Ah the holidays! That wonderful time of year when we walk up and down the aisles, searching for the elusive gifts that will delight young and old. These days kids’ lists are peppered with gadgets and gizmos, mostly all electronic and entertaining, requiring little or no effort on the part of the child and providing no educational value. I just can’t bring myself to give those things as gifts and feel good about it. So I’m THAT person. The one who gives packets of seeds and dirt with cheery little hand painted pots, who gives a recipe and all the ingredients in a cool bowl with a little chef’s hat (along with a little note apologizing for the mess). I know, I’m SO creative! Actually not, I google. But I have always and will always give the one thing I love, and love to pass along. The gift of reading.
Books are my thing. I can spend hours in a bookshop and leave with gifts for every single person on my list, and a few extras for those just in case moments. I also love to order books online, the convenience of having them delivered saves me valuable time I can use for reading my own books.
Two books I picked up this season are awesome and both come with a cute little stuffed toy to cuddle while reading or being read to.
Piper Was Afraid is a book about an enormous Irish Wolfhound named Piper who is afraid of everything! With a little love and patience from his family Piper learns it is fear itself holding him back from all the fun! This book comes with a stuffed mouse, Cornelius, whose character features in the book as he is always hunting for his cheese.
Lily the Fancipoo is a sweet story about Lily, a fancipoo who is quite the spoiled pooch! However as much as Lily the Fancipoo has…she is really very lonely and longs for some friends. When her family decides to take a Holiday vacation, Lily is sent to spend some time with her cousins in the country and learns that love far outweighs the benefits of materials things.
The messages in these books are gentle and kids will love the cute characters and wonderful illustrations. Both can be found online at Amazon, or at Barnes and Noble bookstores.
So if you’re tired of giving things that need batteries, give these books a try and unplug this season.