Holiday gifts for kids and teachers from National Geographic Kids [Review & Giveaway]

Let's think about school and the upcoming holidays......

As one who worked in schools for many years, I know the cycle of holiday breaks and I know how students and their parents look forward to these days. Teachers, too! And part of the Christmas holidays is the "gift for teacher" that many families lovingly bestow on their child's classroom teacher.

Most often, these are trinkets and gifts designed for a teacher. We've all seen them in the stores and the teachers usually have a host of them already in their possession. Not that they they don't appreciate your loving gift, but sometimes something a bit more useful is more appreciated.

Have you ever thought of a new book for the classroom bookshelf? All elementary and most middle school teachers have a bookshelf and teacher's own funds usually purchase these books. And the teachers (and students in the class) absolutely love it when a good, quality, fun, and educational book is added. That's where National Geographic fits in so nicely. They have an absolute plethora of wonderful books from which you may choose. Below are just a few that you might want to consider......

They are fun, visually stunning, totally engrossing AND educational (but don't tell kids that last part!).  Here's a brief rundown of a few of the titles  and book covers:

Weird But True! Christmas: 300 Festive Facts to Light Up the Holidays — (ages 8-12, 208 pages) The PERFECT stocking stuffer! Ready for some totally festive facts? Even Christmas can be weird -- it's true! Did you know that Santa's reindeer are probably all female? Or that artificial snow can be made from seaweed? Or that "Jingle Bells" was the first Christmas carol sung in space? Every kid will ho ho ho when they unwrap this book that is chocked full of the most random and fascinating facts about their most favorite holiday.

My thoughts: This is cute. Lots of fun, silly, interesting little bits of information that will entertain kids during Christmas and other times as well. 

Ultimate Dinopedia - (ages 7-10, 296 pages) Attention dinosaur fanatics! This is a big, gift-worthy hardcover that is also the most complete and comprehensive dinosaur reference ever. Although these amazing creatures roamed the Earth ages ago, new dinosaur discoveries are still being made today.  The new edition includes favorites, like the fierce T-rex and the gentle Brontosaurus, plus audacious new finds, like the Anzu, Kosmoceratops, and Yi. Every dino profile is colorfully illustrated and features descriptions of when they roamed the Earth, how they lived, what they ate, and more. There are more than 600 dinos featured in all, including 10 profiles of recently discovered dinosaurs and new entries in the Dino Dictionary. Reports from paleontologists present the latest news and insights from the field.

My thoughts: Another great and interesting book about the species "dinosaur" from the good folks at National Geographic Kids. What was really surprising to me is the huge chart/ table of dinosaurs by name and where they are located. I had no idea there were so many types. 

Bet You Didn’t Know: Fascinating, Far-Out, Fun-tastic Facts - (ages 8-12, 192 pages) “...the whole outing is really tailor-made for dipping and flipping at random....A bodacious wellspring of random knowledge."— Starred review, Kirkus Reviews. BIG, packed with gorgeous photos and illustrations and guaranteed to keep kids occupied for hours and hours, Bet You Didn’t Know is the perfect holiday gift for the fact-lover or for your kid’s favorite teacher’s classroom. Did you know that the first stop signs were black and white? Or that a litter of kittens is called a kindle? Or that butterflies can see more colors than humans can?  Based on a favorite department in Nat Geo Kids magazine, this book is overflowing with fascinating facts, silly stats, and catchy little knowledge nuggets in all kinds of cool categories, from astronomy and sea creatures to revolutions and breakfast. Special features include Extreme Weirdness, Strange Places, Wacky World, and more.

My thoughts: Attention span a wee bit short sometimes? Still you can engage the mind and learn fun and interesting stuff with a book like Bet you didn't know! National Geographic Kids has another slam-dunk with this one.

Just Joking Jumbo — (ages 7-10, 288 pages)  What do you get when you have 1,000 giant jokes and 1,000 funny photos?  A stocking stuffer that adds up to some seriously big laughs! If you have a budding stand up comedian on your list this year - this is the perfect book for them.  Knock-knocks, puns, riddles, tongue-twisters, photos of silly situations and even the craziest info about the history of funny business - it’s all here!

My thoughts: Who ever thought joking around could be fun and tweaked with learning as well? Got 'cha! National Geo Kids, of course. Sprinkled throughout are little bits of information that sneak in unawares. Kind of fun to learn this way.

Hey, Baby! A Collection of Pictures, Poems and Stories from Nature’s Nursery - (all ages, 192 pages) Sweet dreams are made of this! Join National Geographic Kids on a trip around the globe to celebrate nature's nursery.This collection of stunning photography of wee ones of the wild world will inspire, awe and awww. With dynamic profiles, clever poems, time-tested folktales, amazing rescue stories, and unlikely animal friendships, this book will be a favorite with sleepy little ones, new parents and moms-to-be. Featuring everything from wobbly baby bison to teeny turtles, mini-monkeys to fluffy foxes, this is the perfect keepsake book for the baby animal lover in us all.

My thoughts: As always, the babies get our warm fuzzy on and bring joy and smiles to all of us. Learning about these sweet little ones - and such a variety of critters - is such fun. Engaging for any age.

GIVEAWAY - 2 WINNERS

1st Place = Choice of 3 of these books

2nd Place = Remaining 2 books

Begins November 15

ENDS December  1 @ 12:01 a.m. EST

Open to USA addresses only.

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DISCLOSURE: I received complimentary copies of these books to facilitate this spotlight/review. Any opinions expressed are solely my own and are freely given. Books provided by National Geographic Kids.