By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: May 31, 2011
5 Reasons Books Make the Best End of Year Teacher Gifts
- There is a book out there for everybody and every interest
- A book is a personal and thoughtful gift
- They are affordable (especially if your child has multiple teachers)
- They are easy to wrap
- No batteries required
The Art of Selecting the Right Book
A few things to consider when choosing the perfect gift book…
- Are you selecting a book for the teacher or his/her classroom?
- Will the subject or topic interest the teacher or class?
- Is the book age-appropriate?
- Check out the latest offerings from your favorite author or illustrator.
- Read book reviews.
- Ask your local bookseller or librarian to make some suggestions.
And … if all else fails, there is always the trusty bookstore gift card!
4 Picture Book Suggestions for the Teacher’s Classroom
By Mike Twohy
This is a great choice for any classroom and especially a reading teacher. It makes for a lovely reminder of how much the children grow emotionally and socially within one year and will also be a great read for the teacher’s new class next school year. Bonus if your teacher’s name happens to be Poindexter!
Publisher’s synopsis: Poindexter is a shy, friendly, and perfectly happy pig. There’s just one thing. How is a shy, nice, well balanced pig going to make friends? You never know who you will meet when you check out How to Make Friends at the library!
Add this book to your collection: Poindexter Makes a Friend
By Andrea Beaty (Author), David Roberts (Illustrator)
Looking for a book for the art teacher? This is a very entertaining book about doing your own thing and remaining in touch with your creativity and passion. Imaginative and very clever!
Publisher’s synopsis: Meet Iggy Peck—creative, independent, and not afraid to express himself! In the spirit of David Shannon’s No, David and Rosemary Wells’s Noisy Nora, Iggy Peck will delight readers looking for irreverent, inspired fun.
Iggy has one passion: building. His parents are proud of his fabulous creations, though they’re sometimes surprised by his materials—who could forget the tower he built of dirty diapers? When his second-grade teacher declares her dislike of architecture, Iggy faces a challenge. He loves building too much to give it up! With Andrea Beaty’s irresistible rhyming text and David Roberts’s puckish illustrations, this book will charm creative kids everywhere, and amuse their sometimes bewildered parents.
Add this book to your collection: Iggy Peck, Architect
Joelle Jolivet (Illustrator)
Animal, science and math lovers adore this oversized, well-illustrated picture book. Adults and children alike can spend hours pouring over the beautiful pages. This is one of TCBR’s all-time favorites!
Publisher’s synopsis: Each spread in this dramatically oversized book displays 30 or more different animals in thought-provoking thematic groupings: Large and Small, Hot Weather, Cold Weather, Feathered, Horned, Spots and Stripes, Friends of Mankind, and so forth. The illustrations are robust, graphic prints that will catch the eye–and the large selection of over 350 different species will make absorbing reading. Includes four pages of informational notes.
Add this book to your collection: Zoo – ology
By Katherine Paterson (Author), Pamela Dalton (Illustrator)
Katherine Paterson’s Brother Sun, Sister Moon is a superb and beautiful book that touches many aspects of the heart—the wonderful text gives thanks in a very personal way. The paper cutting technique, scherenschnitte, used by illustrator Pamela Dalton is stunning and will appeal to those with a fine appreciation for a well-illustrated picture book—the pages are full and lush, showcasing how amazing our world is.
Publisher’s synopsis: In Brother Sun, Sister Moon, award-winning author Katherine Paterson reimagines a hymn of praise originally written by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1224. Illuminated with the exquisite illustrations of cut-paper artist Pamela Dalton, this picture book offers a stunningly beautiful tribute to nature.
Add this book to your collection: Brother Sun, Sister Moon