Tag Archives: reading

I See Me! Personalized Children’s Books Review & Giveaway

05/25/2016 R.C. Liley 7 Comments

“What book do you want to read tonight?”, Going Mom and I ask our daughter each night before she ~~goes to sleep~~ plays around singing out loud for 30+ minutes before finally giving in. “Goodnight Little Avery” has been her answer for several weeks now, even for naptime.

I See Me! Personalized Children's Books, reading, kids, gift, gifts

We have many books to choose from, but this one from I See Me! is different from the rest. I See Me! makes personalized children’s books to bring your kid into their very own story of magic, wonder, adventure, and, in our case, sweet dreams.

Goodnight Little Avery is from I See Me!’s Goodnight Little Me Storybook, just one of 100+ personalized books just waiting to star your kid as the main character. We all love reading this book to Avery as every high quality page is filled with beautiful illustrations and words to amaze and delight those curious little eyes.

I See Me! Personalized Children's Books, reading, kids, gift, gifts, custom, customized

We even catch her reading it by herself sometimes. I think her infatuation with the moon is what really draws her into this book as it’s on every page, just like her very own name. I’m sure the fact that the illustrations are created by Mary GrandPré, the illustrator of the Harry Potter series, helps a little too.

I See Me! Personalized Children's Books, reading, kids, gift, gifts, custom, customized

Personalized storybooks created by I See Me! help to encourage your little ones to read as they recognize letters and learn to spell their own names at same time. When children see their own name and picture (if you choose the option) this helps build self-esteem by making them feel special for having a book with them as the main character.

I See Me! Personalized Children's Books, reading, kids, gift, gifts, custom, customized

Want more options than a nighttime book? No problem. I See Me! has books with themes like animals, adventure, ballet, dinosaurs, fairies, farm, garden, love, outer space, pirates, princess, sports and things that go. You’re sure to find several books your kid will absolutely love, and you will too.

These books make the perfect option for gits to celebrate birthdays, going to school, new baby sister/brother, Christmas, or just because they’re books and your kid will be reading. When ordering, you simply fill out info needed for I See Me! to put your child into their very own story like name, date of birth, gender, and you can even leave a dedication. Going Mom and I chose to dedicate it from Mommy and Daddy.

Pretty cool if you ask me. Just don’t ask me what year our daughter was born, because apparently I don’t know! She was born in 2013, not 2014 like I entered for her book. In the words of Homer Simpson.. Doh!

But no worries, I See Me! has a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and will replace a book at no charge if lost or stolen during shipping, or only charge 50% of original product price plus shipping if you need to change the personalization options. Which, as you can tell, I needed to do, and I See Me! delivered a new book with the right date!

Avery, my wife, and I are extremely impressed with the overall looks and quality of this wonderful book and we want to get more for Avery to read soon. Maybe this time I’ll add the optional photo for Avery to see…um, Avery in her very own adventure book!

You can even find personalized growth charts, lunch boxes, coloring books (how cool is that?!), stickers, and more on I See Me!’s site. I strongly urge you to check out all they have to offer, and afterward, come back here to enter a giveaway to win a personalized storybook for that precious kid in your life.

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Visit I See Me! on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram to keep up to date with the latest news and products. Good luck!

Disclosure: I received the Goodnight Little Me storybook for free in exchange for my honest review. All words are my own and I was not compensated in any other way.

Books, Going Reviews

First 100 Words: The Best Baby Book of 2015

03/23/2016 R.C. Liley 1 Comment

Choosing a baby book for your little one can be difficult. With 488 million results when you search for “baby book” on Google, it’s simply overwhelming! Luckily, I have one book you simply must add to your baby/toddler book collection…. First 100 Words by Roger Priddy.

We bought this book for A before she was 1 and we’d just go through each page describing the pictures. Babies may not seem like they’re responsive, but they are absorbing everything around them and filling their constantly growing brain.

When you just don’t know how to initiate a conversation with a little person that doesn’t talk back (at least with actual words), First 100 Words is handy to have around. It’s the perfect way to get your baby into reading and associating them with so many everyday animals, objects, and food.

For every 2 pages, there is an associated theme like Colors, Things That Go, Food, Outside, etc. with pictures to resemble each theme. It’s a fun way for those growing brains to learn not only about the theme, but about what they see in each picture.

We love pointing at each picture and making the associated sound if there is one. The cat says “meow”, the big truck goes “HONK HONK!”, the flower says…………ha ha, got you, it says nothing! 🙂

Even when we weren’t reading to her, A would flip through the pages, give the soft cover a little chew, flip some more, chew, repeat. Yeah, babies like to chew, so why not on something educational? Being a board book, it actually holds up quite well to baby/toddler abuse. This is a must-have for kids’ books!

At almost 2 1/2 (when did that happen?!), she can easily name most of the things in the book and make any of their associated sounds. She will sit in one of her favorite reading spots and study each page with vigor while saying each thing she sees out loud. It’s the most adorable thing to see how much she has learned from when we first introduced her to the book.

It’s also just the right size to pack in a diaper bag to take along when out and about. Reading to your little ones is a perfect way to spend quality time together and bond with them. Sit down with this book and take your time describing the words, colors, and objects in each picture, it will mean the world to them!

The only minor issue I have with the book is that the pictures seem a little outdated. I mean, that yellow BMW Z3 to show a “car”? C’mon! They have Z4’s now!! Honestly, that’s hardly an issue, and I would quickly buy this book again and again for any baby/toddler. It makes a great inexpensive gift too! There’s even a Spanish Version!

The First 100 series by Roger Priddy also has a book for the First 100 Animals which was the #6 best selling baby book in 2015.

Annnddd, when they’re craving more, and they will, make sure to check out the First 100 Numbers, Colors, Shapes as well as the First 100 Trucks.

You really can’t go wrong with any one of these books, but you might as well get several and keep them around in the car, grandparent’s house, and a backup for when the first one gets chewed through. True story.

Disclaimer: I purchased this book on my own and recieved no compensation for this post. However, there are affiliate links within this post that if you click on them and make a purchase, I will earn a few cents. So, please click and make a purchase! 🙂

Books, Earn Income

6 Bedtime Books Your Kid Will Love

03/03/2016 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

As a bonus, parents will love these bedtime books too. When it comes to books, it’s absolutely paramount for the parent to enjoy the book as well. Otherwise, we might not put enough into the story and therefore shortchange those eager little ears.

How we tell a story can be the difference from hearing a story, to hearing A STORY!!! Putting emphasis into the words of each character, changing the tone of your voice depending on the situation, and getting your kids involved by saying certain lines or finding something on each page.

You get the point, find something you like to read, and everyone will enjoy the book so much better. That is, until you’ve read it for the 87th time, and you will read it 87+ times! Here are 6 bedtime books I think you’ll enjoy reading just as much as they’ll enjoy hearing over and over again.

1. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Most of us should remember this story from our own childhood, so why not share it with the next generation? Avery loves the crazy monkeys, and it makes for a good way to explain why she shouldn’t jump on the…..well, she jumps on everything.

2. Pajama Time!

We love all of Sandra Boynton’s books, so it’s only right to include this one. Our whole family cites the words from this book throughout the day, it’s definitely fun and catchy. Another favorite is The Going To Bed Book, our favorite page is when the exercise on top of the boat deck.

3. The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear

I grew up with my mom (g-ma) reading this to me all the time. Then, as I grew older, I read it all the time. Such a fun story and kids will love seeing the ways the little mouse tries to keep his cherished strawberry away from that hungry bear.

4. Bear Snores On

Nana gave this to Avery before she was one and we’ve grown to love this book so much. I even made a YouTube video of my wife and I reading it to Avery. Yes, I act it out.

5. 10 Minutes till Bedtime

We’ve owned this book for a while, but only recently has our toddler shown interest. Now that she’s counting and “reading” herself, we sit and try to find the hamsters (there’s 10 with numbers on each page) together. It’s a longer book and is fun to read during the day too.

6. Llama Llama Red Pajama

This is a fun rhyming book and it’s the most recent in our collection thanks to G-Ma. Ours came with a cute baby llama plush that Avery has added to her 6 other animals that go to bed with her. She loves the story, and there’s a great message about being patient in there. Maybe she’ll catch on soon…..

Going Mom and I switch off on who reads and who holds our precious Toddler for bedtime, and I’m sure these 6 bedtime books have been read well over 87 times. And it’s not all at night or nap time, no, a really good bedtime book is good any time of day!

Hope one or all of these books find their way into your home for you and your little ones to enjoy as much as our family.

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase by clicking through one of my links, I earn a whopping few cents each time. It won’t change a thing for you, but I’d appreciate buying a cup of coffee without asking my wife at least one time. 🙂