Maisy book giveaway

Posted on December 16, 2011 by FoBaM-Jamie

Here at Fans of Being a Mom, we believe it’s never too early to encourage a love of reading in our kids. That’s one reason we were so charmed by a new title from Candlewick: Maisy’s Snuggle Book. This book is perfect for even the youngest “readers” in the family. It features Maisy and all her friends – Charley the crocodile, Tallulah the chick, Cyril the squirrel, Eddie the elephant, and – of course! – Maisy’s special pal, Panda. The friends are all here, sharing their bedtime routines of getting into their pajamas, brushing their teeth, having some milk, reading a story, and getting a cuddle.

Maisy has always been a favorite at our house. Though my daughter is, in her opinion, too grown up for Maisy now (she is in the second grade, you know), we still read some of our Maisy favorites at bedtime … just for old time’s sake. Maisy and her friends are cheerful without being saccharine. The bright colors and bold lines are especially appealing to the younger set, offering lots of contrast and vibrancy. For kids old enough to follow a storyline, the adventures of Maisy and her friends are entertaining and comforting.

The soft, plush edition of this book makes it a literal snuggle book – the outside cover is a fuzzy, fleece material that’s both printed and embroidered, giving it some great texture for baby’s fingers to explore. The inside pages are a durable material around a soft stuffing, making the whole book soft and squishy and very inviting. The binding on the cover is a smooth, blue satin, like the edging on many favorite baby blankets. The book comes packaged in a gift-worthy striped box with a peek-a-book window that will probably keep your little one entertained for almost as long as the book.

If you think your little one would enjoy a copy of this Maisy’s Snuggle Book, you may be in luck. Our friends at Candlewick Press have offered to give away two copies.

For a chance to win one of the free copies, simply leave a comment below sharing your thoughts about Maisy or bedtime or really young readers. All comments must be in by midnight EST, this Sunday, the 18th and include a valid email address. Please note that the comment must be on the blog, not on our Facebook fan page to be eligible to win. If you’re one of our randomly selected winners, we’ll be in touch by email to get all your shipping details so the nice folks at Candlewick can send out your goodies.

Good luck, happy reading, and be sure to stop by and “Like”Candlewick’s Facebook Page.

Want some bear-ish bedtime help? (Giveaway!)

Posted on September 28, 2010 by FoBaM-Meredith

Bedtime. It can be the best part of the day, it can be the worst part of the day. It’s full of magic and superstition.  It’s up to mom to create the perfect storm to lull the little ones to sleep. The ingredients of our potions change as the children grow, but each phase has its must-have routines and accoutrements.

There are so many things that can muck up bedtime: starting too early, starting too late, too much noise, too much light, not enough light, the wrong pillow, a missing lovey, and so on. One of my least favorite things to hear as I tuck my daughter in is, “I’m scared,” because that means I’ll be spending an extra twenty minutes allaying fears by looking into closets and under beds.

Candlewick Press has some fun with the tradition of the just-so bedtime routine in the new book by Bonny Becker with illustrations by Kady MacDonald Denton, A Bedtime for Bear.  If you’ve ever had trouble navigating the mine field that lies between your child and the Land of Nod, this book will make you chuckle. The third in the series (the other two are A Visitor for Bear and A Birthday for Bear), A Bedtime for Bear features the somewhat cantankerous Bear and his ever “small and gray and bright-eyed” friend, Mouse. With wonderful-to-read-aloud text and hysterical illustrations, Becker and Denton tell a bedtime story that will have you and your child giggling all the way to peaceful slumber. From persnickety rules to nighttime fears, this funny and sweet story has it all.
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