Books for the present
By Children's Librarian Kathleen Whalin
YORK VILLAGE - In the midst of the frenzy to find the newest hot toy, consider adding books to your holiday gift list.I'm hardly a disinterested party, but to my mind, a book is the perfect present. They're sturdy, easy to wrap and can be mailed at a reduced rate.
Beyond the practical, books are a renewable source of delight. Happy is the home with a bookshelf full of well-loved volumes, books that are a permanent part of family life.
Classic stories that never grow stale, as well as wonderful new books, make fine family gifts.
Here's a list of some of each to get you started at your favorite bookstore - favorite books of mine, old and new.
Classics: "A Family of Poems," edited by Caroline Kennedy, Hyperion, $19.95, grades K through 5; "My Very First Mother Goose Book," edited by Iona Opie, Candlewick, $21.99, preschool; "The Random House Children's Treasury - Fairy Tales, Nursery Rhymes & Nonsense Verse," edited by Alice Mills, grades K through 5; "Winnie the Pooh," 80th anniversary edition by A.A. Milne, Dutton, $19.95, all ages.
Selected favorites published in 2006: "The Adventures of Marco Polo" by Russell Freedman, Scholastic, $17.99, grades 5 through 9; "Beauty and the Beast," adapted by Max Eilenberg, Candlewick, $17.99, grades 2 through 4; "Clementine" by Sara Pennypacker, Hyperion, $14.99, grades 2 through 4; "Cowboy Ned & Andy" by David Ezra Stein, Simon &Schuster, $14.95, pre-kindergarten; "Library Lion" by Michelle Knudsen, Candlewick, $15.99, grades K through 3; "Lilly's Big Day" by Kevin Henkes, Greenwillow, $15.99, grades K through 2; "The Little Red Hen," told and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, Dial, $16.99. preschool through grade 3; "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" by Kate DiCamillo, Candlewick, $18.99, grades 3 through 6; "Mr. Putter and Tabby Spin the Yarn" by Cynthia Rylant, Harcourt, $14, grades1 and 2; "The Princess and the Pea," adapted by Lauren Child, Hyperion, $16.99, grades K through 5; "Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything" by Lenore Look, Simon &Schuster, $15.95, grades 1 through 3; "Superhero ABC" by Bob McLeod, HarperCollins, $15.99, grades K through 2; "Toys Go Out" by Emily Jenkins, Random House, $16.95, grades K through 3.
