Mother and Children Reading by Arthur Boyd Houghton 1860We think books make the very best gifts for kids (ages one to 92). So, we asked expert Shelley Lowe, Literacy Connexus board member and owner of Monkey and Dog Books in Fort Worth, how to excite the young readers on our lists.

Here is Shelley’s list of absolute treasures:

Ages 2-3
Hooray for Hat!       Brain Won
Press Here                 Hervehell Tuillet
Bark, George            Jules Feiffer

Ages 4-6
Miss Twiggly’s Tree        Dorothea Warren Fox
Tops and Bottoms           Janet Stevens
I don’t Like Koala!           Sean Ferrell

Early Readers
Frog and Toad Series        Arnold Lobel
The Big Honey Hunt          Stan and Jan Berenstain
Mercy Watson Series         Kate diCamillo
James to the Rescue           Elise Broach

Middle Reader Series (ages 8-10)
Ivy and Bean Series               Annie Barrow & Sophie Blackwell
Little House on the Prairie Series   Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Doll People Series            Ann Martin
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle Books     Betty McDonald
The One and Only Ivan          Katherine Applegate
The Penderwicks Series          Jeanne Birdsall

Older Reader (ages 10-12)
The False Prince                     Jennifer Nielsen
The Island of Dr. Libris        Chris Grabenstein
Under the Egg                        Laura Marx Fitzgerald
The CandyMakers                 Wendy Mass
Wonder                                    R.J. Palacio
Alabama Moon                      Watt Key

Monkey and Dog Books
3637 West Vickery Blvd., Fort Worth, TX  76107
Mon. – Fri.  10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sat.  10 a.m. – 2 p.m.