Jeff Brown