Kelpies Gift Guide 2025

We say it every year, and we’ll say it again: books are our favourite kind of presents! Whether your children are animal lovers, fantasy fans, puzzle fiends or teddy bear-obsessed, we’re sure we’ve got a book they’ll love.

Read on to discover our top reading recommendations for this year, or use the Find a Kelpie box on the left to search all of our books by age, genre or theme!

Books to Treasure

Top of our wishlist this year is Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales. This fantastic collection of traditional tales from the Celtic lands have been masterfully retold for children by Lari Don, and paired with richly detailed artwork by debut illustrator Elise Carmichael. Gift this to children who love a good mythical monster, and enjoy Lari in action telling one of our favourite stories from the book on our YouTube channel.

Discover more beautiful hardback anthologies here, including the highly-acclaimed Illustrated Scottish Treasuries series by Theresa Breslin and Kate Leiper, plus their latest collaboration, An Illustrated Treasury of Dragon Tales and Theresa’s collection of myths and legends about Scotland’s kings and queens!

Teddy Bear Tales

For the child who loves their teddy bear, Abdullah’s Bear Needs a Name! is the perfect bedtime book. Yasmin Hanif’s story about a boy searching for the perfect name for his bear gently teaches children to value their cultural heritage and the special bonds of family. Check out this video to find out about the real-life story behind Yasmin’s debut picture book.

Bear-loving wee ones will also love The Island and the Bear – a sweet, lyrical tale based on the true story of a bear who ended up on a Hebridean island, or how about Michael Rosen’s classic We’re Going on a Bear Hunt in Scots!

Awesome Activities

For children who prefer a puzzle, The Awesome Scotland Jigsaw is sure to be a hit! This 300-piece jigsaw puzzle is great for children aged seven and up, and bursting with everything that makes Scotland iconic. From Edinburgh Castle to Glenfinnan Viaduct, and Greyfriars Bobby to Tobermory, kids will love putting the pieces of Scotland together in this vibrant scene illustrated by Moreno Chiacchiera.

Or for older puzzlers who need more of a challenge, check out Kate Leiper’s Dragon Flight over Eilean Donan 1000-piece jigsaw. One of Scotland’s most iconic castles, plus a dragon, feature in the beautiful original artwork by the illustrator of the acclaimed Illustrated Scottish Treasuries series.

Check out our Kelpies World range for activity books, sticker books and more for children who like to keep their minds occupied!

Amazing Animals

By the Beaver Pool would make a great gift for children who love nature. With brilliant beaver facts naturally woven into Catherine Ward’s sweet story about new beginnings, this is a great introduction to the importance of beavers to the environment. You can hear Catherine read the story on our YouTube channel.

You’ll find lots more books to inspire animal-loving children here, including Lynne Rickards’ perennially popular rhyming picture books, and Michelle Sloane’s Animal Adventure Club series of illustrated chapter books for early readers.

Remarkable Realistic Fiction

For the children who like to read about real life, our pick this year is My Name is Samim. This heartbreaking yet hopeful story highlights the experiences of young refugees and asylum seekers in the UK, viewed through the eyes of thirteen-year-old Samim. Watch debut author Fidan Meikle read an emotional extract in this video.

And if they enjoy My Name is Samim, look out for the sequel next year…

Fantastic Fantasy

If your children prefer to read funny, fantastical fantasy, look no further than Justin Davies’ Firebloom. A standalone story from the same world as Haarville, it’s full of adventure, jeopardy and of course, jellyfish as twelve-year-old Sting Winkler Tally Smuck tries to save her home from a mysterious danger. Justin reads an extract here on our YouTube channel.

For more quirky, comedic fantasy, check out Cloudlanders by Christopher Mackie, set on a floating island and with weird and wonderful characters including a giant talking mushroom!

Still looking for the perfect book to gift? Use our Find a Kelpie tool to filter all books by age, genre or theme, or use our Kelpies Map of Scotland to see if one of our books is set in your hometown!