The Secret Garden: A Lavishly Illustrated Children's Edition

My favorite: Inga Moore illustrated edition

Best I go straight to the story today.

I have some good news to share!

A new book that I can rank among the best illustrated editions that we have at home.

We are in luck!

Usually when one searches for a smashing illustrated edition of a greatly loved children's book, the only certain result is that one will spend a lot of time looking. 

In the case of The Secret Garden, luck is on our side.

I found three heart-warming illustrated versions!

But before we check out which edition is the best book-of-the-day, lets make one thing clear.

The Secret Garden is a must-have for your home library, regardless of whether your family is blessed with sons or daughters.

Wee Gillis: from the New York Review Children's Collection

Kindly look at this book cover and ... take a deeeeep breath.

Seriously.

What is your first impression of Wee Gillis?

Your first impression, just from looking at the red-green cover to the right.

Let me read your thoughts. Hmmm. I know, you think this book is ...

But wait - before I tell you what is on your mind - let me make a teeny weeny admission.

I never wanted to buy Wee Gillis.

This exciting book arrived as part of the incredible New York Review Children's Collection that I purchased almost blindfolded.

That book set was one of my best buys in my Read Aloud Dad career.

But that's an old story. A story about love at first sight.

  

This is a new story.

This is a story about falling in love.

Puzzle Castle: Astounding Activity Books (now with stickers!)

Update: Since I published this post on the Usborne Young Puzzle books, the publisher has come out with a new twist on these books in the form of "sticker" puzzle books. 

These sticker books are identical to the originals, but also include more than one hundred stickers that young readers can use. 

Other than that, it's the same book.

They can be hard to find on some online booksellers, so I included a link to The Bookdepository (at the end of this post), which currently stocks it.

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Dad, close your eyes!", commands my son. 

I close them.

A click can be heard as he presses a button. The hard disk in my computer starts whirring.

I open my eyes.

He stares at me with a cheeky grin: "Maggggic!"

My baby boy is right. That's some magic, if you think about it.
Press a button - the monitor lights up and the computer boots.

Incredible.

Sometimes we forget that book can create their own type of magic. And no, I'm not thinking of the magic you find in an Edward Eager book or E.B. Nesbit story.

I mean real magic in the form of a smashing read-aloud puzzle book!

Whoa!

"A read-aloud puzzle book? No way!" you say.