BOOKS ARE PRESENTS WHICH KEEP ON GIVING

By Anne McLaughlin, Children’s Librarian, West Warwick Public Library

A book makes a special gift for children for any occasion, especially at the holidays. Books outlast and outperform any toy or electronic equipment; no batteries or assembly are required. Books aren’t flashy or expensive gifts, but they can come packed with special meaning. The best books to give as gifts are those that have a timeless quality, such as classics that have withstood the test of time. Books can give the giver as much joy as the recipient. Ideas for suitable books for various ages can be found by browsing the bookstore, library, or web sites like Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com. Bookstores have seasonal catalogs and December issues of magazines have suggested and recommended lists of books for gift giving. Children’s librarians can give suggestions for age appropriate books or magazines.

This holiday season, West Warwick Public Library staff who’ve experienced a baby boom in their families this year have been comparing notes and sharing ideas on the books the special children in their lives will receive this holiday season. Since it’s never too early to introduce books to babies, there are many chewable, droolable board books to choose from, including a new oversized version of the classic every baby must own, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. A new favorite for little ones is Whose Baby Am I by John Butler. New for the winter season is the board book version of Snowballs by Lois Ehlert. Mother Goose collections are a good gift choice for for new babies and special ones are Sylvia Long’s Mother Goose, and Teddy Bear’s Mother Goose by Michael Hague. Also nice for babies is the gentle Hush Little Baby by Sylvia Long, and Hush-a-bye by John Burningham.

A new baby in my family was welcomed this summer with The Everything Book by Denise Fleming which features rhymes and activities for babies. His father loved that the illustrations of the child in the book looked just like his new son. Another fun choice for families with little ones is Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers. For new grandmothers, pass out the kleenex along with I loved you before you were born by Anne Bowen. Sentimental favorites which have become classics to give to new parents are Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and Guess How Much I love you by Sam McBratney. It’s always fun to give books that other generations have enjoyed like Madeline, Curious George, The Story of Babar, Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, Where the Wild Things Are, Corduroy, If You Give A Mouse a Cookie, and any of Eric Carle’s books, all of which come in various formats and editions. Collections of stories are perfect for years of bedtime reading. New this season is the collection Nursery Treasury with Paul Galdone’s traditional favorites like The Three Pigs and The Three Bears.

Holiday stories can become a family tradition. Every Christmas Eve for nineteen years Tomie Depaola’s version of The Night Before Christmas has been read in my home and my daughter receives a special holiday book. This Christmas a staff member’s six month old grandaughter will receive the now classic Polar Express by Rhode Island’s Chris Van Allsburg which she and her parents will appreciate for years to come. Also on her grandmother’s gift list are author Jan Brett’s wonderfully illustrated wintertime favorites, some of which are in her new Christmas treasury of favorite stories, a 39.95 treasure. Books can be expensive, but compare the average price of a nice hard cover book at 20.00 to the cost of a new outfit a baby will outgrow in weeks, or a toy that will be forgotten in months.

On my list of purchases for preschoolers this season are Madeline Says Merci: the always-be-polite book by John Bemelmans Marciano, Chugga Chugga Choo Choo, a train story by Kevin Lewis, Where do you sleep little one? a gentle nativity story by Patricia Hooper, and Olivia Saves the Circus by Ian Falconer, a follow-up to last years Olivia which was a big hit. Among the many seasonal books for young ones there’s the fun How Santa Lost his Job by Stephen Krensky, the nostalgic S is for Star by Cynthia Furlong Reynolds, and endearing Dream Snow by Eric Carle. For families who celebrate Hanukkah and Kwanzaa books there’s the new Hanukkah: a Counting book in English, Hebrew and Yiddish by Emily Sper, and It’s Kwanzaa time, a lift-the-flap story by Synthia St. James.

Matching books with toys is fun. Bath mitts can accompany bath time stories; toy beanie baby animals can be matched with books; mittens or hats can be matched with Jan Brett’s books The Mitten and The Hat. Look for sets that feature a stuffed animal or character doll with an accompanying book.

Its not easy keeping up with the latest reading trends of older elementary school and teenage readers so the best books for gifts are classics or reference books which will stay on the book shelf year after year. And don’t give up on books as presents even if kids insist that they don’t like to read. Think of the “field of dreams” concept of “build it and they will come”; if you leave a book around it will be picked up and at least looked at, if not read. The Guinness Book of World Records falls into the irresistible category. For sports buffs, tie books into the heightened interest in the Olympics and winter sports. School age children always appreciate activity books like origami, paper airplane, or other craft books. Also fun are children’s cookbooks, and books on hobbies like coin or sports card collecting. Series books abound for middle grade readers; there’s always a new one each season in the Dear America series for girls, and Harry Potter fans are getting hooked on the Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket. Young teen readers up for a challenge might appreciate J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic Lord of the Rings that will be in movie theaters this December.

Start making your list, check it twice, and have fun shopping for books!