It would be impossible to name every one of them, but if you are in for someChristmas ideas, these are a few of our tried and true, mucg loved books. Quite a few of them are activity/drawing books…sometimes I think those are best for the stages kids go through when they don’t really want to pick up a big old book at the end of a school day.
Someone always gets the new year’s edition under the tree.
They are filled with amazing (and gross) things.
My mom got this for Andrew for his birthday and he loves it. It’s a super thick book that has pages with half drawn sketches that you can finish off.
Matt and Andrew both love this book.
A big book and very good with step by step easy to follow instructions for the 6-12 crowd.
All my boys love this. I found it on Andrew’s floor one morning with about 10 airplanes laying around everywhere. Apparently, when I thought he was snug in the bed for the night, he was up working away at aircraft.
When you just can’t eek a book out at bedtime, these are easy and fun.
I love, love, love these books-there are three of them. Manners Can Be Fun, How To Speak Politely and Why, How To Behave and Why.
You all know about these I’m sure. Andrew was excited to get the newest one.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck, Book 8
These are all really well written. My boys really like the sports guys.
Do you know about BOB books? They are great for teaching reading, and building confidence. I learned about them with my first (got them from the library) and then eventually bought them all. They really helped each of my kids learn to read. They start out really really slowly, with very simple pictures and lots of repetition and progress up per set.
Matt had read and reread this series. Abbey and Isaac have read them all also.
Matthew who is fourteen loved this series this year:
Beyonders The Complete Set: A World Without Heroes; Seeds of Rebellion; Chasing the Prophecy
Abbey LOVED the Beacon Street Girls. Good wholesome tweenie reading.
The same with this collection-Catwings
.
The Daring Book for Girls
-filled with fun activities and facts.
Matthew, my science guy, loves this collection.
Basher Science: Core Science Library
(Maybe I should read them and relearn what I never learned in any of these classes because I was too busy passing notes.)
I love the National Geographic series for kids. ALL the books are great but these are our favorite so far.
National Geographic Kids United States Atlas
National Geographic Kids National Parks Guide U.S.A.
Here are some more of our favorite National Geographic books:
Myths Busted!: Just When You Thought You Knew What You Knew…
National Geographic Kids Quiz Whiz: 1,000 Super Fun, Mind-bending, Totally Awesome Trivia Questions
This Star Wars book is SO worn out-it’s been taped up quite a few times. Patrick and Andrew love it.
Star Wars Character Encyclopedia
They also love this one:
LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles
This year I started buying one hardcover picture book a month to freshen up my collection. (My favorite ever is old Harry the Dirty Dog.)
On my blog’s sidebar is a link to more of our favorites.
I think Santa might bring a few of these this year for Janey:
Hi Sarah! Thanks for such an awesome list! We too love the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and Santa is bringing book 8 for my 9-year old. He is also a big fan of the Gregor the Overlander series, written by Suzanne Collins (the Hunger Games). It is a wonderful and very well written series!
My daughter (19 months) loves to read just about anything, and we subscribe to the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Children under 5 receive a book, free of charge, every month. Be sure to check it out, it is a great way to expand your library (and I believe they are all hardcover). http://usa.imaginationlibrary.com/
Sarah! You are saving me this holiday season. Between your book list and the toy list the other day, my Amazon account is busy:) Thanks!
I especially love that you pick such well made classics.
Happy Holidays!
FYI – the 2014 Guiness book is a Lightning deal today on Amazon. I just grabbed a copy for my boys for less than $12!
Good suggestions! We love the NG books, too. Look for The Book of Why if you don't have it – that is a favorite here!
Just a heads up, I found those same National Geographic Weird but True books at my dollar tree the other day. My kids love them too, and you can't go wrong for a dollar!
Many of those are OUR favorite books by far, too. Thanks for reminding me! My kids have grown out of most of them. I keep the Basher science Periodic Table book in the bathroom for a little browsing time. I probably know more about the elements now than I ever learned in school!
Thanks for all of the great ideas. I absolutely adore the classic Little Golden Books. Reading your post today got me searching, and I'm going to get the LGB Farm Favorites book for my kids for Christmas. We have a little hobby farm with chickens and sheep, so they like reading about farm things. Something about those classic illustrations just makes me feel like all is right with the world. I have a Garth Williams Treasury of Little Golden Books with the many books he illustrated. I just love it.
Harry the Dirty Dog was one of my absolute favorites when I was a kid. Loved reading it to my boys! Katy and the Big Snow was another favorite of ours. I think I'll have to pick up the Yoda Chronicles for my Star Wars fans.
I have book envy. I love books, my kids love books yet we don't seem to have many.
My sweet Amelia asked for a Harry book for Christmas – it was actually the only thing she could think of that she REALLY wanted. That one with the old lady next door two sings and makes everyone crazy? She LOVES that book! Thanks for the other suggestions – will check out the ones we don't already have. Oh and the Bob Books – ha ha! My family talks in Bob Book speak sometimes just because it does get kinda old listening to "Pat and the cat sat on a mat" a thousand times! Speaking of favorite books… my kids are sitting under the Christmas tree right now, begging me to read Santa Mouse 🙂
You and I are bookworms cut from the same cloth, Sarah. I vividly remember poring over all the Little Golden books by Eloise Wilkin, like "Baby Listens", "Baby Dear" and "We Help Mommy". Even as a little girl, I dreamed of growing up and having babies that looked like her precious illustrations. This year things came full circle when I bought "Baby's Christmas" for the baby girl we brought home last Christmas Eve. One of the pictures in the book looks exactly like her, and it's like God's answer to the prayers of a child, 35 years later.
Oh, thank you for the good list. I have some boys who need to expand beyond the Tintin comics, and I was struggling to find something to catch their interest.