Beautiful Children's Books

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I'd like to buy a really lovely book as a Christening present. Something that will stand the test of time, something that is beautiful to look at. I originally thought an anthology (Aesop, Grimms etc) but completely open to other ideas.
The child is one so ideally something that can be enjoyed by a toddler but will also be something lovely to look through as an older child.

Any suggestions?

Fiona French does picture books with the most beautiful, heart-patteringly-thrilling illustrations I have ever seen. There are some Christian ones, like Paradise, Easter and Bethlehem (so very suitable for a christening!) and some folk tale ones (like Little Inchkin or Anancy and Mr Dry Bone). My 2yo and 4yo are absolutely obsessed with them and so am I! They're likely to be used sooner (from as soon as they can encounter paper books without ripping the pages) than any of the admittedly wonderful but rather older books recommended above, and not to be regarded as "too precious" for the child to actually use. I highly highly recommend them as gifts.

That said, The Complete Brambly Hedge is lovely and has a mouse christening in one of the stories! (And children definitely do enjoy Beatrix Potter and The Wind in the Willows - ignore PP!)

They don't have beautiful covers but the Hairy Maclary series is amazing as is the Alfie series by Shirley Hughes.
Beautiful illustrations and the stories are so well written – really important for parents who have to read books over and over.
I will keep these books long after my children don't want to read them.

This Moomintroll book is amazing too. Wonderful lyrical prose and a cloth cover with delicate papercut pages.
shop.moomin.com/collections/books/products/the-book-about-moomin-mymble-and-little-my-sort-of-books

Sam Usher's books are amazing - we have some of the 'Seasons' ones - Snow and Rain. They are large format paperbacks and the illustrations are breath-taking. I also like the stories which are focused on a boy and his grandad blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Snow-by-Sam-Usher/9781783700738

Vix, the Lockdown Fox or Mew, the Rescue cat. Beautifully illustrated and both are true stories.

www.amazon.co.uk/Vix-Lockdown-Fox-Marion-Veal/dp/1739632907/ref=sr_1_2?crid=A2S5O9OKQ9G1&keywords=Vix+the+lockdown+fox&qid=1658787514&sprefix=vix+the+lockdown+fox%2Caps%2C55&sr=8-2

www.amazon.co.uk/Mew-Rescue-Cat-Marion-Veal/dp/1739632915/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1A0DRGXJXI851&keywords=Mew+the+rescue+cat&qid=1658787540&sprefix=mew+the+rescue+cat%2Caps%2C51&sr=8-1

In addition to all the lovely books already suggested, I also like many of the alan/ Janet Ahlberg books - partic "peepo", "each peach pear, plum" and "the jolly postman." Also the " Katie morag " books have lovely illustrations.

I was given an illustrated copy of Black Beauty. I'm 51 now and it's still on my bookshelf.