Whenever anyone asks me what to buy my two kids, I always answer ‘books’. And with a couple of christenings, a few Christmases and a scattering of birthdays under our belts, we’re building up quite an impressive collection. The trick is remembering which book belongs to which kid.

Happily, that’s a task that will be much easier with these gob-smackingly gorgeous vintage-style bookplates from Etsy seller oiseaux. I don’t need to tell you, of course, that they’re way more stylish than any hand-scrawled name on the inside cover, even if you have used your very best biro.

Shelley, the talent behind this Etsy store, has a few dozen original designs to choose from – all pulled straight from the pages of real kids’ books from the 1920s and 1930s. After quite a bit of dithering, I grabbed Vintage Night Owl for my boy and Vintage Kitty and Girl for his baby sister. I initially planned on saving them strictly for very special books, but they’re so damn cute, I’m finding myself sticking them on everything – even my son’s tattered copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Want some for your own child’s picture-book library? Of course you do. Each set costs a very affordable US$14.50 for 24 plates, plus an extra couple of bucks for postage to Australia.