Reach for books as worthy gifts

NEW YORK – Books are an easy gift choice, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be fresh. There’s always a great selection around the holidays for a range of ages and interests.

Some ideas:

“Creature,” by Shaun Tan. The artist, writer and filmmaker from Perth, Australia, has collected his dreamy, sometimes eerie paintings and drawings. Tan reflects at length on his childhood in thoughtful text. $35. Levine Querido.

“Ugly-Cute,” by Jennifer McCartney. Is there beauty in just about anything? McCartney thinks so. She has put together a small-in-stature, fullcolor look at “cuglies”: oft-underappreciated species both well known and obscure. $14.99. HarperCollins.

“Africa in Fashion,” by Ken Kweku Nimo. The Ghanaian researcher and designer explores the complex role the continent plays in the global fashion worlds past and present. $40. Laurence King Publishing. Also consider “Africa Fashion,” which accompanies an exhibition of the same name at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

“Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898–1971,” edited by Doris Berger and Rhea L. Combs. This companion to an exhibition of the same name at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles focuses on independent film. Interviews with Charles Burnett, Julie Dash, Ava DuVernay and more. Essays, glamour portraits and a chronology by year included. $49.95. Delmonico Books/ Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

“The Crown in Vogue,” by Robin Muir and Josephine Ross. Published for the late queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the two take readers through more than 200 images from British Vogue of the British royal family, starting in the early 20th century. $29.99. Thunder Bay Press.

“Emily in Paris: The Official Cookbook,” by Kim Laidlaw. Filled with 75 recipes inspired by the Netflix series. $32.50. Weldon Owen.