Good books as presents eg recommended but unlikely to have already

So Much is fabbo. And The Pale green Pants story in The Sneetches is one of the best things ever! When dd1 was just turned two she could recite the entire story by heart because it is so great!

You Choose is fab for 2 year olds- pages covered in things to look at and chat about, still use it with my 3 and 5 year old together- they like to have a big debate on who would have what etc.

I also like some of the less well know Dr Seuss. The Sneetches is fab (includes a very marvellous story about spooky green pants) and I also like Yertle the Turtle.

Brambly Hedge books - pics are wonderful
Michael Bond - Paddington
Both are good for box sets or bigger gifts

Shirley Hughes - Dogger especially
The Tiger who came to tea
Garth Pig and the Ice Cream truck
Each Peach Pear Plum or any Ahlbergs- a musthave
The Great Blueness
Dear Zoo

I love the Dr Xargle books and remember finding them hilarious as an older sibling. My 3yo loves them now and new parents may find them funny.

Nice keepsake editions of classics - Wind in the Willows, any E Nesbit, Alices, Jungle Book, AA Milne, CS Lewis, Blyton. They don't have to be reading them now - lots of new baby gifts are to keep forever.

I find the hungry caterpillar tedious in the extreme and the illustrations remind me of toe paintings.Have to say I don't get the attraction of that one.

Flora's .

Floras Blanket by Debi Gilroy is a beautiful beautiful book. My DD1 was bought it for her 1st Xmas and I had to read it to her every night it has now been passed down to each of her new siblings (4 of them!) and is a bit dog eared but they all ask for "Flora" when they are sleepy.

www.amazon.co.uk/Floras-Blanket-Orchard-Picturebooks-Gliori/dp/184121096X

Would second the Emily Gravett recommendation above- Monkey and Me is lovely for young toddlers.

My DS (2.8) loves anything by Emma Chichester Clarke- particularly Blue Kangaroo and Melrose and Croc books.

Eddie's Garden is another popular one- there is another called Eddie's Kitchen but we haven't got that yet.

So Much is an absolutely gorgeous book.

Yes - My Many Coloured Days is gorgeous.

The Night Journey - got a second hand copy of this at NCT sale and my almost-2yo loves it. Lots of pull tabs and 'moving' pictures, but quite a peaceful read.

Miaow Said The Cow - great illustrations, rhythmic text that is funny no matter how many times you read it (and I've read it a lot). Definitely helped my DS to recognise which sounds go with which animals.

My Many Coloured Days is lovely - by Dr Seuss, but illustrated by other people (and very different from his usual style) - doesn't seem that well known at all.

Penguin by Polly Dunbar is very simple but both beautiful & very funny.

For slightly older children Anna Hibiscus is good as a read out loud (from say age 5 or so) as well as for children to read themselves.

A classic, but not so ubiquitous these days - Teddy Robinson is something I'd think of if I wanted to give a book to say a 3 or 4 year old. The edition I've linked to I'm pretty sure is hardback (at least we have the same cover/copy & its hardback) which makes it good as a gift.

My sister buys my children lots of books as used to be a book buyer for a retailer.She always buys good stories and we love receiving them as presents.

Here are a few (looking at bookcase) we like:
George and the Dragon with good illustrations,
Pumpkin Soup with lovely repetition,Goodnight Gorilla great picture story,The owl and the pussycat classic poem,A dark dark tale unusual but my ds loves it,5 little ducks good for rhyme,counting and flaps,Two frogs another favourite,Dig dig digging all boys like this,the odd egg unusual but good.

Must stop but hope those are some good ideas.

Classics to save for a bit later?

Girls = Alice In Wonderland, Ballet Shoes, Charlotte's Web, The Secret Garden, Black Beauty for eg.

Once There Were Giants?