>Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess Ah, memories. Got this book as a kid soon after I started playing at 11-12. It's just a nice puzzle collection, progresses really nicely in complexity. No notation needed, so very kid friendly. The mating pattern with sacrificing a queen on f7 and forcing the king into the corner with the bishop to deliver backrank mate was my first realisation of the beauty and art of chess, and made a real impression on me. It's quite contrived though, so I've yet to get it over the board. But ever since I read it I look for it whenever it seems even remotely possible. Highly recommended for parents of young kids who have just started learning.

Here's some other chess recommendations:

Silman's 2 books on positional play and endgames: these are fantastic books. The chapters are broken up by rating, ranging from beginner level to master strength(2000 ELO).

Other than those two, puzzle collections are always helpful. And for intermediates, game collections from string players. My favourite is Tal - Botvinnik 1962, written by Tal himself. Tal in my opinion is the greatest genius chess has ever seen(held back by his terrible health), and he was a fantastic author as well. Other great collections include Kasparov's My Great Predecessors and Fischer's My 60 memorable games.

Skip opening books entirely. Pick an opening and find grandmasters who play it. Study their games, understand the ideas of the opening. Memorising theory isn't really helpful below expert level(1800 ELO).

Thanks to OP for the trip down memory lane!