Let's face it.  Children's books are expensive.  It costs extra to produce all the brightly colored illustrations that make picture books the treasures kids love to look at.  So how do you get the most book for your money?  Whether you are building your child's library or looking for books as gifts, here are some tips that maximize everyone's enjoyment, offer lots of variety, and minimize spending. 

Look for lots of stories in one book.  An anthology is a collection of stories and/or poems.  Usually the titles include the word "treasury," "collection," or "anthology."  The illustrations are not going to fill whole pages like the individual book would, but you benefit from having lots of choices...at a price that is well below what you'd pay for each individual book, even if you got them used or in paperback.

  • Rather than buying individual books with nursery rhymes, find one book that has a bunch of them.  I've seen some collections with 100 Mother Goose nursery rhymes.
  • If your child has a favorite author, ask the salesperson if there is a "best of" collection.  For example, Laura Numeroff's stories are collected in Mouse Cookies and More: A Treasury.  The book includes not only four of the titles in the "If You Give..." series, but also includes an audio CD and recipes.  The price of the book retail costs less than two of the "plain" hardcover books.

When we travel, I always take one of our collections.  We have lots of choices for bedtime stories, but only one book!

Use your library card.  It may seem counterintuitive, but the best -- and cheapest -- way to find out what kinds of books your children like is to borrow them from the library.  I call it "previewing."  It is the easiest way to learn if your child has a favorite author.  Once you've got that, you can look for a collection of their books. 

Keep a list.  Whether you maintain an online wish list or a handwritten one, make sure you have some of your child's favorite authors and/or book series handy and up to date.  That way, when someone asks what they can get your child for a gift, you give them something that's guaranteed to be a hit.

Swap books with family and friends.  One of the easiest ways to add variety -- and preview new books -- is to create your own lending library.  Take advantage of tried-and-true favorites for sharing within your family.  I would recommend selecting only books that are "like new" -- no torn or missing pages, no crayon or pen markings, no teeth marks.

  • Do you have nieces and nephews who have outgrown books?  What about books your child has outgrown that you could give to younger relatives or other families?
  • Bring some books for swapping to your next play date at the park.  It doesn't take much planning to toss three or four books in your bag.  While the kids are playing, parents can look at the other books or "book talk" a title.  If you want the book back, just make sure your name is in it.

Head to the Bargain Books section first.  In our local bookstore, many of the children's book collections are in the front of the store, adjacent to some of the bargain books.  If you browse this section before heading to the children's section, you can get a sense of what's available and compare prices.  Starting mid- to late-October, the bookstores will start filling their shelves with these types of books, packaging them as "the perfect gift."

Look for online deals.  Most online booksellers offer discounted prices for new and used books.  You still need to be a savvy shopper.  Yes, you can get free shipping, but there is usually a minimum purchase requirement; and if the books are coming from different vendors, free shipping may not apply.  If the total is more than you've budgeted, you haven't saved any money!

Purchasing used books at yard sales and through online marketplaces is always an option.  Personally, because of issues about infection control and concerns about lead in children's books, I prefer to go to trusted sources that screen their products and vendors.

Creating your child's library can be fun AND inexpensive.  There are lots of ways to build a collection of books that grow with your children and meet their interests, too.  What is your favorite tip for getting children's books?  I'd love to hear your ideas...and some of your favorite story collections, too.