It was too hard this year to choose just a few books for the gift list, so here's just a book one. I focused on books that I think would make nice gifts—mixing up crafty, fiction, and non-fiction. Some of these are new titles from this year, some have been with us a bit. All of them are very popular in our house.
This book, written in 1921, was given to Delia (9) from her grandmother a couple years ago and it's one of her all time favorites. It's a wonderful nature story that's very magical. The language is old fashioned, but easy to read—It feels very other worldly. The black and white drawings inside are delicate and lovely. This can be a difficult book to find, they also have it at Chinaberry, both hard and paperback.
Q & A a Day for Kids: A Three-Year Journal
This is the kid version of the journal I got a few years back. My 11 year old LOVES this and I do too. I don't know what she has written in hers (it's a journal!) but she always has it out. The prompts are great and the format is very pleasing.
Yellow Owl's Little Prints: Stamp, Stencil, and Print Projects to Make for Kids
This is a brand new craft book by the super talented Christine Schmidt. It has a ton of great projects to do with your kids (or for you to do for your baby) and the carving kit that Yellow Owl sells is the perfect way to start a project. It comes with blank stamps to carve and a carving tool. That's what we have and I was going to show a project we have done printing on fabric with stamps the girls carved, but I haven't gotten it together to blog about yet. Yellow Owl's site is a mecca for gift shopping and is total visual candy.
Dream Animals: A Bedtime Journey
This stunning picture book is authored and illustrated by my dear friend Emily Martin, and we all love it so much. I blogged about it already—her dream world is so beautiful it almost makes me sad, in the best way.
Sorry I Barfed on Your Bed (and Other Heartwarming Letters from Kitty) Paperback
There are many of these types of books out there (animals writing in first person about their neurotic traits) and I think we have them all. This one is our favorite. Sadie (11) loves to read these aloud and this type of book just cracks her up so much—it's pretty funny, both the book and her reaction to it.
Guinness World Records 2014
Okay, not the most literary choice, but I tell you, they have spent HOURS poring over last year's 2013 book so this 2014 will be purchased this year. Kids LOVE this book. I remember being obsessed with the old paperback black and white ones when I was little. It makes dinner conversation pretty dang funny. I swear they can remember every fact in there. Who knew skin could get so stretchy?
