Books are always one of the best ideas for holiday gift giving to children, but how do you pick good ones from so many of them? Below are a few of our recent favorites. . .
“Because I said so" by Ken Jennings
This book has a really long sub-title: Because I Said So: The Truth Behind The Myths, Tales and Warnings Every Generation passes Down To Its Kids.
We've all heard warning like, "Don't go swimming for an hour after you eat!" "Never run with scissors," and "Chew on your pencil and you'll get lead poisoning," from our parents and teachers. Chances are if you're a parent, you've said some of those things yourself, but are they true?
Do you sometimes wonder whether these myths are ever truthful to a certain extent? Better yet, if you have an inquisitive child who challenges everything you tell him to do (or not to do), this is a book that both of you will enjoy reading, preferrably together.
“The Sandman" by William Joyce, $17.99
This is the sequal in the popular "The Guardians of Childhood" series, the first book that caught our eyes was "The Man In the Moon". "The Sandman" tells the story of Sanderson Mansnoozie who is The-Man-In-the-Moon's helper. Mansnoozie's sweet-dreams legacy is told in this brilliant children's book. If your child has watched the new Dreamwork file "Rise of the Guardians" and love it, this book will sure capture their hearts.
"Star Wars: A Galactic Pop-Up Adventure" by Matthew Reinhart, $36.99
The magic of Star Wars has never faded after three decades, and our new generation is equally fascinated by the story as well as the adventure. This new pop book is created by famous "Paper engineer" Matthew Reinhart to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the orignal Star Wars movie. What makes the book so special is that it is completely made by hand. It took Matthew eight months just to design the book, he literally plays, cuts and folds paper for his prototype, and later traces the pieces on to a computer program. Darth Matthew spends lots of time making sure all the popups work and that all the little surprises work together, This is an unbelieverable book with lights, pop-ups and lots of written details on all your favorite Star Wars characters.
"Paris-Chien: Adventures of an ex-pat dog" by Jackie Clark Mancuso, $17.95
If your child is a dog lover, this book is a must buy. Of course, we also love this book because it took place in Paris, who wouldn't love that?
The very cute Hudson, an adventurous Norwich Terrir, moves to Paris and has many adventures and learns a new language. French! The illustrations in Paris-Chien are bold and colorful. It is fun to read about the different locations in Paris and by-the-way learn some French too.
