Christmas will soon be here so it’s time to begin looking for that perfect gift for your loved ones. I have a list of the most outstanding books that would make for great gifts. Some books are perfect for all ages and other books are geared for specific ages. The age appropriateness will be stated for each book.
Classic books are always great for gift giving. Here are some new reissues nicely packaged: Winnie-the-Pooh (The Winnie-the-Pooh Collection), by A. A. Milne and perfectly drawn with pen and ink by the original illustrator Ernest H. Shepard, and published by Aladdin, has a beautifully redesigned cover with the original black and white illustrations sprinkled throughout. This is a perfect read aloud for the entire family.
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, is a retelling by Tanya Landman and part of the Everyone Can Be a Reader series. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte, is another excellent retelling of a classic also by Tanya Landman. And Pride & Prejudice, by Jane Austin, is another retelling by Tanya Landman. These classic retelling books are relatively short, with around a hundred pages and are geared for teens. They will engage the reader to the end!
The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling, is classic novel and a retelling by Lisa Church. This version is unabridged and rewritten for younger children, ages six through ten. There are marvelous black and white illustrations, by MUTI, sprinkled throughout.
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (The Jules Verne Collection), by Jules Verne, is the original story with 580 pages of the most exciting adventures, originally written over a hundred years ago. The story begins with the sighting of a sea monster as three men head to the depths of the ocean to discover more than they bargained for. This book is best suited for kids ages eleven through adult.
The Illustrated Version of The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins and gorgeously illustrated in full page black and white drawings sprinkled throughout by Nico Delort, remains true to the story as written by Collins. This oversized book is best for ages twelve through adult.
The Adventurer’s Guide to Dragonwatch, by Brandon Mull and beautifully illustrated with color and black and white drawings by Brandon Dorman, is an oversized book full of artifacts and unique characters and animals found in this fabulous series. Best for ages nine through eighteen.
The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C. S. Lewis & J. R. R. Tolkien, by John Hendrix, is a masterful blended book of graphics and narration of these two inspirational authors. Who knew that these two genius knew each other and became good friends? Between the detailed comic panels and fabulous written pages, this book is amazing. It would be a perfect book for families and ages ten through adult.
Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts & Pieces of the Natural World, by Julia Rothman with the help of John Niekrasz, is a most impressive informational book rich with colorful drawings of all kinds of nature. It reads like a field guide with easy-to-learn diagrams and illustrations that include leaf identification, types of butterflies and varieties of bird nests. There are three other new books in this series: Ocean Anatomy, Farm Anatomy and Food Anatomy. All are easy to learn from and geared for ten through adult!
Evolution: A Celebration of Beautiful Animals, by William Spring, is an oversized book with information about each animal on one side of the open page and full-page breathtaking colorful drawings on the opposite page. This stunning book, for all ages to enjoy, demonstrates how many different animals have evolved to look and behave the way that they do. The gorgeous art was done with pencil and watercolor.
Dinosaurs: A Pop-Up Book, by Ingela P. Arrhenius, is a wonderful interactive picture book with flaps and pop-ups on every open page. The layout is kid-friendly geared for ages three to seven with fewer words and more pictures of different types of dinosaurs. The bright art was done digitally.
William Shakespeare Twelfth Night, retold by Georgia Ellinas and stunningly painted with watercolor by Jane Ray, is an oversized picture book that perfectly retells this classic comedy of mistaken identity. Here is the perfect introduction for ages three and up about one of the most famous authors in history. The gorgeous illustrations completely fill the page.
The Midnight Panther, by Poonam Mistry, is a most exquisite picture book that showcases an original fable with a South Asian influence. Panther feels inadequate as he compares himself to Lion, Leopard and Tiger. How he realizes he is perfect just the way he is will have all ages cheering him on. This beautiful book would be perfect on display in your home.