Books are becoming more and more popular as shower gifts. In fact, there are many baby showers where parents-to-be ask for only books. This makes more and more sense as family and friends move all over the world. Books are easy to mail. They fit every child. And they can be deeply moving gifts from the heart. Plus, they last longer than pacifiers or baby seats that the child will outgrow in a matter of months. Your gift has the potential to become a child or family favorite and may be the book that that child will read his or her own child when the time comes.
This can put pressure on the giver as you try to think of something meaningful to write in the front cover. Writing a small note in the front corner is an important rite of giving a book as a gift. This not only reminds the family of your gift, but it reminds the family of your love. What you write should include your name and the date, but you can add to the sentiment. Here you can find several suggestions for different types of books.
Rhyme Time with Dr. Seuss.
Dr. Seuss books are popular gifts to build a newborn’s library. Some of the most popular are The Cat in the Hat, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish, and Oh, The Places You’ll Go. The first two are largely sought after because they are great books for early readers. So, parents can read the books to youngsters and encourage them to learn the simple words. The last one is less of a book for children to read themselves. It’s definitely a book to read to little ones. It encourages curiosity and excitement of all that the world holds. Any of Dr. Seuss’ books would work well with an inscription he wrote himself:
“The more books that you read, the more you will know. The more things that you learn, the more places you go.”
Then you can add your name and the date of the gift.
Sleepy Time Books
Reading to a child before bed is a nighttime ritual that both calms the child and actually helps prepare the little one for school and beyond. There are lots of books out there designed to quiet children before bed. Books such as Goodnight Moon, Mem Fox’s Time for Bed, or Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site help calm children at bedtime. You can add your name and date to this rhyming inscription:
“Read me a story, tuck me in tight, say a sweet prayer, and kiss me goodnight.”
Or, you might prefer:
“Wishing you many nights of bedtime stories and sweet dreams.”
Classics
There is no reason why you should feel limited to only baby books at a baby shower. After all, parents are trying to build up the baby’s library. They want books that the child will enjoy for years to come. Consider gifting books that you loved as a child or books that are genuine literary classics. If you loved Little Women, The Secret Garden, Or The Narnian Chronicles, don’t hesitate to give them to the new family. But don’t forget some of the newer classics such as Harry Potter or The Graveyard Book. Some lovely inscriptions might be:
“May you always write your own story”
“May you always look for secret beauty”
Or
“May you always feel the spirit of Aslan walking with you.”
For newer classics, consider
“May you grow to find the magic with yourself”
or
“May you walk in strength and courage.”
Personal Favorites
One of the beauties of the internet is how easy it is to find older, out-of-print or obscure books. Did you love that story about the witch who made pancakes? Sure, you did. Good news! The Old Black Witch is available. Did the Mom-to-be show you the tattered copy of Just Only John she had loved as a child? Fantastic! There are dozens of websites dedicated to finding older books in addition to Amazon and Ebay. You can bring tears to a new parent’s eyes when you give them a piece of their own childhood to share with their child. Consider one of these inscriptions for these beloved books:
“I wanted to share a book that I loved with a child I love.”
“May this book touch your heart as deeply as you have touched mine.”
“I hope that this book will find a new home in your heart.”
Nonfiction Books
No, most children don’t need a copy of the history of Salt on their bookshelf. But, babies and young children are amazingly curious about their world. Nonfiction books for little ones include alphabet books, number books and simple word books. But nonfiction books have also taken a huge leap forward in the past several years. There are books that introduce important ideas from science to little one such as Quantum Physics for Babies or Baby Loves Quarks. There are many different inscriptions you might consider for this genre of books Consider some of these:
“Every word in the world is made up of these letters, including ‘I Love You!’” Or “One, two, I love you. Three, four, forevermore!”“
For some of the more advanced scientific books, think about
“Little things make a big difference in the world.”
General Inscriptions
There are many other types of books that you might consider giving: Board books, picture books, poetry books, story books. So here are a few general inscriptions that you might want to consider in your gift books:
“May your life be filled with stories and your shelves be full of books.”
Or
“A book is a gift you can open again and again, just like you are a gift to this family every moment of every day.”
Or
“I give you this book with love and the hope that these simple words will open a world of literature and knowledge for you.”
Or
“Here is one way to be a hero. I can’t wait to see the hero you will become.”
Finally, just remember to let your heart shine as you inscribe your book for this new little life.
Some popular book inscriptions that you can use are:
“You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book” – Dr Seuss“Wishing you many nights of bedtime stories and sweet dreams”
“May your life be filled with beautiful stories”
“Yours is a story so brave and true, and life is awaiting the hero in you!”
“I’m so excited to meet you and share my favorite book with you!”
“Laughter is timeless. Imagination has no age. And dreams are forever.” – Walt Disney
“Give with love and the hope that these simple words will open the world of literature to you.”
“You are the hero of your own story, but here’s some pretty good inspiration.”
“Open a book and you can be anything you want to be.”
“A child who reads will be an adult who thinks.”
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”
“Reading gives life more life.”
“A book is a dream that you hold in your hands.”
“Books are the plane. And the train. And the road. They are the destination. And the journey, they are home.” - Anna Quindlen
“Reading gives you some place to go when we have to stay where we are.”
“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.” – Margaret Fuller
“We lose ourselves in books, we find ourselves there too.”
This article is about what to write in a baby shower book. If you are looking for What To Write In A Baby Shower Card read our What To Write In A Baby Shower Card article.
“If you only read the books everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”
“The journey of a lifetime starts with the turning of a page” – Rachel Anders