Do you remember your first favorite book? Was it one of the original 12 Little Golden Books like Pokey Little Puppy (the top-selling children’s book until Harry Potter came along)? Perhaps it was a picture book like Goodnight Moon or The Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar, an introduction to rhyming through Green Eggs and Ham, a collection of morality tales like Aesop’s Fables, or a book of short stories based on lovable characters like Peter Rabbit and Winnie the Pooh?

Scholars have differing opinions about when books started to be written specifically for children but they agree that today’s children’s literature (also known as juvenile literature) evolved from the contributions of many cultures. Even before the invention of books, adults told tales to children. Many children’s tales in modern times have their origins in the spoken narratives of ancient storytellers. Every corner of the world traces its storytelling and books to its particular history and culture, through evolution and revolution across the ages.

The first book published in what would become the United States was a catechism written in verse for children, known as Spiritual Milk for Boston Babes. The author was Puritan John Cotton. The book was published in Boston in 1646. By the 1800s, classic children’s literature from many other countries was translated into English for American children. Examples include The Swiss Family Robinson (Switzerland), Grimm’s Fairy Tales (Germany) and The Adventures of Pinocchio (Italy). From England came Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Jungle Book and Wendy and Peter (known here as Peter Pan). The 1800s also saw wonderful children’s literature written and published in the U.S. Examples are Little Women and Tom Sawyer.

While the period between WW I and WW II saw a noticeable decline in children’s literature in Europe, libraries in North America spurred growth by creating demand and opportunity to bring children and books together. Publishers followed with reviews and events geared toward children’s books. This period saw the introduction of book series from such authors as Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House on the Prairie) and Dr. Seuss.

As Baby Boomers came of reading age in the 1950s, they ignited a boom in juvenile literature. In addition to such books as Charlotte’s Web and the imaginatively illustrated books by Maurice Sendak, non-fiction books flourished in the children’s market.

It’s no surprise that the Harry Potter series, launched in 1997, became the best-selling children’s book series of all time. The plot and writing have drawn legions of admirers among adults as well as children because J.K. Rowling respected readers of all ages.

The growing popularity of eReaders (Kindle, Book, Kobo, etc.) raises questions and concerns about juvenile literature. While such devices make it easier to access books, they take away the physical pleasures associated with traditional books. Books on eReaders will never grow old with us; never greet us as we enter our homes, saluting us from bookshelves, inviting our fingers to dance through pages that evoke the memories of where and when we first met.

As holidays approach and you’re wondering what gift to give a special child in your life, give a book. Make it a real, physical book. Save the eReaders for later. If you really love that child, don’t wait for the holidays. Celebrate now by introducing your special child to a book that could become their first love.

Have you seen those ads for Lumosity, MyBrainTrainer and other “brain gyms,” where you can fork over $15 or more every month to keep your brain youthful? The fear of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia in later life is as common as the fear of heart attacks and strokes. While some of us head off to the fitness center, others are investing in online brain games. Mental exercises, say “the experts,” can keep you sharp in old age, just as physical exercises keep your body fit through the years.

Time to break out the confetti and rejoice, fellow bookworms! According to research findings reported this past July in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, reading books and writing can do as much for you as ready-made mind exercises.

Findings from a six-year research study, supported by the National Institute on Aging and the Illinois Department of Public Health, are remarkable. Memory decline was reduced 32 percent in bookworms who continued reading into old age, compared to engaging in average mental activity. Those who neither read nor wrote frequently experienced a 48 percent decline in memory. “We shouldn’t underestimate the effects of everyday activities, such as reading and writing, on our children, ourselves and our parents or grandparents,” says study author Robert S. Wilson, a neuropsychologist at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

Save your online “brain gym” membership fees and pick up a book instead. Don’t waste another moment. Just like physical exercise, the sooner you start and maintain a regimen, the better you’ll be in the long run. A seven-year study of 2,000 healthy individuals aged 18 to 60 found that mental agility peaks at 22. By 27, mental processes like reasoning, spatial visualization and speed of thought began to decline.

So let your mind take leaps and bounds. Let it take flight. Delight your synapses. Read a book. Then share it with a friend.