My Top Ten Bookish Christmas Gift Ideas

As Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday quickly approach, I am planning my attack for Christmas shopping and thought I would share 12 bookish gift ideas. Enjoy!

A Bookish Mug: 

I had a major impulse buy early in November. I ordered a couple mugs from the Roald Dahl museum in England. I specifically ordered this fabulous BFG mug for my oldest daughter. Nothing is more bookish than drinking some hot tea on a cold winter night while reading a book.

 I also got a mug for Little J with Matilda on it. I also, ahem, got a third mug with The Giraffe, The Pelly and Me on it.. I cannot wait to start using them on Christmas morning.

A Boxed Set: 

What could be better than receiving a book you love on Christmas morning? Receiving the whole boxed set! My oldest will be receiving the Harry Potter series on Christmas morning. Scholastic has a boxed version of them. You can also find them at Barnes and Noble (but beware- the online price is much cheaper than in store).

Other boxed sets we have and love include an E. B. White Box Set   and The Ramona Collection, Vol. 1: Beezus and Ramona / Ramona the Pest / Ramona the Brave / Ramona and Her Father [4 Book Box set]. 

A Cookbook:

We have several children's book themed cookbooks, and my girls love them. This year, Roald Dahl's Cookbook (Penguin cookery library) will be found under the tree. It is a bit more grown-up than other book themed cookbooks that we have received in the past, but it is intended to be a special book to share with my oldest, whose love for Roald Dahl prompted me to start this blog.

Other cookbooks with bookish themes I would recommend include: Chef Olivia Cookbook and Cookie Cutters Kit and Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Dr. Seuss. They are both fabulous. 

 

 

Interactive Books:

Right now, my toddler is in love with books that have the buttons on the side that play music or make sounds that correspond with a certain page in the book. While they can get annoying, they do solve the problem with engaging super busy toddlers that don't sit still during reading time. I have my sights set on this amazing set of 12 Disney books from Kohl's. I love that it comes with such a great assortment of books, but makes it feel like they are toys. Normally, I wouldn't be a fan of that type of packaging, but for Christmas morning, I can get behind opening up lots of books. (Not to mention my toddler is obsessed with Minnie Mouse.)

A Book that Becomes a Toy:

Check out this amazing book from Usborne that turns into a castle! I mean seriously. How cool is this book? The Usborne Slot-Together Castle (with an Usborne Book) bring play and reading together. Check out this video that Heather, from Heather Has Books, created to show just how awesome this book can be!

Bookish Pajamas:

Have you seen the Eric Carle collection over at Gymboree? I absolutely adore this new series of clothing, and I love they have so many pajamas to choose from. Gymboree pajamas really do hold up to nightly wear. The shrink- so buy a size larger than normal. (And it looks like they are on SALE!)

 

 

A Signed Copy:

I recommend heading to your local indie bookstore and checking out their selection of author signed books. I know that Little Shop of Stories, in Decatur, Georgia usually always has a great selection of signed copies of books from their author events. Imagine just how special it will be to give a book that was hand signed by the author.

 

Make A Book:

My oldest wrote a cute little book for her sister and then uploaded pictures to a My Publisher photo book of the girls together and added her text. Imagine how exciting it will be for Little J to get a book by her sister from her sister.

My oldest also loves creating her own books on Storybird. The website helps you create picture books and has stores of artwork to choose from for your illustrations. I love that the pictures almost act like writing prompts for my daughter. The website is free to use, and there is an option to have the books you create printed. (They also have an option for class accounts for educators.)

Bookish Game:

Speaking of story prompts...Rory's Story Cubes is a game that sparks the imagination by rolling the dice and telling a story about the pictures on the dice. I think this would be a great game to have around for car rides, camping trips, or an icebreaker at a party.

A Magazine Subscription:

Author E.S. Ivy gave me the great suggestion to look into a subscription to the American Girl magazine for my oldest. I am not sure why I hadn't thought of it before now because I had that magazine when I was a young girl and loved it.

I do recommend going to a bookstore or grocery store to test out the magazine before ordering it. I have been disappointed in the past with other subscriptions I ordered. (For instance, I ordered the Spider Magazine by Cricket Media because the publisher has won so many awards. However, I soon realized the magazine was too literary for my daughter. If she wanted literature, she wanted a good book. She wanted a magazine to flip through for light reading. And I totally get that. I have been known to indulge in a fashion magazine or two. She didn't read a single copy of the Spider Magazine.)

One magazine subscription my daughter LOVED and still flips through old copies of is Chirp Magazine. This magazine had arts and craft activities, jokes, comic strips, songs, and stories. It is a really great choice for the emerging reader.

So there you have it! My top ten bookish gift ideas. What other suggestions do you have for my list?


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