Books to Buy for Baby Showers That No One Else Will

Hello, Book Nerds! Welcome back to Reading Has Ruined My Life or welcome if you are new. As always, my name is Hannah and I am your captain on this journey into my bookcases.

How's everyone doing today?

Listen, I am at that point in my life where everyone I know is either getting engaged or having babies. I’m not ready. My bank account is not ready. But as I sit here, continuously getting baby shower invites, I keep seeing the same note over and over again. “In lieu of cards, please send books.” I’m sure you have seen the same thing. And if you found this article through the magic of Google because you too have gotten those invites, then you may know that 5-out-of-6 baby shower invitees will send The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss. Or The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Or Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown.

DO NOT BUY THOSE BOOKS! If you have been invited to a baby shower, and the parents-to-be ask you to buy them a baby book, do not buy them the classics. Half of the guests will buy the baby these books, and then the parents have ten copies of the same book that they can’t get rid of because people wrote messages in them. Get! Something! Different!

Now, you’ve made it this far because this title says “Books to Buy for Baby Showers That No One Else Will.” I have five children’s books for you that the parents-to-be won’t get. Let’s get to the list.

5. Starting us out is Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola. Depending on where you live, this book may be considered a childhood staple. But if you’re in one of those areas where it’s not, here’s a quick synopsis. Strega Nona is a witch, but a very nice witch, she’s a witch who is beloved by the community, she’s not a wicked witch. And she has a friend/helper named Big Anthony. One day, Strega Nona leaves her house to run some errands and she leaves Big Anthony in charge. Big Anthony gets hungry and decides to make food from Strega Nona’s magic pasta pot. Yes that’s right, I said magic pasta pot. This pot is so magical, it could end world hunger. But things go awry and Big Anthony doesn’t know how to control the magic. Highly recommend this one solely for the magic pasta pot because I want one of those in my life.

4. This next pick is one that can stay on a kid’s bookshelf for a while. Say hello to the Henry and Mudge series by Cynthia Rylant. This is a Ready-to-Read series that I remember reading in the first and second grade, but I think they’d make for great baby books as well. They’re illustrated, kids can learn to read with them, there’s a cute dog; I don’t think you can’t go wrong with these ones.

3. Raise your hand if you know of Little Golden Books. They have nearly 700 titles to choose from so you know Little Golden Books. They have books that are abridged Disney films. They have Barbie books. They have Scooby-Doo books. Some of the most notable titles are The Poky Little Puppy and The Little Red Hen. But don’t go for those titles. Little Golden Books have a ton of nonfiction titles to pick from. Get a selection of biographies. They’re well illustrated, informative, and will stay on the shelf for many years. They have biographies on everyone. Seriously, there are books about everyone from Betty White and Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson to Martin Luther King Jr. and Frida Kahlo. The series is called My Little Golden Book About…, and there aren’t just biographies in Little Golden Book’s nonfiction titles. There are also nonfiction books about places like Washington D.C. and outer space. Yes, this is an odd pick for a baby shower, but I doubt anyone else would think to buy these.

2. Next up is the How Do Dinosaurs? series by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague. This series is technically meant for children between three and five-years-old, but there is a wide range of books in this series. Some of the titles include How Do Dinosaurs Learn Their Colors?; How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten?; and How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodbye? Yes, some of the books in this series may be a little advanced for baby, but with amazing illustrations and funny situations, the baby will still have a fun time. And again, these titles will say on the shelf for many years.

1. Finishing out this list is Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima. This is one of the most adorable books I’ve ever laid my eyes on! This is the story of a young unicorn born and raised under the sea. He has always assumed he’s a narwhal given the fact his family is a blessing of narwhals, but he can’t help but feel a little different. And yes, a group of narwhals is called a blessing; I learned that when I was writing this, you’re welcome for that new fun fact by the way. Anyway, our unicorn goes on a quest to find others like him. This book is so sweet. It’s a great story about family and unconditional love and acceptance. I love it!

And thus, our list ends. I hope if you’re shopping for a baby shower book then you got some good ideas. Thank you so much for joining me today, next week I have an awesome review planned. On that note, I bid you all adieu.

Until next time, stay safe, wear a mask, wash your hands, and read some good books for me.

See y'all next week, bye!