Got a child on your Christmas list? Here's a gift idea that isn't made of plastic and doesn't take batteries. A book!
With so many toy options these days--it's easy to wonder if children still appreciate books.
Patricia Brook says they do.
"I think it's a great gift because they can use it over and over again. And with a lot of toys they just sort of forget about them but with books they just keep coming back and coming back and coming back," she explained.
The Canadian Toy Testing Council -recently released its list of great books for 2009.
For the very young --"Eats"
"There's a big bold look to it a book that would start a conversation for a parent with a child or a child who is not reading yet could look at the book and get a lot out of it," said Phyllis Simon of Kidsbooks in Vancouver.
For pre-school and emerging readers "The House That Max Built" follows the progress of a house from beginning to end.
"What's so magical about this book is it makes it understandable for a very young child. The process of construction -- it's very logical and you have to do it all in the right steps," said Simon.
The beautifully illustrated "Looking For Loons" shares a young boy's discovery of nature at a summer cottage.
For intermediate readers, a top pick is "The Adventures Of Daniel Boom AKA Loud Boy" --the first time a graphic novel has made the list.
"The comic book format has gotten respect and legitimacy finally," noted Simon.
The novel "Blazer Drive" --a hockey mystery set in Kamloops -- was also given top marks.
In the non fiction category "Alien Invaders" --shows readers the creatures that are a surprising threat to the environment.
And "Science on the Loose" -lets loose everyone's inner scientist.
"What I love about this book is it's not just informational about science --all kinds of science questions that can be answered-- but the experiments are laid out for the child to try themselves," said Simon.
All the recommended books are either written by Canadian authors or published in Canada.
