Buy 2, Get 1 Free on Dr. Seuss Learning Library at Borders

To celebrate the launch of the new PBS series, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That, Borders is extending a special "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" offer on select books in the Dr. Seuss Learning Library. Through October 25th, enter the code CATLEARN at checkout to receive the discount when shopping online. The offer is available in stores as well.

These books have always been among my favorites, and we have a number of them in our library already. I'm planning to add a few new ones during the sale, including Wish for a Fish and A Whale of a Tale to tie in with our ocean unit.

Magic Tree House Boxed Set only $8.77 at Amazon

If you have a big Magic Tree House fan in the house like I do, check out this great deal currently available at Amazon. Currently, the boxed set that includes the first four books in the Magic Tree House series is on sale for only $8.77 (regular price is $15.96) and is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping with an order totaling $25 or more.

The set includes the following books:

1. Dinosaurs Before Dark
2. The Knight at Dawn
3. Mummies in the Morning
4. Pirates Past Noon

In case you're not familiar with the Magic Tree House series, these are great first chapter books, taking kids on adventures throughout time and around the world with main characters Jack and Annie. Noah is steadily working his way through the entire series, and we plan to use them as the central point in our history and geography studies this year.

Book Review - If I Built a Car

Today was a bit like Christmas around here when our Amazon packages showed up with all the great books and other tools for our cars and oceans unit studies. We all spent a while looking through everything, but since it was bedtime, I brought the one story book, If I Built a Car, in as a bedtime story - and we all loved it!

This wonderfully-written and charmingly-illustrated book tells the story of a young boy describing what a car would look like if he built it (think rocket fuel and swimming pools!) It reminded me so much of Noah and all his ideas for the "water-powered, 300MPH car" that he's dreaming up. So glad that we added this one to our library; I can already tell that it will be enjoyed over and over.

Summer Reading Roundup

I'm having a hard time keeping up with most things these days, so I thought I'd try to start with something small . . . like free summer reading programs. Here are some details on the three I've found. My goal for the week is to print out the forms for all of them, find a box of books to unpack and turn Noah loose with them!

1. Books-a-Million
Books-A-Million recently launched their 2010 Magic Tree House Summer Reading Program with reading ambassador Mary Pope Osborne. Children ages 7-12 can have an around-the-world adventure with Jack and Annie this summer by picking up a passport at any Books-A-Million location or downloading it. Children who participate in the program and read six books between May 20 and August 1 will receive a free, exclusive Books-A-Million Magic Tree House tote bag to take on their own summer adventures. Children can also enter the “Passport to Adventure” essay contest; the Grand Prize winner receives their very own custom designed Magic Tree House from Kids Crooked House.

2. Borders
Read 10 books, get 1 free. Kids 12 and under can download the program form to track their summer reading. After completing 10 books, kids can return the completed form to any Borders, Borders Express or Waldenbooks location by August 26th and choose their free book from 13 great titles.

3. Barnes & Noble
Three easy steps to a free book . . . 1) Kids read any 8 books of their choosing. 2) Use the Passport to Summer Reading to document the places visited in each book. 3) Redeem completed Passport at any B&N store by September 7th to receive a free book (at least 6 choices at each grade level)!