Creative Ways to Gift a Book

As the holidays approach, we’re wondering about the best way to present our gifts to family and friends. Children expect an exciting display of presents, but you can keep the warm holiday feelings going with associated experiences. Plus, if you want to avoid wrapping paper, you can think about how to package things differently. 

Theme-Based Gift Packaging

To include two presents in one, you can wrap a present in a scarf. The scarf can either be a gift or an existing scarf. Either way, it’s a great way to save on paper and have a different presentation. 

The Netflix show With Love, Meghan taught me about the Japanese technique of Furoshiki fabric gift wrapping. On the show, Meghan uses vintage scarves as her fabric wrappers. You can use any spare fabric you’d like, and cut it to a square size to wrap your book. The little bow tied atop the fabric wrapping also means you don’t need to get extra gift toppers. You can also tuck a little flower into the top folds. 

For a themed bookish experience, you can use various types of paper to wrap the book. Instead of just brown paper, you can try newspaper pages. Maps are another option, especially if you can find a location-specific one to hint at what’s inside the package. Finally, pages from old books could work too (if you’re willing to take apart a vintage tome). 

Experience-Based Gifts

For kids who are going through phases with favorite animals, concepts, or historical periods, pair their gifted book with an experience: 

• The Wild Robot on the Island: An Illustrated Picture Book Adaptation of The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, with a coupon for a movie night with the Wild Robot
• Simone Visits the Museum by Dr. Kelsi Bracmort, illustrated by Takeia Marie, alongside a visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture
• My Museum by Joanne Liu, paired with a trip to the art museum 
• Crab Cake: Turning the Tide Together by Andrea Tsurumi for your little marine explorer, with a scheduled trip to an aquarium or the beach 
• Paint the Wind by Pam Muñoz Ryan, given with an envelope about an upcoming horseback riding lesson 
• Before You Were Mine by Maribeth Boelts, before the reveal that you’re getting a dog this year! 

To pull everything together, you could also provide a coupon book to your child with every outing and event related to their bookish gifts, from a day at the museum to extra reading time before bedtime. 

Themed Gift Bundles 

Kids love to apply the knowledge they get from books to crafts and new hobbies. Gift packages including books with hobby supplies will be a great way to give them something to jump-start in the new year. 

• The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud, paired with a sketchbook and a set of Faber sketch pencils
• A Royal Conundrum and A Copycat Conundrum (The Misfits series) by Lisa Yee and Dan Santat, paired with a detective kit
• Monarch Butterflies: Explore the Life Journey of One of the Winged Wonders of the World by Ann Hobie, in a package with a butterfly growing garden
• Yayoi Kusama: From Here to Infinity! by Sarah Suzuki and Ellen Weinstein, alongside a set of watercolor paints 
• Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos by Monica Brown and John Parra, with your little artist’s favorite Frida Kahlo print as a poster 
• Firebird by Misty Copeland and Christopher Myers, with ballet shoes

The books may vary, but putting your presents together by theme is always a fun way to get engaged in the book and look forward to something exciting. 
After you’re finished getting bookish gifts bundles for all the kids in your life, you have to find the gifts for the rest of the bookish people in your life: unique editions, DIY gifts, and audiobook-lover gifts.