by Gail Kavanagh

Created on: December 18, 2011   Last Updated: December 21, 2011

A child’s first Christmas book should be special. It should excite the imagination and become part of the child’s memories, something that will always be recalled with affection, and later passed on to another generation. Fortunately there are still authors out there who create children’s books that will become classics and which make perfect first book gifts.

A Full Moon is Rising, poems by Marilyn Singer, illustrations by Julia Cairns

This gorgeously illustrated book is perfect for bedtime reading. It introduces a young child to the wider world by following the full moon as shines down in different parts of the world. From America and Canada, to South America, the Middle East, Asia, South Africa and Australia, Julia Cairns’ vibrant, glowing pictures, couple with Marilyn Singer’s rhythmic poems make a wonderful bedtime journey for you and your favourite little dreamer. This book unites a child with the world, for everyone responds to the full moon, from the city child waiting for it to appear between the skyscrapers, to the Bedouin boy dreaming of becoming an astronaut. The Japanese take moon viewing quite seriously, and this book may inspire western families to do the same on bright clear summer nights.

Harper Collins Treasury of Picture Book Classics: A Child’s First Collection compiled by Katharine Tegen

This big book will make a treasured gift for a child who has learned to love books and has reached the stage where he or she can begin building a library. Tegen has brought together 12 classic picture books, including the much loved vintage treasures as Goodnight Moon from 1947, to William Steig’s Pete’s a Pizza, published in 1998, and animated in 2000 with Chevy Chase providing the narration. In between is truly a treasury of stories that older members of the family will recall from their own childhood days, which will still enchant young readers today.

Faces, Baby’s Very First Book by John Fordham

This clever little book will be an ideal gift for a very young baby who is fascinated by faces. It is a rag book with only six pages, but each page is a delightful discovery.  The simple black and white illustrations of faces, the crackly tactile pages and the reflective mirror on the cover so baby can see her own face, are all designed to appeal to very young children. It doesn’t matter if baby chews on the book – that’s why it’s rag!

National Geographic Little Kids First Book of Animals by Catherine D. Hughes

Children love animals, and this beautiful book is crammed with pictures of the cutest baby animals that any child could wish to see, from baby cheetahs enjoying energetic games together, to a baby zebra only 20 minutes old. It is the kind of book that a child will love forever, and will drag out of a box in the attic decades later with cries of delight to pass it on to his own children. It’s not just about fluffy animals either, there are scaly and leathery animals and even insects – a treasure for the budding naturalist.

Buying a first book for a child is something to savor and enjoy. Think outside the princesses and movie characters and choose something that will a companion to the child for many years – even decades – to come.

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