When choosing holiday gifts for kids, don’t forget the fine print. Great books can provide hours of entertainment during cold weather and weeks off school.
Updating your pre-schoolers storytime library? Consider new titles like “Skippyjon Jones Snow What” (Dial Books for Young Readers), “Happy Holidays Ladybug Girl!” (Penguin Books) and “The Book with No Pictures” (Dial Books for Young Readers).
Want to introduce your kids to poetry? Consider the beautiful children’s edition of Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” (Dutton Children’s Books), with colorful illustrations by Susan Jeffers. Or maybe you want to give younger kids a history lesson? “The Ordinary People Change the World” series by Brad Meltzer (Dial Books for Young Readers), with its fun illustrations, is required reading. Kids get to learn about everyone from Rosa Parks to Albert Einstein in easy-to-understand language. Know a sports-loving tween? You’ll score a touchdown with “Fantasy League” (Philomel Books), the newest book by sports columnist Mike Lupica.
And don’t forget, if you like being able to stop by for storytime or an author’s reading, or just browse a book, you need to support your local bookseller! We asked a few local bookstore owners to share their favorite children’s books, from timeless classics to newer reads. We’ve categorized them by age to make it easy for you to add to your shopping list!
Evanston’s Book Ends & Beginnings recommends:
- 0 to 3 years: “Guess What?” by Yusuke Yonezu (Minedition)—A series of aesthetically-appealing board books that introduce basic concepts with fun surprises on every page.
- 4 to 7 years: “Hank Has a Dream” by Rebecca Dudley (Peter Pauper Press)—Using fantastical dioramas of her own creation, Evanston native Rebecca Dudley introduces children to a magical world of fluffy clouds, hot air balloons and imaginary landscapes as a setting for the dreamtime adventures of tiny teddy bear Hank.
- 8 to 11: “Maps” by Aleksandra Mizielińska and Daniel Mizieliński (Big Picture Press)—This large-format atlas, originally from Poland, is a celebration of the world, from its immense mountains to its tiniest insects—a perfect introduction for young people to the geography and splendor of Planet Earth.
- 12 to 14: “Belzhar” by Meg Wolitzer (Penguin Young Readers)—Set in a therapeutic boarding school for emotionally fragile teenagers, “Belzhar” shows that even when she turns her attention to young adult writing, Meg Wolitzer is simply one of the most compulsively readable, keenly sharp literary talents today.
Glenview’s The BookMarket at Hangar One recommends:
- 0 to 3: “Happy Hanukkah, Corduroy” by Don Freeman (VIKING)—This sweet board book includes all of the fun of Hanukkah, including lighting the menorah, playing dreidel, and feasting on potato pancakes. Don Freeman’s cozy drawings make it a perfect bedtime story for the season.
- 4 to 7: “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement C. Moore, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin (KNOPF)—This 1954 version of the holiday classic is now back in print and features amazing illustration by Swiss artist Roger Duvoisin. The cool, colorful images make it one of our favorite adaptations of the quintessential Christmas tale.
- 8 to 11: “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” by Barbara Robinson (HARPER)—What could possibly go wrong when the meanest kids in the neighborhood take over the annual Christmas pageant? Find out in this hilarious holiday read, perfect for third- to sixth-graders.
- 12 to 14: “A Christmas Carol: The Graphic Novel,” adapted by Sean Michael Wilson and Keith Howell (Classical Comics)—This graphic adaptation of Dickens’ classic is a great way to get teens (and adults!) in on the magical adventure of Ebenezer Scrooge.
Winnetka’s The Book Stall at Chestnut Court recommends:
- 0 to 3: “Mix It Up!” by Herve Tullet (Chronicle Books)—This follow-up to his inventive “Press Here” creates simple, interactive fun as little ones learn primary colors, and what mixing them will do!
- 4 to 7: “Little Elliot, Big City,” written and illustrated by Mike Curato (Henry Holt)—Curato’s muted tones give us the most charming elephant to hit a picture book since Babar. Follow along as Elliot navigates his way through the big city, with the help of a new friend.
- 8 to 11: “Space Case” by Stuart Gibbs (Simon & Schuster)—Set on a new moon base, Gibbs’ latest mixes the best of sci-fi and whodunit, as 12-year-old Dashiell Gibson seeks to solve a murder.
- 12 to 14: “Exile” by Kevin Emerson (Harper Collins)—Great for John Green fans, this realistic novel for teens plunges readers into the heady and emotional world of high school rock bands.
Chicago’s Women & Children First recommends:
- 0 to 3: “Hug Machine” (Atheneum) by Scott Campbell—This sweet tale shows the power of love and giving it to others, and as an added bonus the reader gets to hug his or her child pretty much nonstop for the entirety of storytime!
- 4 to 7: “Once Upon An Alphabet” by Oliver Jeffers (Philomel, an imprint of Penguin)—Jeffers’ signature illustration style combines with his somewhat subversively hilarious take on the alphabet to create a book that will be in heavy rotation for storytime, but can be treasured as a collectible book for years to come.
- 8 to 11: “Nest” by Esther Ehrlich (Wendy Lamb Books)—For an especially mature, thoughtful middle grader, “Nest” is a lovely and poignant story set in the 1970s, following Chirp (nee Naomi) as she navigates middle school and friendships in the face of family heartache.
- 12 to 14: “The Red Pencil” by Andrea Davis Pinkney (Little Brown)—Written in verse with a strong sense of compassion and social justice, this is the beautiful story of a young girl trying to make sense of her life in Sudan while at the same time trying to convince her mother to let her go to school.
