Episode #328: 2025 Holiday Gift Guide!

Grace and Alvina have their annual holiday gift guide episode where they give gift recommendations for the people in your life! The gifts ideas include bread lamps, banned books socks, board games, and more!

For the Fortune Cookie they talk about School Library Journal's 21st Century Canon and the lack of inclusion of picture books by women. And they end as always with what they're grateful for.

BOOK NEWS!

Ling & Ting’s Lunar New Year! To celebrate the new book AND Lunar New Year, you can get a free virtual classroom visit with Grace when you purchase the book from The Carle Museum! I’ll share all about the customs of Lunar New Year and we’ll draw a horse together for the Year of the Horse! Please tell all the educators you know! Here is the link!

Holiday Gift Guide!

Here they are! Some fun gift guides that The Book Friends have put together for you!

Grace’s Gift Links:

https://shop.yukikomorita.com/en (Bread light!)

https://shop.carlemuseum.org/category/art-grace-lin https://shop.carlemuseum.org/product/lowly-worm-mug

Donate: https://www.authorsagainstbookbans.com/donate/

Amope eclectic foot file: https://www.amope.com/product-category/electronic-foot-files-refills/

High five books! Get your signed books here!

https://www.vendulalondon.com/new-aw25-ranges/new-aw25-shopfront-ranges/bookbinders or https://bloomingboutique.com/search?options%5Bprefix%5D=last&page=1&q=vendula

Alvina’s Gift Links:

Chinese-American spreads: 

https://rootedfare.com/

Socks: https://outofprint.com/collections/socks

https://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-white-elephant-gifts-holiday-2025.html

Cozy blanket!

https://www.anthropologie.com/shop/the-sophie-faux-fur-throw-blanket?color=064&searchparams=q%3Dfaux%2520fur%2520blanket

Portable watercolor kit

https://tobioskits.com/pages/f1

Hues and Cues boardgame

https://theop.games/products/hues-and-cues?variant=42564367548638&country=US&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&srsltid=AfmBOoqb3gKEJG0Hnc1Lb6HcqUyAUGr7u1Uj2bR8fb-ZPS17SbJxrMxqNiw

Book puzzle:

https://www.uncommongoods.com/product/diverse-spines-puzzle-reading-checklist

Anna Alter Illustrated Goods!

Fortune Cookie Segment

Readers’ Survey: 21st Century Canon List

There are only 8 picture books on the list and none of them were created by women.

https://bsky.app/profile/joshfunkbooks.bsky.social/post/3m6hsfpgjds2i

Gratefuls

Grace is grateful for a great family, a roof over her head, and that she’s still loving her work! Alvina is grateful for the start of a new chapter in her career, the space they have to host Thanksgiving, and that Stephen is cooking!

THANK YOU!

Thank you to Hachette Audio, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, and Alex at Pacyworks Studio for producing and editing this podcast. Be sure to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and tell a friend about us. Tag us on social media using the hashtag #bookfriendsforever OR send us a message via Instagram at @bookfriendsforever_podcast or via our website at Bookfriendsforever.com.

See info about Grace's new book "The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon": https://linktr.ee/gracelinauthor.

You can find Alvina @planetalvina on TikTok and @alvinaling on Instagram , Bluesky, and Threads.

You can find Grace @pacylin on Instagram and Threads, @authorgracelin on Facebook, @gracelinauthor on Tik Tok.

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