Before you face crowded malls or scroll endlessly online, consider something timeless, personal, and universally treasured: books.
Books offer memories, inspiration, adventure, comfort, and often a shared moment between the giver and receiver. Whether you’re shopping for children, grandchildren, food lovers, or someone embracing reinvention, here are special selections to inspire your holiday giving.
For Curious Kids (and Their Grandparents!)
Birds and Bugs
The Photicular Series | Workman Publishing
If you’ve never opened a Photicular® book before, prepare to be amazed. The newest titles, Birds and Bugs, combine science, photography, and motion into a mesmerizing experience.
Using innovative lenticular technology to create lifelike motion, each page features animals that seem to come alive —
Watch a praying mantis crawling up a tree branch and then jumping on its prey, a house fly rubbing its legs together, a tarantula scurrying along on its eight legs, a leaf-cutter ant hauling a giant leaf up a branch, a caterpillar crawling across a twig, and more.
It’s like holding a tiny video screen in your hands.
These books work on multiple levels:
Why kids love them
- The motion feels magical — perfect for ages 4 to 7 with adult reading support.
- They’re interactive: children quickly learn how to tilt or move the built-in lens to “animate” the creatures.
- Why older kids (8–12) and adults love them
- The writing is sophisticated, curious, and packed with science.
- Each animal includes a detailed profile and an engaging essay on behavior.
To “product test,” I showed the books to my almost 2-year-old granddaughter, and she loved them. She immediately grasped how to bring the images to life by moving the upper page up and down. The books are definitely for an older child to read. I wouldn’t trust my granddaughter alone with these nice books, but she loves to have them read to her. “Bug book?” she says!
They make especially wonderful gifts from grandparents — engaging and educational without feeling like “schoolwork.” Definitely a great gift for a grandparent to give an 8 to 12-year-old grandchild who is fascinated by nature or science! OR a 4 to 7-year-old who would be captivated by the photicular images
The Boy Who Said Baa
By Judy Dryden | Illustrated by Rosie Brooks
Every so often, a children’s book comes along that’s clever, warm, joyful — and destined to be reread again and again. The Boy Who Said Baa is one of those gems.
We love this book! And not just because we have admired the author’s special talent as a writer for many years. It’s really good!
Written in humorous, read-aloud-friendly verse by longtime writer Judy Dryden, the story follows a little boy with a one-word vocabulary. His parents worry, unkind people tease, and still he quietly waits for the right moment. When his school’s Christmas nativity play spirals into chaos, his single word becomes the heroic (and hilarious) solution — a triumphant moment for any child who’s ever felt “different.”
It’s fun to read out loud, and the little ones will enjoy hearing you rhyme as you tell the story, and will be engulfed by the charming illustrations by acclaimed British artist Rosie Brooks.
It’s an incredible confidence-building story for young readers and especially meaningful for children with delayed speech.
Available in hardcover and paperback on Amazon and in bookstores nationwide.
For the Baker or Food Lover
The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook: Cookies and Treats from America’s Golden Era
By Becky Libourel Diamond
If you know someone who treasures holiday baking traditions — or someone who simply loves food history — The Gilded Age Christmas Book … beautifully researched cookbook is a standout.
Becky Libourel Diamond transports readers back to the Gilded Age with classic cookies, confections, and sweets that once filled American holiday tables. Sugar plums (the real ones!), old-fashioned fruit confections, and Victorian-era treats are adapted for the modern kitchen with today’s ingredients and appliances.
Each recipe includes:
- Historical background
- Origin stories
- Period baking methods
- Sidebars filled with 19th-century Christmas lore
It’s part cookbook, part history book, part holiday magic — and a perfect keepsake for anyone who wants to bring a touch of nostalgia to their baking repertoire.
For the Cookie Lover …
The “I Love Cookies” Recipe Book from Rolled Sugar Cookies to Snickerdoodles and More, 100 of Your Favorite Cookie Recipes!
By Jacquelyn Parkes
Who doesn’t love cookies … and a baker on your list will love The “I Love Cookies” Recipe Book.... There’s always room for a cookie for dessert. Maybe that was Jell-O back in the day, but in many homes now it’s the quickest and delicious ending to a meal. Author Jacquelyn Parkes offers 100 recipes … How do you want yours? Drop, shaped, rolled, slice-and-bake? Or, are you more of a brownie and bar to-die-for person? They are all here, from Double Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodles, Scottish Shortbread, and Chocolate Thin Mint Cookies to Tiramisu Brownies, Gingerbread Men, and the classic Spritz Cookies.
For Anyone Reinventing Themselves (or Just Ready for a Good Laugh)
Retired & Moved to Florida
By Tom Dryden
Looking for a cheerful, knowing, witty gift for someone navigating the significant transitions of midlife or retirement? Tom Dryden’s latest book, Retired & Moved to Florida, delivers big laughs and plenty of recognition.
After a 35-year advertising career, Dryden leaned into reinvention — and began chronicling the wonderfully absurd episodes of life in “God’s Waiting Room.” The result is a collection of sharply observed, unfailingly funny essays featuring:
- HOA nightmares
- Iguana invasions
- Diner conversations that defy belief
- Encounters with the IRS
- A memorable medical marijuana appointment
- Why an ER nurse once asked him if his genitals were “original”
- And the unwavering loyalty of two very good dogs
It’s laugh-out-loud reading for anyone who appreciates honest humor about aging, retirement, and the quirks of modern life. Available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon.
Wrap Up the Holidays with Stories Worth Sharing
Books are thoughtful, personal, and often spark connections long after the wrapping paper is tossed. Whether you’re reading a bedtime story to a toddler, paging through a motion-filled Photicular spread with a curious grandchild, baking a Victorian cookie recipe, or laughing along with Tom Dryden on a warm winter afternoon — these are gifts that last.
This holiday season, skip the crowds and give something that truly reflects your heart: the gift of books.
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn a commission
