While most of my nieces and nephews are too close to being grown up to my liking (when did that happen???) when they were kids I was that aunt. You know, the one that could not be counted on for the fun toys. Instead they got the same thing every year - books.

The books were, of course, tailored to their age and personalities - Where the Wild Things Are for the young one, Scrubs on Skates for the hockey lover, and the latest Stephen King for the oldest (only a few years younger than myself). And I still routinely give books to kids as gifts. I subscribe to the "get them while they are young" philosophy. Christmas isn't Christmas if there isn't a book under the tree so here a few book themed gifts for kids.

1. A subscription to Highlights Magazine. Loooooovvveeeddddd this when I was a kid. They also have a new publication called High Five for kids age 2-5. Start them off with one in their stocking or wrapped under the tree and tell them they will get them for a whole year.

2. My favourite collection of children's books to give as a gift is hands down the Munschworks Grand Treasury. I also highly recommend Munsch on audio as he's an absolutely terrific storyteller. Love You Forever is far from my favourite Munsch but there are classic stories on the CD including Mortimer. But don't growl at me when you get "Clang clang rattle bing bang gonna make my noise all daaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy" stuck in your head.

3. Kids have a lot of books and they love to cart them all over the house. Wouldn't it be nice if they had a book cart? And it's something that will grow with them.

4. I'm not normally a fan of toys that make noise but I will confess to liking the Leapfrog products. They are interactive and help children learn how to follow instructions. I bought one for one of my favourite kids last year and it was a BIG hit. You just have to make sure you buy the right books for the right toy. We found out the hard way that Leapfrog Junior products actually don't work in the Leapfrog.

5. Ok, this pushes the "book" thing but I don't know many book lovers that also don't like Scrabble. Buy Scrabble Junior for the elementary school kids and Super Scrabble for the teens. Throw in a Scrabble Dictionary and it's totally a book gift!

6. Speaking about teens - how about some Young Adult Fiction? I'm totally head over heels in love with John Green's first two books An Abundance of Katherines and Looking for Alaska. One of the best things about these is that they will appeal both to the boy and the girl on your list. They also have the distinction of both having been recognized by the American Library Association. If neither of those appeal to you check out the 2007 Cybils nominees for some more ideas.

7. We all know at least one little girl who just loves all things princess. I've been hearing great reviews of Princess Bubble. She's a princess who bucks the damsel in distress waiting to be rescued by the Prince storyline. Put it together with the Paper Bag Princess and you've got some smart princess role models.

8. Christmas tradition in my household stated that everyone must receive a book of word games in their stocking.The younger kids usually got word searches while the older ones got crosswords and cryptograms. And you know what? There was always some point during the day, usually after dinner, where at least one of us would be sitting in a corner taking a quiet minute with one of these books.

9. One of my best friends growing up had a name that wasn't uncommon but was spelled unconventionally - a trend that has increased over the last decade or so. I've seen first hand how disappointing it is to never find your name on any of the personalized goodies. These personalized adventure books will the the child in your life feel extra speacial.

10. Here's a gift that won't costs you little other than your time. Gift someone one of your favourite childhood books and promise them regular library visits and story-time. It could be special Mommy and Me time or Aunt Jane's Story Hour.

Contributing Editor Sassymonkey also blogs at Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.