My First Book Review

So this is my very first book review. Well, my first since leaving English class in college that is. But it is the first one I have done for the blog. If you're looking to score the inside scoop on the widely popular Fifty Shades of Grey or The Hunger Games series, you may want to search elsewhere though. I've read neither, nor do I plan to in the future. From what I have heard about the Fifty Shades series, I think it may be a little risqué even for me. I'll stick to Y&R for my daily dose of love triangles and ridiculousness. ;) If you do want a funny, yet colorful, review of Fifty Shades of Grey, I suggest you check out this one.

I honestly can't remember the last adult book I read, but I can guarantee you it was a John Grisham book. After moving on from The Babysitters Club, Sweet Valley Twins, High and University (yes, I read them all!!), I graduated to a few Mary Higgins Clark novels, but then settled in with my good friend, Mr. Grisham. I adore his books. I guess I should have gone into the legal field since that stuff intrigues me so much. Perhaps an idea for a future career? Anyway...this book review is about a couple of free children's eBooks that can be found on iTunes. Yep, I said free. As I have mentioned in previous posts, we can be pretty cheap thrifty about some things and this is one of them. I am proud to say that I am still yet to purchase any app that you will find on my iPad! There are so many awesome free ones out there that I just haven't seen the need for it yet. I know what you're thinking, but you bought an iPad - that's not cheap! While you are correct, it's not a cheap purchase, it was a present for my 30th birthday/6-year wedding anniversary/"push present" for my 2nd bundle of joy. If you've read about either of my labor & delivery experiences, with Ethan or Noah, you know that that alone is probably a good enough excuse for such an extravagant present. ;)

Image courtesy of Apple, Inc.

If you are looking for a couple of great eBooks for kids, look no further. I actually found these on the main App Store page as suggested downloads for kids. I am so glad that I did! The boys love them!! I have never seen Noah get so into a book as he does with this first one, Goodnight Safari by Polk Street Press LLC. I guess it is the fact that he can poke that pudgy little finger onto the screen and see something happen that makes it irresistible. I love how interactive this story is. You can read it to the kids, or have the narrator read it. Then it prompts you to help the baby animals do a specific task like eat, take a bath, give a kiss, etc. It is super fun for them to help give the story its action. Their personal favorite has to be when the baby giraffe is full from eating leaves. He lets out cute little burps that send both of the boys into fits of laughter and Noah even imitates the sound! What is more adorable than that?!? It's just a short story, but definitely makes for a great pre-nap or bedtime story. And if you're not cheap like me, you can also purchase additional in-app activities to practice counting, colors and more. ;) The illustrations are gorgeous and almost make me want to go on an actual safari!

Image courtesy of Apple, Inc.

The next review is for Miss Spider's Bedtime Story by David Kirk. This ones comes with lots of fun, free activities that Ethan can enjoy. This story can also be read alone or by a narrator. The kids can help swipe the pages along and each picture is animated to help narrate the story as well. After reading through the book, be sure to check out all of the cool activities they include with this one. There is a short video to watch. You can also color pictures with virtual paintbrushes where you choose both the size and color of the brush. There is a matching game where you match the different bugs (way neater than having 52 cards strewn all over your living room floor!). And you can also put together puzzles (again, a super plus for this OCD mom who can only handle so many puzzle pieces scattered across the room!). Each of these has easy and harder levels (i.e., 6 vs 12 pieces to a puzzle or 16 vs 30 matching cards). So, you can start easy for younger kids, like Noah, and make it more difficult for older kids, like Ethan. :) It looks like this one may just be free for a limited time, so don't delay with this download!

These eBooks have definitely provided hours of entertainment and learning already for the boys! I love the fact that they look forward to reading the book every day with me now, and even request it! Ethan has always loved reading with us, but Noah is just now really starting to get into it too and will bring me books to read to him. Love it. So if you have an iPad (or iPhone for the Goodnight Safari eBook) and little ones, you definitely need to check these out! Trust me, you won't be disappointed. And if for some reason you don't like them, at least they were free! ;) Obviously, I was in no way compensated to talk about these books today (but it would have been awesome if I had been!), so my opinions are definitely my own.

What are your favorite eBooks for kids?