Perfect Easter Books for Children

Whether they serve as an Easter basket goodie or are read often during the weeks leading up to Easter, these two books are EXCELLENT. Go get 'em.

The Story of Easter

by Patricia A. Pingry

Explains the celebration of Easter by telling the story of Jesus' life, Resurrection, and love for us all.

• Pub. Date: February 2011
• Publisher: Ideals Publications
• Format: Board Book , 22pp
• Age Range: For infants or children in preschool

• ISBN-13: 9780824918446
• ISBN: 0824918444

Buy new or used here.

My Easter Basket and the True Story of Easter

by Mary Manz Simon

Children will discover the true meaning of Easter using the colors found in a traditional Easter basket! The colors help to tell the biblical story of Jesus' resurrection. ...

• Pub. Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Standard Publishing
• Format: Hardcover , 48pp
• Age Range: 4 to 8

• ISBN-13: 9780784713563
• ISBN: 0784713561

Buy new or used here.

Image Source (The Story of Easter) - BN.com
Product Details (The Story of Easter, My Easter Basket) - BN.com

Books for Cheap

...at the thrift store! 

For me to be such a money-saver, I don't do thrift stores very often (though we do have a nice desk in our office that was a thrift store steal, and lamps in our living room that were thrift store finds of my aunt's).  The problem is I'm not really a fan of hit-or-miss shopping.  So thrift stores, and even places like Ross and TJ Maxx, aren't places I have a lot of patience for.  I am JUST now starting to get clothes for my daughter at consignment shops.  And even then, sometimes, I'm not impressed with their prices because with my couponing and deal-seeking resources, I can find those same items NEW at the same (sometimes better) prices.

Anyway, my mom, a thrift store junkie, came to my house this weekend and I knew she'd love a visit to a thrift store.  So off we went.  If you can't tell by my blog, I'll tell you now:  WE LOVE BOOKS in this house.  So naturally I navigated to the book section expecting to see a messy pile of old, yucky books.  I was pleasantly surprised to find clean* books neatly stacked on shelves, and plenty of them!

And the prices?  Like 39 and 49 cents!  The most I paid for one was $1.99, but that book was almost new and retailed for $10.  I grabbed several board books for my little one.  Then I found this:

Which was cool since I already owned this:

And then I ran across the book below and thought it was cool (though we can't use it until Morgan's a little older):

A few seconds later, I realized it was a SIGNED copy (by just one of the authors, but still)!

How awesome is that!

Now I could have gone to a thrift store that only takes nice books or maybe it was just a good day to drop by -- I know thrift stores are hit-or-miss -- but I was pleased with the selection and what I brought home.  But not more pleased than my little one.  Which makes it even better!

So, though I have my favorite spots to shop for books (a little company mentioned more than once on this blog), I may start paying a visit to the thift store more often!

* ...though they still got a good ol' disinfecting wipe down. :)

Image Sources:  BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com 

Zulily

One word for you mamas out there  -- Zulily.  Some of you are saying "Girl, yes!" while some of you haven't gotten a chance to check it out yet.  If you haven't been there yet, what are you waiting for?  Awesome stuff, awesome prices.

When it comes to clothes, accessories, shoes, etc., I don't do full price.  I'm a couponer (not the crazy kind -- though I secretly wish I had time to be) and a person who looks for the best deal all the time.

So when I found out about Zulily, I was in awe.  LOVE.  I recently bought spring clothes for my little one -- bishop dresses, jumpers, my husband bought her a pair of shoes (he likes the site, too!), and I'm going to browse their books soon.  Yes, they have deals on books and toys as well as stuff for mama.

So, what's the negative?  Well, this is relative, but you typically won't get your get stuff in just a few days.  In a nutshell, this it how it works:

1. Sale opens.
2. You order from Zulily.
3. Sale closes (usually within 72 hours).
4. They submit their order to the brand/manufacturer.
5. The items are shipped to Zulily.
6. Then the items are shipped to you.

So common sense will tell you that your order won't be shipped to you in the same week.   And with that being said, you shouldn't order something you need quickly.  But other than that, no real negatives.  When I had questions about the process, I emailed them and someone responded promptly (which is the source of the information above).

I'm very much in love with Zulily now.  If that changes, I'll be sure to come back and update.  If you're a mama, soon-to-be-mama, future mama, or have kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, etc. get on over to Zulily, check out the awesome selection, and save yourself some money!

Oh! One last thing (how could I forget?) -- the stuff sells fast!  Early morning shopping gets you the best selection!

Rent a Textbook for Free!

If you're in school, you should go to Neebo.com to rent a textbook for free this semester (I did)!  I've never heard of Neebo, to be honest, but found out about this little campaign through a savings blog. I went to their Web site, and it was easy as pie to rent (you do pay shipping -- mine was $7.99 ).  I got an email a day later saying the book has been shipped.  Just to put icing on the cake, the book is sent with free return materials so you only pay shipping once.

I would have waited to post this after I had a good experience, but I wanted folks to take advantage of the deal while it was still good.  I look forward to getting my book in the mail soon!  If the service isn't as good as it sounds, I'll definitely update. :) 

Have a great semester!

Image:  Facebook

Update:  I promised I'd come back to update if my service was not good. Well, I'm back.  My plans were to always keep my blog positive and only talk about companies that provided a good product/service, but I felt it was my duty to come back and update this one. I ordered the book easily, easily paid the shipping, and got the book in a decent amount of time.  But halfway through the semester, I noticed that my book was missing pages (approximately two chapters).  No biggie.  I'm a teacher and I know these things happen in printing.  So I contacted Neebo and they quickly responded saying they'd send me a new book.  The new book I got five days later was the WRONG BOOK.  There were a few other issues that went on and ways they could have made up for the inconvenience (two weeks of missed assignments), but they didn't.  I simply don't like a company that does not always put the customer first.  So I'm sending Neebo their two useless books back and calling it a day.  I am sure my experience was not like most people's (and if you happened to also get a free textbook from them, I hope your experience has been wonderful), but I'm done with them.  Lucky for me I got the book for free.  I just ordered my book again for a wonderful price at Half.com.  I will wait to do a review this time. :)

Looking for a Way to Introduce Your Little One to the Story of Martin Luther King, Jr.?

Since my daughter is now a two-year-old who understands more and more every day, I've started introducing her to the meanings of holidays we observe.  While I don't expect her to fully understand, I don't think it's ever too early to start talking about it. She loves "reading", so we recently used a book to introduce the meaning of Christmas.  It worked (well, she associates Christmas with a baby (check!), and adds "wah, wah, wah, all through the town" to the story when she's reading it, but hey!), she loved it, so I wanted to use the same method to introduce the importance of MLK Day.

There are several MLK books out there, but it was important that I found something that was fairly short, easy to understand, had good pictures, and could take the wear and tear of a toddler who turns the pages of books a little too hard -- and still gets across the meaning of why Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is such an important part of our nation's history.   I ran across this board book for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

Barnes and Noble was having their Educators Appreciation sale this week, so I got it for 25% off.  I checked my local B&N inventory online one day and they had them, and came back the next day and they were all gone!  I searched another local B&N, and they had it -- I was sure to reserve it immediately.  They texted me within the hour and said it was ready. I had to drive a few more miles to get it, but I'm very glad I did.

Go here to buy or reserve yours at B&N.

Or here to order from Amazon.

Happy reading!

Image:  BN.com

Free Books for Your Child (Up to Age 5)

I've mentioned this a while ago on on my family blog, but it's definitely worth mentioning again.  Your child (or grandchild, niece, nephew, etc.) can get a free book in the mail every month until he/she turns five (regardless of income and no strings attached).

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library works with organizations in your community to provide these books.  Their purpose is to foster a love of reading early.  Like Dolly Parton, I grew up loving books and was in love with this campaign when it was first shared with me by a fellow mom.  I signed my daughter up and she's been receiving a book every month since she was a baby.

The books have been great:  classics like The Little Engine That Could, fun books like Big Sister, Little Sister and Roar of a Snore, and award-winning books like A House is a House for Me.  My daughter has loved every single book she's gotten, and, as her mom, I've loved seeing that.

Go here to learn more!

Image:  highcountrypress.com

Barnes and Noble Membership and Kids' Club

I don't buy books often (I'm semi-addicted to the public library), but when I do, Barnes and Noble is one of my spots.  I shop there enough to take advantage of their B&N Membership, which only costs $25/year.  You save 40% off hardcover bestsellers, 20% off ALL adult hardcovers, and 10% off everything else.  On top of those savings, you can use coupons they email you.  My favorite part of the whole membership:  when I order online, I get FREE EXPRESS SHIPPING.  Every time!

They also have their Kids' Club!  You get savings opportunities, loyalty rewards, and a newsletter, but my favorite thing so far about the Kids' Club:  for my daughter's birthday, she got a free cupcake from their cafe'! (They email you the voucher to be redeemed in the store.)  She also got an offer for a free digital book from Tikatok. 

Go here to check out the B&N Membership and here to check out their Kids' Club.  Good stuff!

Images:  BN.com

One Way to Introduce the Meaning of Christmas to Your Toddler

I love the Christmas season and I hope M will grow to love it, too.  More than anything, though, I want her to know and appreciate the reason for the season.  And for a while, I've been looking for a way to introduce that to her.  She's just two, so I thought including her favorite thing (books) would be a great way to do it.

I searched for a Christmas book that was toddler-friendly (rhyming words, good pictures, etc.).  Most of the  books I found were funny and interesting and had rhyming words and all that stuff I know M would like.  Yet many focused on a Christmas tree...or a snowman... or a reindeer... or Santa...

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not against Santa or snowmen or any that stuff (in fact, they're all in my house during Christmas) but they don't convey what I want her to know and understand.  No, I don't expect my two-year-old to fully understand the meaning of Christmas, but I do want her to know that it isn't Christmas because of Santa or Rudolph or the Jingle Bells song (she loves this song, by the way).  

So I searched online and ran across this little treasure:

Author:  David Meade;  Illustrator:  Chris Sharp
JOY TO THE WORLD celebrates the birth of Jesus and introduces little ones to his universal message of loving, giving, and caring. This interactive book features a glow light and an instrumental rendition of the carol, which makes it easy for you and your child to sing along. Simply open the cover to hear the joyous sounds and take part in the deeper gifts that Christmas brings.

Board Book with lights and sound chip, 6" x 7", 16 pages – Ages 2 to 6

When I got this book, I knew M would like it.  The words in the book are written in rhythm with the lyrics to "Joy to the World."  They're very kid-friendly and talk about the birth of Jesus, love, family, and thinking of others.  You can either read them or sing them to the tune of the sound chip embedded in the book.  I sing them (with my awful voice) and M loves it.

Just this morning, she wanted me to read/sing it over and over (and over and over).  It's so funny because when she reads it, she starts it off with "Joy to the World," then breaks out with "The babies on the bus go wah, wah, wah!" from the the Wheels on the Bus song.  Where does she get that?  She sees Baby Jesus in the book.  And all babies go wah, wah, wah, right?! :)  Haha!

So, anyway, if you have a toddler and want a fun little way to talk about the meaning of Christmas, consider this little treasure.  We're having a ball with it.

Image and Synopsis:  BN.com