MadeForMums Toy Awards 2024 Winners: Best books, gifts and collectables

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• Best book (under 4)
• Best book (4+)
• Best stocking filler
• Best collectable toy under £10
• Best collectable toy over £10
• Best gift box

Best book (under 4)

Looking for some bedtime story inspiration? Nothing beats cuddling up at the end of the day to read with your baby, toddler or child, and a good book that all the family can enjoy makes it even better.

Our community of real parents and their children put a range of books for under 4s to the test. Reading during the day and at bedtime, they looked at their child’s reaction, how engaged in the story they were, how much fun it was to read as an adult and, most importantly, whether it was a book the mini testers reached for again and again.

Here are the best books for under 4s, as voted for by our parent and child testers.

Gold: Dinosaur's Wobbly Bottom

My daughter was captivated by the book and really engaged with what was happening on each page. She enjoyed roaring like the dinosaurs and copying them stomping their feet and wiggling their bottoms. This book was fun and exciting for her and she looked at all of the pages multiple times but kept revisiting the baby dinosaur hatching and the dino’s wiggling their bottoms.

Silver: Godfrey is a Frog

This is a lovely story, with a great message about self-acceptance and being kind to yourself and others. The pictures are colourful and fun, and the back page explains the life cycle of a frog. However, although Elora sat and read it with me a couple of times, it wasn’t a story she chose to go back to again.

Bronze: Little Miss Surprise

Our 2-year-old daughter enjoys being read to and loves the pictures in this book. Our 7-year-old son also really enjoyed the book. We already have the full set of both Mr Men and Little Miss books so this is a great addition. The pictures are bright and colourful, which really engaged our 2 year old, however due to the words, this is best read by an adult or older child. We have been reading this daily along with other books at bedtime and will continue to in the future.

Editor's Choice: Mini Quiet Books Dazzling Parrot

My son loves the book, it holds his attention and you can really see him thinking about the different aspects to each page so it is great for that – I will definitely use the book for supervised play and reading and making up stories together.

Available from Jolly Designs ($55.13) and Esty (£52.12)

Best book (4+)

The best children’s books can take you on a journey and, while they’ve undoubtedly outgrown ‘babyish’ picture books, 4+ readers still need age-appropriate stories to really get them engaged.

By this age, many children enjoy independent reading, so nurture this with captivating, inspiring and exciting books they’ll want to pick up at home, or one you can read together at bedtime.

Our little testers read hundreds of pages of fiction and non-fiction, to give their honest thoughts on which books deserve the top spot on your child’s bookcase. Taking into consideration the ease of reading, how keen they were to return to the book and whether it entertained or educated, our real child testers have named these books this year’s award winners.

Gold: The Boy Who Slept Through Christmas

I love reading this book with my mummy, brother and sister. I like the songs in it the most. This book makes me happy and I can see Mummy enjoys reading it too and laughs a lot at it. I want to read this book again and again.

Silver: Pippi Longstocking - Meet the Strongest Girl in the World

I really liked the activities and pictures, they are fun, but Pippi is a little bit naughty. I will read it again.

Bronze: Isadora Moon Makes a Wish

Jackson was very excited when I presented him the book. The story is entertaining and I thought it was very educational as Jackson had lots of questions whilst we were reading. Even if a lot of them were about vampires! The book was very original especially with its use of colour and how it ties in with the story and characters. The quality of the book is lovely, it feels nice to hold and the sparkles look lovely and expensive.

Editor's Choice: From Plant to Plate

This book is full of useful information about the body and how elements affect body functions; it is definitely more than just a recipe book. Freddie found the glossary at the back really helpful for all the different words and said he's going to learn so much from this.

Best stocking filler

Finding the perfect stocking filler is a tricky business. Of course, you don’t want to spend too much on these smaller treats, but equally, you don’t want to waste money on rubbishy plastic tat that will end up discarded by Boxing Day.

Calling in our group of willing mini helpers, we tested lots of little treats that didn’t cost a fortune yet had the all-important thumbs up from our child testers.

Testing everything from fidget toys and collectables to books and craft kits, our little team of child testers shared their honest opinions on what they would love to find in their stocking on Christmas morning.

These are the stocking fillers that got the seal of approval from both our child testers and their parents.

Gold: Tobar Scrunchems Fortune Teller Squish Ball

I love it this, it is so cool – I get to ask it lots of questions and it gives me the answers! I love that when you squeeze it the middle is blue and swirly. You can shake it, squeeze it, throw it, roll it and ask it questions! Can I keep it?

Joint Silver: Littlest Pet Shop‚ Pet Surprise Singles (Series 2)

They are amazing. I loved them because they are all my favourite animals. I got a kitty, a fox and a rabbit. They are so cute!

Joint Silver: T-Racers Mix N Race Range

George absolutely loves these cars and took them to bed the first night he had them! He has loved being able to make new combinations, telling me the different colours, and trying to decide which he likes the most. As a parent, I really like these cars as they are really helping with his fine motor skills when he takes them apart and puts them back together.

Bronze: Yummiland Lip Gloss Doll

My daughter liked the doll the most and said she would definitely play with it again and again. She’s 5 and not entirely into lip gloss yet, so she probably won’t use it that much, although she enjoyed the mixing part!

Editor's Choice: WOW! Stuff 7'' Light Painting Lumos Wand

I love the wand it is so bright and lights up. I have been using the wand to read my Harry Potter book in the dark which is fun. My little sister says I can do real magic with it!

Best collectable toy under £10

Little collectable toys are the ultimate pocket money treat. With a huge choice of collectables coming in at under £10, we rounded up a tribe of willing testers to unbox and play with these toys, to give us their honest opinions.

From cute little pets and dolls to mini action figures and vehicles, our child testers put them all through their paces.

Looking at the unboxing experience as well as how much fun could be had after the big reveal, these are the collectable toys under £10 that got their vote.

Gold: Littlest Pet Shop‚ Pet Surprise Singles (Series 2)

Connie loves them, and I already know she’s going to be a big collector of Littlest Pet Shop. She loves collectable figures, especially in surprise boxes, and even more so if they are animals. She has enjoyed giving the animals names and voicing them in her games. She has actually taken the cat to bed with her!

Silver: 5 Surprise My Mini Baby Series 1 by ZURU

My daughter has loved having her own little baby to look after! The added bonus was that the ’egg’ packaging doubles up as a rocking crib saving money on additional extras! Overall a huge hit in our house!

Bronze: SuperThings Legends Range

My son loves a blind bag and was super excited to open SuperThings, he loved checking and finding each one on the leaflet in the packaging. He had lots of fun playing with the toys, knocking them down, racing them around and using his imagination with them.

Editor's Choice: Mini Brands Home Capsule by ZURU

The toys are great if you like role play/small world and can be used with existing toys too. My 6-year-old daughter decided to build a little Lego house and used them with this, but she also liked to match them with the little catalogue that came with them. It was fun to open too, she liked the surprise!

Best collectable toy over £10

Collectable toys are a trend that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. If your child loves collecting, you’ll be familiar with the excitement the unboxing brings, but which ones are really worth the money?

Our testers got to work unboxing a variety of cute and quirky collectable toys over £10, to give their verdict. Of course, the unboxing had to spark excitement, but another big consideration was how much fun or play potential the toy offered once the big reveal was over.

Together with their parents, they looked at how many toys or accessories were included, how much value for money it offered, whether they inspired imaginative play after unboxing and how ‘collectable’ the range really was. Here are our award winners.

Gold: L.O.L. Surprise! Tweens Costume Surprise

My child really loved the toy. She is a big L.O.L Surprise! fan anyway, so I knew it would be a big hit. She did struggle with putting the clothes on and off and opening the inflatable part of the product but this didn’t stop her having fun. She enjoyed inflating the pet and dressing the doll.

Silver: Terror Fried Gross Bucket

My son is 7 and he really enjoyed opening and playing with this toy. He loved that there was different slime and bath bombs, and all the various aspects to it. He enjoyed making his sisters smell the smelly sauce and seeing their reactions. He said it was the best toy ever and would definitely recommend it and said it was a 10/10.

Bronze: Snackles Series 2 by ZURU (14 inch Snackle)

My daughter was delighted with this, as I knew she would be. We love to read and be cosy, and she’s obsessed with collectables.

Editor's Choice: Catchables from Exploding Kittens

I love how it challenges you in a funny way and helps with catching skills. It has even helped me in my other sports as it’s made me think what I need to do next to win. I definitely want to play with it again as it is challenging and funny to watch other people too!

Best gift box

In search of a thoughtful and unique present for a special occasion? Our best gift box category highlights toy boxes, bundles and playsets that are the perfect gifts for children and families.

Whether it’s for a birthday, a festive treat, or just because, these gift boxes have been carefully selected and tested for their quality, creativity, and the joy they bring to recipients. These top-rated gift boxes impressed our child judges and are bound to make any occasion a little more special this year.

Gold: WOTBOX

I loved that there were lots of toys inside including colouring. The slime was the best! I have been playing with it a lot and it’s really fun. I enjoyed opening up the different boxes and discovering new things inside.

Silver: Moonkie Luxe Playtime Gift Set

I am actually surprised by how engaged my son was with these toys as he has lost interest in similar toys. He seems to love working out new ways to use them and will sit happily with the pulling toy for ages. He also particularly loves that he can take them in the bath as he loves playing in water right now. I think they’d be great for the sand pit in summer too. There are also enough toys to rotate if he starts to get a bit bored with one. Overall he has really loved them.

Available from Moonkie (£63)

Bronze: Moonkie On-The-Go Gift Set

My 9-month-old daughter Sadie really enjoyed playing with the car and the poppit, and she happily chatted away with her toys for a good 10 minutes in the high chair which is a long time for a baby! She hasn't quite figured out the snack cup or the beaker yet but she had a good play with them and I’ll definitely be using them in future.

Available from Moonkie (£63)

Editor's Choice: Christmas Eve Build Your Own Box

My son loved the excitement of getting a box to open up himself and investigate. He enjoys problem solving and the different pieces to put together really appealed to him. We played the bowling with penguins together but found it a little tricky to roll the ball in a straight line.

Available from Build Your Own Kits (£14.99)

Read more:

• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2024: Winners announced
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2024 Winners: Best arts and crafts toys
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2024 Winners: Best ride-ons, bikes and scooters
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2024 Winners: Best tech and travel toys
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2024 Winners: Best family and action games
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2024 Winners: Best building and vehicle toys
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2024 Winners: Best learning, logic and STEM toys
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2024 Winners: Best dolls, pets and soft toys
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2024 Winners: Best baby, toddler and preschool toys
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2024 Winners: Best playsets, role play and character toys
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2024 Winners: Best sustainable, sensory and wooden toys
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2024 Winners: Best classic toys