A version of this post originally appeared in Evie Solheim’s newsletter The Girl’s Guide.
Books are the gift that keeps on giving, so I think it’s only fitting to share a Christmas gift guide that centers on books, with options for children from one to 92.
I tried to pull together a truly diverse selection of books for all the friends and family members in your life. There are many reasons why you may want to give a book to a loved one: because it’s a physically beautiful object, or because it contains knowledge you think will help them in their daily life, or because it tells a story you want to share with the giftee. Whatever your reason, I hope you find some inspiration on this list!
For the Children
Who says Santa Claus can’t bring a book or two when he comes down the chimney? For children 3 and under, Tiny Hands Hymns by Hannah Estes is a board book that makes a great bedtime story. Every page features a verse from a classic hymn, from “Amazing Grace” to “Crown Him With Many Crowns.” Our two-year-old daughter is a huge fan of Tiny Hands Hymns and requests it every night — she’s already picked up the words to half of the hymns. The Tiny Hands series includes the Tiny Hands Prayers and Tiny Hands Promises board books as well.
Reading stories together is really fun, but it’s also amazing to watch kids learn to love reading independently. The Hank the Cowdog series by John R. Erickson is great for readers who are ready for chapter books. Boys, girls, elementary schoolers, middle schoolers — everyone loves Hank and his hilarious adventures on his family’s Texas ranch. You can get a set of the first 10 books in the series (there are more than 80 total) on Amazon.
Of course, audiobooks are another great way to help children learn to love literature. Allow me to introduce you to the Yoto Player, which is definitely on my daughter’s wish list this year. Parents who want to minimize screen time but still want their children to have access to music and audiobooks need to try Yoto, which acts like an indestructible, portable, and easy-to-use CD player (but it’s also so much more). The original Yoto Player is $99.99, and the Yoto Mini is $69.99. Yoto has a huge library of classics to pick from, with works by authors including Rudyard Kipling, Roald Dahl, and Beatrix Potter. The Yoto Player does not need Internet access to operate. You can read a more in-depth review of the product here.
For the Non-Fiction Reader
It’s funny to give an avid reader a book with “How to Read” in the title, but How to Read a Book: Advice for Christian Readers by Andy Naselli is anything but frivolous. This book is in my to-be-read pile but comes highly recommended by my husband Nick. Is reading simply about input — creating lines of 0s and 1s in your brain with the information you need to be smarter than everyone else? Or are you shaped by what you read in a way that’s profound and even spiritual? Naselli covers this and more in How to Read a Book, which was published this year.
A good biography can feel as intimate and exciting as a novel. Many people have a renewed interest in the British Royal Family thanks to Netflix’s hit series “The Crown,” which features the late Prince Philip as a major character. A few years ago, I gave my husband a copy of Young Prince Philip: His Turbulent Early Life by Philip Eade, and he really enjoyed it. “The Crown” briefly explored how Prince Philip’s tragic childhood shaped him into the tough, adventurous man he became, and this book gives readers a fuller picture of a most interesting life.
For friends and family who self-identify as political junkies, I’ve got a few more biography recommendations. Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson has become even more of a must-read thanks to Musk’s involvement with the incoming Trump administration (read a full review of the book in The Federalist here). In light of Trump’s non-consecutive re-election to the presidency, A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland by Troy Senik is now a very timely read (something the author of the 2022 biography is likely celebrating). And if you want to be a little more on the nose, Donald J. Trump: A President Like No Other by Conrad Black is a thorough look at Trump from a very prolific biographer and historian.
For the C.S. Lewis Aficionado
Yes, I’m devoting an entire section to C.S. Lewis-related books, because I can. Obviously, Lewis is not writing new books, but he continues to inspire contemporary writers. I recently reviewed Canon Press’ new release My Dear Hemlock by Tilly Dillehay. The novel puts a twist on Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters — in it, the diabolical Madame Hoaxrot gives instructions for tempting a Christian woman. Women in any stage of life will find My Dear Hemlock both entertaining and edifying. Read my full review here.
Growing up, I read the The Chronicles of Narnia series over and over again. I even read Pocket Companion to Narnia: A Guide to the Magical World of C.S. Lewis by Paul F. Ford like a book, even though it’s designed to function like an encyclopedia. Pocket Companion is truly the perfect companion to The Chronicles of Narnia as it will help young readers keep track of characters and kingdoms, as well as enhance the important themes in Lewis’ original work. This is a great gift idea for a preteen or teen!
I’m currently reading Lewis’ The Ransom Trilogy, a science fiction series that he published before The Chronicles of Narnia. The trilogy is composed of Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength. Over the years, more and more readers have turned to The Ransom Trilogy to make sense of our modern world, and any C.S. Lewis fan would love a hardcover set of these three books on his or her bookshelf. There are one-volume sets of the trilogy on the market, but I think this three-volume set from Exodus Books would be a great gift. You could even pair it with Life on the Silent Planet, edited by Rhys Laverty, a new collection of essays examining this underrated Lewis masterpiece.
For the Gourmand
Call me old-fashioned, but I vastly prefer using a recipe from a cookbook to using a recipe on my phone or laptop. If I could only pick one cookbook to give to friends and family for the rest of my life, it would be 100 Recipes: The Absolute Best Ways To Make The True Essentials by America’s Test Kitchen. I still have a lot to learn in the kitchen, and this cookbook’s explanations of the “why” behind techniques make me feel like I’m getting my own mini cooking class. The recipes range from basic to very involved. That means there is a recipe for the perfect scrambled eggs, but there’s also a recipe for the best pot roast ever (believe me, I’ve tested quite a few pot roast recipes, and they are not all created equal!). There are also several recipes for desserts and international foods.
Since 100 Recipes is a fairly inexpensive cookbook, that means you can splurge on some fun add-ons too. Since this is a book lover’s gift guide, a literary apron could be fun — check out Etsy for this Jane Austen-themed apron or this canvas heart motif apron. And of course, don’t forget a cookbook stand — this stand from Williams Sonoma is beautiful and affordable.
Do you think your giftee may already have a copy of 100 Recipes? Check out my 2023 cookbook gift guide here for more inspiration.
For the Francophile
It’s me, I’m the francophile! You could probably convince me to jump off a cliff by saying, “It’s what the French are doing.” Home Sweet Maison by Danielle Postel-Vinay and Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman are two of my favorites of the genre I like to call “American goes to Paris and learns she’s been doing everything wrong.” Postel-Vinay’s book discusses the philosophy underpinning how we arrange our homes, and therefore, our lives. Druckerman’s book discusses the French philosophy of integrating children into family life rather than centering them in family life.
So there you have it. More than a dozen books that would make great gifts for the readers (and aspiring readers) in your life! May you have a Merry Christmas.
Evie Solheim is a soon-to-be mom of two, freelance journalist, and author of newsletter The Girl’s Guide about what she wishes she knew in her early 20s. She and her husband, Nick, live in West Virginia. Evie’s work has been featured in The American Conservative, Newsweek, and FoxNews.com.
