Reading Reddens...

Children and books just don't mix. I have to assume that this is why some incredibly intelligent person invented the "board book". Of course, even the occasional board book, has failed to withstand the torment of the drool and teeth that my five children put to them. I knew that putting a book without an iron cover on it was doomed for self destruction. A friend recently apologized and said "I'm so sorry, books are merely fiber in his diet right now." All while peeling a mushy lump of colored paper out of his gummy grasp...We've been there, we understand that.

Over the past years we've accumulated some incredibly cool books. None of which have I been able to share with my kiddos without the fear of them ingesting 90% of the pages. So you can only imagine my delight when we were able to slowly introduce paper books into the house. I was thankful for consignment sales and local MOM's groups where I was able to get bundles of books for really cheap. If these books got ruined, I was in no way upset.

When we discovered that Evan could read a year or so ago, I wanted to really focus less on single word recognition and more on reading comprehension. We found these fabulous early reader books that have a good amount of pictures, but also have a great amount of story to tell. What I was really frustrated by, was the price tag. I had very little desire in paying close to $4 for one book. Especially a book that might get ruined... We spent a bit of time with just a few of these paperback books. I watched and waited, observing to see if the kids were going to demolish these like the ones before them. It seemed like our kids had turned a corner... They were actually more interested in reading the books than they were in eating them. Amazing!

I was still grappling with the issue of that steep price tag though! How on earth was I going to build a library for five children, when each book was going to cost me around $4! Egads. Stumbling into the Salvation Army one day while looking for a toddler bed I saw that our local store has a plethora of books. Books of all sizes. Books for adults. Books for kids. Books upon Books. You get the idea... The best part of it? Hardback books ONE DOLLAR. Paperback books TWENTY-FIVE CENTS. Unreal. Someone elses donation has completely made my day.

My children now have a nearly complete set of Disney Storybooks. All of them, $1 apiece! We're working really hard on getting more Dr. Seuss, as well as some more of the Sweet Pickles books that I had as a child. I've come across so many of the Sesame Street Library books, and a lot of regular Sesame Street learning books.

It's amazing what we can find at these places isn't it? What I'm loving now, is not only seeing my childrens' love for reading grow by the second, but also I'm loving searching for new books for great prices!! So much fun...

Comments

[Greeting Card Printing]

I love a bargain, especially on books. I encourage my little ones to read as much as they can, and it's so great to see them progress from some of the beginning easy readers to more advanced levels.

[Abigail Pogrebin]

What a great post on books!

My name is Abigail Pogrebin; I'm an identical twin and former 60 Minutes producer who just published a book about twins called "One and the Same." I think any parent of twins or multiples will find much to chew on and maybe some guidance as to how to dodge pitfalls of doubleness. I'd love to speak to you about the possibility of a book review and/or author Q&A. My email is apogrebin@gmail.com, website:www.abigailpogrebin.com.

[Laura aka LaLaGirl]

LOVE thrift stores! My kids have a pretty extensive library because we shop at those places for books, too. Another great source is garage sales.

[pam]

oooh, sweet pickles! i had those as a kid too. mmm, i wonder if my mom kept them... :)