The ALSC Quicklists Consulting Committee makes your job easier by handing you ready-to-use bibliographies of recently published, diverse books.
It’s good to know that providing such lists to your library users also meets your ALSC Competencies of Commitment to Client Group; Reference and User Services; and Curation of Materials.
The newest Quicklist is just in time for the holidays but good all year round: Great Gifts to Give. This apt offering has three categories with ten books in each.
The three categories cover a range of ages and occasions:
• Off to a Great Start: Books for Babies & Toddlers — From Global Baby Bedtimes by Maya Ajmera to Yusuke Yonezu’s Moving Blocks, these recommended titles are perfect for baby showers and birthdays.
• Destined for Greatness: Tomorrow’s New Classics – It’s great to give a birthday or holiday gift with enduring appeal. This section highlights pictures books that will be read again and again like Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson, and This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen.
• On the Road to Great Things: Books for the Next Chapter in Life – Here are book ideas for relatives and friends who want a gift book to recognize a milestone in a child’s life, perhaps the end of the school year or a more formal event. These nonfiction and picture book titles congratulate success and offer inspiration.
As someone who gives poetry books as gifts for almost every occasion, I love seeing what the hard-working 17-member committee suggests. What books do you think make great gifts?
Kathleen Odean, who gives workshops for teachers and librarians about new young adult books, is writing this post for the Public Awareness Committee. She can be reached at kathleenodean@gmail.com.