The Joy of Reading and a Giveaway!

I’m guestblogging today for an awesome program: The Reading Kingdom. Despite my insane devotion to reading, things weren’t always this way. I used to eschew reading entirely. Read about what turned me into a lover of books in my guest post.

I can’t emphasize enough what reading meant to me as a kid. It was my chief source of solace and companionship through my tough growing-up years. As an adult I’ve been gradually accumulating some of my favorite childhood books. When we moved recently I realized just how many I have.

Not only do I have the set of children’s classics I mention in my guest post, I have so many of my favorites. For young children I had to get my favorite book: Little Bear’s Visit. I loved all the Little Bear books, but this one was definitely the one I loved most. Especially because of the goblin story, which was maybe the first story to ever scare me. I was fascinated with it.

Also for young children, I got a copy of some Frog & Toad stories. I remember how much they rumbled around in my little head and got me thinking. It didn’t surprise me at all to hear these stories mentioned as a way to introduce young children to philosophy and ethics. They’re fun but also thoughtful stories that really resonate.

Then there was the time I couldn’t resist buying a lovely hardcover of From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler with the old-school cover. And, of course, re-read it. That book holds up. Amazing.

Obviously I have strong feelings about reading and helping children learn to read. So I’m excited to have a giveaway today! The Reading Kingdom is providing a 3-month subscription to their service.

What is The Reading Kingdom? It’s a program for children ages 4-10 to help them learn to read and increase their reading skills. It involves significantly more elements than just plain old phonics. We all know how hard it can be to get the hang of difficult words, but even common ones can be confusing for young children. Consider these words: car, care, career. They look similar, they sounds completely different.

The program was created by Dr. Marion Blank, a literacy expert, and is customized from child to child. It involves only a few minutes each day and it is done on your home computer. If you home school this is a great option. It’s also recommended for children with learning disabilities such as dyslexia and ADD. It’s compatible with other reading programs your children may have at school.

If you’re interested, I’d recommend you read this thorough PDF on the program.

Anyone can get a free 30-day trial, but one lucky winner will get a 3-month subscription to the program. Perfect for summer vacation!!

So how do you win?

Rules for Entry:

1) “Like” The Reading Kingdom on Facebook.

2) Leave a comment that you’ve liked them (If you’re already a fan, even better!) and tell us your favorite children’s book.

For an extra entry you can:

• Follow The Reading Kingdom on Twitter.
• “Like” Don’t Mind the Mess on Facebook.

Make sure you add an extra comment for each extra entry.

The contest will stay open until next Friday at noon, eastern time. The winner will be chosen by the And the Winner Is plugin and will be notified by email.

Related Posts:

• Friday Reads Review: The Bellwether Revivals
• Friday Reads: Ranking Stephen King
• Friday Reads Review: The Cranes Dance