Children’s books for Christmas gifts
Our 20 great children’s books for Christmas – spectacular picture books to surprise, bewitch and survive longer than one holiday season.
Recommended reading books for primary & secondary aged children in the UK
Kate Olesin is a children’s non-fiction author and editor whose work focuses on lively, fact-rich books for primary and middle-grade readers. She has developed and produced titles across science, nature and curiosity-led topics.
Olesin is the author of Cute FACTopia!: Follow the Trail of 200 Super-sweet Facts, a pocket-format book of linked facts published by What on Earth Publishing’s FACTopia! list. Her children’s publishing credits also include activity and sticker books for National Geographic Kids, where she is credited on titles such as National Geographic Kids Super Space Sticker Activity Book and Sharks Sticker Activity Book.
Beyond writing and editing, she works in book development and content creation for young audiences. She is a co-founder of WonderLab Group, a children’s content studio formed by colleagues who previously worked together at National Geographic Kids.
WonderLab Group was created in 2020.

Our 20 great children’s books for Christmas – spectacular picture books to surprise, bewitch and survive longer than one holiday season.
Here’s our selection of top new titles coming out in Summer 2026. These reading recommendations include picture books, poetry, early and middle-grade fiction; young adult novels and non-fiction.
Children’s book news for September 2025: Prizes, lists, roles, and dates crowd the calendar, with UKLA longlists, Wainwright and Klaus Flugge results, WBD 2026 titles, new roles, a City Lit exhibition, and a new charity drive.
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