Gift Books are for Kids!

Young Bill Young here. Sadie posted an interesting opinion on her Extremely Graphic blog about how you really shouldn’t buy books as gifts, because you really can’t make that pick for another person. Aside from pretty coffee table books and gift cards from bookstores (which I truly love), I completely agree with her when it comes to adults. But not when it comes to children.

I have a nephew and niece and I always give them books for their birthdays and for Christmas. I think children should be surrounded by books. Beyond the initial reading to the youngster, many of these books may never be picked up again. Many of these books may be re-discovered later in the child’s life. And, of course, many of the books may be discovered by visiting friends or by younger brothers and sisters. (I read my sister’s books all the time. She’s a decade older, so I was exposed to the likes of Alfred Hitchcock anthologies, Bullfinch’s Mythology, and Little Women at an early age. Heck, I even read her Archie and romance comic books, which explains why I am totally warped!)

Since I promised another book gift idea for children, here you have it: If My Dad Were a Dog by Annabel Tellis. It features great photo illustrations of a big, lovable Lab and sing-song text that will appeal to ears of all ages: “If my dad were a dog, just for a day,/I’d tell him to sit and I’d tell him to stay….I’d buy him a basket and small scoop to use/when we’ve been on our walks and he’s done daddy-doos.” No, this book will never become a children’s classic, but I’m looking forward to some laughs and  camaraderie when I share it this season with my nephew.

So, what books are you getting for the young people in your life?

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