Cool Gift Approach: Book Kits

I know we’re up to our ears in gift guides at this point, but! My friend Jodi Levine had such a cool idea for how to bring bookish things together, I asked her to show us her approach. Here goes…

Says Jodi:

I tend to be a last-minute holiday shopper. When my inevitable panic sets in, I try to remember my best trick for coming up with personal gifts. I start with a book — typically a cookbook or some kind of activity book. Then I build a gift around the book, assembling a “kit” with tools, materials, or ingredients. After my trip to the bookstore, I can often find what I need at the supermarket or a craft store (most sell baking supplies, too). These kits feel heartfelt, and they’re so easy to put together.

As for wrapping, I just put everything in a plain brown paper bag, add tissue paper, and tie a candy cane or sprig of greenery to the handle. When I’m lucky, I’ll find a kit item that will double as the gift container — like a baking sheet, large jar or my favorite (inexpensive) basket that people will actually keep and reuse.

Although I usually choose cookbooks or craft books, this idea works for *any* book if you get creative. Even a novel can inspire a gift theme — even if the theme is just “reading,” ha! (I would love to receive a book with a book light and cute bookmark!) Or the book’s setting can inspire a gift like food ingredients or a gift card to a related restaurant. You could also take inspiration from reference books (think: a birding book, paired with binoculars and a bird call.)

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Cookbooks are one of my favorite gifts to give and receive. As a vegetarian-ish eater, longtime fan, and unofficial student of the Jenny Rosenstrach Cooking School, I love this book! It’s just so usable, with endless tips, stories, shopping lists (including best store-bought “saviors”), mix-and-match charts, and a “hooks” chapter. Several of these recipes are already in our regular rotation, and I can’t wait to add more. I’m wrapping this book with some ingredients that I learned about from Jenny and a pretty dishcloth, all arranged in a reusable wooden tray.

Gift kit items:
* The Weekday Vegetarians Get Simple
* Rancho Gordo garbanzo beans
* Dukkah
* Smoked paprika
* Long spaghetti
* Capers
* Artichoke hearts
* Dishcloth

I would call myself an “advanced beginner” baker. Though I don’t have ambitions to master croissants or croquembouche, I have always wanted to learn the basics of baking science. The first section of Sift, by Nicola Lamb, is the manual of my dreams offering the hows and whys of basic ingredients like sugars or butter, along with lots of technical information. For this kit, I picked a couple of Nicola’s recommended tools and key ingredients for a recipe that caught my eye — her apricot and rosemary polenta cake, yum! — and arranged them along with the book on a pan.

Gift kit items:
* SIFT: The Elements of Great Baking
* Ground polenta and fresh rosemary
* Pastry brush
* Jelly roll pan

My own Mousetown is a story and craft book combined, where kids can follow the main character, Mouse, through their day and learn to use recycled materials to recreate the story’s tiny scenes. This is the book that my friend and creative partner Margaret McCartney and I both wanted, as former mini-and-mouse-obsessed kids.

Since the crafts in this book use common household materials, I like to wrap it with whatever I can find around the house — toilet tubes, bottle caps, anchovy tins, jar lids, corks, straws, and more. You can throw a mix of these items into a jar, and pack it up with the book in a simple canvas tote. I love the idea that a kid can receive an activity book and get started right away.

Gift kit items:
* Mousetown
* Tote bag
* Recycled materials: toilet tubes, bottle caps, anchovy tins
* Paper straws
* Craft sticks

You may already follow Darryl Cheng on Instagram. As someone with not-so-great plant-parent luck, I appreciate Darryl’s clear plant-care guidance. His book The New Plant Collector goes in-depth on topics I’ve been unclear about, such as how to measure and understand the light in your space so you can find the best spot for each plant For this gift, I gathered a few items that Darryl recommends into a pretty basket, which doubles as a planter.

Gift kit items:
* The New Plant Collector
* House plant
* Basket
* Bonsai scissors
* Soft wire tie
* Light meter (he uses one!)

For kids, I like the idea of giving a stack of books all by the same illustrator. Christian Robinson is one of my favorites, so I chose When’s My Birthday by Julia Fagliano, Another (authored by Christian Robinson himself!), and Something, Someday by Amanda Gorman. I love how Christian uses collaged paper, including punched circles, in his artwork. So, this gift kit includes colored paper, recycled newspaper, a circle paper punch, and art supply basics. I packed it up in one of these cute cardboard suitcases, which makes a great art kit holder.

Gift kit items:
*Acrylic craft paint
*Cardboard suitcase set
*Circle punch
*Glue sticks
*Scissors

What books would you build a kit around? Please tell us below…

Jodi Levine is a crafter, author, and former editorial director of Martha Stewart Kids. You can find her work on her website, SuperMakeIt, or in publications like The New York Times for Kids and The Week Junior. Jodi lives in the lower Hudson Valley with her husband, and she has two sons. Follow her on Instagram, if you’d like.

P.S. Our complete Cup of Jo gift guide and the best book to put in a guest room. Also, Jodi’s week of outfits! (How cute is her pinafore dress?)

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(Photos by Jodi Levine.)