Do you give books as gifts? To everyone? Or only to select people?
How do you feel about receiving books as gifts?
Most of the time when you are thinking of gifts, you think of things that you, personally, would like to receive. This doesn't work for books because what we like to read is very idiosyncratic. As a former bookseller, I used to give it my best shot when people would ask for help selecting a book for a gift, but I always thought the gift certificate was the way to go. When we buy gifts for an "adopted" family from the Salvation Army Angel Tree or something similar to that, I like to buy books for the kids along with whatever else they've requested. Even though school libraries and public libraries make books accessible to children, there is something special about owning your own and writing your name inside the cover.Typically, I only give books as gifts to three people: my mother, my husband and my daughter. And, this tends to be year-round.
I enjoy receiving books as gifts. It shows me that books are valued and that the person giving the gift recognizes the role reading has in my life. I really like receiving gift cards to bookstores, especially independent bookstores.
There is another set of questions this week:
What is the best book you ever bought for yourself?
And, why? What made it the best? What made it so special?
I can't pick a best book or favorite but I can truly say that every time I buy a book for myself whether it's from a bookstore I'm visiting while on vacation (like the Tattered Cover this past October) or at a Friends of the Library sale, I consider it a treat. It makes me happy.[via Deb @ Booking Through Thursday]
8 comments:
I agree; you have to KNOW a person to buy a perfect book for them.
I agree...every book is a treat!
Yes, I think just about every child loves having books of their very own, even if they just look at the pictures.
That's great you give books for children to keep. I agree, every child should own a book. Happy BTT.
I simply love buying books for children! So much to explore.
Here are my BTT posts:
Booking through treat
Booking through generosity
Combining a children's book with a clothing donation/gift is a great idea.
My BTT answer is here.
One year when I was teaching elementary school, one of my students asked me if he could read a book again for his book log. I asked him why he wanted to read the same book, and he said it was the only book he had. It made me so sad. Of course I bought him some.
Pam,
The things most of us take for granted...I once developed a program that matched children with reading mentors who would also give the child they were mentoring books to take home and keep. I worked with the local PBS station and got a grant through Starbucks. It's one of the most rewarding things I've done. Sounds like you really helped this child. You're probably one of the best teachers he ever had.
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