Christmas Wishlist Book Talk #1

From now until Christmas [12 Days but not the real 12 Days of Christmas or the song version either, just the 12 days leading up to Christmas :-)] I thought I'd pass on some book or book related ideas for pressies for others or yourself.  I should take a moment to make a confession:  Some of these suggestions I own, some I'll be doing for someone else, and some are on my personal wish list, but no matter which list they are on, they are all great books.

So, to kick it off, with the first of the last two films coming out, let's go to Harry Potter - a series of books enjoyed by all age levels. 

You can see the various cover art HP went through over the years at Bloomsbury, but here's my opinion and part of why it's here.  I thought the British Children's Covers were good, I was always a bigger fan of the Adult Cover versions, but a Signature Line with covers by Scotland based renowned linocut artist Clare Melinsky were released this November in paperback only - probably to celebrate the end of the line.

They come as a boxed set, CD [read by Stephen Fry], or individually.

Now, if you've visited my blog often, then you'd be in the know - as in know my passion for pop-up books and would therefore not be surprised to see me mention Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book: Based on the Film Phenomenon by Bruce Foster and Andrew Williams, which was recently released.  While I haven't been a fan of the previous HP pop-ups, this one looks good.

If you don't have a fan of Harry to look for, but maybe a young ballet enthusiast, then think about Swan Lake Ballet Theatre.  Great book, theater setting and characters, and CDs set by Jean Mahoney and Viola Anne Seddon.  Little ones will enjoy playing ballet and fall into the music through the story.