Book Drive!

I have joined forces with A Princess with a Purpose who is stuffing  Make-A-Wish Back Packs for wish kids ("wishpacks"). Our goal is to raise $500 which will allow us to purchase $750 in Usborne Books.  Can you help us reach that goal?  DONATE HERE

Why are the Wishpacks and Princess with a Purpose important to me?  

You may be wondering why I have chosen to work with Princess with a Purpose and their goal of filling Make-A-Wish back packs.  You have the right to know. 

Childhood cancer has touched our family.  My husband’s cousin has little girl that was diagnosed with a Plexiform Fibrohistiocytic tumor in 2012, but even before this we felt strongly that Childhood Cancer was tragic and not given the awareness of adult cancers.  No one should ever have to deal with this dreaded and horrible disease, but least of all the youngest and most innocent among us.  It has been our family’s cause (if you will) for nearly ten years.  We have participated in motorcycle rallies for childhood cancer awareness, donated to Mary Bridge, St. Judes, Seattle Children’s, and Princess with a Purpose.  

In 2011 we met Dryden and her family and learned that little Dryden, so close to my own daughters age, was diagnosed with  ALL Leukemia and our hearts were saddened.  Such a sweet little girl fighting (and winning) the big C word.  As her battle was wagged and as she fought bravely to kick cancer to the curb she expressed a desire and formulated a plan to help other children be able to smile.  Thus A Princess with a Purpose was formed.  Since then this family, a real family that I know and who lives very modestly, has striven and sacrificed so that other children might have some moments of joy.

I wish to help them fill their Make-A-Wish Alaska/Washington backpacks  in June with exceptional books.  These children deserve to have exceptional books to read and enjoy in their wishpacks and with Usborne’s 50% matching program we can spread joy and literature to the Wish Kids in our region.  Can you help me help fill this wish?  We can provide 70+ books to children when we achieve our goal.  All its takes is $25 from 20 families.  Can you help us?  

You can donate through this link!  DONATE HERE

If it’s not in your budget, I understand, but if you can we would greatly appreciate it!

Thank you!

Spring into Usborne Books!

Spring is a natural time to start thinking about house cleaning.  I say clean your book shelves too!  Look at your children's book shelves as you prepare for the summer and see what is still reading level appropriate.  We should look at revamping our bookshelves every year, and a good way to do this is with spring cleaning.  I just pulled a stack of board books finally off our rotation list.  I am a lover of books so for me this has been very hard, but I know that some other young child will benefit from the reading material and it means I can introduce more variety into my daughters book shelf space.

Since becoming a consultant I have been blessed with being able to really take stock of her library and enhance it in so many ways.  This might be a great reason for you as well as you consider becoming a consultant.   Hint hint.  :-)  For more info on that visit this link.... Join The Literacy Army!


Some great spring titles to consider adding to your bookshelf are:

1001 Things to spot on Vacation: This is an interactive sticker book, that's full of busy, illustrated scenes depicting life on the ocean waves.

Items to spot within the main picture are shown in the border as silhouettes and each has a corresponding sticker which children can find, match and add in the correct place. With over a thousand things for children to find, count and talk about.This is sure to provide hours of fun and will easily slip into the carry on for those plane trips. 

Big Doodling Pads:   With over 400 doodles to complete, this colorful book will inspire children to be imaginative and creative. Tear-off pages make this book great for sharing - whether on vacation, on the move, or just at home! From pirates to mermaids and space aliens to sea creatures – there’s something to doodle for everyone.

Pocket Puzzle Book:    Mazes, picture puzzles, word searches, number problems and much, much more.  This book is a pocket size that fits right into the purse or child sized carry on.  Great for kiddos age 6 and up.  There is some reading involved for directions. You might also want to pick up Travel Pocket Doodle and Color Book.

Secrets of the Seashore:  Spot the tiny shrimps hiding in the sand, see a shy crab underneath a rock and watch a jewel-like anemone open its tentacles in this beautiful book of nature's hidden habitats. Just hold the page up to a light to discover it all.  Take it camping with a flashlight for extra fun!  A great way to make your child excited about exploring the seashore!  If you enjoyed Secrets of the Apple Tree you will love this!

Extreme Adventures:  Shark Bait!  Action has a new hero - Sam Fox! With a talent for attracting danger, Sam Fox is an expert at getting himself into (and out of) the most extreme situations. This series has a strong appeal with a courageous young hero and exotic settings and has non-stop action and short chapters which will engage reluctant readers.

Sam Fox is on vacation at the Great Barrier Reef, when he and a young Japanese boy called Michi are swept out to sea by a freak wave. Before they know it, they are adrift in an ocean teeming with sharks and other deadly sea creatures. Just when they think they have made it safely to shore, Sam encounters a group of dangerous bird smugglers. Can he outwit them long enough to keep himself and Michi alive?

So get out there and have some fun reading!