Choosing Books as Gifts for Children
Guidelines and Recommended Titles

Imagine the perfect gift for a child . . .  

It entertains.  It educates. 


It introduces new people and places.  It stimulates the imagination. 

It can be enjoyed alone, or it can be shared. 

Plus, it’s easy to buy, easy to wrap, and easy to mail. 

It’s a book, of course!

The Onondaga County Public Library offers these guidelines for selecting the perfect gift for that special child in your life.  Remember to keep the individual child in mind when choosing a book. 


For Young Children (preschool-kindergarten)

Brightly colored pictures of familiar objects
Mother Goose and other nursery rhymes
Repetition and rhythm
Concept books, such as counting and A-B-C books
Informational picture books
Simple stories about everyday experiences

For Beginning Readers (grades 1-3)

More complicated stories
Well-developed characters
Poetry with rhythm and rhyme
Nonfiction books about their interests
Easy-to-read books they can read themselves
More difficult books that you read to them

For Older Readers (grades 4-6)

Chapter books with strong plots
Stories with complex characters
More sophisticated humor
Biographies and other nonfiction
Fantasy, historical fiction, and other types of series

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Recommended Titles - click below for age-appropriate titles selected by the Onondaga County Public Library

Babies and Toddlers
Toddlers and Preschoolers
Children in Kindergarten through Third Grade
Beginning Readers
Children in Third through Fifth Grades
Children in Fourth through Sixth Grades

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The following resources have additional lists of recommended books for different age groups.

Building a Home Library
From the American Library Association.

Guide Book to Gift Books
From The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books published by the University of Illinois.

KidsReads.com
Lists of classics and new favorites.

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