Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, author of Beanie’s beloved Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. This quirky look at the life of a young worm never fails to crack me up. May 28. Last night I went to the school dance. You put your head in. You put your head out. You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself about. That’s all we could do. Hilarious details in the illustrations.

All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan. This breathtaking book was the first baby gift I ever received, and it has become a family treasure. We like to hear Scott read it because it always chokes him up. Everyone in the young narrator’s family has a place he loves best about the family farm: the blueberry hill, the river rocks, the barn. (“Where else,” muses his grandfather, “can the soft sound of cows chewing make all the difference in the world?”) The boy grows up rooted in this sense of personal connection to place, and when his baby sister is born, he is the one to share “all the places to love” with her.

Bub: Or the Very Best Thing by Natalie Babbitt. Like many new parents, the king and queen are obsessing over exactly what is “the very best thing” for their toddler son. They solicit advice from all corners of the castle, and everyone from the gardener to the court musician has an opinion. Turns out the young prince knew the answer all along: “Bub.” What’s “bub”? Your two-year-old can tell you…

James in the House of Aunt Prudence by Timothy Bush. Not much text in this book: the story is in the deliciously detailed artwork. When James visits his very proper Aunt Prudence, he tries to be on his best behavior. It’s not his fault the bearskin rug turns out to be a live bear…not to mention the arch enemy of the nasty Mouse King.

Around this time of year, I get a lot of queries from readers about book recommendations for gifts. I thought I’d post some of my suggestions here. I’ll start with picture books (which make great family gifts as well as special presents for small children) and over the course of this week will try to work my way up to older readers as well. And of course I’ve already listed a lot of our favorites in the sidebar—what I’ll be posting here are (mostly) books that aren’t already listed there. If I put ALL the books we treasure, this page would take forever to load.

All righty then. You already know that I think Jan Brett’s Christmas Treasury would make a lovely family gift, one destined to become part of a holiday tradition. It brings together in one volume these stories: The Mitten, The Wild Christmas Reindeer, Trouble with Trolls, The Twelve Days of Christmas, The Hat, The Night Before Christmas, and the book that had me in tears earlier this week, Christmas Trolls.

The Rainbabies by Laura Kraus Melmed. Beautifully illustrated tale of an elderly couple whose yearning for a child is answered in a most unexpected manner. (Would make a extra-special gift in tandem with this adorable rainbow gnome babies set, or you could make your own with the pattern I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. Not to up the ante too much—the book is a beautiful gift all on its own.)

—More to come later—the kids just woke up and it seems St. Nick paid a visit in the night, for their shoes are full of candy. I am summoned to the joyful hullabaloo!