10 illustrated books for children: a special gift 2026

When we give a book to a child we look for that, a story that moves them, amuses them or surprises them, that stays with them and that, little by little, brings along (through the rhyme, through the illustrations, through the protagonists, through the story) other books, other curiosities and other experiences.

All these illustrated albums for children from two to six years old (or a hundred) are candidates to become those books touched, looked at, re-looked at, played with and read a thousand times with mom or dad.

Amazon Essentials by Sofia Grainge - Summer 2026 Promotion

'The Mouse House: new adventures of Sam and Julia'

The most amazing thing about the Mouse House books are, without a doubt, their illustrations: those photographs of an impressive little house built over the years by the Dutchwoman Karina Schaapman, with recycled materials and incredible meticulousness: the kitchenware, the toys, the bedding... A tribute to the low movements, both in their preparation and in the attitude with which they need to be enjoyed and looked at, paying attention to every detail. Mouse House: New Adventures of Sam and Julia, the second volume, has just been published; The first won the 2016 Kiriko Prize, which distinguishes illustrated books aimed at early readers (6-8 years old), with texts of a certain length. The simple and tender stories of Sam and Julia's adventures, small passages from their daily lives, also lend themselves to reading aloud with younger children. And a plus: The royal house is in Amsterdam and can be visited.Ed. Blackie Books

'The Books of the Seasons'

To get from the house to the lake park you have to cross the entire city. What will happen along the way? The books of the seasons are four cardboard books without text that travel the same path, with the same characters, in spring, summer, autumn and winter. In them we can follow the adventures of the city's inhabitants, the evolution of the works, the changes that occur in nature and in businesses in each season... A classic work by the German Rotraut Susanne Berner, winner of the 2016 Hans Christian Andersen prize for illustration, the "Nobel" of children's literature. Anaya has reissued them in mini format in a case with a very manageable size, perfect for getting the entire collection at once. Books to learn vocabulary, understand the passage of time, work on memory, play riddles, observe, imagine stories and, above all, have a great time.Ed. Anaya

'Mr. Magnolia'

Mr. Magnolia enjoys the most diverse crazy situations, but above all, he is always... missing a boot. Mr. Magnolia is a fun story, written and illustrated by Quentin Blake, it was published for the first time in 1980. A rhymed story with cumulative text, in which we count from 1 to 10, full of jokes, surprises and great secondary characters. Mr. Magnolia is a perfect character to discover for children who do not yet read and for those who are beginning to do so, the free, irreverent and kind world of Quentin Blake.Ed. Kalandraka

'Madeline'

Little Madeline lives in an old mansion in Paris with eleven other girls. They all do the same thing, they all look very similar and apparently they are very happy with their orderly life but... We better keep reading. Sometimes appearances are deceiving.

This book was published for the first time in 1939. The character of Madeline soon became very popular and its author, the painter and writer Ludwig Bemelmans, continued inventing stories starring this brave little girl throughout her life. Madeline is a book with little text, simple and effective rhymes and schematic and expressive illustrations. In the edition of Books of the Red Fox they have added, at the end, a list of the monuments and scenes of Paris that appear in history and that we can look for in other books or on our next family trip to the capital of the Seine.Ed.Books of the Red Fox

'The book that makes a clap'

The book that claps, by Madalena Matoso, is a book that plays the accordion or the cymbals. Or burst out laughing. Or cook a sandwich. The only thing necessary for all this to happen is to hold it with both hands and open and close it as the illustration asks us to. The idea, seemingly simple, is very fun. Shall we make the butterfly flap its wings? Shall we help this man do sit-ups? With flat and geometric illustrations in very bright colors and small texts, many of them onomatopoeia, this illustrated album needs us to work. A book to read aloud and play over and over again, indicated by the publisher for children from two years old.Ed. Fulgencio Pimentel and Sons.

'Where is Thomas?'

Where is Tomás?, by Micaela Chirif and Leire Salaberria tells the story of Tomás who likes to hide. His mother looks for him throughout the house, but Tomás travels far with his toys: to a tropical island, to the world of dinosaurs... The poetic text by Micaela Chirif and the colorful illustrations by Leire Salaberria transport us to the world of Tomás' imagination from the corners of his house. Will his mother be able to accompany him on these adventures? An album to look at and re-look at, especially on mom's lap.Ed.Ekaré

'Run home, little mouse!'

Run home, little mouse! tells the story of the little mouse who wants to go home, but first he must cross a dark forest full of wild animals and has forgotten the way. A die-cut book for children from 1 to 4 years old whose protagonist faces his fear of the dark and the dangers that threaten him until he is reunited with his family. Fear - of the dark, of monsters, of loneliness - is a classic and essential theme in children's books. Britta Teckentrup offers us a very well-told and illustrated story, in which the game of riddles and surprises helps us immerse ourselves in the story and experience the emotions of that journey from a safe place.Ed.Lóguez

'A hole is for digging'

“A hole is for digging.” “The world is for us to stand on.” “Children are to be loved.” The definitions contained in this great little book, inseparable from the simple and lively illustrations of Maurice Sendak, plunge us into that childhood wisdom that we forget as we grow up. A Hole is for Digging was the first of the eight books on which Ruth Krauss and Sendak worked together. Published in 1952, the text is made up of real definitions that the author collected from 4 and 5 year old children, as Ellen Duthie tells in her blog We read it like this. The format of the book adapts wonderfully to the little hands of the recipients and to the dynamism and warmth it gives off. Another of those cases where less is more.Ed.Kalandraka

'The Odd Dish Family'

What does our tableware say about us and our family? The book that won the 5th Edelvives International Illustrated Album Award talks precisely about that, about the experiences and affections that are hidden in our plates, glasses and coffee sets (and, above all, in the missing pieces) and narrates the life of a family over the years through its household items. The text makes a count – permanently corrected – of the pieces of tableware in the house, while the illustration allows us to accompany this family in the most important moments of their lives with tenderness and humor and invites us to play.Ed. Edelvives

'Princess stories'

Traditional stories cannot be missing from the little ones' libraries. This book brings together the stories of Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. The box becomes a small theater with five stages and comes with 16 characters. At the end of each story a short plot is included specifying the scenes, characters and settings so that the child can perform the work with an adult.Ed. YE