Lauren's List: My Top 5 Last Minute Christmas Gift Books

I'm bringing back Lauren's Lists! These are my top 5 last minute Christmas gift books for all ages.

First, let me let you in on a little secret for building an amazing home library at a lower cost: story collections or treasuries. Spending just a few more dollars than a single hardback gives your family 3-5 (or even more, sometimes!) amazing books by the best children's authors that you can read over and over. Of course, if you have small children, you already know they love repeat readings; the following books are ones that you'll also enjoy reading again and again!

Llama Llama's Little Library by Anna Dewdney

This includes 4 board books, perfect for ages 0-3. Her water colors are amazing, rhymes are on point, and these board book versions of Llama Llama have the perfect amount of words for the littlest kiddos.

The Folk Tale Classics Treasury by Paul Galdone

All of my boys have loved any book by him, especially the ones in this collection. I'd say ages 3-5, but older kids will also probably enjoy these 6 stories.

An Elephant & Piggie Biggie: Volume 1by Mo Willems

5 stories in one collection! There's two more volumes in this series, and we have them all because they're the funniest and perfect for when your child is first learning to read. Great for ages 4-10.

Make Way for McCloskey: A Robert McCloskey Treasury

Perfect for ages 5-10 (and older). These 8 stories span childhood; the first two classic picture books (Make Way for Ducklings and Blueberries for Sal) are perfect for younger kids 3-6, then the other 6 get progressively longer and are at higher reading levels until the last two are excerpts from his middle grade novels (Homer Price and Centerburg Tales), perfect for 8-12 year olds. All captivating and beautifully illustrated.

D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths

So far, my boys have all found this classic book fascinating around age 9. I'd recommend it for 8-10 year olds. On my wishlist for our home library is D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths, that would make a great pairing.