I have a confession: I love children’s books so much more than adult books.
There’s just something so comforting about diving into a childhood favorite that is so much better than any other book that I “should” read because it’s won awards or it’s critically acclaimed or some other reason. Thankfully, I have many tiny humans in my life with birthdays and holidays and other accomplishments to celebrate so I have endless excuses to hide out in the children’s section of Barnes and Noble.
While the holidays might be over already, that doesn’t mean that the season of giving has to stop! Here are my suggestions for your next gift idea for your favorite niece/nephew/sibling/cousin/etc. After all, what better gift is there than the gift of learning?
Table of Contents
For the wee lil babies in your life:
Books (L to R): A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara; Baby Loves Quantum Physics! by Ruth Spiro; Cheer Up, Ben Franklin! by Misti Kenison
Board books have really come a long way since we were kids and never has there been a greater plethora of precious books for you to pick for the new parents in your life.
Whether their future baby is a historian, scientist, or activist in the making, these titles will be sure to elicit ooohs and ahhhs at the next baby shower. What’s more, each of these titles has additional books on the same themes so you can help build the baby’s library one board book at a time.
For the kid who’s *nearly* got this reading thing down:
Books (L to R): Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty; Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favill; Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Tom Lichtenheld
This is the best stage of books in my opinion because reading becomes such a collaborative experience as kids are learning how to master it on their own that you can easily become the favorite aunt/uncle/cousin/whatever with just one cool book.
Rosie Revere, Engineer is one of three books by Andrea Beaty that will inspire young readers to become builders and dreamers and inventors; there are even supplementary activity books that go along with the characters!
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls is great for young readers because each story is just a page long making it the perfect opportunity for kids to test out words and ideas that they wouldn’t ordinarily encounter in a run-of-the-mill picture book.
And lastly, Exclamation Mark is the perfect title for any kid (or adult) who’s ever felt like they were too big and too much for the world. I’m not going to lie, it was a tear-jerker even for me.
For the too-cool kid who’s nearly impossible to shop for:
Books (L to R): Dog Man by Dav Pilkey; Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders by Joshua Foer, Dylan Thuras, & Ella Morton; Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories; A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Older kids can be the hardest to shop for as well as the most intimidating. Whether the kid you have in mind is a jokester or an explorer, a fan of spooky tales or fantastical journeys, these titles will be sure to please even the most picky of preteens.
What’s more, some of these titles, such as Atlas Obscura or Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories are so great that even older readers, such as yourself might enjoy them too!
You could even buy yourself a copy of one, like A Wrinkle in Time, form a mini book club with the lucky kid in question, and even make a date to go see the movie when it comes out! That might even win you the coveted title of their favorite adult.
What do you think?
Do you (still) love children’s books even as an adult? What were some of your favorites growing up? Any new titles you’ve come across while babysitting that really stuck out? Let me know in the comment section below!