The holiday season is moving quickly with shopping season officially in full swing, and the time for gift giving is almost here! Books make great presents for young readers, and this year we’ll be sharing several round-ups highlighting ideas for every kind of reader on your gift list. To avoid the ever-dreaded holiday rush, stock up on books that the children in your life will enjoy exploring again and again.

2017 Holiday Gift Guide

To: The Promising Poet

Have a child that is a big lover of words and maybe even poetry? This poetic roundup will give you some gift ideas for that quickly approaching holiday deadline! Riddles, rhymes, and poetic inspiration can be found on every page, with captivating illustrations to keep readers engaged. No matter the subject, pick up a lively, lyrical story that will delight the promising poet in your young reader!

Jill Nogales’s rhythmic prose features a fierce Lion and quick-footed Zebra. After a slight misstep, Zebra is on the go, with Lion in hot pursuit! What will happen next?

Lorraine Rocha’s bright illustrations bring the big top to life (she’s even hidden some monkeys in each spread for readers to find), crafting a brilliant stage for such an exciting read. Who said the circus can’t be festive? With fun vocabulary and a rollicking chase through nearby streets, Zebra on the Go is a lively read aloud and a sure winner with any fun-loving child!

Read an excerpt here and check out the fun activity kit!

With messages of determination and hope, Don Tate’s Poet is a remarkable ode to George Moses Horton’s journey from learning how to read to becoming the first southern, African American man to be published, all while still enslaved. After he is given his first book, a book of hymns, George’s curiosity for learning grows, transforming into a passion for writing poetry.
Any reader with a love for words will be captivated by this poet’s powerful story. Share a picture book that will inspire your young bibliophile this holiday season!

Download a free poster and check out the poetry workshop here.

 

Raúl Colón’s whimsical and imaginative illustrations cast readers into the childhood of young Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra—the writer of Don Quixote, the first modern novel. This fictionalized first-person biography, written in verse by award winning Young People’s Poet Laureate Margarita Engle, describes how young Miguel found refuge from his difficult childhood by imagining the adventures of a brave but clumsy knight, which ultimately influenced his writing of Don Quixote.

Each poem is skillfully rendered in Colón’s stunning illustrations that will captivate children with each turn of the page. Inspire a young reader’s imagination and love of poetry by adding this title to your gift list this year!

Read an excerpt here and download a free poster!

Random Body Parts: Gross Anatomy Riddles in Verse

Never has learning about the body been more fun! Written by Leslie Bulion and illustrated by Mike Lowery, Random Body Parts takes readers on an exploration of the human body by using laugh-out-loud riddles. With anatomical, poetic, and visual clues, readers have to figure out the riddle to guess which body part is featured in each poem, then they can read the science notes to check their powers of riddle reasoning. There are even hints from the greatest poet of them all—William Shakespeare!

For both right- and left-brained readers alike, Random Body Parts finds the perfect sweet spot between science and poetry. The varying poetry forms and interesting facts make this book entertaining as well as educational.


Find these titles and more at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble. Still looking for more great ideas? Our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide has even more gift recommendations for your little readers this holiday season!