Creative Book Christmas Presents to buy for Children
There are so many beautiful kid’s picture books out there, so many gorgeous books that are an art form and are inspiration for both kid’s and adults. Today I wanted to share 8 beautiful children’s books that inspire creativity in children. These are books with gorgeous illustrations and words that are certain to inspire kids to dream and to see art and beauty in the everyday. I know it’s a little early, but these children’s books that inspire kids to dream would make perfect Christmas presents for a magical Christmas read.
All of my kids LOVE getting books as presents at any time of the year (and so do I)! I always think a book is such a lovely gift idea for Christmas, they are like buying a child the gift of creativity or exploration or even adventure! I always love presents that are going to keep the little people busy for a few hours so a book is right up there with entertaining gift ideas.
Here are my top Christmas Book gift ideas. Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? It’s a little early for me – I tend not to start any Christmas shopping until December but I loved drooling over these Christmas Book present ideas.
Door – JiHeyon Lee
This is a story about a boy experiencing different worlds when he enters a new place. Unusually, this book is a picture book with no text, leaving young readers to fill in the blank with their imagination. As someone who loves words, I wasn’t sure what I would make of this but the illustrations are so exquisite that they draw you in and help you create your own world. The drawings transform from place to place as a curious child goes through a mysterious door and discovers that open-mindedness is the key to adventure and friendship. The Door really is a beautiful and inspiring book.
The Dreamer – Il Sung Na
Il Sung Na creates a world at once whimsical and aspirational, where anything is possible, and even pigs can learn to fly! The Dreamer contains the most gorgeous illustrations about a pig who is desperate to fly and joins with his friends to find a way! The Dreamer has a lovely message for kids – to believe in your dreams and work with others to accomplish them!
The Wonderful Things You Will Be
Not only would this book make an excellent Christmas present for children but it would also be a great gift for the birth of a child, christening, baby shower or even a graduation. The book is like a love letter to the child reader and to the possibilities he or she will become. It has a sweet message and even sweeter illustrations, they have a vintage feel – I could seriously frame them! A book about all the amazing possibilities a child has – it’s a Christmas gift that will really be treasured.
The Painting-In Book by Anna Rumsby
The Painting-in Book is a gorgeously illustrated book which introduces children to painting techniques such as mixing colours, pattern making, shading and sponge printing. It’s suitable for children aged 3+ and is a giant A3 sized book with instructions such as ‘mix some delicious flavours of ice-cream and ‘paint your own pizza toppings’ – perfect for children to encourage their creativity!
Find My Rocket
This is a wonderful puzzle book which will be sure to ignite any child’s imagination. It’s based around the idea of a little boy’s super speedy rocket which is on the loose and he needs your help to catch it! The rocket zooms through the playroom and messes up the toolbox. There are 11 mazes to solve and Aleksandra Artymowska’s illustrations create an immersive world to explore in the toybox and beyond! For kids who like puzzles or to help encourage a child’s inquisitive side – Find My Rocket is a brilliant Christmas Present Idea. Find it on Amazon here….
Midnight Monsters
For kids who like interactive books and who like books that are also toy-like – this book is perfect! You need a torch and to turn off the lights to fully enjoy this book. Open it up Midnight Monsters takes you on a journey through five beautifully paper-crafted pop-up scenes full of hidden monsters to find, you use your torch to spot the monsters when they appear as shadows on your wall. This book encourages imaginative storytelling and is a great book for siblings to play together.
Day Dreamer and Dream Animals
For the first time, Emily Winfield Martin’s board books for young children are available as a boxed set which makes them a perfect Christmas gift. Just like ‘The Wonderful Things you Will Be’ above (which is by the same author) the illustrations are dreamy, perfect for a bedtime story. As board books they are best suited to young readers but the stories will appeal to all ages. These books are certainly books that will inspire as they are like a journey for the imagination. What I love about them is that children are invited into “the land of waking dreams” and are encouraged to turn everyday situations like playing at the beach into opportunities to ride unicorns! They are the kind of books that share the gift of imagination.
The Superhero Adventure Playset
The Superhero Adventure Playset by John Ford is an amazing fold out book which reveals three superhero settings and comes with superhero stickers to populate them. It comes with everything you need to create and play out your own superhero stories.
The Superhero Handbook
The Superhero Handbook by Jason Ford and James Doyle is a fun filled activity with guides to help you step by step to become a Superhero! My son loves this book because it shows you how to design your own superhero costumes and gadgets! A total winner for any Superhero Fans! Help your superhero learn new tricks with this Christmas Gift.
Make and Move Mega: Dinosaurs
Make and Move Mega: Dinosaurs By Sato Hisao contains five stunning dinosaur card cut-outs to make! The models are 3D and fully moveable so children can learn about what each dinosaur looks like and make it move and pull the levers! These are probably best suited for children aged 5+ but younger children could make them with an adult and would still find them fascinating. My son was so proud of himself when he completed this and they’re displayed all around his room. They look great displayed in a kid’s room too – dinosaur themed room anyone?
Wise-(ish) Words
Described as “A personalised book for 8-16 year olds to help them make better mistakes”, the Wise (ish) words book is a fully customisable and it’s a lovely present of life mottos for someone special! It’s found this really fun to make for my daughter – Elodie and I just know she’s going to love it! I loved adding my own touches to the life lessons that are on the website, although I kept most of them as they were the right mix of heartfelt messages with comedy touches. It’s made in minutes – all you have to do is go to Wise(ish) Words For Everyone website, add the name of the child you have in mind and then choose from 4 beautiful designs and choose the messages you want your special kiddo to read! I feel a tad emotional at the thought of Elodie opening this on Christmas morning, I imagine her perusing this throughout her life and reaching for it at any difficult junctures she may come across!
My Collection of Collections
My Collection of Collections by Nina Chakrabarti is such a beautiful book jam packed full of gorgeous illustrations. The book takes you on a journey through different people’s collections and memories such as stamp collections, nature collections – even matchboxes! As you go through the pages you can complete and personalise the collections with beautiful stickers, spaces to write or draw, and even a special envelope for you to start a collection of your very own. This is really a book to be treasured – I secretly would totally love a book like this for grown ups too!
Fridgescapes
If you’re looking for a creative book gift for a younger child, than the Fridgescapes series are totally perfect! Our little 16 month old is totally obsessed with magnets but I love these as they’ll give our other kids a little lesson in local Geography too! This is a lovely, vibrant set of 43 magnets featuring iconic scenes of London. From red buses and black cabs, to Tower Bridge, Big Ben, and even David Bowie and Sherlock Holmes, the city’s landmarks, famous sites and best-known characters are all included! They’re going to promote lovely discussions in our house about our own lovely city this Christmas!
Hope you love these books as much as we do. If you have any other Creative Books that would make perfect Christmas Gifts – I’d love to know about them!
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Please note this guide contains items we have been gifted. All words, photos and opinions are my own. We totally love these books and are happy to recommend them as we think you’ll love them too.
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If you’re looking for more present ideas, see our other gift lists here…..
