Our Holiday Gift Guides are here to help you find the perfect page-turner for every bookworm on your list this year!
Picture books: for when they’re old enough to know what they present is just by the shape of the package, but still young enough that it just makes the present more exciting!
Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year
Andrea Beaty, David Roberts (Illustrator)
Harry N. Abrams
Lila Greer is full of worries. Even the smallest things—from cabbages to cardboard—fill her with dread and what-ifs. So when her family makes a big change—moving to a new town—the worry and what-ifs only grow. What if things go wrong? What if no one likes her? At first, Lila feels right to be worried. In her new home, everything is strange. The new kids, the new smells. Lila feels alone and invisible. But there’s one person who sees her: Lila’s teacher, Ms. Kern. Through some creativity, blackboard erasers, and—most of all—kindness, Ms. Kern finds a way to make Lila feel welcome and open to new experiences. A lesson that will resonate with Lila long after second grade.
A Very Cranky Book
Angela DiTerlizzi, Tony DiTerlizzi (Illustrator)
Quill Tree Books
Are you ready to meet the world’s crankiest book? Cranky doesn’t want to be read. He just wants you to leave him alone. After all, there are so many other things you can do—like riding a bike, playing a game, or drawing a picture. There’s no reason for you to be bothering him! But when other books show up for story time, will Cranky change his mind?
I’m From
Gary R. Gray, Jr., Oge Mora (Illustrator)
Quill Tree Books
Early morning wake-ups and homemade pancakes,
Raucous bus rides and schoolyard games,
Family games and bedtime rituals . . .
These are the small moments that shape a child’s day.
Listen to the Birds: An Introduction to Classical Music
Ana Gerhard, Cecilia Varela (Illustrator)
The Secret Mountain
Lila Greer is full of worries. Even the smallest things—from cabbages to cardboard—fill her with dread and what-ifs. So when her family makes a big change—moving to a new town—the worry and what-ifs only grow. What if things go wrong? What if no one likes her? At first, Lila feels right to be worried. In her new home, everything is strange. The new kids, the new smells. Lila feels alone and invisible. But there’s one person who sees her: Lila’s teacher, Ms. Kern. Through some creativity, blackboard erasers, and—most of all—kindness, Ms. Kern finds a way to make Lila feel welcome and open to new experiences. A lesson that will resonate with Lila long after second grade.
Say My Name
JoAnna Ho, Khoa Le (Illustrator)
HarperCollins
Names are music, each infused with a unique rhythm and melody that gives it life on the tips of our tongues. Names reveal generational ties and histories, weaving an intricate tale of the past before a word is even spoken. Names—and correctly saying them—are important as each one carries the hopes, dreams, and traditions of those that came before us. In Say My Name, six kids introduce themselves and convey the rich histories of their names and cultures: Hé Xiao-Guang, Ofa Kivaha Tupoumalohi, Bijan Hosseini, Nizhoni Yazzie, Xóchitl Luna, and Akosua Acheampong. These captivating kids of Chinese, Tongan, Persian, Navajo, Mexican, and Ghanaian descent proudly celebrate their names and languages, and those that came before them.
