Last Minute Gift Ideas

Shopping for last minute grandchildren gift ideas is always fun when you choose to shop for books. Books are holiday and birthday gifts that your grandchildren will enjoy for many years, and perhaps they will keep them long enough to share with their children, also. Our children’s favorite books were packed away when the youngest out grew them and unpacked when our first grandchild was born. Although children may be too young to understand the story, they are able to enjoy the illustrations. Storytime opens many opportunities for language development and communication skill building. Best of all, story time between grandparents and grandchildren brings an opportunity to further develop an important special bond.

Since we are fast approaching Christmas and Hanukkah, you might want to consider adding these wonderful children’s books to your last minute gift list:

 Classic Collectible “Little Monster” title, “Fun and Learn Book,” by celebrated children’s book author Mercer Mayer. Perhaps this book cover brings back memories of your children’s days enjoying the pictures of Mercer Mayer’s Little Monster books (since 1966). Now your grandchildren can enjoy his books, too.Mercer Mayer’s Little Monster Fun and Learn bookpresents a fun way of learning ABC’s, counting, enjoying bedtime and traveling through the neighborhood. My grandson enjoys hearing and seeing how Little Monster plays and learns about numbers, letters and words, which are helping this two-year-old broaden his vocabulary with Mayer’s entertaining illustrations. More books by Mercer Mayer
My ten-year-old granddaughter read Gracie’s Gift, by Andrea Tosclair, to her sister who will celebrate her sixth birthday next month. She loves for her mother to deocrate her hair before she goes off to school so I knew this would be a book she would love to own…Gracie awakens the morning of her birthday party excited and ready to celebrate! Her excitement quickly turns to frustration as she notices a “bow” sitting beside her beautiful party dress. Why must she always have these BOWS in her hair? Why does her mommy INSIST on them? Written in rhyme form, Gracie learns that her mother places a bow in her hair each day to celebrate her as a special gift from God. Gracie, in turn, celebrates their special bond by happily wearing a bow in her hair as a special gift to her mother. View more illustrations at TosclairTales.com. Gracie’s Gift is available on Amazon.com – A portion of the proceeds is donated to Multiple Sclerosis Association.
Curious Critters, by photographer David FitzSimmons, is an award winning, eye catching photo book of both familiar and unfamiliar critters that captivated my ten-year-old granddaughter so much that she took it to school to share with her teacher and class the same day the principal brought in his snake. They enjoyed being able to see the animals closely in detail while also learning some interesting facts as humorously told by each one. More facts can be found in the back of the book along with life-size silhouettes for readers to guess which critter is which.  Learn more at Curious-Critters.com. Curious Critters is available on Amazon.com
In the Indian Night Sky by creators Reshma Sapre and Jayme Robinson is one of my younger granddaughter’s books as you can see from the photo above – she brought it to her sister’s soccer game. I asked her why and she replied, “The sun.” The brilliant illustrations by Jayme Robinson have her looking at the pages over and over so many times I think she’s memorized this stunning tale with its imaginative style that jumps off of the page. When the monsoon rains come it’s not just us mere mortals who get to join in the celebration. The heavenly bodies have a little party of their own to send the rains off into their downpour. See what happens when Moon, Wind, and Sun are sent off to a grand feast hosted by Thunder and Lightning. Northern Star guides them on their journey with one request that they must fulfill on their return. What will happen when Sun and Wind get caught up in the celebration, forgetting all about Star’s special request? In the Night Sky is available on Amazon.com.
 The Traveller, the Tiger, and the Very Clever Jackal, also by creators Reshma Sapre andJayme Robinson, is another classic Indian folk tale is brought to life with an exciting new take on and old story and wonderful illustrations. The day this book arrived in the mail, my husband actually read it without any prompting from me. He told me he enjoyed it and was looking forward to reading it to our grandchildren. Perhaps he could relate to the story…lol! One would think that as a man gets older he gets wiser, but not old Raaheeji. Ignoring his wife’s warnings, old Raaheeji wanders deep into the woods where he is about to meet his demise. Threatened by a man-eating tiger, Raaheeji goes on an adventure, meeting an interesting cast of characters. But he it is not until he happens upon a jackal in the woods that his fate truly takes a turn. With original, hand painted illustrations by Jessica Lian, this classic Indian folk tale is brought to life with an exciting new story that is sure to entertain both young and old alike. The Traveller, the Tiger, and the Very Clever Jackal is available on Amazon.com.
 CHARLEY HARPER COLORS features an array of the illustrator’s bold and simple works, including some of Harper’s classic birds and other rare images. My two-year-old grandson is learning his colors and color words using this book, along with some the others listed here. He enjoys looking at the pictures which motivates him to have fun identifying the bright and bold colors. With each each vivid illustration he’s also introduced to an appreciation of art. Charley Harper’s Colors is available on Amazon.com.
COUNTING IN THE GARDEN,  written by Emily Hruby and illustrated by Patrick Hruby, celebrates the joy of growing flowers, fruits, and vegetables in one’s very own garden. This chunky board book is a visual feast from one to twelve. Young children will love finding and counting all of the garden treats. Every other page introduces a new plant into the mix until ultimately all twelve plants are featured together in the final, abundantly overgrown garden. COUNTING IN THE GARDEN is sure to appeal to eco-conscious parents and their “green” little kids. Counting in the Garden is available on Amazon.com.
 Capture your grandchild’s creativity with a special and personal gift. I See Me books take a child imagination into world’s they could only dream of before.  Now, children from newborn all the way up to age 12 can take their own journey into the world of make-believe and beyond as the main character!  Brand new titles available this year include My Very Merry Christmas – perfect for newborns or babies, Super Incredible Big Brother, Super Incredible Big Sister, and of course, the top selling, My Very Own Name, an adventure that takes your child’s name and brings them into the story.  There are 11 titles in all. The Pirate gift set includes an extra surprise. My granddaughters love the Fairy book, and my friend’s granddaughter loved her personalized Christmas book. Available online at ISeeMe.com.

I must tell you that I was fortunate to receive complimentary review copies of each of the books pictured plus those stated that my grandchildren read, but I never review a book that I don’t care for or my grandchildren aren’t interested in. I am also an affiiate member of Amazon.com for which I would receive a commission if you were to purchase any of the above books…but it would be a small pittance. I recommend these books for you to share with your grandchildren. These books are also available from book stores and other online book vendors. Happy last minute gift shopping!