Much loved childhood books stay with us. Their narratives and characters inform our dreams and expectations long into adulthood. Not only this but reading itself is fundamental to a child’s development and countless studies show the links between early reading skills and future success in life. Truly, what greater gift is there to give a child than a love for reading?

How wonderful to learn such a quiet joy and simple contentment a young age. Fond memories of moving stories and great characters are a pleasure to pass on to future generations.

Where to start and what to give? There are gazillions of books available online, from the mediocre to the sublime, and frankly we could all use a little help thinking of the right title for the right age, at the right time. The sheer volume and choice available is overwhelming. Amazon for example, is a fantastic resource with engaging and detailed reviews but it only works if you know exactly what you’re looking for.

Fortunately GiftGenies.com is here to help. After much rowdy discussion we’ve curated our top titles from cream of children’s literature and arranged them into convenient age appropriate categories, making your gifting choices a delight rather than a chore.

These are our favourites but we’d love to hear yours. If you’re passionate about any of our picks or if you doggedly disagree on any, please let us know.  Similarly if there’s a title we’ve tragically overlooked let’s hear it. Let the debate begin!

OUR PICKS: Classic Children’s Books – Toddlers (1-3)

‘Pants’ by Giles Andreae and Nick Sharrat

‘Dear Zoo’ by Rod Campbell

‘Spot Bakes a Cake’ by Eric Hill

‘Before You Sleep’ by by Benji Bennett and Roxanne Burchar

‘Can’t You Sleep, Little Bear?’ by Martin Waddell and Barbara Firth

‘Goodnight Moon’ by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd

‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury

‘10 Minutes Till Bedtime’ by Peggy Rathmann

‘The Elephant and the Bad Baby’ by Elfrida Vipont and Raymond Briggs

‘No Matter What’ by Debi Gliori

‘That’s Not My Puppy…’ by Fiona Watt

‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle

OUR PICKS: Classic Children’s Books – Tiddlers (3-6)

‘Flanimals Pop-Up’ by Ricky Gervais

‘The Owl And The Pussycat’ by Edward Lear

‘Poems For The Very Young’ edited by Michael Rosen

‘The Cat in The Hat’ by Dr. Seuss

‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’ by Judith Kerr

‘Room on the Broom’ by Julia Donaldson

‘The Curious Garden’ by Peter Brown

‘Where The Wild Things Are’ by Maurice Sendak

‘Winnie The Pooh: The Complete Collection of Stories & Poems’ by A.A. Milne

OUR PICKS: Classic Children’s Books – (Ages 7-10)

‘Tintin in Tibet’ by Hergé

‘The Selfish Giant’ by Oscar Wilde

‘The Iron Man’ by Ted Hughes

‘Black Beauty’ by Anna Sewell

‘Charlotte’s Web’ by E.B. White

‘The Wind in the Willows’ by Kenneth Grahame and Robert Ingpen

‘Peter Pan’ by J.M. Barrie

‘The Borrowers’ by Mary Norton

‘Tom’s Midnight Garden’ by Philippa Pearce

‘The Magic Faraway Tree: 3 Books in 1′ by Enid Blyton

‘The Complete Chronicles of Narnia’ by C.S. Lewis

‘Scrumdidlyumptious Story Collection’ by Roald Dahl

OUR PICKS: Classic Children’s Books – Tweens (11-13)

‘Coraline’ by Neil Gaiman

‘The Railway Children’ by E. Nesbit

‘Swallows and Amazons’ by Arthur Ransome

‘His Dark Materials’ by Philip Pullman

‘Treasure Island’ by Robert Louis Stevenson

‘Watership Down’ by Richard Adams

‘Alice In Wonderland’ by C.S. Lewis

‘The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition’ by Anne Frank

‘A Kestrel for a Knave’ by Barry Hines

‘Little Women’ by Louisa May Alcott

‘Beowulf’ by Michael Morpurgo

‘War Horse’ by Michael Morpurgo

OUR PICKS: Classic Children’s Books – Teenagers (14-17)

‘The Catcher in the Rye’ by J.D. Salinger

‘The Outsiders’ by S.E. Hinton

‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ by Mark Twain

‘Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding

‘The Book of Lost Things’ by John Connolly

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee

‘Wuthering Heights’ by Emily Brontë

‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Brontë

‘Frenchman’s Creek’ by Daphne Du Maurier

‘The Rattle Bag’ edited by Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes

‘The Lord of the Rings’ by J.R.R. Tolkien

‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens