Most Beautiful Children’s Books of 2025 – A Holiday Gift Guide
A Holiday Gift Guide
Prettiest Children's Books of 2025
On this page:
Other genres in the best of 2025 series: Classics | Fiction | Myths & Legends | Fantasy & SciFi | Non-Fiction & Gift Books | Pop-Ups & Paper Engineering | Something Special | Bookish Gifts
☞ You might also like the Beautiful Books Guide to Collecting Children's Literature
I’ve been doing “Most Beautiful Books of the Year” annual holiday gift guides for eight years now, and until now they’ve always been one giant, sprawling monster of a post. Which is fun, but… can be a lot. So for this ninth annual edition, I’m changing things up and sharing my favourites in separate genre round-ups instead. I hope this makes things more manageable for both of us (feedback always welcomed)!
This post is all about children's books for readers young or young-at-heart, filled with beautiful stories & beautiful art. My picks for the best ones published in 2025 are listed below, loosely sorted by genre. Any book with a star (★) next to it is also visually reviewed in the video. If I recommend a book in this list, you can rest assured it's not just the physical beauty that counts – I do also read the books I recommend on this site, and I only include books where I think the contents are beautiful too ツ .
Bookshop links are included below if you are interested in buying any of the books for yourself. Some of the links are affiliate links (and thank you if you use them!) but please do support your local bookstore as a priority if you can. If you're new here, and you'd like more regular recommendations, you might also like to check out my regularly updated lists of special editions, pre-order offers, and/or subscribe to my very occasional newsletter.
And now, on to the books!
Video Overview
Children and the Young at Heart
Beautiful Art & Picture Books
★ Five Wolves - Peter McCarty
This curious but beautiful book follows five mysterious wolves as they roam across different landscapes is search of wonders to draw and paint. The illustrations are detailed and moody, and although at first glance it looks like a picture book, there is more than enough depth in the thinking behind it that invites musings on the philosophy and nature of art to entertain adult readers as well.
➤ Find it at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Waterstones
★ Hansel and Gretel - Stephen King & Maurice Sendak
A lovely new picture‑book version of the classic Grimm tale, using Sendak’s previously unpublished drawings created for an opera production, paired with King’s retelling. It stays close to the original story – two children abandoned in the woods, a terrifying witch, a house made of sweets.
➤ Find US ed at Amazon | Barnes & Noble
➤ Find UK ed at Amazon | Waterstones
★ The Owl Witch - Myriam Dahman & Nicolas Digard, illustrated by Julia Sarda
We meet a woman known as the Owl Witch, living alone on a secluded island and longing for companionship. One night a traveller arrives with an invitation from her devilish master, and the story becomes a dark, magical bargain and a battle of wits to escape his control. Julia Sarda’s illustrations showcase stormy skies and candlelit rooms in deep jewel tones,
➤ Buy from Amazon | Waterstones
★ Step Inside a Fairy Tale - Lars van de Goor, Gabriella Barouch & Helen Mortimer
The concept behind this oversized volume is that you literally ‘step inside’ a fairy tale – the art uses photographic, misty woodland scenes with illustrated characters that have been layered in.
➤ Buy from Amazon | Waterstones
Fox Under the Moon: Seasons of Comfort and Hope - Stacey McNeill
Beautifully illustrated tale that follows a fox through the seasons, filled with inspirational quotes.
➤ Buy UK ed from Amazon | Waterstones
➤ Buy US ed (2026) from Amazon | Waterstones
★ Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton
I’m always on the lookout for a beautiful new illustrated edition of Alice in Wonderland, and this fun edition illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton fits the bill. Joe is best known for his Mythical Collections series, and his art style is graphic, expressive, bold and colourful – dynamic enough to catch the attention of children raised on animation and graphic novels. There’s lots of visual momentum here with Alice moving through space – tumbling, shrinking, striding, peering, and surrounded by ribbons.
➤ Buy from Amazon | Waterstones
★ Alice au pays des merveilles - Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Isabelle Simler
➤ Buy from Amazon
★ The Secret World of Spider Webs - Jan Beccaloni, illustrated by Namasri Niumim
Arachnologist Jan Beccaloni introduces all sorts of different web types, from the classic orbs we know to strange tent webs, trapdoor webs and even webs that sit on the surface of flowing water, with many of the web illustrations sparkling with foiled detail. Being from Australia, I thought I was pretty chill about most spiders, but despite the fanciful illustrations even I unlocked a new fear reading about the Amazon spider army that hunts as a pack!
➤ Buy from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Waterstones
★ Life: The Wild Wonders of Biodiversity – Jennifer N. R. Smith
The latest gorgeously illustrated oversized volume in the Wild Wonders series explores fun facts about the world's biodiversity – why flamingos are pink, why we have midges to thank for chocolate – packed with animal art and informative diagrams printed with luminous ink.
➤ Buy from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Waterstones
★ Oceanopedia - Helen Scales, illustrated by Good Wives and Warriors
A comprehensive illustrated encyclopedia of the world's oceans and marine creatures, covering a wide range of animals from the open sea to coral reefs.
➤ Buy US ed from Amazon | Barnes & Noble
➤ Buy UK ed from Amazon | Waterstones
★ Super-Frog Saves Tokyo - Haruki Murakami
The premise of this illustrated short story is delightfully strange – a giant frog appears to a very ordinary man and explains that together they need to save Tokyo from an underground disaster. It's funny, surreal and surprisingly heartfelt.
➤ Buy from Amazon | Waterstones
★ Mr Men: Poirot / Little Miss: Marple
These very cute Mr Men “adaptations” are loosely based on original Agatha Christie novels Death on the Nile and The Murder at the Vicarage. They are perfectly fun reads for little ones, but I think are also adorable for older Agatha Christie fans.
➤ Buy Mr. Poirot: Mischief on the Nile from Amazon | Waterstones
➤ Buy Little Miss Marple: Muddle at the Vicarage from Amazon | Waterstones
Interactive & Pop-Up Magic
★ Letters from Wonderland - Filippa Widlund
A gorgeous interactive take on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. It riffs off the classic characters – the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts – and adds physical letters to open, pockets to peek into, a fold‑out map and even a little game board to put together.
➤ Buy from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Waterstones
Mr Tickle's Post - Roger Hargreaves
An interactive picture book with Mr Stamp, the Happyland postman, delivering Mr Tickle lots of mail for readers to pull out from the envelopes – letters, postcards and pictures of his friends.
➤ Buy from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Waterstones
Angelina's Invitation to the Ballet - Katharine Holabird, illustrated by Helen Craig
Angelina Ballerina wins two tickets to a special royal production of the Cindermouse ballet. With six (full page) envelopes containing a pull-out invitation, letters, notes, tickets and a poster.
➤ Buy from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Waterstones
Unicorn Post - Emma Yarlett
A unicorn comes to visit and exchanges letters with her friend. (Nb: The letters in this volume are attached to the page.)
➤ Buy US ed from Amazon | Barnes & Noble
➤ Buy UK ed from Amazon | Waterstones
★ Claris: Christmas Carousel Holiday Heist (Pop-Up Edition)
Claris' Christmas involves a dash through the city to stop a cat burglar and save the day. Includes 6 pop-up scenes and a ribbon tie to create a decorative holiday carousel.
➤ Buy from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Waterstones
☞ Do also check out the fun Moomin pop-ups and carousel books published as part of the 2025 80th anniversary celebrations in the Welcome to Moominvalley video review.
Middle Grade Adventures
★ Alice With a Why - Anna James, illustrated by Matthew Land
A charming reimagining of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, as the granddaughter of the original Alice receives an invitation to explore Wonderland and bring peace to the Sun King and Moon Queen. B&w illustrations are modern but retain a hint of Tenniel.
There are a few pretty sprayed page edges editions kicking around the UK – an Indie edition, and I know Goldsboro and Waterstones some as well. But even if you get the trade edition, the sweet b&w illustrations add another layer of whimsy to the story.
➤ Buy US ed from Amazon | Barnes & Noble
➤ Buy UK ed from Amazon | Waterstones
➤ Buy special ed from Waterstones
A Mermaid's Diary - Chris Riddell
Shy mermaid Atalanta Scrimshaw must break out of her comfort zone when unscrupulous developers threaten to transform her home into a seaside golf resort in this charming and profusely illustrated tale.
➤ Buy from Amazon | Waterstones
➤ Buy special edition from Waterstones
★ Graciela in the Abyss - Meg Medina, illustrated by the Balbusso Twins
Graciela is a sea ghost who helps newly awakened spirits. The story is full of folklore flavoured world-building, and raised by the delightfully atmospheric illustrations by twin illustrators Anna & Elena Balbusso.
➤ Buy from Amazon | Barnes & Noble
★ Which Way to the Future – Cressida Cowell
This is the last book in Cressida Cowell’s Which Way to Anywhere series, author of the popular How to Train Your Dragon series. It's full of her usual mix of scribbly maps, handwritten notes, jokes and high‑stakes adventure.
➤ Buy US ed from Amazon | Barnes & Noble
➤ Buy UK ed from Amazon | Waterstones
➤ Buy special edition from Waterstones
★ Skandar and the Spirit War - A. F. Steadman
The Skandar series also finished this year (although a new prequel has already been released). If you haven’t met these books before, the unicorns are fierce, dangerous battle‑creatures rather than sparkly ponies, and the series is a consistently entertaining fast-paced middle grade read.
➤ Buy US ed from Amazon | Barnes & Noble
➤ Buy UK ed from Amazon | Waterstones
➤ Buy special edition from Barnes & Noble | Waterstones
★ Greenwild: The Forest in the Sky - Pari Thomson, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli
Greenwild is an eco-fantasy series, with lots of world-building and fantastical creatures to entertain readers. As you might guess from the title, this entry sees the characters travelling to a mysterious forest in the sky. B&w illustrations help younger readers picture the magic.
➤ Buy US ed from Amazon | Barnes & Noble
➤ Buy UK ed from Amazon | Waterstones
➤ Buy special edition from Waterstones
★ Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow - Jessica Townsend
It felt like a long wait, but this year finally brought the fourth book in the Wundrous world of the Nevermoor series. This installment has a murder mystery and dragons, other fun stuff. Waterstones has a few copies left of their special edition with purple page edges if you're quick.
➤ Buy US ed from Amazon | Barnes & Noble
➤ Buy UK ed from Amazon | Waterstones
➤ Buy signed edition from Waterstones
➤ Buy Australian special edition from Amazon
The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon - Grace Lin
A full-color illustrated story based on Chinese folklore, about a lion cub and a girl who must open a portal for the spirits. First printings have decorative page edges, foiled cover and designed endpapers.
➤ Buy from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Waterstones
Return to Sender - Vera Brosgol
Magic, mystery, and a marvelous mailbox take two kids on an incredible journey. First printings have yellow pages along with illustrations throughout by the author.
➤ Buy from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Waterstones
Bunns Rabbit - Alan Barillaro
A brave rabbit sets out on a quest to save her home in this stunning, dreamily illustrated tale for middle grade readers – shades of Watership Down.
➤ Buy US ed from Amazon | Barnes & Noble
➤ Buy UK ed from Amazon | Waterstones
★ Heartbroken - Serena Valentino
This is the 12th entry in the long-running Villains series by Serena Valentino that retell the stories of famous Disney villains. Heartbroken retells the life of the bloodthirsty Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. I love these compact hardback editions that reveal a hidden wicked face under the dust jacket.
➤ Buy from Amazon | Barnes & Noble
★ Run Away With Me – Brian Selznick
This queer coming of age novel is written in Selznick's signature style, using both image-only pages as well as text to tell the story of wo sixteen‑year‑old boys who meet in Rome one summer and fall in love.
➤ Buy from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Waterstones
Special Edition Re-releases
★ Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones
Most people know Howl's Moving Castle from the movie, but it's also part of a fantastic trilogy of novels that spirits the reader off to faraway lands with an evil witch, a dashing wizard and an adventurous teenage girl.
Tbh, I do think the Folio Society editions are actually the best available if you have the money, but both the UK and the US released beautiful affordable collector's editions this year with decorative page edges and hidden covers.
➤ Buy US ed from Amazon | Barnes & Noble
➤ Buy UK ed from Amazon | Blackwells
★ The Bad Beginning – Lemony Snicket
The new deluxe limited edition of the first book in A Series of Unfortunate Events has a soft-touch binding, watchful eyes sprayed on the page edges, designed endpapers, and some bonus content too.
➤ Buy from Amazon | Barnes & Noble
★ Wings of Fire - Tui T Sutherland
The first five books of the Wings of Fire series has been released in special paperback editions with decorative sprayed page edges. The books also include new sketches, a Q&A with the author, and an alternate opening chapter. And if you buy the boxed set it comes with a bonus poster too.
★ Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Ian Fleming, illustrated by John Burningham
This facsimile first edition celebrates sixty years of Ian Fleming’s magical flying car, bringing back the original iconic John Burningham cover and interior artwork alongside the wonderfully bonkers Potts family, their eccentric inventions and the magical flying car.
➤ Buy from Amazon | Waterstones | Blackwells
★ Nimona - ND Stevenson
Nimona is a chaotic young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, they wreak some serious havoc. This 10th anniversary edition has sprayed page edges, illlustrated endpapers and bonus content.
➤ Buy from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Waterstones
They Both Die at the End - Adam Silvera
On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They're going to die today. This gorgeous special collector's edition includes a new short story, a letter from the author, and a gorgeous special effect on the cover (unfold the flaps to see the teeth!).
➤ Buy from Amazon | Barnes & Noble
The Golden Mole - Katherine Rundell, illustrated by Talya Baldwin
An updated edition of this lavishly illustrated compendium of the fascinating lives of some of the world's most endangered animals.
➤ Buy from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Waterstones
★ Puffin 85th Anniversary Clothbound Editions
In celebration of publisher Puffin's 85th anniversary, we have a whole matching set of clothbound anniversary editions. These are matching clothbound, foil‑stamped editions of modern children’s classics
➤ Buy Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White from Amazon | Waterstones
➤ Buy Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Jeff Kinney from Amazon | Waterstones
➤ Buy The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks – Katie Kirby from Amazon | Waterstones
➤ Buy Matilda – Roald Dahl from Amazon | Waterstones
➤ Buy Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief – Rick Riordan from Amazon | Waterstones
➤ Buy Pig-Heart Boy – Malorie Blackman from Amazon | Waterstones
➤ Buy The Story of Tracy Beaker – Jacqueline Wilson from Amazon | Waterstones
➤ Buy Wonder – R.J. Palacio from Amazon | Waterstones
More posts in this series: Classics | Fiction | Myths & Legends | Fantasy & SciFi | Non-Fiction & Gift Books | Pop-Ups & Paper Engineering | Something Special | Bookish Gifts
2 Comments
Ollies next weekly ad · 21 April 2026 at 10:12 pm
The way you highlight the ‘Interactive & Pop-Up Magic’ section feels like a careful balance between excitement and practicality for gift-givers. It captures the wonder without oversimplifying the artistry involved.
Daisy · 12 May 2026 at 8:14 am
THanks for the lovely kind words 💕