Book & Toy Gift Guide
Sharing the perfect pairing of books and toys to inspire a love of reading while supporting local businesses, indie authors and entrepreneurs. Will add more books and pairing daily.
For the kid who loves to laugh.
Funniest Book You’ve Ever Red on Amazon.ca or Hardcover
Fans of The Book With No Pictures will love this book. With wholesome potty humour, puns and silly sounding words (like bamboozle and bupkis) to making funny faces and pretending to read in a British (or Canadian) accent, this book is entertaining to read aloud.
The perfect combination of silly and wit, kids will want to read it over and over again (and you’ll have fun doing so).
The Funniest Book You’ve Ever Red exposes readers to six different types of humor and teaches different ways to make people laugh.
Ready to get laughing? Good. This book is bound to make you laugh.
Pair this book with:
Best for kids aged 5-10
For the little foodie.
Hello Latkes $10.99 - on 2 Bwell Kids Amazon.ca
Hello Latkes is a fun story about making the most delicious latkes! From scrub scrub scrubbing the potatoes to squeeeeeezing out the water and picking out fun latke toppings, Hello Latkes is fun for the whole family. Taking you step by step in a classic latke recipe, Hello Latkes is a great accompaniment to your Hanukkah celebrations.
Hello Latkes makes a great Hanukkah gift for kids young and old and a story you can read again and again!
Pair this book with:
Best for kids aged 3-7
N.B. I get NO affiliate payment from recommending any of these products. These are just suggestions that I have come up with to inspire reading and to support local Toronto businesses where possible.
For the space lover.
Hello Outer Space $11.99 on Amazon.ca or signed by author.
Hello Outer Space teaches young readers about the planets in a fun, easy to read rhyming story. Learn how to say hello in 10 other languages as kids learn fun facts about our solar system. From Bonjour to Venus to Ni Hao to Uranus, say hello to the planets in our galaxy.
Hello Outer Space is designed to motivate young readers to be interested in space and new languages.
Pair this book with:
Best for kids aged 3-7
For the rainbow lover.
Meet the Rainbow Colours on Amazon.ca
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet - these are the beautiful colours of the rainbow. In this educational and engaging book, children learn a fun fact about each of these colours. Each page is dedicated to a different colour. The objects of the same colour with clear word-labels are used to keep it simple and engaging. Pink, Black and White are also included for added fun!
Read the book with your child to help them develop early speaking and observation skills. The colour-themed pages with cute pictures will get your kids talking and looking for objects in their everyday life!
This engaging book is great for early preschool to early grade learning as it has bonus educational material.
Bonus material!
It includes 6 colour combination visuals so that your child can learn the basics about mixing colours. Eg. Red+Yellow = Orange
Pages of doodles for your child to practice their colouring in skills
Pages to draw their own picture or mix their own colours
Pair this book with:
Best for kids 2-6
For the kid obsessed with trucks and construction.
Hello Construction on 2BWellkids.com Amazon.ca for $10.99 or signed by author.
Hello Construction starts with an architect asking your little one to come help them build a house. The architect teaches in a really fun way, what we need to do to build a house from planning to framing and everything in between.
Kids meet 10 big machines, trucks, construction workers and learn how to say hello to them in different languages including French, Spanish, Hindi, Mandarin, Vietnamese, German, Swahili, Dutch, Bengali and Tagalog.
Kids will meet:
An Excavator
A Wrecking ball crane
A Bulldozer
A Backhoe
A Dump truck
A Cement truck
3 White Vans
A Bucket truck
A Brick layer
An Inspector
Pair this book with:
For the outdoorsy kid.
Get Outside by Jessica Gold $26.99
Introduce your little adventurers to the great outdoors in this fun and educational book (56 Coloured Pages) about our beautiful world and all the wonderful ways we can enjoy it.
A book from A to Z suitable for kids ages zero to ninety-nine.
Pair this book with:
Best for kids aged 2-6
For the little foodie.
Hello Burger on Amazon.ca or signed by author.
Whether it’s beef, chicken or veggie that’s up to your little one! Enjoy a burger every night with this rhythmic picture book about the process of making a burger (without the mess!). Kids have fun learning about the ingredients that go into their favourite food in this engaging and easy to read story.
From pat pat patting the patties to chop chop chopping the veggies- this book is a lot of fun to read out loud. Young readers feel confident reading as they match the words with high contrast, low clutter pictures.
Pair this book with:
Best for kids 2-6
For the kids who hates rules.
I Hate Rules by Dani Seligman on Amazon.ca
Sometimes rules suck. It can be hard to control how we react. Try living in a grown-up world with countless rules that don't make sense to you! Inspired by a little boy who really does hate rules, educator and mom of three Dani Seligman explores how it can feel when we have to do things we don't want to. In this charming tale, an impulsive preschooler, frustrated by rules, eventually discovers how they can help.
Pair this book with:
Sorry or
Best for kids aged 4-8
For the artsy kid.
The Colours of the Rainbow: an educational and engaging colouring book on Amazon.ca
In this educational and engaging colouring book, children learn a fun fact about each of the colours of the rainbow. In the first section of the book, objects of the same colour with clear word-labels are used to keep it simple and stimulating.
This book is great for early preschool to early grade learning as it has bonus educational material including colour mixing combinations, colouring pages, picture puzzles, colour by numbers and space to make their own art with drawing prompts.
The colour-themed pages with cute pictures will get your kids talking and looking for objects in their everyday life!
Bonus material!
It includes 6 colour combination visuals so that your child can learn the basics about mixing colours. Eg. Red+Yellow = Orange
Pages of doodles for your child to practice their colouring in skills
Picture Puzzles- younger kids can continue colouring in and older kids can practice problem solving with guessing the words. A picture of a rock and a star = "rock star"
Colour by number - older kids can practice their math skills and younger kids can just colour it in
Pages to draw their own picture, or mix their own colours
Drawing prompts such as "Draw a picture of fruit"
Pair this book with:
Paintbrushes or
Best for kids aged 3-7
For the Cookie Lover.
Hello Cookies on Amazon.ca and Hello Gingerbread on Amazon.ca
Hello Cookie
Enjoy a cookie every night with this rhythmic picture book about the process of making cookies. Kids have fun learning about the ingredients that go into their favourite food in this engaging and easy to read story. From crack crack cracking an egg to mix mix mixing it all together- this book is a lot of fun to read out loud.
With a bonus chocolate chip cookie recipe for young readers to bake with their parents, Hello Cookie will please the entire household! Young readers feel confident reading as they match the words with high contrast, low clutter pictures.
Hello Gingerbread
From crack crack cracking the egg to mix mix mixing it all together and picking your cookie shape, Hello Gingerbread is fun for the whole family. Taking you step by step in a classic gingerbread cookie recipe, Hello Gingerbread is a great accompaniment to your Christmas holiday celebrations. Told rhythmically, kids will love reading this book over and over again (and so will you!). Bonus, Hello Gingerbread includes a yummy recipe for kids to bake with their grown-ups!
Hello Gingerbread makes a great Christmas gift for kids young and old. Celebrate the holidays and build new memories together.
Pair books with:
Mini Ice Cream Sandwich Squishable
Best for kids 2-7
For all the kids who love to be loved
Let the Sunshine In - Positivity Journal for Kids on Amazon.ca
ABC’s of Emotions - from Amazed to Zany in emoji’s on Amazon.ca
Journalling is a fun and creative way to express feelings and thoughts.
Kids have a lot of big emotions but often don’t have the words to express themselves or know what to write on a blank page in a journal. That’s where prompts come in. Prompts are guided questions that bring out an idea. And instead of writing in each instance, kids are encouraged to draw a picture to express themselves.
This kids guided journal includes sections about:
Emotional literacy
Goal Setting
Gratitude Giving
Spreading Kindness
Movement, Music and Planning Fun
And a “One Good Thing” journalling section for 200+ days
No matter your kids age, journalling will help process the present as well as serves as a fun time capsule for the future.
This positivity journal is rooted in positive psychology principles and is based off the Adult Version of Let The Sun Shine In Journal.
ABC of Emotions
A great way for kids and parents to recognize all the feelings and emotions we experience.
Kids have lots of big feelings but they often don’t have the words to express themselves. ABC’s of Emotions shows 58 emotions using a single emoji to demonstrate the feeling. Emoji's are a great tool to visually express a feeling and are easily recognizable to kids and grownups alike. This gives kids and parents the opportunity to identify and talk about the feelings they experience every day. Kids feel more comfortable in themselves when they can name the feeling and when they realize it is normal to feel lots of emotions.
From A through Z, ABC’s of Emotions explores 58 emotions, supporting parents, caregivers, teachers and health professionals to talk with their kids about their feelings.
ABC's of Emotions shares everything from the most common emotions of angry, happy and sad to more complex feelings such as frustrated, embarrassed, jealous, overwhelmed, and optimistic. The book will improve children's vocabulary naming all the emotions. ABC's of Emotions includes modern words such as Hangry (that slightly angry feeling you get when you need food!) and even X has one.... but you'll have to buy the book to find out what it is though :)
Pair with:
For the future chess champs
Hello Chess on Amazon.ca
Hello Chess introduces Chess to kids in a way that will make everyone excited to learn about the game.
Hello Chess is a story about a bear named Moe that comes to visit two penguins, Mimi and Matt for the day. Moe’s come to play, but he wants to play Chess- a new game that his friends don’t know!
Moe teaches the kids about each Chess piece and how they move in a fun rhyming way. He also teaches how to say hello in different languages. From Konnichiwa to the pawn to Privet to the Queen and everything in between. Hello Chess is a great book to inspire and deepen interest in the beautiful game of Chess.
Pair it with the Hogwarts Lego set
or a chess and backgammon set.
For the music lover.
Strum and the Wild Turkeys by Noa Daniel.
Strum and The Wild Turkeys is a book about finding your voice through a sense of belonging and the transformational power of music.
Pair with a 6 string guitar or tambourine!
For the green thumb.
Hello Plants by Amanda Minuk on 2BwellKids or Amazon.ca
Kids learn how to say Hello in other languages as they meet and learn about 17 different trees and flowers!
From Hej to the Weeping Willow to Konnichiwa to the Cherry Blossom, kids have fun learning about plants and new languages.
Hello Plants will inspire mini botanists and further deepen a love of the great outdoors!
In this book you will learn fun facts about:
Coast Redwoods
Fruit Trees
Weeping Willows
Cherry Blossom Trees
Magnolia Trees
Lilac Trees
Maple Trees
Evergreen Trees
Tulips
Roses
Sunflowers
Pansy
Ranunculus
Peonies
Daisies
Venus Fly Trap
Orchid
Pair this book with:
Magnifying glass or
Gardening set for kids
For the brave kid.
The Brave Girl by Amanda Minuk (here)
Inspired by a 5 year old girl who shows true bravery every day, The Brave Girl is a great introduction to the topic of bravery and overcoming challenges. The Brave Girl is a short story about what it means to be brave, from being scared of the ocean but going in anyways to doing things that are hard even if you don't want to, that's being brave.
Bonus! The Brave Girl teaches you how to say "I am brave" in different languages.
Partial proceeds of this book will be donated to Sick Kids Hospital in honour of the brave girl. Her message to all of us: Save a life and register with BeADonor.ca
Pair this book with:
A sketchbook and markers
For every kid.
See Me for Me by Dana Geall
See Me for Me is a fun and colourful picture book. Through charming rhymes, it is a great way to introduce children to people with disabilities.
See Me for Me is intended to help teachers and parents start important dialogues about empathy and inclusion.
Pair this book with:
Pin Point Hand Toy
All About Me Art Quiz
Love your body.
Just As You Are by Alyssa Catzman
Rosie Posie is a happy and confident kid, but there are times when her self-esteem gets rattled . . . like when she begins to notice changes in the way her body looks in the mirror. Rosie's mother helps by teaching her more about her body, eating, and celebrating her unique self. In doing so, she communicates a very important message that sticks with Rosie throughout her life: "You are so loved just as you are; no one's more special, near or far."
Pair with a Do It Yourself Mirror
Positive Affirmation Crayons from Say it With Crayons
Positive Affirmation Cards from Jenny and Andy
For the pizza lover
Hello Pizza on Amazon.ca
Have a pizza party every night with this rhythmic picture book about making the most delicious pizza.
Kids have fun learning about the ingredients that go into their favourite food in this easy to read story about making pizza.
First you stretch stretch stretch the dough, then you mix mix mix the sauce and spread spread spread. We’ll shred shred shred the cheese and sprinkle sprinkle sprinkle. Choose your toppings and into the oven it goes! Young readers feel confident reading as they match the words with high contrast, low clutter pictures.
Pair this book with:
A Mini Pizza Squishable
Perfect pizza playset