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.
