For the children on your Christmas list, think outside the toy box

I will buy books for the children on my list.

With books, I am giving them the priceless gift of imagination.

“Books make great gifts because they have whole worlds inside of them,” writes author Neil Gaiman. If you also want to give a gift that keeps on delighting and entertaining, I have some suggestions.

Family and friends are a great resource for ideas. I emailed some of mine for their favourite children’s books. My adult son answered immediately with, “The Hockey Sweater” by Roch Carrier. The story of the Quebec boy whose mother must ask Monsieur Eaton to send a replacement for her son’s tattered Montreal Canadiens sweater (No. 9, of course) is a must read for any Canadian child. Adults love it, too.

I often buy books that appeal to all ages.

I thoroughly enjoyed Sylvia McNicoll’s “Revenge on the Fly” and then gave it as a gift to a child. Her historical fiction is based on a real Hamilton story of the fly-killing contest of 1912 and the essay-writing contest sponsored by The Spectator.

I also read Lawrence Hill’s debut novel for young readers “Beatrice and Croc Harry” before gifting it. Who wouldn’t enjoy this creative fantasy about a young girl who becomes friends with a 700-pound crocodile? Hill hoped the novel would speak “to children and adults of all ages who love language and who welcome story as one of humankind’s greatest gifts.” He definitely succeeded!

My sister recalls reading Dennis Lee’s “Alligator Pie” over and over to her children. I would add Lee’s “The Cat and the Wizard” with its setting at Casa Loma. Inside the book, you could include a promise of a field trip to that castle in Toronto.

Many friends mentioned Doctor Seuss, a must addition to a child’s library. Who has not read “The Cat in the Hat” several times to their young children?

Others picked prolific Canadian author Robert Munsch. If a Stephanie, Thomas, David, Angela or Aaron is on your list, check out the Robert Munsch titles. Children love reading about a character with their own name.

For book suggestions, your local library is always the great place. The Hamilton/Burlington area is blessed with a wonderful library system and excellent librarians who help with ideas of books appropriate for the age and interests of the children on your list.

For ideas, book stores are also a must visit. Whatever the book store, browse and find someone there who reads and knows books. I often rely on Ian Elliott, owner of Burlington’s A Different Drummer Books, for suggestions. He introduced me to the books of several local children’s writers.

One of them, Burlington’s Jennifer Maruno sent me on a treasure hunt at The Canadian Children’s Book Centre (www.bookcentre.ca). There, I found a list of Canadian book awards, including the finalists and the winners. All these books would make great gifts, for whether finalists or winners, they were reviewed by several experts before making the list. Pour yourself a cup of coffee before you begin your treasure hunt of books for children on your gift list.

Hamilton writer Brent van Staalduinen was asked how he began writing. His answer, “I was blessed to be in a home where I was encouraged to read and read and read.” Giving a child a gift of a book will not necessarily create an author like Brent, but it might. However, with a gift of a book, you are fostering a child’s love of reading, one of the finest gifts you can give.

This Christmas, why not think outside the toy box? Give your children a book, a gift they can open again and again.