Book Exchange Ideas

  

A new social media book exchange has surfaced. If someone can get 6 people to commit to participating and everyone participates accordingly, your child will receive 36 new books. That’s a pretty awesome home library. I personally am not a part of it so I did not get the email explaining the rules but I am left to wonder how one chooses the books that are sent. The cut and paste states that “Amazon is the ideal way to send the book” so are people looking for the cheapest children’s books to fulfill their obligation? There are a lot of Sandra Boynton titles for under $5 on Amazon, does that mean a child would get 36 of those? They are all really great, but what good is it to get doubles of books one already has at home? Why is that exciting for a child? Is the purpose to get new titles? Is there a wish list or a way to tell people “I already have the following”? It seems like a waste of an opportunity to buy someone their third copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar or Madeline because it was your favorite growing up. Take the time to think of the book the child would appreciate adding to his collection. Here are some ideas of types of books a child might appreciate to make the most of this possible pyramid scheme.

   

Is he into television characters? There are so many Nick Jr. and Disney episodes that are made into books. I have a list of types of Disney books you can get inspiration from here. It is something the child is definitely going to be excited about receiving. Keep in mind literacy comes in all forms, if the rules allow, you can also consider a coloring or activity book with those beloved characters.

Does your child have an interest in nonfiction? Smithsonian has come out with amazing books for toddlers and children on a vast amount of topics. They range in reading level for children and also have activity books. (My top picks are: Curious About Zoo Vets for animal lovers, Are You My Dinner for reluctant early readers, Home Address: ISS International Space Station for those interested in space and the Oceans Doodle Book for your underwater fans.) Here are some other Smithsonian titles.

    

If the child you are sending to is between the ages of 0 and 4 I recommend checking out the board books published by Cottage Door Press, Barefoot Books and Little Bee Books. They are brightly illustrated, interactive concept books for the youngest readers and the odds of adding a new book to a child’s home library is very likely.

This is an amazing opportunity to get children excited about books and reading – make it a quality book choice to make this successful for your child.

Cottage Door Press

An amazing new publishing company has emerged, focusing on babies and toddlers and I would like to proudly introduce to you the world of Cottage Door Press. Each book they create focuses on one or more skills and developmental milestones of our youngest readers which they highlight on the back of each book, known as the Early Bird Learning Guide. The company focuses on books for children ages 0-4 and really hones in on what those children are learning and strengthening every day. With six different categories of books you are sure to find something appropriate for your little ones (and you may love every book offered so much you just might want to collect them all). Here are a few titles for each type of series:

  

I: Babies Love Series

These Lift-The-Flap books are perfect for baby’s first year. Titles in the series include Things That Go, Animals and First Words. They have sturdy pages and flaps (definitely not a rip-the-flap kind of book!) and I personally love that the text is full sentences and real content, not just words to teach vocabulary.

   

II: I Can Do It Books

These books are perfect for the toddler learning to do things on his own. They are all relatable, brightly illustrated and encourage children to grow.

Good Night Octopus goes through a typical nighttime routine, cleaning up toys, bath time, pajamas, story time and a kiss goodnight.

The Peas Say Please focuses on table manners. It has an engaging rhyming scheme and is filled with relatable pictures including a booster seat, sippy cup and bib.

Everybody Potties is a great book for introducing toilet training. It brings up knowing and understanding the feeling of having to go, making on a toilet, flushing and washing up afterwards. (I personally noticed there is no mention of wiping but that gives the reader the opportunity to share that with that child as they read together.)

  

III: Sing and Smile Stories

These books with familiar texts will get your toddlers singing and dancing, enhancing vocabulary skills in the most engaging way. They are also designed with a cut out handle so they are easy for young ones to hold and carry with them everywhere.

In the book Wheels on the Bus the circus is coming to town! The book is interactive and encourages children to move like the characters on the page or make fun noises. It is the perfect sing-along read-aloud.

In Old MacDonald Had a Band the farm is filled with animals’ sounds and musical instruments making this the noisiest farm in town! The text is fun and encourages musical expression. Also a perfect read-aloud.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is sure to be your child’s new favorite bedtime story. Fairy tale themed illustrations accompany this sweet nighttime lullaby.

   

IV: Look, Look Baby – Point and Match

A baby’s first I Spy book that teaches matching, pointing and other early math skills. Titles in this series include Zoom! Zoom! (Things that go), Whiskers and Tails (Animals) and Sunny Day (Things found outdoors). Every book builds vocabulary and is essentially a game that informally teaches numbers, colors, shapes and anything else you spot on the pages. There are suggestions on how to use the books on the inside cover and the really bright two page spreads are extremely inviting to young eyes. I strongly suggest this series, it is so much fun and takes story time with your child to a new level.

     

V: Tabbed Board Books

These books have a unique border making them more appealing on a bookshelf. Books in this series are:

ABC Animal Party – a story incorporating the alphabet and animals. It is a cute story about the animals preparing a surprise party for their friend and the alphabet on the last page has a picture of each animal that corresponds to the letters (except for K and X. I understand X can be hard but Kangaroo, Koala? There are animals that start with the letter K!)

Big Day for Baby maps out a typical day in a toddler’s life including waking up, getting dressed, eating, playing and bedtime routine. The last page spread highlights vocabulary and common pictures that babies and toddlers can surely identify.

123 Count With Me – count from one to ten with these adorable animals! I love the playful rhyming scheme in the text but no matter how many times I read this book, I always cringe at the “mousies” because the word is “mice”!

 

VI: Padded Board Books

These softer (but still sturdy!) board books are perfect for cuddling up and reading as a family.

Grandma Wishes – almost prayer-like, a grandmother wishes on a star that her baby grows up to be happy, healthy and a good person. If you know a grandmother, this book MUST be shared with her!

My Little Beast – every parent lives through these moments. Your child does something to set you off – a toy in the toilet, a new box of cereal spilled on the floor, coloring on the walls… (Is this just my kids?) This book is an adorable reminder that no matter how “beastly” the act, parents never stop loving their children and never cease to remind their children about that simple fact. I personally do not love the title (I don’t think it is particularly nice to refer to a child as a “beast”) but the pictures are cute and the text really resonates with many families.

The Moon Sees You and Me reiterates to children the idea that whether you are close by or far away there is always a sense of security between a parent and a child. This book sends a really positive and loving message to young ones.

In addition to these series, they also sell book and toy gift sets and button sound books. I really love the books that Cottage Door Press has to offer and I am excited for future titles to add to my toddler’s personal library. You can purchase Cottage Door Press Books on their website, Amazon, Kohl’s and other fine retailers. 

Hello, World!

    

Sometimes I wish I was a world traveler and had cool photo albums filled with pictures of famous landmarks and renowned art pieces from all of my explorations that I could share with my family and friends. Until the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami becomes a landmark, something tells me it will be a while before I have a more sophisticated photo album. Until then, my children have to learn about the world from television, books and their imagination.

My children love the television show Little Einsteins on Disney Junior which has exposed them to classical music and many recognized works of art and iconic cities around the world. They often ask if they can go to these places and see the Eiffel Tower in France or Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. While I feel bad telling them that we are not leaving the East Coast any time soon, a new board book series brings those cities and their cultures to life in my living room (when the television is off).

In this four book series, Hello, World highlights the best attractions and iconic features each city has to offer. It is also a concept series so you will practice your opposites in London, your numbers in San Francisco, your shapes in Paris and your colors in New York. Every parent who has been to any of these places (or lives in one of these cities) will be able to talk about the sites featured on a more personal level. I showed my children pictures of Buckingham Palace I took when I was there and held it up next to the picture in the book (they LOVED that!)

Each page of every book has something exciting to talk about with your child and truly captures the essence of each city. In the heart of New York City you can spot more than just colors while taxi cabs are flying through the streets and dogs are being walked in the park. On a sunny day in San Francisco you can count the people hopping on and off trolleys and watching the boats float by. Every must see site in Paris is mentioned in this book about shapes and children will love the changing of the guards and tea parties starting and ending in the London book of opposites.

The illustrations are bright, inviting and truly captivate the feeling of each city. I emailed the author/illustrator Ashley Evanson and asked her why she chose these four specific locations and she told me that “Each one is overflowing with its own unique culture, art, customs and life. I loved studying the history of all these cities and wanted to teach my own kids about it, too”. You will love sharing these books with your toddlers and they will love learning new concepts while experiencing another part of the world.  

The Biography Report

Me and David A. Adler

Warren Buffet once said in an interview that he is able to make smart executive decisions because he reads nonfiction books, mainly biographies. My husband thinks Mr. Buffet is one of the smartest men in the world, so he decided to start reading Business Week and told me to start reading more nonfiction as well. I took his advice and read Mindy Kaling’s first book, Is Everybody Hanging out without me? (And Other Concerns). We obviously have different opinions on quality nonfiction literature.

Everyone gets assigned a Biography report at some point in elementary school. I remember standing in front of my 3^rd grade class, dressed in black boots and a floral dress with my hair in pigtails and presented an oral report about the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I am sure I chose her but I have no  idea why, she was an author of a series I didn’t read until that report. With today’s new biography series, children really have the ability to choose a person they are genuinely interested in learning more about. Even better, they are written for children on all levels so if your kindergartner wants to learn more about Jackie Robinson, there are picture books for him. And if your third grader loves Maurice Sendak more than Laura Ingalls Wilder, there’s a biography for him too. 

When I became a librarian, a coworker once advised me to read at least one book in every series on the shelf so that when a parent or child asked me what it was about or what reading level it was I would know without hitting up my computer. I took it upon myself to read three biographies from three up and coming series focusing on famous people throughout time, the Women of Our Time Series, the Ordinary People Change the World Series and the Who Was/Who Is series.

  

Women of Our Time

This series focuses on renowned women of the 20^th century. Ranging from Coretta Scott King to Juliette Gordon Low, these books focus on the childhood and youth of these women, displaying their trials and tribulations and how that shaped them into the women who made headlines and paved the way for women everywhere. Each book is written by a different renowned author and the stories of these women give young people the opportunity to learn how vast childhood can be for people around the world and in different times and also teach that if you have a passion for something, nothing can stand in your way.

I read Golda Meir: A Strong Determined Leader by David A. Adler (who I had the honor of meeting at BEA this past year) and learned all about her journey from Russia to Israel. She was leader from a young age and is a truly inspirational role model for today’s young women (and men) who aspire to run for President one day. The back of the book has a timeline and index for reference use. Adler is a master storyteller and has written many picture book biographies worth reading as well. 

Ordinary People Change the World

Nothing screams “read me” like a brightly illustrated book with cartoon illustrations. The books read like a comic book and are voiced in first person by the famous person as a child. Titles include Jackie Robinson, Lucille Ball, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein and more. When children learn from a young age that famous people struggle in school or have hardships similar to them, it gives them the confidence to work hard to accomplish their dreams.

I read the newest book in the series about Helen Keller. The first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts, Helen Keller is one of the most motivating role model out there. Each book has authentic pictures of the person in the back, along with a timeline of her life, sources and further reading. The anecdotes in talking bubbles make this an easy reader and makes each individual feel easily relatable.  

Who Is/Who Was?

Think of a person and I bet you will find that name in this series list. From George Lucas to Frida Kahlo there is no way a child wouldn’t find a person they are interested in learning more about. Artists, scientists, actors, sports stars are all written about in this series. These chapter books are perfect for the elementary school book report with simple text and relevant illustrations. The timelines at the end of each book are amazing because side by side they navigate the person’s personal life in conjunction with what was happening in the world at the same time. There is also a bibliography for resource use.

I read the biography of Julia Child. Everything I knew about Julia Child was from the movie Julie & Julia. This was far more interesting than that movie. Julia did such interesting things throughout her life and she didn’t even plan on doing most of the jobs she fell into. My favorite anecdote is when Julia had to fill out a form in college stating her major and work plans Post College she wrote, “No plans and marriage preferable”. Julia Child isn’t just an inspiration to the child cook she proves that one can accomplish amazing things in life despite getting Cs in school and not having a clear direction after graduating college. Maybe this book will also become the new book to give as a graduation gift along with Oh the Places You’ll Go.

      

I also have made the time to read two adult autobiographies, Yes, My Accent Is Real by Kunal Nayyar and Why Not Me by Mindy Kaling. I had to read Kunal Nayyar's book because I had already received an excerpt from it at the Book Expo and I needed to finish the whole book, (You can read about my experience meeting Kunal Nayyar here.) While I can’t say that I learned the secrets to making better business decisions, I can say that I laughed out loud during both books and personally feel I have a lot of good stories to share about famous people at my dinner table.