Self-Care Gifts for a Little Me-Time
Sometimes the best gift is permission to slow down for a minute. These are our favorite self-care gifts, from spa-day-at-home treats to cozy blankets, reading-nook upgrades and little luxuries for the people in your life (yourself included) who rarely take a break.
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This guide contains affiliate links, which means we receive a small commission from some purchases to help support our team. All picks are determined editorially by our staff; there has been no compensation in exchange for our picks.
The North Star — Peter H. Reynolds
A picture book about finding one's path and trusting inner guidance—an encouraging gift for children moving up a grade.
From: 10 books for Kindergarten graduation gifts that you, and your child, will love.
Yay, You! Moving Up and Moving On — Sandra Boynton
A simple, celebratory Sandra Boynton book acknowledging a child's accomplishments—classic and cheerful for grads.
From: 10 books for Kindergarten graduation gifts that you, and your child, will love.
Rocket Science for Babies board book
A simple, illustrated board book that introduces basic rocket and space concepts to young children—durable for toddlers and great for budding NASA fans.
From: Our favorite space themed toys and kids' gifts to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Reclaiming Native Truth Project (Educational Resource)
7. How to Be a Good Ally: From Jordan Klepper and Invisible Nation
From: What is Indigenous People's Day? Great resources for talking to your kids, because Native American history is American history.
Ada Twist, Scientist series on Netflix
And if you want to catch the new Ada Twist, Scientist series on Netflix — executive produced by President Barack and Michelle Obama (yay!) — you can find it streaming now. And if you don’t have Netflix, you can find a few episodes on YouTube. It’s adorable!
From the guide
Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea (book)
A picture book celebrating community service and civic engagement—great for encouraging kids to be curious and civic-minded.
From the guide
What Does it Mean to Be Kind? by Rana DiOrio, illustrated by Stéphanie Jorisch (children's picture book)
A gentle, illustrated picture book that introduces everyday acts of kindness for young children—good for storytime or gifting to preschoolers and early readers.
From: What Does it Mean to Be Kind? | A perfect children's book for our time.
Gaelle Marcel
[image: Gaelle Marcel/Unsplash]
From: 6 clever ways to get your reluctant reader to love reading
entire I Have a Dream speech
Here’s his entire I Have a Dream speech.
From: An excellent list of MLK books, videos and resources to help kids understand the reason for the holiday.
We Need Diverse Books
Top image: from our post on all the best children’s books of 2019
From: Cool Moms agree: #WeNeedDiverseBooks
The Princess in Black and the Case of the Coronavirus (comic)
A short Princess in Black comic created to help explain coronavirus and safety practices to young children in a familiar character format.
From: How to explain social distancing to young kids: This free downloadable Princess in Black comic book helps
Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly (2017)
The 2018 Newbery Medal, for excellence in writing This past year’s winner is Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly, a story that weaves Filipino folklore with the real life of a child stuck at the bottom of a well. It sounds dire, but it’s celebrated for its masterful use of humo
From: All the best children's books of 2018 from all the best best-of 2018 lists. Perfect place to kickstart your 2019 reading list
The Extraordinary Book That Eats Itself
A hands-on, eco-forward activity book for kids full of earth-friendly projects and experiments—great for creative, nature-minded youngsters.
From: The Extraordinary Book that Eats Itself: the eco-forward book full of hands-on, earth-saving fun
Sticky History of the World (Usborne) - Sticker Activity Book
A hands-on educational sticker activity book that makes learning history fun for kids—great for road trips and family downtime.
From: The brand-new, must-have activity book for your family road trips
Seeing is Believing — Personalized Children's Picture Book (Kickstarter)
A personalized picture book from a Kickstarter campaign that celebrates diverse characters and encourages children to imagine they can grow up to be anything.
From: A personalized children's book that shows all kids that they can be anything they want.
What Does it Mean to Be American? (Picture Book) by Rana DiOrio & Elad Yoran - Preorder
A newly released picture book exploring American identity with warm illustrations—suitable as a thoughtful gift for kids and families.
From: What Does it Mean to Be American? This picture book says it better than any TV pundit or long-winded article.
Gorgeously Me! by Jonathan Van Ness (picture book)
A colorful picture book celebrating self-acceptance and individuality—great as a thoughtful gift for young children.
From the guide
Earth Day dinner plans? Grill out with these 5 burger recipes that could save the planet. Yes, really.
Photo at top of by @averyaugustine on Twitter. (Follow her, because OMG her book photos are amazing.) | Everything You Need for a Treehouse (by Carter Higgins and Emily Hughes)
From: 4 must-read books about the environment to read with your kids on Earth Day, and any other day
Find your own town on this interactive Native Land Map
1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving isn’t quite a “new look” considering it’s almost 20 years old, but relative to the decades of Thanksgiving misperceptions in this country, it’s still pretty darn new. Co-authored by Margaret Bruchac (Abenaki), this is a terrific book about Thanksg
From: 10 Thanksgiving books for kids written from the Native perspective, by Native people
Visit Prisma now through this link
From the guide
The 2016 National Book Award
From: The best lists of the best children's books of 2016, all in one place
The Caldecott Medal
But don’t miss the 2018 Caldecott honor books as well, like Thi But and Par Phi’s story of a Vietnamese immigrant father and his son in A Different Pond; or the sweet and simple Big Cat, Little Cat by Elisha Cooper that’s perfect for preschoolers and early readers.
From: All the best children's books of 2018 from all the best best-of 2018 lists. Perfect place to kickstart your 2019 reading list
Publishers Weekly : Best Children’s Books of 2018
From: All the best children's books of 2018 from all the best best-of 2018 lists. Perfect place to kickstart your 2019 reading list
2018 National Book Award
From: All the best children's books of 2018 from all the best best-of 2018 lists. Perfect place to kickstart your 2019 reading list