You can never go wrong with books for Christmas! Owlkids Books has been publishing quality children’s magazines and books for 40 years now – they’re a Canadian institution! We’ve chosen a selection of new releases from their latest catalogue perfect for gifting to any child from toddler to preteen. Take a look at this season’s most exciting children’s books for kids aged 3-10, then scroll all the way down to enter to win the same collection for your own kiddos!
Click on the titles or cover pictures to see these books on Amazon.
Moose Goose, Animals on the Loose!: A Canadian Wildlife ABC by Geraldo Valério
“Here they come… Canadian animals running, jumping, swimming, and roaring your way!”
Moose, Goose, Animals on the Loose introduces an entire alphabet’s worth of Canadian wildlife starting with Arctic fox, bison, and caribou. Large, simple paper collage images are paired with short alliterative phrases about each animal like, “Frog feasting on flies,” and “Narwhal native of the North.” Some of the letters are harder than others though, so X is muskoX and lynX, and Z is griZZly bears. It’s hard to be too critical though, I certainly can’t think of any local fauna starting with the letter X!
There’s an index at the end of the book with a little bit of information about each animal. Kay finds these really interesting, and I like that it gives the book a little more educational oomph to its focus on Canadian animals.
Maxwell the Monkey Barber by Cale Atkinson
Maxwell the Monkey Barber is one of the most enthusiastic hairstylists I’ve ever seen! He trims poor overgrown Baboon and Lion, and even clips Bear’s beard. But what’s a monkey to do when Elephant arrives and he has no hair at all? This colourful picture book is a cute story about friendly jungle animals and an adorable, problem-solving simian.
I am Josephine (And I Am a Living Thing) by Jan Thornhill
To my 4-year-old’s delight, I Am Josephine has been transformed into I Am Kay when reading before bed. Whatever her name, this energetic little girl lets the reader know she is Josephine (or Kay), who is also a human, and a mammal, and an animal, and a living thing. Josephine uses concrete examples to make the concept of these broadening categories easier to understand. “I am a living thing, and so is my brother, Felix, and so is a butterfly, and so is a tree, and so is a penguin.” The final pages outline the defining characteristics of each category for extended learning.
I believe it’s important to teach my children that they are part of and connected to the natural world around them. When you have things in common with another, you can’t help but feel more empathy, and right now our planet sure could use more kids with empathy for all living things and the natural world.
Dojo Surprise by Chris Tougas
Dojo Surprise is the third book in the Dojo series (see our review of Dojo Daytrip here). In this volume, Master is taking a nap in the dojo when he’s woken up by strange noises. What’s going on? Master bumbles along as usual, scared of the strange happenings going on around him. But it turns out it’s just the students planning a surprise party! Told in rhyming couplets with comic book sound effects and exaggerated expressions, Dojo Daycare is great for reading out loud to my rowdy kids.
Margo Thinks Twice by Monica Arnaldo
Kay really likes this one. She’s a little more cautious than her big sister, and I think she can relate to Margo’s fears and anxieties. Margo has an overactive imagination, and she tends to imagine the worst. If she jumps off the swing will she be blown up to the roof? Or will she get lost forever inside the round clothing rack the way her hamster got lost that other time? At the end of the story, Margo makes a special friend who helps distract her from her worries.
Kay has asked for this story before bed several times. We talk about how likely it is for these worst case scenarios to happen which helps her see the ridiculousness of them. I think this would be a good book for kids who worry.
Abigail the Whale by Davide Cali
Now that Tee’s in Grade One, issues like bullying and exclusion are starting to show up on the radar for us. I picked this book as another way to introduce the concepts of self-confidence and mindfulness. When the other children make fun of Abigail for her weight, her swimming teacher suggests to her, “We are what we think.” She’s skeptical, but she tries his advice and imagines herself to be what she wants to be. When she feels small and afraid walking home in the dark, she visualizes herself as a giant instead. Imagining herself as a kangaroo helps her jump higher!
In my other life, I’m a social worker who helps youngsters with mental health concerns, and I love that Abigail learns to use the same techniques that I teach kids in my own professional work.
While this book can definitely be used to start a discussion around bullying, the story focuses on how Abigail changes the way she feels about herself rather than addressing the children’s bullying behaviour directly. I don’t see this as a weakness though, because while we may hope that bullies and mean girls learn their lesson and stop behaving badly, in the real world we can only control our own thoughts and behaviours. The strategies that Abigail uses are how we work to “bullyproof” kids.
West Meadows Detectives: The Case of Maker Mischief by Liam O’Donnell
Tee is an accomplished reader now, and she’s graduated to chapter books like these. She picked this one out of the big box of books and spent the rest of the afternoon with her nose buried in it.
Third-graders Myron and Hajrah are self-proclaimed detectives at West Meadows Elementary, and they’re on the case – the case of the stolen robot! What’s unique about these two protagonists is they are both appealing and likable characters with atypical neurodevelopment. Myron has autism and Hajrah is engagingly hyperactive. They and their classmates are a diverse bunch who use their strengths to work toward a common goal. Using his powers of observation and deduction, Myron identifies suspects, collects clues, and eventually breaks the case. This is a fun book to introduce my daughter to the mystery genre in a way that also encourages inclusiveness without making it the focus of the story.
Clara Humble and the Not-So-Super Powers by Anna Humphrey
Another excellent read for Tee, Clara Humble and the Not-So-Super Powers follows Clara, a spunky nine-year-old who aspires to be a cartoonist (her cartoons appear in the book too). At the start of the book, Clara is facing disaster on two fronts: a fierce school rivalry and the news that a beloved older neighbour will be moving away. Clara thinks she might have superpowers and she and her best friend Bradley plan to use them to fix everything.
I like that in the end, it’s not Clara’s alleged superpowers that save the day, but rather her character and love for her family and friends that make the real difference. That’s a fine message for Tee to learn.
Sea Otter Rescue by Suzi Eszterhas
Whenever we visit the Vancouver Aquarium, Tee’s favourite place to visit is the veterinary play area where she can pretend to be an aquatic vet. She likes to take pretend x-rays, weigh the animals, bandage them up, and give them medicine.
Everybody loves otters, and Tee is no exception. Sea Otter Rescue is a behind the scenes look at the wonderful work the Alaska SeaLife Center’s Wildlife Rescue Team does for orphaned sea otter pups. It’s packed full of information about otters and otter development, not to mention dozens of cute, fluffy otter babies!
Tee find this book fascinating! She loves learning what otter pups eat, how they play and rest, how the staff groom them, and how they determine which otters can be released back into the wild.
Gift It!
Give the gift of books this Christmas – adventure and knowledge await! Owlkids Books are available at Amazon or wherever children’s books are sold.
Win an Owlkids Book Package!
One lucky This West Coast Mommy reader will win all nine of the children’s books reviewed in this post, courtesy of Owlkids Books. What a wonderful Christmas present any of these would make!
Enter to win in the giveaway widget below. This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada, 18+. All entries will be verified. Prize delivery is not guaranteed by Christmas, so please plan accordingly.
Click here to check out my other open giveaways and be sure to follow me on Facebook!
Disclosure: I received sample items for review. All opinions expressed are completely honest and my own, based on my personal experience. Your experience may differ. This post contains affiliate links. This West Coast Mommy is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. I will receive a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no additional cost to you. This income helps pay for the operating costs of my website – thank you for your support!
For bedtime, my son and I like to read Each Peach Pear Plum.
We read two books (down from 3!) every night before bed. The first is different each day but we always read “Little Owl’s Night” right before I put her down in the crib.
My LO will pick up to 8 (!) books if I let her. She usually picks the selection each night but right now I’m really enjoying “Baby Cakes”.
The favourite books I read to my kids are the ones by Robert Munsch especially Love You Forever.
We have a Shine a Light book that we shine a flashlight through and its by far my son’s favorite!!
Our fav bedtime book right now is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! It’s great reading these childhood classics!
The kids love Click Clack Moo Cows That Type
At the moment I am reading the Little House On The Prairie series. They sure are old classics I just love 🙂
Anything by Dr Seuss!
My daughter was obsessed with the Wizard of Oz.
My favourite book to read my granddaughter is I Love You to the Moon and Back by Amelia Hepworth.
My favourite bedtime book to read with your child is Green Eggs and Ham
We have so many favourites but right now they love reading The Princess & The Pony by Kate Beaton as well as Have you Filled a Bucket Today by Carol McCloud. Thanks for the chance to win, we love books!
The kids love to read Harold and the Purple Crayon.
My grandsons love having Grandma read them any of the Dr. Suess books.
we like to read ‘steam train dream train’
Right now I am reading alphabet books to my granddaughter, hoping she will get the hang of the letters and sounds!
Goodnight Moon has been the key bedtime story for all four of my kids.
Favorite book is hard because there’s been so many good ones… but Mo Willems is one of our favorites. I love his humor and sweet perspective on life 🙂
The classic Love You Forever has always been our favourite book to read.
My 4 year old’s current favourites are the Berenstain Bears. We’ve been reading The Berenstain Bears and too much TV this week. I remember that book from my childhood & the pictures are quite outdated with box shaped TVs and antennae. But he doesn’t care! My 2 year old loves the Stanley books by William Bee. We’ve been reading Stanley the Builder this week. In each book, Stanley has a different occupation and uses very colourful tools to accomplish his work. He is one busy guinea pig!!
My favourite is anything by Robert Munsch, especially Thomas’ Snowsuit. Hilarious!! :o)
It is different every night, but a couple of favourites are Goodnight Moon and anything with peekaboo flaps ❤️
We like reading Goodnight Gorilla and Goodnight Moon at bedtime.
Starlight Baby was always a favourite book for us to read.
I have this french book it’s called ten little toes. so cute, I love to make my kids giggle before bed.
My grandson loves books by Mo Willems for bedtime stories.
We like to read Peter Rabbit.
Right now we’ve moved on to chapter books so the Roal Dahl are big hits especially Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
We love Where the Wild things Are and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
We regularly read devotions together but right now we are reading (chapter by chapter) “Battlefield of the Mind for Kids.”
We just read whatever new book we happened to have. Right now it’s Pinocchio.
That’s Not My Duck is a current bedtime favourite.
Goodnight moon is a great one!
My daughter loved Sammy’s Special Day
My younger child loves me to read anything by Eric Carle, while my daughter is into the Harry Potter books!
My husband has started to read a compilation of nursery rhymes from the 20th century and it brings back such fond memories for us.
Besos Sarah
Journeys of The Zoo
I read them any of the Dr. Suess books.
We read Moo, Baa, La La La almost every night.
I hate reading the same book over and over but we usually read a dr suess book.
Our favourite bed time book as of now is They all saw a cat!
My little one’s favourite book right now is Please Baby Please by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee. Kiss me goodnight, mama mama mama please?
We like llama llama red pajama
Goodnight Moon was always a favorite at our house.
Right now my boys are loving a few books, they like “The book that eats people”, “The Happiest Book Ever”, and “Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site”
My grandson loves to have me read “Five Little Monkeys” to him.
My kids like all of the Dr Suess books. Their favorite one is Green Eggs and Ham.
I have no children of my own. But, I love reading Charlotte’s web to my cousin 🙂
I love to read Robert Munch books with my kids. We love 50 below zero
I love to read my old time favorite books Amelia Bedelia!