Story Time = GiveAway

Have y'all heard about this weather we are having in Texas? Now snow is not that common here. And this is our 3rd snow storm this winter. Quite uncommon for us. I am going stir crazy here myself. I miss the warmth and sunshine and being outdoors and and and and....you know what I mean.

Well, the lil ladies that I help care for feel the same way. We have been experiencing the kiddie 5000 in my living room and dining room. Where they run in circles over and over again. I let them so they can get their energy level out....kid energy is everlasting I think. But we need some quiet time. Especially when the youngest lil lady has to take her nap. Thankfully I have 3 new children's books for us to enjoy. You may wanna look them up too.

"I' Up in a Tree" by Mark Alden Johnson has the brightest pictures. The ladies loved the stimulation of the greens, blues, reds and all. I enjoyed how it helped the figure out a solution to a problem. There is a great sing song to the words that makes the book sing to the girls. And it was nice to help them decide how to listen for the right decisions. I am so glad that currently we are not "Up in a Tree" too!

Next we moved on to a Texas writer, Rima H. Corral. She was a teacher who saw the for children to have help at home recognizing simple words. So she wrote "How Lil' Eddie Learns to Read". It all started with his 3rd birthday, when he received a book as one of his gifts. I loved seeing how this sparked his desire to read and to share til there was a neighborhood reading club. I feel that Rima allowed us to see how our children can grow through books. I am sure this helps her with the Houston PBS television show "Rima, Fuego and the Children". Rima is the creator, producer and host of this show.

I then was able to finish up our reading time with "Feeding Penny Pig". Now you may think this would be a good ol' farm story, but you would be in error. Instead this is a wonderful way to teach the lil ladies about saving money. I sure remember feeding my piggy bank when I was a lil child. Jeannie Fox, a grandmother from Magnolia, Texas (yes another lady from my home state) is a strong believer of hands-on grand parenting. I so agree and wish my own grand babes lived much closer. When we finished "Feeding Penny Pig" the girls were happy to help clean the house to earn some pennies of their own. I know I will be investing in piggy banks for all my lil ladies this weekend.

I want to thank all three of these authors for letting me review their books. And also Maia at Phenix & Phenix literary publicists for sending me these 3 books. They sure came in handy in creating a quiet time on this cold dreary day. If you would like to have help creating quiet time then please comment. For today we are hosting a giveaway of "I'm Up in a Tree" and "Feeding Penny Pig". I will pick one reader to receive both books. Just leave a comment here. Extra comments for blog followers, twitter and facebook friends will also be used as entries. I hope y'all enjoy these books as well as my lil ladies did.