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The Children's Bookshelf Annual List of books for Holiday Giving (2019)

Alison Chandler

The holiday season is here again and with it the stress of finding the perfect gift.

This year, Dr. Sue Ann Martin has created a list of the best children's books for holiday giving - organized by age group, to help you find the perfect book for the child in your life.

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Babies and toddlers need exposure to board books to look at, grasp and chew plus a good Mother Goose collection that contains rhymes, songs and finger plays. The best book in this category is My Very First Mother Goose (20thAnniversary Edition) by Iona Opie, illus. by Rosemary Wells.

3-5

Preschool and kindergarteners need exposure to concepts, simple plots and colorful illustrations

Love and the Rocking Chair by Leo and Diane Dillon

This Book of Mine by Sarah Stewart and David Small

The Thank You Book by Mary Lyn Ray, pictures by Stephanie Graegin

Found Dogs by Erica Sirotich

The Doll Hospital written by Kallie George, pictures by Sara Gillingha

Vole and Troll by Iza Trapani

4-8. Early readers enjoy books with engaging themes and beautiful illustrations that also give an opportunity for visual literacy.

The Truth About Grandparents by Elina Ellis

Stretch to the Sun by Susan Swan, pictures by Carrie Pearson

Look Again: Secrets of animal camouflage by Steve Jenkins, Robin Page

Say Something by Peter H. Reynolds

The Pinata That The Farm Maiden Hung by Samantha Vamos, S. Serra

The Brain is Kind of a Big Deal by Nick Seluk

Lulu and Rocky in Detroit written by Barbara Joosse and illustrated by Renee Graef

7-10.  Middle-grade readers are interested in stories of courage as well as books about the world around them.

Highest Mountain, Smallest Star: A Pictorial Compendium of Natural Wonders by Kate Baker, illustrated by Page Tsou

The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 (updated edition) written & illustrated by Brian Floca

Mary Poppins written by P. L. Travers, illustrated by Julia Sarda

Mario and the Hole in the Sky by Elizabeth Rusch, Illus Teresa Martinez.

Under Threat: An Album of Endangered Animals witten by Martin Jenkins and illustrated by Tom Frost

(10-12 and up) Older readers enjoy biography, nonfiction and engaging novels with a little magic on the side.

First Generation: 36 Trailblazing Immigrants and Refugees Who Made America Great written by Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace and illustrations by Agata Nowicka.

The Restless Girls: A tale of daring, a quest for freedom written by Jesse Burton and illustrated by Angela Barrett.

The Light in the Lake written by Sarah Baughman.

To Dance (Special Edition) graphic book written by Siena Siegel and illustrated by Mark Siegel

Rising Water: The Story of the Thai Cave Rescue written by Marc Aronson.

Reaching for the Moon: The autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson by Katherine Johnson.

Sue Ann Martin is professor emerita of Communication and Dramatic Arts and the founding and past Dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts at Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. She first became interested in children’s literature when she wrote her PhD thesis on the oral characteristics of the Caldecott Award-winning children’s books. Her PhD is in Speech and Interpretation with a cognate in Early Childhood Education. She went on to review children’s books for the Detroit Free Press, write three popular resource books for teachers regarding children’s books and the creative process. She also reviewed newly-published books for Arts Almanac specials on WCMU Public Radio. Her 2002 children’s books special for WCMU won a Merit Award in Special Interest Programming from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.