When you ask for books instead of cards or other gifts, you run the risk of receiving two (or more) copies of the same book.
If that happens to you (oh, the horror!), here are a few things you can do with the additional copy.
- Keep one version of the book in the car, so you always have a book on hand. Not only during car rides, but also at the doctor’s office, the grocery store, the mall — an extra book can come in handy.
- Give one copy to Grandma and Grandpa to keep at their house. If there are two things we know from having kids, it’s that they love to visit Grandma, and they love when Grandma reads to them. Grandma’s house is the perfect place to keep an extra book.
- Leave it at a roadside lending library or offer it to the library at your church or school.
- Donate the book. Check your community for charities that accept book donations; here are a few places to donate books that might be available near you. (Side benefit: Donating books to children who need them would be a wonderful activity to do with your own kids!)
- Re-gift it. If there’s no writing in the book, or if the inscription was written on a removable sticker that you supplied, re-gifting is always a great option.
One more option: Just keep it as a spare. If it’s a favorite book, you may well find your kids wearing out the first copy, and you’ll be glad when you have a replacement on hand.