Five reasons why Wonderbooks make the perfect present for kids

Whether it’s Christmas or a birthday for a special child in your life, we have all at some point wondered what present to buy!

It can be hard to know what makes a thoughtful gift for a child. The temptation to buy a toy is high, but do they really want this toy, and do parents appreciate more plastic tat or soft toys in the house?! On top of that, the stress of last minute shopping for a good child present can be exhausting...

Beautiful books with an educational aspect are a timeless gift and often welcomed by the parents too! And kids also love them. Opening a book can offer a window into another world and instantly transport children to new places, cultures and embark on more adventures.

Save the Children’s book subscription Wonderbooks has been inspired by the real life stories of children we have helped around the world. They are beautifully illustrated and perfect for children aged four to eight, but enjoyed by everyone!

Find out why a Wonderbooks subscription, is the best non-throwaway gift you can buy this year.

Here are 5 reasons why we think you’ll love them:

1. They're a timeless gift

Kids love toys, we get it. But kids love books too. Books can make a nice supplement to fun time – you can literally open doors to new worlds and go on an adventure! Theys make for educational and creative screen free learning so it’s a win-win.

Books make for a lovely timeless sustainable gift. You can read them forever and they can be passed on to siblings, friends, schools and charities. Books also make for a plastic free, batteries free, noise free gift - just saying!

Buying a mindful gift and doing your bit for the planet prevents toys that are discarded by bored children within days, ending up in a landfill. Research shows that every year in the UK, we buy around 381 million new toys — that's enough to fill the O2 Arena nearly three times over! By the time children hit their 13th birthday, the average UK child will have owned a staggering 493 toys over the course of their childhood. That's the equivalent of 34 wheelie bins full!

2. Raise global citizens and broaden their horizons

Each Wonderbook opens up the world of a child from a different country. Our diverse and inclusive children’s books will help you learn about different contexts and cultures together. They’ll meet new characters from around the world in each book, like Asif (a child refugee from Syria), or Rosni (a girl from Bangladesh saving for her education). The characters in the stories are based on real children we meet through our work at Save the Children, telling about their experiences such as life as a refugee, girls’ education and climate change.

3. The extras!

Inside each monthly pack are fun postcards and activity guides which feature the main characters and facts about their country. For example: did you know that over a million people live in floating villages on Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia, coming and going as the water levels rise and fall? Or that 80% of the vanilla comes from the Sava region in Madagascar? These are just some of the fun facts you can learn with our extra activity packs.

Tip: some of our Wonderbooks bookworms ingeniously place the postcards on their own world map. What a great way to learn about new places!

Our Grown-up Guides will support adults to have great conversations about the topics explored in each story and introduce young children to other cultures near and far in an interesting way.

4. Gives them something to look forward to

Believe the hype! Every kid likes presents that arrive once a month.

We have 12 books in our series, and children receive one pack at the beginning of each month. Wonderbooks are the present that just keeps on giving. 

5. Making a lasting impact 

Your monthly donation goes straight to Save the Children. It costs us £2.44 to print, pack and ship each Wonderbook to you. But every penny from your monthly donation goes straight to Save the Children to support children around the world like those you read about in your books. We work to keep children safe, healthy, and learning here in the UK and around the world in 118 countries. So, when you receive a children’s book about refugees, you’re helping children like those in the stories.

Curious about Wonderbooks? Find out more about or sign up here.