Middle readers have more confidence. They can read on their own, choose their own books, and often choose series books that parents wish they wouldn't -- like Goosebumps, rather than the latest Newbery Honor book.

For a Baby:

On the Day You Were Born

By Debra Frasier

I give this book a lot at baby showers. The story -- of the whole world's animals and environment waking up and coming alive on a single day -- is told in lyrical prose. The illustrations and simple and lively. My kids love to read it over and over again. The text is simple enought to captivate a younger reader, and as they've learned to read, they can read it on their own. What makes it special is that it's all about "them."

For a sibling about to have a baby sister or brother:

Before You Were Born: A Lift-the-Flap Book

Written by Jennifer Davis
Illustrated by Laura Cornell

While I'm not the biggest fan of Cornell's illustrative style, my kids must have read this book a thousand times. It's got a little science, a little of the mother's perspective, and a little peek inside the womb -- just enough for curious sisters and brothers who know they were there themselves one day.

For the reader who thinks they've read everything

The Book of Dragons

By E. Nesbit

Whether of not your reader is a Dungeon and Dragons type, this book is full of great stories.

Nesbit, who wrote over 100 years ago to support her family, writes in a still-fresh style that sounds as if it came straight out of a computer, rather than off an ink-stained desk.

It's a great read.

Suggestions for teenage boys who hate to read:

Skellig, by David Almond

Eragon, by Christopher Paolini

The Chosen, Chaim Potok