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The Truth’s Annual
Holiday Book Gift Guide – Part 4
By Terri
Schlichenmeyer
The Truth Contributor
The gift list was easy this
year. For once, you knew what to get everybody. Every.
Single. Giftee. Easy-peasy… except, oops, that one person
who vexes you each year. What to get? Well, books are always
good gifts, and they’re super- easy to wrap, too. How about
one of these great selections for that One Person…
AFRICAN-AMERICAN AUTHORS
For the person on your list
who’s still unsure of who they are or why, Black Lotus by
Sil Lai Abrams may be a great gift. It’s the story of a
woman who learns, at age 14, that nearly everything she ever
knew about herself and her family was wrong. Finding the
truth is at the core of this book, and your giftee will love
it.
The historian on your list
will be amazed at what he reads in Blood at the Root by
Patrick Phillips. It’s the story of racial cleansing,
starting with the Cherokees in the early 1800s and spanning
history up through modern times. Sobering stuff, this book,
and a great gift. Wrap it up with The Black Prince of
Florence by Catherine Fletcher. It’s the story of Alessandro
de Medici, the Holy Roman Emperor and palace intrigue.
Also look for The Right Stuff
Comes in Black, Too by Dr. Thomas Mensah, scientist,
inventor and pioneer.
SPORTS
For the dreamers on the
court, The Boys of Dunbar by Alejandro Danois might be just
the right gift. It’s the tale of a group of Baltimore high
school basketball players, their coach, and how their
undefeated season led to a three-point future.
Your sports fan won’t mind
being torn from the TV this holiday, if you’ve wrapped up A
History of American Sports in 100 Objects by Cait Murphy.
This book pays homage to all kinds of sports and lots of
players who’ve made the games better. Who could resist?
And for the biker on your
list, This Road I Ride by Juliana Buhring will be a winner.
It’s the story of Buhring’s life, her childhood in a
religious cult and her escape from grief on two wheels.
PETS & ANIMALS
The animal lover on your list
will howl with glee when she opens Wildlife Spectacles by
Vladimir Dinets. This book is all about wildlife and its
behavior: migration, mating, parenting, and more. Bonus:
PICTURES! Bigger bonus: wrap it up with Coyote America by
Dan Flores, a look at a much-maligned animal and its
history.
On your gift list, there’s a
person whose pet is a part of the family. In Dog Gone by
Pauls Toutonghi, a family loses its dog and goes to (of
course) great lengths to find him and get him home. True
story. Truly a great gift. Even better when you also give
Dogs Rough & Smooth by Lucy Dawson, a large
coffee-table-type book filled with pencil drawings of dogs,
pups, and pooches.
Here’s an adventure of an
unlikely sort: Heart of a Lion by William Stolzenburg is the
story of a mountain lion who roamed an unbelievable
distance, and the man who re-traced the big cat’s path. You
can’t go wrong, then, when you wrap Are We Smart Enough to
Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal with it. That’s
a book about animals, their abilities, and the relative
intelligence they possess.
Your giftee is no dumb cluck,
so for the chicken lover, Tastes like Chicken by Emelyn Rude
will be exactly what they’ll want to open. It’s the history
of chickens. Give it, and you won’t have egg on your face.
No dog lover worth his or her
salt will turn down Free Days with George by Colin Campbell.
It’s the story of a man and a dog, both very bruised by
their pasts. One’s a big guy, at 140 pounds; the other’s a
human, and how they heal is the story here. Wrap it up with
another dog-bonding book Love is All You Need by Jennifer
Arnold, a new approach to teaching your pup and yourself.
You know who loves dogs?
Someone on your gift list, that’s who, and Sit Stay Heal by
Mel C. Miskimen is the exact book he (or she!) wants this
holiday. It’s the story of a rascally black lab and the
family he shepherds through grief. I also liked Let Me Tell
You About Jasper… by Fox New’s Dana Perino, about her most
famous best friend.
CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS
The kid who already misses
Halloween will love Peep and Egg: I’m Not Trick-or-Treating
by Laura Gehl, pictures by Joyce Wan. It’s a tale of two
friends, one of whom has a stubborn streak and is easy to
scare. For the budding fashionista on your list, D is for
Dress-Up by Maria Carluccio will be a welcome gift. Starting
with A, of course, and moving through guess-what-Z-word,
this book doubles as a great learn-the-alphabet gift, too.
Kids who love history (or
parents who love to share it) will love unwrapping Miss
Colfax’s Light by Aimée Bissonette, illustrated by Eileen
Ryan Ewen. Based on real happenings, it’s the story of a
lightkeeper and how her lonely work saved lives.
For the little one whose
get-up-and-go never got up in the first place, Schnitzel: A
Cautionary Tale for Lazy Louts by Stephanie Shaw,
illustrated by Kevin M. Barry will be a great gift. It’s a
tale of a wizard’s apprentice who takes a very ill-fated
shortcut. Then, wrap it up with Monster & Son by David
Larochelle, illustrated by Joey Chou for a monstrously great
holiday.
Because you know you’ll be
the one to read a book aloud, why not find some enjoyment
from it, too? You’ll love the lush illustrations inside
Norbert’s Big Dream by Lori Degman, illustrated by Marco
Bucci. It’s the story of a pig with an idea, but can he
fulfill it? Pair it up with Memoirs of a Parrot by Devin
Scillian, illustrated by Tim Bowers, then laugh and laugh…
For the child who loves
nighttime, Max at Night by Ed Vere will be a great gift to
give. It’s the story of a cat who has a very special friend.
Unfortunately, the friend only comes around a few times a
month. Wrap it up with Mr. Moon by Michael Paraskevas, a
book that makes the perfect bedtime reading. |
