raising a reader + munchkin giveaway

Kids love any excuse to delay bedtime―even just a few minutes―and are probably more eager to get in a little extra reading time if it means they get to stay up later.  That few extra minutes of reading right before bed becomes a special time for them to bond with their books and stories, which promotes a love of reading and encourages them to become a lifelong reader.

So, this is the idea—move up your kids’ bedtime by twenty minutes and when they ask to stay up just a little longer, tell them they can read for a little bit using a bedside lamp or reading light.  This is part of reading expert Jim Trelease’s tips on how to raise a reader (you can read the rest of his invaluable advice in The Read-Aloud Handbook, a book every family should have in their library).

We’re partnering with Munchkin for a giveaway of 3 of their adorable owl night lights.  This giveaway is open to US residents only and the winners will be drawn at random.  You have until Thursday, August 11, 11:00 PM PDT, to enter.  Head over to this post on Instagram to enter!

mango and bambang tapir all at sea

We're setting off on an adventure in this month's #littlelitbookseries.

Mango Allsorts and her tapir pal are back in Tapir All at Sea with a new collection of stories.  There’s the time Bambang decides to take up dancing as a new hobby, when gets erroneously apprehended as a diamond thief, when he is captured and put on display “in the window of Cynthia Prickle-Posset’s museum, trapped between a selection of mummified cats and a tank of electric eels,” and the time an offer arrives for him to join an ocean liner’s dance troupe as a flamenco dancer traveling the world.  This sweet and clever series is a delight and we’re looking forward to the third installment due out on September 1, Tiny Tapir Trouble.

If it’s adventure you seek, you’ve come to the right place.  Find your way over to #littlelitbookseries on Instagram for some adventurous picks.