Kids Books | Books & Reading | Classifieds.co.uk :

Many parents and other adults will be surprised at the breadth of choice available when it comes to buying books and magazines for children. This sector is big business nowadays and there are all kinds of options for children of all ages. In fact, a lot of adults buy for themselves in this sector. The collector's niche of children's books and magazines is a thriving industry in its own right.

There are certain things to remember when buying books and magazines for children. For a start, if buying as a gift, then try and find out if they already own the book / magazine planned for purchase. Duplicates never go down well with kids!

The most important factors here are to buy a book or magazine that the child will like to read and is capable of reading. This isn't so much an issue with younger children where their parents can help them enjoy a book or magazine if they cannot read it but it can matter to older children. If possible try to buy a book or magazine that will interest them and that falls within their age range. Some children, of course, may be reading ahead (or behind) their specified age range so check with the parents first to see what stage they are at and what kinds of books or magazines will appeal to their tastes. Buying a football annual for a boy who hates football but loves rugby is not going to go down at all well!

Popular types of childrens books and magazines
There are books available for all ages of child -- from baby upwards -- and magazines start a couple of years after birth. Babies usually like playing with soft books, board books and books with which they can interact such as books with flaps and books that make noises when they press a button. As a child gets older words start to play a more important part in the books they look at.

Popular books for children of all ages are tie-ins to TV shows and films. Younger children may love Thomas the Tank Engine books, for example, whilst older kids may enjoy reading the Harry Potter series. As they get older, children may also enjoy reading classic books as well as modern ones.

Magazines for kids often start with comics and magazines that are tied into TV shows and channels such as CBeebies. Character magazines are generally very popular with younger children and can be very educational as well as fun to look at. As children get older then TV and film tie-ins remain popular but they may also start to want to read magazines about a specific interest. So, for example, they may want to read a football magazine.

Most magazines will come out on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis and many parents choose to buy a subscription for their child as this can give them some cost savings over a period of time. Some magazines (usually craft and subject specialist ones) will come out on a regular basis for a set number of issues and may involve making or doing something specific. For example, some children like to collect magazines on a certain subject such as pirates that could come with a construction piece in each issue. As they collect issues they can build something such as a pirate ship -- so, by the time they have collected all the magazines they should have been able to construct the whole ship (unless they got bored, lost a bit or missed an issue!).

Buying childrens books and magazines second hand
There is generally a big market for buying and selling second hand books and magazines in the UK and this sector is thriving when it comes to childrens books and magazines. Parents choose to buy second hand books and magazines for various reasons. They may want to pick up some books cheaply for their kids to save some money or they may be looking for a book that they remember from their own childhood that they think their child will like but which they cannot find in the shops. In some cases they will be looking to complete a set of books that aren't easily found in high-street stores.

The second hand magazine sector is also popular. Again, people buy second-hand for various reasons. The main one is usually the need to complete a set of magazines or to read an issue that they missed buying. And, again, buying second hand can often save some money here.

Many people buying childrens books and magazines second hand are collectors or dealers. The childrens book and magazine sectors are popular collectibles for many people. Some collect modern first editions, some like to collect old editions of books from their childhood, some collect old comics and some like to collect books from certain authors. In general terms these are often more easily found second hand than on the high street.

Quality can be hard to assess with a second hand purchase if the person is buying the book or magazine online. Buying in a second hand book shop is easier because the book can be seen first-hand. So, it's always a good tip to find out why the person is selling the book or magazine. Some people, for example, sell their child's books when they grow out of them, some will be selling duplicates and some will be collectors/dealers selling to collectors. If the purchase here is potentially a valuable one then take the time to ask about the condition of the book and ask for pictures if available. These will help judge the actual condition before committing to making a purchase