I remember as a kid going through the Sears catalogue for hours, marking pages and circling things I wanted. I wrote letters to Santa detailing my wish list. These days I find my kids have shorter lists. I think they get so much of what they need and want during the year that there is not a ton to want for when the time comes.
However, there is one gift tradition that I place a huge value on myself and I have passed this love on to my own children. That is the gift of a good book.
Every year they will get a couple of books in their stocking. Some they may have asked for, others may be an introduction to a new series or a genre of books. Whatever the book, the promise of an exciting new adventure is always a welcome present.
I myself have a real soft spot for historical fiction. One of my favourite books of all time is Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Recently I introduced my teen son to this genre and I can tell he is a fan too. He has read a number of historically based books which offer not only a more personal historical perspective but a rich sense of the period and experiences of a time long gone. Even my 9 year-old has a taste for it loving the Magic Treehouse books where she has journeyed from Camelot to Dickens’ England to the first Olympic games.
This year I have been searching for some new and interesting historical fiction and I think I may have found just the book. Stones for My Father by Trilby Kent won a TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and I am planning to pick it up for my son.Here is a review:
“A riveting book about the Anglo-Boer war at the turn of the last century and Canada’s place in it… Kent draws her characters and the landscape around them in penetrating prose…Today’s children will develop heartfelt admiration and respect for Corlie Rioux. Though this young heroine struggles with the loss of parental love, a special friendship, and her home, she holds steadfast, brave, and true and emerges a survivor… At times raw, but always gripping, this novel packs an emotional punch.”
Are you a giver of books for the Holidays? What books are you or your kids wishing for?
This post is sponsored by TD. All experiences and opinions are my own. For more information on the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award winners visit www.tdreads.com/awardwinners.