We love giving books as gifts, but you really can't tell a book by its cover. When we worked in publishing, we brought home a ton of free children's books, but not all of them turned out to be winners, so we learned to be a little bit more selective.
Blogging Wondertime: Books Worth Giving
Music Over Manhattan(above) looks like a fun one to give. We found it on Wondertime Magazine's slideshow of "Books Worth Giving."
The Sound of Colors also made it on their list. The story follows a blind girl as she moves through the city. This book really appeals to our poetic sensibility.
If you're out of ideas and in need of a reliable pick, check out the rest of the "Books Worth Giving" here.
Any other suggestions from our readers?
Comments (5)
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I recently picked up Library Lion for my niece. It's a beautifully illustrated book about when it's okay to break the rules. My niece, she just likes to roar when she sees the lion!
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Every Friday is a lovely book, especially for little boys who, like my son, are starting to forge a stronger bond with their fathers. I believe it was on the New York Times' list of best kids' books of 2007. The artwork is beautiful -- totally retro.
Eric Carle (The Hungry Caterpillar) is a freak on wheels, and many of his lesser-known books are weirdly fabulous. Mister Seahorse is one of my preschooler's favourites.
A lot of people have never heard of Leo Lionni, who was a contemporary of Carle's, but his books are at least as visually stunning, and the stories are sweet and funny and oddly wistful. We have many of them: Swimmy, An Extraordinary Egg, Fish Is Fish, Matthew's Dream, and (my guy's favourite) Pezzettino.
Anatole, by Eve Titus, is more than forty years old, but there's a good reason it's still in print: the story is engaging, the values are compelling, and the artwork is simple yet evocative. Despite having read this book over and over (and over and over and over), I still like it, and that's saying A LOT. Plus it's made my kid into a cheese epicure. :)
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view Kerstin's profile
The above post was supposed to read: I love you Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti Shustak and Caroline Jay Church is a wonderful board book for little ones. My son and I love to read the book and point out our body parts to match the book ( I love your fingers...and toes...your ears and nose...). It's definitely our favorite book!
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I gave a friend "The Gift of Nothing" awhile back, and after her reaction, it's now a standard gift to all our child-bearing friends.
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