Innovative Present Concept: Customized Book Sets

I realize we’re inundated with gift suggestions at this time, but! My friend Jodi Levine had such an intriguing concept for uniting bookish items that I requested her to share her method with us. Here we go…

Jodi says:

I usually find myself shopping for gifts at the last minute during the holidays. When that familiar panic hits, I remind myself of my favorite technique for personal gifts. I start with a book — often a cookbook or some sort of activity book. I then create a gift around the book, assembling a “kit” filled with necessary tools, materials, or ingredients. After visiting the bookstore, I can frequently source what I need from the supermarket or a craft shop (most offer baking supplies as well). These kits seem sincere, and they’re incredibly simple to compile.

For wrapping, I just place everything in a simple brown paper bag, add some tissue paper, and tie a candy cane or small sprig of greenery to the handle. If I’m fortunate, I’ll find a kit element that can also serve as the gift container — like a baking sheet, a large jar, or my favorite (affordable) basket that people tend to keep and repurpose.

While I generally opt for cookbooks or craft publications, this approach is effective for *any* book if you unleash your creativity. Even a novel can inspire a gift idea — even if it’s just themed around “reading,” ha! (I’d be thrilled to receive a book along with a book light and an adorable bookmark!) Alternatively, the book’s setting can spark a gift of food supplies or a gift card to a corresponding restaurant. You could also draw inspiration from reference books (consider: a birdwatching guide, complemented with binoculars and a bird call.)

Here are a few suggestions to inspire you:

Cookbooks are among my favorite gifts to give and receive. As a somewhat vegetarian eater, long-time enthusiast, and unofficial pupil of the Jenny Rosenstrach Cooking School, I genuinely adore this book! It’s just so practical, bursting with tips, narratives, shopping lists (including top store-bought “saviors”), mix-and-match charts, and a “hooks” chapter. Several recipes from this book are already in our usual meal rotation, and I’m eager to include more. I’m wrapping this book with some ingredients I discovered from Jenny and a charming dishcloth, all arranged within 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’d categorize myself as an “advanced beginner” when it comes to baking. While I don’t aspire to perfect croissants or croquembouche, I have always wanted to grasp the fundamentals of baking science. The initial section of Sift, by Nicola Lamb, is a dream manual, providing insights into the hows and whys of basic ingredients like sugars or butter, as well as a wealth of technical knowledge. For this kit, I selected a few of Nicola’s suggested tools and essential ingredients for a recipe that caught my attention — her apricot and rosemary polenta cake, yum! — and organized them alongside 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 both a narrative and craft book, where kids can accompany the main character, Mouse, throughout their day and discover how to use recycled materials to replicate the story’s small scenarios. This is the book that my friend and creative collaborator Margaret McCartney and I both wished for as former mini-and-mouse-obsessed youngsters.

Given that the crafts in this book utilize common household items, I prefer wrapping it with whatever I can scavenge from around the house — toilet tubes, bottle caps, anchovy tins, jar lids, corks, straws, and more. You can mix various items into a jar and package it with the book in a straightforward canvas tote. I adore the notion that a child can receive an activity book and jump right in.

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

You might already be familiar with Darryl Cheng on Instagram. As someone with less-than-stellar plant-parent luck, I value Darryl’s straightforward plant-care advice. His book The New Plant Collector delves deeply into subjects I’ve been confused about, like how to assess and comprehend the light in your area to find the optimal location for each plant. For this gift, I collected a few recommended items from Darryl into a lovely basket that can also function 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 love the concept of gifting a collection of books illustrated by the same artist. Christian Robinson is among my favorites, so I chose When’s My Birthday by Julia Fagliano, Another (written by Christian Robinson himself!), and Something, Someday by Amanda Gorman. I admire how Christian incorporates collage techniques using punched paper circles in his illustrations. Thus, this gift kit contains colored paper, recycled newspaper, a circle paper punch, and basic art supplies. I packaged it in one of these adorable cardboard suitcases, which serves as a fantastic holder for an art kit.

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

Which books would you construct a kit around? Please share below…

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

P.S. Our comprehensive Cup of Jo gift guide and the top book for putting in a guest room. Plus, Jodi’s week of outfits! (How adorable is her pinafore dress?)

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(Photos by Jodi Levine.)