ages 6-8

BOOK • Color Magic Stick Play Book by The Metropolitan Museum of Art
(Abrams Books for Young Readers, $28)

Learning about colour mixing has never been so much fun. The laminated pages—including six pre-made scenes and three blank pages—provide a great canvas for creating unique works of art. With more than 2,000 reusable stickers in different shapes and sizes, the possibilities are endless! —AM

“This is great for kids—it teaches them a lot of things while still being fun. I enjoyed helping them play and seeing them use their creativity. It’s not as easy as it looks, but my kids really loved it and played for a while with help.”
Lisa Rhynard, mom of Madison, 6, and Ryan, 5, Stratford, Ont.

BOOK • Pete & Pickles by Berkeley Breathed
(Penguin Young Reader Group, $20)

Pete is predictable and regimented. Pickles is peculiar and free-spirited. With its detailed, and often hilarious, illustrated portrayal of the unlikely friendship between elephant and pig, Pete & Pickles shows readers that love happens between creatures of all shapes and sizes. —AB