Top Reasons to Buy a Great Nonfiction Book for a Kid on Your List

(with tips below on how to make a great match)

With gift-giving holidays just around the corner, here’s an idea for that hard-to-buy-for kid on your list. How about a great nonfiction book? Here’s why this gift can be a real winner:

* It shows you know the child and his or her interests and passions. Animal lover? Football fanatic? Astronomy obsessed? You can really tailor the gift to the child’s passion.

* You’ll probably be buying a book the child doesn’t already have. Narrative nonfiction and other interesting nonfiction for kids are the best-kept book secrets around.  They can be as gripping and absorbing as fiction but rarely get the same buzz. So it’s less likely that the child already has the book.

* You’ll have something to talk about, especially if you read the book, too. Books are a great way to connect with kids. And the book will give you a chance to connect over something you know the child cares about. Maybe you could even read it aloud together. Now that would be a meaningful gift.

* If the book is interesting nonfiction, the child will be entertained while also learning something. It’s kind of what we want in all our relationships, isn’t it? We want people to like us, enjoy us, but also learn and grow from us. Great nonfiction books offer that great mix, too.

So HOW to pick the right book?

* Start with subject. If you don’t already know what interests the child, ask his or her parent.

* Scan award winners and “best of” lists for the best books on that subject area. Some good lists are:
Kirkus has released its best of 2012 list:
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/lists/best-childrens-books-2012-nonfiction
As has School Library Journal:
http://www.slj.com/2012/11/featured/best-books-2012/

The ALA’s Sibert Medal (like the Newbery or Caldecott for nonfiction), http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/sibertmedal

Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children

http://www.ncte.org/awards/orbispictus

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12
http://www.nsta.org/publications/ostb/ostb2013.aspx

Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Children

http://www.socialstudies.org/notable

For you visual-types, here’s a good pinterest site with some recent outstanding nonfiction titles: http://pinterest.com/lindaslinks/best-nonfiction-books-resources/

* Match the book to the child’s age and reading level. (One caveat. Many kids I know will read slightly above their age and reading level if they are really passionate about a topic.)

* Give more than one. Can chose between two? Get them both. Maybe one is slightly more difficult than the other. Or covers a different part of the story. If a child loves one, they will probably like them both. (If you don’t want to give two at once, save one for the next birthday.)

* If a child already reads, loves and enjoys nonfiction, hand them something on a different subject than what they usually read. The best nonfiction writing will hook readers in topics that they never knew they would find interesting

* Pair the book with something fun. A stuffed lizard.  A “build your own robot kit.” A historical wig.

* If you have the time (everyone sitting around stuffed after a big holiday dinner) offer to read the

book (if it’s short) or the first chapter (for a longer book) aloud to the child. Everyone loves to be read to. And it could get them hooked.

Happy Holidays!

Elizabeth Rusch