Keepsake Book Gift Idea for Kids
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Anne’s fiery red hair and personality to match, Matilda’s sweet disposition and passion for learning, the sisterly bonds between Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, Laura’s life on the prairie…these characters were friends of mine; their influence on my life far surpassing their final pages.
There’s something about the classics. Don’t get me wrong, growing up I read my fair share of Sweet Valley Twins and The Baby-Sitters Club and I will be super excited to discuss those plots with my daughters when they are old enough. But, the classics have stuck with me. I love the idea of generations of women from all over the world sharing a love for the same stories. My grandmother passed away a few years ago and I inherited her delicate (saran-wrapped) copy of Gone with the Wind. Picking up and reading those exact same pages she once read herself is so very special to me.
My daughter graduates from preschool later this month, a fact I’m having trouble accepting. I mean, KINDERGARTEN?! I love celebrating important milestones and this one is a biggie. I’ve been brainstorming gift ideas for weeks. Books are always at the top of my gift giving lists. I know…I’m THAT aunt! But seriously, what better a gift to give than a book? And a book that you can inscribe with an original message and bond while reading together makes it all the more special.
My daughter has been asking for chapter books more often during our nightly reading times. We started with a couple of Junie B. Jones
books and she really enjoyed them. I’m thinking she’s ready for a classic. I recently stumbled across the cover of Heidi on my Instagram feed and immediately started researching where to find it! Puffin Books has a Puffin in Bloom series that currently offers four hardcover classics (Heidi, Anne of Green Gables, A Little Princess and Little Women) with beautifully illustrated floral covers from the Rifle Paper Company. In addition, a boxed set of all four is available on Amazon for pre-order, to be released in November and Alice in Wonderland looks to be the next Bloom book set to be released, also in November. These books are absolutely beautiful and girly. I knew I had to choose one to present to my little lady on her BIG day.
The hard part was deciding which book would be our first. After reading reviews and remembering each plot, I chose A Little Princess. The heroin, Sara Crewe, is seven, not much older than my little lady and her kindness and generosity are beautiful traits of which to aspire. And after reading the back cover, “It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it”; I was sold.
If you’re looking for slightly less girly covers, check out the Puffin Chalk books. Peter Pan, Black Beauty, Pippi Longstocking and The Wizard of Oz are the titles available in Chalk. These classic stories wrapped in beautifully illustrated covers will make thoughtful gifts for graduations, birthdays and other special occasions.
Do you give books as gifts? Which of these classics do you think the kids in your life would enjoy first?
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