The Best Picture Books to Give as Gifts

I really like to give picture books as gifts for any occasion. Birthdays, Christmas, Halloween, baby showers - a good picture book always seems like a good idea to me. And, the funny thing is, we often find ourselves choosing the same books over and over again as our gift picks. Many of them are simply our favorite picture books ever made, but there’s more to it than that.

So what makes a good choice for a picture book gift? Inside my head I’m mainly asking myself one question: “If this kid only has one picture book - which one should it be?” An impossible task, right? But it helps to have someplace to start. It needs to be something meaningful, something beautiful, something memorable. Ideally there’s a good combination of entertainment value and emotional impact. And, quite frankly, we just have to love it.

Now for the purposes of this article, I’m purposefully excluding baby shower gifts. Partly to simplify things, and partly because we already have an article dedicated exclusively to our very favorite board books to give at baby showers. So make sure to start there if you’re shopping for a baby shower, and for all other occasions, continue on!

Another very important element that makes this list different, is that we’ve excluded a good number of famous picture books that it’s safe to assume many people already have. Of course a very big part of gift giving is trying to find something the recipient does not already have - and odds are that they already have Where the Wild Things Are and Goodnight Moon.

So a good alternate title for this article might be The Best Picture Books to Give as Gifts - That They Don’t Already Have! It’s not quite the same as our list of the best picture books of all time, but it’s undoubtedly still based on our collection of our most beloved books - and it’s certainly subjective and influenced by our personal experiences. After all, a good gift is a gift that comes from the heart - and if there’s a picture book that you feel very passionately about, it will make a beautiful gift for the little loved ones in your life.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. These links will lead you to view the books' listings on Amazon or IndieBound.

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• The Barnabus Project

  Written and Illustrated by The Fan Brothers

  The Barnabus Project recently won the 3rd Annual Dad Suggests Picture Book Awards as the best picture book of 2020, and, as you’ll see, all 3 of the past winners are on this list. You’ll also notice that this is not the only book by The Fan Brothers on this list, because absolutely any of their projects would make an incredible gift.

  The Barnabus Project is about an underground lab that makes experimental “perfect pets” to sell in the pet store above, but all of the failed projects stay below ground. It’s a remarkable display of imagination, and a very engaging adventure story. Their big escape attempt is very exciting, and the conversation with the kids about what the word “perfect” means is immensely valuable.

• I Want My Hat Back

  Written and Illustrated by Jon Klassen

  I Want My Hat Back has the special honor of being our son’s first picture book - not counting the boxes of books I saved from my own childhood. In fact he was posing with this book during his newborn photo shoots.

  I can’t emphasize enough what a masterclass of deadpan humor Jon Klassen displays with this book - which follows a bear looking for his stolen hat. It’s all about those wonderful eyes. There’s a good reason Jon Klassen has earned so much widespread adoration for his books, and this is the perfect place to start to fall in love with his style and comedy.

• Pokko and the Drum

  Written and Illustrated by Matthew Forsythe

  I can’t tell you how much I hope that Matthew Forsythe wants to continue creating picture books for the world to enjoy. Pokko and the Drum is a masterpiece and everyone needs to know it. The art is just stunning and the message of being yourself is always very welcomed.

  We put together a featured article on this book because it’s very special. Similar to the work of Klassen, Forsythe has a lot of perfectly timed and wonderful deadpan humor - especially in those eyes of his animals. It’s an instant classic and a hidden gem that would make a wonderful gift.

• Ocean Meets Sky

  Written and Illustrated by The Fan Brothers

  Ocean Meets Sky led to one of my favorite articles that I’ve ever written. And that’s because it brings up a lot of emotions in me. It’s an incredibly beautiful story about the impact we can have on the children in our lives, and I think it’s important to step back and think about that every once in a while.

  The story is an emotional tribute to a grandfather that has passed away, and the grandchild he left behind. Grandfather would always tell the most wonderful stories, and he promised that one day they would take a trip together to the place where ocean meets sky. And after he passes away, the grandchild decides to take the trip by himself in his grandfather’s honor. It’s magical beyond words and a powerful reminder of how important our relationships are.

• Nobody Likes a Goblin

  Written and Illustrated by Ben Hatke

  Ben Hatke holds a special place on our bookshelf. He has the honor of being the first name that comes to mind when I think of picture books and pure high fantasy. If I had an old friend who I used to play D&D with, this is the first picture book I’d reach for as a gift for his kid.

  Ben Hatke’s imagination shines through in his picture books, and his world building and character development - even the background characters - are some of the best ever. Nobody Likes a Goblin feels like a dungeon crawler, but the “heroes” raiding the dungeon are the bad guys and you find yourself rooting for the sweet, lonely goblin. It’s thoughtful and vibrant and funny - and truly leads to an excellent lesson in empathy as well.

• The Dark

  Written by Lemony Snicket and Illustrated by Jon Klassen

  It’s no secret at all that I love scary picture books, and this was one of our son’s first. And if you’re looking for a scary gift, make sure to check out our list of the best scary picture books for kids. But, honestly, the scariest book on that list seems like it could be a bit of a risky gamble as a gift - because it’s likely to give some kids nightmares.

  The Dark seems like a much safer pick. While it can still be very scary, particularly depending on your voice for the dark, it has a much more lighthearted ending that could even lead to alleviating a fear of the dark. And the creepy shadows in this house might very well be my favorite art by Klassen - and that’s saying a lot.

• Extra Yarn

  Written by Mac Barnett and Illustrated by Jon Klassen

  I named Extra Yarn my favorite picture book of all time - and I’m sticking to it. This book is a modern classic and it still blows me away by its brilliance. By far it’s the best collaboration by the powerhouse team of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen - and that, too, is saying an awful lot.

  The story feels like a lost fairy tale, and the moral lesson of following your dreams and being true to yourself is a powerful one. The villain is terrific, and Annabelle is just about the best role model you could hope for. Her attitude towards her doubters is fantastic, and the calm way she just continues to knit sweaters for everyone and everything is delightful. Klassen’s snowscapes always put me in a Christmasy kind of mood, and, at the end of the day, Extra Yarn just feels perfect.

• Last Stop on Market Street

  Written by Matt de la Peña and Illustrated by Christian Robinson

  Last Stop on Market Street gave us one of the best picture book characters of all time - Nana. The story follows CJ and his Nana as they ride the bus - ultimately to a soup kitchen to volunteer - and details their interactions with lots of various people. And a primary focus of that interaction is CJ’s very childlike questions.

  But the absolute brilliance of this book is Nana’s answers to CJ’s questions. This book gives us one of the best lines in the history of children’s literature. In response to CJ’s question about why a blind man can’t see, Nana replies: “Boy, what do you know about seeing?” This is a spectacular empathy and character builder and a beautiful snapshot of life and relationships. And of course it has made us pay very close attention to the work of both Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson ever since.

• A Sick Day for Amos McGee

  Written by Philip C. Stead and Illustrated by Erin E. Stead

  The team of Philip and Erin Stead has given us some beautiful works of art, and none better than A Sick Day for Amos McGee. It’s impossible not to fall in love with this sweet soul and his animal friends, and it simply belongs in every home library.

  This is another book that does wonders at building empathy. It highlights love and kindness and selflessness. And the art is just painfully beautiful. It’s probably fair to say that this style right here created my favorite picture book animals. In particular, I’m quite fond of the elephant playing a thoughtful game of chess. I love Amos’ dedication to his animal friends at the zoo, and that moment that they’re waiting at the bus stop to come visit him is one of my favorite moments in picture book history.

• This is Sadie

  Written by Sara O’Leary and Illustrated by Julie Morstad

  This is Sadie hits a sweet spot with us because it’s about childhood, it’s about stories, and it’s about imagination. This little girl who has just as many friends in the pages of her books as she has in real life is an absolute treasure. And we wrote up a featured article because of how much it means to us.

  This is such a sweet and playful book with an an unabashed love for childlike innocence and imagination at its heart. And one of the real highlights are the pages that feature Sadie’s imagination in scenes from famous stories like Alice in Wonderland. For a dad that highly values providing a magical childhood and tries to share the wonder of stories - This is Sadie has always been very much beloved.

• The Invisible Boy

  Written by Trudy Ludwig and Illustrated by Patrice Barton

  One thing I certainly think about when it comes to picture book gifts is books that I think every child absolutely needs to hear. And The Invisible Boy is a book that I absolutely think needs to be heard and experienced by every child on earth. The message of kindness and empathy found inside is just spectacularly important.

  Nobody really sees Brian, not even his teacher. He’s quiet and well-behaved, and there are a lot more students that demand her attention. He’s never picked to play games at recess, and it’s just all too real and painful. This book inspired us so much - I constantly asked my son about invisible kids in class and what he could do to make them feel seen. It’s a beautiful masterclass in empathy and I can’t recommend it enough.

• All the Ways to Be Smart

  Written by Davina Bell and Illustrated by Allison Colpoys

  All the Ways to Be Smart is another former winner of the Dad Suggests Picture Book Awards, and another one that we felt compelled to give a featured article. And that’s because it features just about the most important message for kids there is these days: all of this testing does not define you.

  I can’t begin to describe how passionate I am about this topic. The testing culture that we’ve built in schools is incredibly toxic, and convincing kids that there are more important things in the world is absolutely vital. It’s about imagination, it’s about love, it’s about following your dreams and your passions and being yourself. It’s about being a kid. This book puts into words so many of the important lessons I want to give my kids, and I can’t thank it enough. Please share it with the kids in your life, and always remind them that the things they love to do actually have meaning in this world.

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Which picture books do you always choose as your go-to gift? Did any of them make our list? Let us know in the comments!