The Christmas shopping season is here and what better gift for a child than the present of a wonderful story. To make your gift choices easier, here are some recommendations from the American Library Association’s 2002 Notable Children’s Books list. The criteria of selection were the following: literary quality; originality of text and illustration; clarity and style of language; excellence of illustration; excellence of design and format; subject matter of interest and value to children; and the likelihood of acceptance by children. The books chosen are for different age groups and reading levels up to age 14.

The Hickory Chair by Lisa Rowe Fraustino. A poignant tale of Louis, a young blind boy who finds the notes his beloved grandmother left for her loved ones after she dies - except his own. All he has left are the sensory memories – her smell ("lilacs, with a whiff of bleach") and her "molasses voice". It is only after Louis becomes a grandfather himself that he happens on the treasure his grandmother left him. Ages 4-8

Emma’s Yucky Brother by Jean Little. Emma looks forward to the arrival of her newly adopted 4-year-old brother until her friend Lily warns her that brothers are yucky. What ensues is a story Emma’s gradual understanding and acceptance of her new sibling. Ages 4-8

Goin’ Someplace Special by Patricia McKissack. A beautifully illustrated story that takes place in segregated Nashville in the 1950’s. Young Tricia Ann travels downtown to a special place – the newly integrated city library. Ages 3-7

Shipwrecked!: The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy by Rhoda Blumberg. The true tale of 14-year-old Manjiro who was shipwrecked in 1841, marooned than rescued by a whaling ship. The first Japanese to reside in the U. S., Manjiro was educated in New England and later returned to Japan where he became an honored samarai. Ages 9-12.

Breaking Through by Francisco Jimenez. A young migrant’s coming of age in the 1950’s is movingly told in this collection of short stories that is a fictionalized autobiography of the author and sequel to The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child (Houghton, 2001). Ages 12 and up.

All of these recommendations are available at Amazon.