We began reading to our kids from the day they were born. In fact, the hospital sent both of them home with
Read to Your Bunny by Rosemary Wells, a short children's book extolling the virtue of reading to your own little bunny for only twenty minutes a day. Of course, the book was preaching to the choir, because we already knew the importance reading plays on developing young minds. Consequently, the bookshelves in our house are overflowing, and there's nothing our children love more than cuddle time with a good book.
That's why it's so hard for me to comprehend a child's world without books. But, according to statistics provided by
MyBlogSpark,
80 percent of childcare centers serving low-income children lack age-appropriate books. And, while the ratio of books per child in middle income neighborhoods is 13 to 1 (it's more like 100 to 1 in our house -- what does that mean??),
in low-income neighborhoods, the ratio is 1 age-appropriate book for every 300 children.
Realizing that access to books is essential to reading development, the
Cheerios family of cereals,
First Book, and
Jon Scieszka, author of the popular “Trucktown” series and other children’s books, have joined together to deliver 100,000 books to community-based programs serving children in need -- and they need your help!
Simply go online to
www.FirstBook.org/Scieszka with your child and answer trivia questions about classic children’s storybooks. For every trivia question answered correctly, you can cast one vote for the state you would like to receive books. The more questions you answer correctly, the more votes you cast. The five states receiving the most votes will get 20,000 books each, for a total of 100,000 books. Have fun with your child while helping disadvantaged children get a First Book.
GIVEAWAYTo promote awareness about the
100,000 Book Giveaway,
Cheerios (through
MyBlogSpark) is providing one lucky reader a
100,000 Book Giveaway prize pack. It includes
an assortment of books from Cheerios, one box of the many varieties of Cheerios cereals, and a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble.
All entries must be received by
Monday, December 14, 2009, at 12 midnight. I will use the random number generator at
Random.org to select
one winner from among the eligible entries I receive. The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond. If I do not receive a response within 48 hours, I will draw a new winner. This giveaway is open only to
residents of the United States who are at least 18 years old.
I always respect your privacy; any names, email addresses, or other information collected will be used solely for the purpose of this giveaway. I won't sell your information.
TO ENTER: Simply leave a comment below telling me which state you'll vote to receive 20,000 books and why. Go online at
www.FirstBook.org/Scieszka to test your knowledge of children's books and to cast your vote.
Savvy Mom Finds Product Review/Giveaway Disclosure: MyBlogSpark and Cheerios sponsored this review/giveaway for my readers, and I have received no compensation other than the two 100,000 Book Giveaway prize packages -- one to review and one to give away. Any opinions expressed on Savvy Mom Finds are my own and are not reviewed or edited by sponsors. For more details, please read my complete disclaimer and disclosure policies here.
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