Reading Room · 4 min read
Gifts for a Child Who Loves Animals: Iguanas & Puffins
For a child aged 3 to 8 who loves animals, the gift that keeps working is a story about a real creature in a real place, because it gives them a favourite animal and somewhere to find it on a map.
Start with one animal they can claim
Children latch onto a single creature and keep it for years. Slightly unusual animals win more often than lions and elephants, because nobody else in the class has picked them. Marine iguanas, puffins, blue-footed boobies and arctic foxes all qualify.
A book that names real places
A story set in the Galapagos or Iceland gives the animal a home. After reading, the island can be found on a globe, which is the moment a gift becomes a project. An Iguana Named Lana and Huffin the Puffin are both $14.99 in hardcover, or $23.99 together.
Pair the book with something small
- A world map or globe to mark where the story happens
- Child sized binoculars for garden birdwatching
- A notebook for drawing the animals they spot
- A printed colouring page from the story for the journey home
What suits each age
Ages 3 to 5 want bright pictures and a short read. Ages 6 to 8 start reading the same books themselves and enjoy the facts behind the animals, so a book that works at both ends outlasts a toy.
Making it feel like a present
Add your own wrapping paper and a note in your handwriting, then pair the book with a small extra from the list above. US orders over $35 ship free, so two Adventure Bundles arrive at no shipping cost.
Two animals, two islands
The Adventure Bundle pairs Lana the iguana and Huffin the puffin at a saving, which makes the easiest birthday or Christmas gift on the shelf.
See the bundle