Can You Have Too Many Books?

I'm part of a local mommy's group on Facebook.  I'm not super active there, but there's a question that pops up fairly regularly that I always like to put on my librarian hat to answer:



Q:  What is a thoughtful, fairly inexpensive gift that I can get for X Child who is X Years Old?  S/he already has everything, so I'm looking for a really interesting/unique idea.

My answer is always something along these lines:

A:  When in doubt, I love to give books!  You truly cannot have too many of them, you have lots of options to choose from (but you also really can't choose wrong), plus they promote learning / early literacy / parent-child bonding.  Board books and paperback  books are also fairly inexpensive, most costing under $10.  You really can't go wrong!



Occasionally someone will respond to my comment with the following counter-arguments.  While these are fair concerns, I think that it's really important for me to provide a few counter-counter-arguments.
 
I usually present this first answer in much shorter form with a more focused information depending on the situation, but here on this blog it makes sense to elaborate a bit more deeply:



CA:  But they already have SO MANY BOOKS!  I don't wan to give them more and add to the clutter.

CCA:  Oh, honey.  That's sweet of you to care about the trouble of having books strewn all over the living room floor.  And I get it.  I also have a very young child who owns a fairly obscene number of books.  And yes, I do occasionally mutter to myself about the clutter.  But really and truly:  You can't have too many books!  

I have observed, both from my own experience and the experiences of friends/colleagues as well as documented research (links below), that the more books a child has in their house, the more they read and the greater their future successes will likely be.  The books will not sit stagnant on the shelf.  They will be read if they are in the house and easily accessible.  It might seem like they have "enough" or "too many" books on the outside, but I can assure you that if you're seeing the books well enough to make this observation, you can be confident that they're being read.  A few more will only help this child love reading more, and that to me is more than worth a little bit of clutter.

Is the child very young and still being read to?  If so, I can all but guarantee that Mom and Dad are bored to death with most of the books already in their house, no matter how many they have and how wonderful they are.  A personal anecdote to illustrate this:  My 1.5-year-old daughter has about 75 board books.  It's a pretty ridiculous number; more than most people have.  But it only takes about two minutes to get through each one and because we have lots of books that are easily accessible, my daughter loves reading them and we go through a big stack every day.  It doesn't take very long for us to start repeating books, even with this large number to start with, and when we start repeating too often Mom and Dad get bored. Something new and clean and fresh will always be a welcome addition to the routine.

Is the child older?  Are they voracious readers?  If so, the same rule applies; The more, the better.  The books that you give will get read.  Are they more reluctant readers?  Then it's all the more important to give books, perhaps in a different genre or style than they are used to, in the hopes that you might help this child discover something new and exciting.  Most reluctant readers are reluctant simply because they haven't found That Book that sparks something with them.  They need a little nudge to find That Book.  They will only find That Book if people give them books.

Finally, the one or two books that you give are also not going to really going to add that much more clutter if they already have tons of books.  Mom and Dad find a way to make room on the shelf or in the storage basket.  They will continue to do so until the bookshelf collapses, at which point they will either do some housekeeping or buy an extra bookshelf.  Either way, it's not your job to worry about the clutter.  It's your job as the gift-giver to give a really nice gift, and books are great gifts.

A few links to interesting articles on the subject of having books in the home, both of which relate to the same study:
Pacific Standard
Education World



CA:  I just gave this child books at his/her last birthday / Christmas / Easter / other occasion.  Wasn't that enough?  I'd hate to be repetitive.

CCA:  Again, don't stress out about this.  As long as you give a different book, it won't be the exact same thing because each book provides a different reading experience.

Did you give them a book about dinosaurs at the last gift giving occasion?  Then give a book about colors or farm animals or outer space this time.  Variety is always good.

If you think an older child would be up to it, try giving books from a different genre than their usual to mix things up a bit, for example, giving something historical or a mystery to an avid reader of fantasy.  Alternatively, introduce them to a new, up-and-coming author in their favorite genre, or an older, classic series that they may not be aware of.

Don't forget about nonfiction too!  Has the child recently expressed an interest in anything at all - maybe sports, current events, opossums, the latest video game, or science?  I can all but guarantee that there's a book about that.  Find one to give as your gift to help the child further explore their new passion.

Most kids, especially those who love reading, will be happy to have more to read and explore.  More reluctant readers will hopefully be drawn to new subject matter.  The more books, the better!