A Guide for Pairing Toys with Books // Fifth Edition
I think it’s fair to say one cannot celebrate Christmas without the annual Rachel’s Guide for Pairing Toys with Books, am I right?
Every year I have so much fun (and if you’ve read my letter his month you’ll know I’m seeking more fun!) thinking about the little joys that can be paired with great books to inspire my children’s imagination. We often say that a book allows us to get lost in a new world. But I like to think a book brings us back to our present. Stepping in and out of the pages shows us a new way of seeing the world we already have, the one we can touch and see and feel. A story brings our imagination to life. And what better way to remember that then at Christmas!
If you want to make it a Merry Booksmas too, here are few things to think about this year:
1) Let’s do our best to focus as much of the book buying away from Amazon. I can’t quit the Bezos Boss altogether. You’ll see there are still some selections in this guide that include an Amazon link because I just couldn’t find another one. But there are still plenty of ways to find books that support smaller much needed book stores. Bookshop is my favorite place to hunt for books. You can check out my own book shop here for some of my favorites lists like Big kids books, medium kid books, board books, Christmas books, and creative books for me and for kids. I’m trying to add to it as often as I remember.
BTW, this is a great time to remind you when you buy a book through Bookshop from this account, I receive a tiny commission, just enough to allow me to buy more books and let you know about them!
2) Book buying can be expensive if you gift like I do where EVERYONE from my mom to the mail carrier receives a book (not actually, but isn’t that a great idea?!). I’ve discovered Thriftbooks in the last couple of years and I love it. For me, a book only gets better with age. Perhaps it’s why I love the library so much. I love knowing that someone else has poured through the pages and now it is my turn. It gives a book a new life, off the shelf and into hands of a new reader. And books are CHEAP! Most used books are around $5. Plus, if you purchase frequently like I do you’ll earn FREE books. I highly recommend this option.
3) Don’t leave the kid at heart out of this fun gifting experience. Book pairing works great for adults too! Think a great tea to pair with your favorite cozy British read. A beer or wine with a name or image on the wine label that nods to the book. Or maybe a bottle of whiskey with a card from the HL Mencken quote: “I know some who are constantly drunk on books as other men are drunk on whiskey.” Have fun. Grown ups like fun, too.
Or, even better, pair the book with a bookmark. I love having kids make bookmark designs, or use their pictures in a bookmark. But sometimes we just need to treat our friends, or ourselves, to a specially made bookmark. I’m buying one of these bookmarks to tuck into my own stocking.
Now, let’s get to the gifts, shall we?
Games and books are not a pairing I have done before but a friend mentioned this to me and I love it. Games are a great gift, even more for the parents who might be brain dead sick over the same boring game, or maybe that’s just me.
Outfoxed is similar to Clue for the younger set. It’s actually a game I don’t get bored with. For the bigger set, we have fun with this Harry Potter Clue version. Fun books to pair with this one include Spy School series, Mac B series, & Case of the Stinky Stench for the younger ones.
These assortment of food games like Slamwich, Sushi Go, & Tacos vs. Burritos are great to pair with the endless selection of food books. Some of our favorites include The Silly Food Book, Pizza and Taco, Cookie & Broccoli Kalamata’s Kitchen, Our Little Kitchen, or maybe this new series starting with All Four Stars I found for Caroline about a young baker in competition.
We added Table Top Ping Pong to our house last year making it a perfect winter activity, especially if you have small space. It goes right on your table! Pair it with this fun book This or That which is like a fun fact book version of Would you Rather game. This also could be a great time to introduce a Choose Your Own Adventure book, What Would Danny Do books for the newer reader, or a You Choose book for the youngest ones.
Missing the beach? Kinetic Sand is a great way to visit the beach in the middle of winter. Pair it with this book Sandcastle Book and you’ll be on the beach in no time.
Building toys might be my most favorite, and most used in our house. If you want to try something new we love these Snap Circuits and any version of this Marble Tower. And this book What We’ll Build by the amazing Oliver Jeffers is the perfect pairing.
It’s no surprise that we have budding writers in this family. These little writing notebooks are ADORABLE (and so is everything in the shop!) They would make a great pairing with a fun pen and some of our favorite writing books for kids like this one Spilling Ink for big kids and this one 101 Story Starters for little kids.
These My Family Builders Stickers are labeled as wall stickers but my kids stuck them to blocks so they can mix and match their own people. Anything from My Family Builders website would be a great pairing with these two books that are some of my favorites about learning about others around the world, This is How We Do It and If you Come to Earth Book.
My kids discovered these Maze Balls and Flexi Puzzles this year, both that make travel fun if you are looking for that. They also had fun borrowing this Turing Tumble coding game from a friend, so much so we had to add it to the Christmas list. I found these two maze books that look like fun for the puzzler in your life, Pierre the Maze Detective and Sleuth and Solve, but any of the detective books would make a good match.
Every year I include some sort of car like these City Vehicles and this Firetruck because cars still remain such a versatile gift in our house. I really just wanted an excuse to include this book Keeping the City Going that I spotted in NYC and I’m eager to add to our bookshelf.