By Elizabeth Carey, ballooningnesteggs.com
 
These inspirational reads are sure to help your nieces and nephews find a more selfless spirit after the gift-giving season has passed!
 
With all the talk of who was naughty or nice, the essence of why we exchange gifts can get lost in the hustle of the holiday season. Now that it’s the new year, Savvy Aunties can help make sure giving gets just as much play as receiving by encouraging the kids to dig in to a few of these great reads. From money to a warm meal, generous gifts in these tales will encourage youngsters to keep giving all year long.


 
The Giving Book by Ellen Sabin (ages 14 and up)
A roadmap for making contributions—big and small—to create a better world, this book tells it like it is: We give because it makes us feel good. If you have a tender heart, generous spirit, and an awareness that causes you to think beyond your own needs, chances are you’ll not only make everyone around you happier, you’ll be happier, too.


 
It’s Our World, Too by Phillip Hoose (ages 10 and up)
Children who have taken a stand to make our world a better place star in this nonfiction book. With themes like social equity, world peace, and eco-consciousness, each story inspires and empowers kids to make a difference. If fifth-grader Dwaina Brooks, just one of the 12 community-minded children featured, can rally her classmates to help feed the homeless, your niece or nephew can too. Practical suggestions for social action pair perfectly with these accounts of what can happen when one person cares enough to make a difference.


 
The Berenstain Bears’ Trouble with Money by Stan and Jan Berenstain (ages 3 and up)
When Brother and Sister Bear ask Papa Bear for money to play video games, Papa Bear suggests they earn their own money. This story shows young readers how the energetic bear siblings become little entrepreneurs and more importantly, what they decide to do with their earnings.


 
The Giver by Lois Lowry (ages 9 and up)
At the heart of this Newbery Medal-winning novel, a 12-year-old boy named Jonas who lives in a utopian society is chosen to receive a very special gift: the memories erased from all but one person. Known as The Giver, this elderly man trains Jonas to experience—and bear—memories of pleasure and pain. The young protagonist and his thought-provoking journey will entrance readers. Lowry asks us all to consider what we give and receive.


 
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney (ages 5 and up)
This endearing tale highlights the worldly adventures of Miss Rumphius. With the word of her grandfather echoing in her ear, she sets out to do something that makes the world more beautiful. She finds a unique, simple way to give the world something very special and encourages future generations to do the same.


 
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (ages 1 and up)
This timeless tale of selfless giving depicts the relations between a tree and a little boy. The loving tree bestows upon the boy multiple gifts as he grows up. Written by the insightful, intelligent, and prolific poet Shel Silverstein, this book invites children and adults alike to contemplate generosity.


 
Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud (ages 4 and up)
Serving as a guide to daily happiness for young children, this book also introduces the joy of giving to the little ones. As a prequel to a series by Carol McCloud, an early childhood specialist, this colorful volume uses “bucket-filling” as a metaphor for both self-fulfillment and doing things for others.


 
The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco (ages 4 and up)
Venerable author-illustrator Patricia Polacco weaves the story of her family’s journey from Russia to the United States. The focal point of her story, a brilliant quilt, is the product of family members’ contributions to a special keepsake. More than a memento, this “keeping quilt” demonstrates the potential of giving a little bit to something larger than oneself.


 
The Mangrove Tree: Planting Trees to Feed Families by Susan Roth and Cindy Trumbore (ages 6 and up)
Verse, prose, and vibrant mixed-media illustrations tell a true tale of innovative philanthropy. Set in a village in Eritrea, a tiny African country, the story shows how scientist Dr. Gordon Sato helped a struggling ecosystem begin to thrive and helped its people overcome impoverishment.


 
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty McDonald (ages 11 and up)
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle prescribes specific proactive solutions to change troublesome children’s sundry bad habits. Pay special attention to chapter four. Here, she describes the most selfish of kids, Dick Thompson. The lessons are sure to hit home for any reader trying to avoid greed and embrace the concept of sharing.
 
Can you suggest any other books to add to this list? Join the discussion on the Ballooning Nest Eggs Facebook Page.

Published: January 1, 2013