I have to admit, I have become that person who gives children’s books for birthdays and holidays. (I mean, really, who needs any more toys?!). Last Christmas I was so afraid of being dubbed the “boring aunt” by my nieces and nephews, but thankfully all turned out well!
I have three nephews (ages 4, 6, and 8) so I had to do a little research to find some great books that they hadn’t read before. There are so many wonderful works of children’s literature that satisfy every little boy’s desire for adventure, danger, and fun. Some are longer, read-aloud books and others are shorter, easier books that children can read by themselves when they are developmentally ready.
My favorite ways to give books to children is by introducing a wonderful series to them. My go-to “boy” books are the Billy and Blaze series by C.W. Anderson. Boys love these books about a boy and his horse because adventure and heroism are at every turn.
The Blaze books are short and the illustrations lovely. Gifting two or three of these books is a great birthday present and, thankfully, you can still buy most of them on Amazon! (It’s fun tif you can hunt down the vintage ones, too!)
Other longer read-aloud book series that are great to give to boys is the much beloved Chronicles of Narnia as well as The Boxcar Children. Personally, I love the Happy Hollister series. All of these series are good to start reading to children at around age 5 (but it really depends on child!)
Told from two different boys’ perspectives during the start of the Revolutionary War, the companion books of George the Drummer Boy and Sam the Minuteman are full of suspense and action so boys love them. (My nephew did!) , These books are great to read aloud to pre-readers (ages 4-6 usually) and then they can be enjoyed probably up to age eight.
I can’t speak from experience, but I have heard from several boy moms that The Complete Tales of Winne the Pooh is wonderful for boys starting at ages 3-4. It’s not the “Disney” version of Winnie the Pooh that we remember; It’s full of wonder and adventure with Christopher Robbins and his friends in the Hundred Acre Woods. What a great book to give to a grandson or nephew!
Another thoughtful gift idea related to books is one my friend Amy shared with me recently. She said growing up her dad would bring her books from wherever he traveled on his business trips. I thought it was so dear that on his trips to London he brought back the Beatrix Potter books and signed his name in each one. Now she reads them to her boys and they love them, too! (Boys always love hearing about what the mischievous Peter Rabbit has gotten into!)
The nice thing about giving great books is that the children who receive them will have them for the rest of their lives. Most of the “filler” books will eventually be donated to book drives or the GoodwillI, but the enduring stories that impacted a child’s life, those are the books they will cherish and pass down to their children and grandchildren.
I’ve got an entire post of classic book sets that you might want to browse, too!
Happy Giving!
Links to books (click for link):
** Ages in parentheses are ages I think are good to starting reading these books aloud but boys and girls will still enjoy them when they can read by themselves!
A Beatrix Potter Treasury (Peter Rabbit)
(ages 3 and up)
Sam the Minuteman (I Can Read Book 3)
(ages 4-8)
George the Drummer Boy (I Can Read Book 3)
(ages 4-8)
Billy And Blaze
(ages 3/4-9)
The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh (4-8)
The Boxcar Children Bookshelf (The Boxcar Children Mysteries, Books 1-12)
(sometimes have to buy the original ones at second -hand or Amazon affiliate stores; the newer prints don’t have the cute illustrations!)
I never give books, but maybe I will start doing it. My boys’ favorite authors are Tomie DePaola (Stega Nona is one of his more famous books), Lisa Wheeler (Dinosaur sports books) and Mo Willems. We also like to read “Daddy’s book” – Cowboy Andy by Edna Walker Chandler. We have Andy’s copy from childhood, which is so fun. It’s super cute – about a city boy who goes to live on a real working ranch for a summer. When the boys were little, I read mostly Dr. Seuss books because I liked the sing-song rhythm of them. We also loved The Little Red Caboose and Animal Orchesta (both Golden Books). Thanks for all your great suggestions!
I am a retired third grade teacher. One of my favorites are the A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy. The age group is like second through fourth grades. I have found that they really hook kids into reading. Check out http://www.ronroy.com. Neat website. He has also written other series.
I always liked to give books when my children were little. They just hated it when I got books for their friend’s birthday parties!
Love your blog. Marcia Gaddis turned me on to it…
I’m so glad Marcia shared! Thanks for the great suggestions! I will look him up.
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you penning
this post aand also the rest of the site is very good.