Books are great gifts too!

Nothing against e-readers, there are three nooks at my house, and the portability is wonderful. My family spent a week in the UP this past summer and if my daughter and I had packed books rather than our nooks the weight of the luggage may have buckled the Mackinac Bridge.

Tablets and e-readers may be convenient, but I still prefer to hold a real book in my hand. Tabbing to the next page cannot compare to turning the pages of a real book and don't get me started on the smell. Maybe I am strange, but I love the smell of books (especially old ones) and how cool is that there is actually a scientific reason for this. 

Supposedly this is going to be the Christmas of the tablet, but don't forget that "real" books make wonderful gifts too.

Of course, I work in a library so I USUALLY recommend borrowing books rather that purchasing them. However, there are some books that you just want to have a permanent home on your bookcase.


If you are looking for a gift to give a new Mom (or even an older Mom) who has a daughter I recommend Someday by Allison McGhee and illustrated by Peter Reynolds. I am a huge fan of Peter Reynolds simple but stunning water color illustrations. They are perfect for McGhee's story of a mother/daughter relationship from birth to adulthood. If you have a daughter keep a tissue handy because this book will bring on the waterworks.

Another great book for moms is The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. I know that some people think that this book has a negative message, but I believe that is a captivating allegory about unconditional love.

Speaking of Shel Silverstein, everyone (whatever age)should own his collection of poetry books. Funny, sweet, cute, and hysterical; each page offers a new treat.

There are more, but these two are the most popular.

Giving a picture book to a child is special, because it implies that you are going to sit and share it with them. There are so many spectacular picture books that your child will want to own so that they can have it read over and over.  Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and anything by Dr. Seuss are incredibly popular choices.


I also recommend The Monster at the End of this Book.
Your child does not need to be a Grover or Sesame Street fan to love this book. It is a hilarious, interactive book that will have any child shouting "You turned the page!"

Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart

 Most people would assume that a pop-up book would be for a small child. Not so with the pop-up books by Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart. Just google either of their names and you will see that they create not mere pop-up books but magical feats of engineering. Older children (and adults) will spend hours marveling at any of the books created by these extremely talented artists.  No matter what the interests of the reader there is a Sabuda or Reinhart book for them from classic books like The Wizard of Oz to mythical creatures or Superheroes. There is even a Star Wars one!

As you can see, these books are just awesome and I would probably just keep adding pictures. You would probably assume that they are incredibly expensive, too, but they are only $20-$30! My older kids have received a couple of these as gifts and they adore them. My son has had the dinosaur pop-up book for a couple of years and he still loves looking at it.

There are so many more picture books that I want to recommend as Christmas gifts and I have not even mentioned chapter books, adult books, graphic novels, etc. Instead of making this one extremely long post, I will mention a couple of more picture books now and save chapter books for another post.

Every child should own The Velveteen Rabbit and have it read to them at least once a year. Long before Buzz and Woody were loved by Andy, Margery Williams taught us that “When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.” There are so many editions of the book so you can choose the one that you like the best. My kids actually have this older edition that belonged to me as a child.





If you know a little boy that is obsessed with trucks and/or dinosaurs combine the two and present them with Chris Gall's Dinotrux and Revenge of the Dionotrux.

Some other great picture books to gift are the Pete the Cat books by Eric Litwin. Be sure to download the songs that goes with these from the Harper Collins website, they are so groovy. Speaking of cats, the Splat the Cat books by Rob Scotton are also very cute. Anything by Mo Willems is sure to be a winner too.

Another fun and interactive picture book is Open Very Carefully: A Book with Bite in which a giant crocodile is trying to eat the book. What kid doesn't like some carnage when they read?

There are so many more, but hopefully these will give you some ideas.