Gift Giving Guy

Growing up, I loved to read and re-read Danny and the Dinosaur, Curious George, and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. All of these classic children’s books have something in common: they use first names in the titles. So when I’m seeking a gift for a young niece or nephew, I search for a children’s book with the child’s name in the title. Amazon.com’s Children’s Book Search almost always connects me with the right book gift.

Sometimes this search gives too many results based on the author name (and not enough named book titles), so you can also try Amazon.com’s Advanced Search. Type the child’s name into the Title field, select “Children’s Books” from the Subject field and click the Search button. I prefer to buy the hardcover editions for durability.

Using Amazon.com, I found children’s books for the top ten most popular girl names and most popular boy names, according to Wolfram Alpha.

For Girls

1. Emma:
   Where Are You Going, Emma?
2. Isabella:
   My Name is Not Isabella
3. Emily:
   Emily’s Eighteen Aunts
4. Madison:
   Princess Madison and the Paisley Puppy
5. Ava:
   Ava and the Magic Tutu
6. Olivia:
   Olivia . . . and the Missing Toy
7. Sophia:
   Silly Sophia: A Daily Adventure
8. Abigail:
   Abigail Spells
9. Elizabeth:
   Elizabeth, Who Is Not a Saint
10. Chloe:
    Chloe and the Magic Baton

For Boys

1. Jacob:
   Jacob Two-Two and the Dinosaur
2. Michael:
   Michael Recycle
3. Ethan:
   Ethan Goes Green
4. Joshua:
   Joshua’s Book of Manners
5. Daniel:
   Daniel’s Mystery Egg
   
6. Alexander:
   Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
7. Anthony:
   There’s an Ant in Anthony
8. William:
   William and the Night Train
9. Christopher:
   Christopher Counting
10. Matthew:
    Matthew A.B.C.