Free Access to over 300 Children’s Books! And an IPad Mini GIVEAWAY!!!

Less is More….Except for Books

As you probably know if you have been reading my blog for a while, my house is on the small side. We have 1400 square feet for a family of 4. That means that we have to put our stuff under scrutiny every once in a while to make sure it doesn’t get completely out of control. I make a trip to my favorite thrift store about once a month to drop off several bags of donations.

Darah has already learned how to be very practical when looking at her stuff. This is an ability that I’m quite proud to be instilling in her. I remember pitching huge fits when my parents would try to get me to let go of toys long forgotten. I want Darah to be able to let go and move on, and even to be glad to share with others.

But there’s one are where I’m not a ruthless weeder, and that is with her books. She has well over 150 and I’m perfectly fine with that. I want her to always have stories at her fingertips, very easily accessible, and I want her to see the joy in reading not just one book each night, but several. Darah is even enjoying getting to read her old board books again now that they are in her little sister’s room.

Meeting Kids in Their (Digital) Space

As much as I love for Darah’s book shelf to be overflowing, I also need to think about how her generation is going to learn and grow. E-readers are going to be the norm in her school in just a few years. Hard copies of books will be a bit of a novelty! Since Darah is already extremely savvy with how to use an iPad, I’m excited to have found a way to bring a whole library of books her way on the device.

Let me introduce you to Bookboard. This site makes it easy to read with your child, and as she learns how, for your child to read on her own. Bookboard has an extensive collection of online chapter and picture books designed for kids from pre-reading all the way to age 12. While the site is still in its early stages, already it has over 300 books available, and it is growing every day.

I just signed up for an account for Darah, and it was extremely easy. Even though I have a first generation iPad, which is not ideal for Bookboard, it still works well enough that I will be using the site. Bookboard is a very engaging way for Darah and I to spend time together reading. The books are more interactive in a digital format. Bookboard is also a great way for us to try out some chapter books, which Darah is starting to enjoy.

Perhaps what I love the most about Bookboard, though, is the fact that children can be encouraged to strive to read more difficult books. As you complete books, other books will become unlocked and available. The more you read, the more choices you have for what to read next! Parents are easily able to log in and see what progress their kids have made reading, and this is an especially nice feature if you can’t always been with your child during story time. You can even share your child’s accomplishments as they unlock new books with your friends via Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest!

Here’s a quick video that shows more about how Bookboard works. It’s totally worth the 90 seconds, I promise!

GIVEAWAY!

And now for the REALLY good news: anyone who signs up for Bookboard between now and February 11th and reads a book will be entered into a drawing for an iPad mini (which, of course, you can use to read books on Bookboard!). When you sign up, you’ll receive one month of completely free access to Bookboard (along with access to those 300+ books). There’s nothing at all to lose except for some great literary adventures with your kids. Rules and details for the giveaway can be found at Bookboard.com.

This post is sponsored by Bookboard. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.