Classics are classics for a reason – these stories have resonated with their audiences so deeply that they’ve stayed on bookshelves for years, to be read by one generation after the next. If you’re looking for that perfect gift idea, take a look at our list of favourite kids’ classics.

Enid Blyton

No list of classics would be complete without a few suggestions by Enid Blyton. Since she wrote over 700 books in her lifetime, it’s hard to whittle the list down to just a few, but here are the best gift editions of her books out in time for Christmas this year.

• Enid Blyton’s Magical Treasury is a collection of her tales put together by experts Norman Wright and Mary Cadogan, with illustrations by Emma Chichester Clark.
  
  
• The Magic Faraway Tree is perhaps Blyton’s most well-known series, so it stands to reason that there are a few different editions available. If you’d rather a more traditional version, the hardback version of The Enchanted Wood is the way to go. Or, if you’d like something a little more modern, Mark Beech’s illustrated edition really brings Moonface and friends to life.
  
  
• The Famous Five Annual is back for 2016, with plenty of original artwork from the books as well as comic strips, puzzles and activities.

Also read… Enid Blyton’s Holiday Stories and Christmas Stories.

Australian Classics

Puddings that talk, tiny babies that live in gumnut houses and mysterious disappearances – Australian classic kids’ books have their own particular flavour, and here are some that everybody will enjoy.

• Since their first publication in 1918, gumnut babies Snugglepot and Cuddlepie have been constant favourites. Introduce young readers to May Gibbs’ incomparable stories with The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie.
  
  
• The Magic Pudding is distinctly Australian and utterly unique – discover the antics of Sam Sawnoff, Barnacle Bill and Albert the talking pudding.
  
  
• Joan Lindsay’s Picnic at Hanging Rock tells of the disappearance of a group of schoolgirls in an eerie tale that has earned a place in the Australian mythos. An utterly haunting classic!
  
  Also read… Blinky Bill, Seven Little Australians and A Fortunate Life.

From Page to Screen

It’s no surprise that many of our most beloved classics have been adapted into movies. Here are some of our favourites that made the transition from page to screen.

• Before the dalmatians were brought to animated life by Disney in 1961, they could be found in The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith. Read the tale of Pongo and Missis as they fight to get their puppies back from the evil Cruella de Vil, with charming illustrations by Alex T Smith.
  
  
• The sad passing of Robin Williams last year inspired many of us to rewatch his films, like Mrs Doubtfire. But did you also know it was a book first? Anne Fine penned Madame Doubtfire in 1987, before it was eventually adapted to film in 1993.
  
  
• If the names Mowgli, Baloo and Bagheera make you start humming ‘The Bare Necessities’, go back to where it all began with Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book in this sumptuous new hardback edition.
  
  Also read… The Sword in the Stone and Watership Down.

Collected Tales

Short stories, sagas from far away lands, and legends from other times: every good classics shelf needs a volume of collected tales.

• In Their Shoes is a collection of stories focused on footwear, from Cinderella’s slippers to the Seven League Boots. This charming volume was released in conjunction with the V&A Museum’s exhibition on shoes, and features stories from around the world.
  
  
• Arthur Rackham’s fairy tale illustrations always bring a sense of whimsy to these timeless tales, and his version of Grimm’s Fairy Tales is no exception. Another breathtaking interpretation of the Brothers Grimm comes from the enormously talented Shaun Tan in The Singing Bones.
  
  
• Ireland has an impressive history of storytellers, some of whom have come together to pen a new generation of fairy tales. Authors like John Boyne and Malachy Doyle have contributed to Magic! New Fairy Tales from Irish Writers, a collection of original tales with familiar roots.
  
  Also read… Carol Anne Duffy’s Faery Tales, Once Upon a Time in Japan and The Arabian Nights.

Gift Editions

We know that these classics are beautiful on the inside, so why shouldn’t the outside match too? These editions are all elegantly presented, and make for the kind of present that will be kept for generations.

• This year was the 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland, so we were spoiled with many gorgeous editions to choose from. One of the most striking is Alice’s Adventures Underground featuring never-before-seen illustrations from Charles Santore.
  
  
• The Puffin in Bloom range has given us a set of classic tales to truly cherish – check out the beautiful covers of Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, Heidi and A Little Princess by the talented Anna Bond.
  
  
• Peter Pan is a story that nobody should leave childhood without. This edition is from MinaLima, the design studio behind the graphics for the Harry Potter movies, and contains interactive parts like a map to Neverland and and a croc o'clock with moving hands.

Also read… The Complete Chronicles of Narnia, Pippi Longstocking, and Thomas the Tank Engine 70th Anniversary Edition.