A large family, homeschooling, adoption, special needs, whatever strikes my fancy, sort of blog.

A large family, homeschooling, adoption, special needs, whatever strikes my fancy, sort of blog.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Zoobean: Handpicked Books and Apps for Kids

Yippee!  New books!  We received a 3 mo. Hardcover Membership, worth $49 from Zoobean via Sverve campaign for review.  Zoobean is a new service that provides books, or book and/or app suggestions, based on your child's information.


Sign up was super easy, as I was led through a few quick screens to select my child's age, gender, and interests.  I selected Hannah to be the recipient of the books, since the curating service is for kids 0-8 years.  After that, I received 2 emails, a welcome email, and a thank you for your purchase email.

While awaiting our first selection, I started poking around the site, wondering what we'd get, and I discovered they have a whole section of adoption books!  I contacted Zoobean to see if we could request certain books or catagories of books, and on the flip side of the same token, if we could exclude certain books or kinds of books.  Not every book is a good fit for every family, right?

The response I got from Zoobean was quick and personal.  No, the curated books don't come from the adoption section.  They are from more general interest areas, such as "Not So Pink Girls."  So be sure to check out the library area, in addition to the curating service, for hidden treasures such as these.


Hannah's first book to arrive was The Monster Princess, which Daddy read to the girls.


Hannah is a beginning reader, and she took the book to bed with her that night.  I could hear her practicing reading it to herself.

The second book Hannah received was Silly Lilly, which she also enjoyed.  The Vampire was funny, but Hannah and I agreed, Candy Taster would be the best job.

The husband and wife duo that run Zoobean are parents of two children.  They met while teaching 7th grade.  The curators at Zoobean are all parents and educators/librarians, so you can be assured the people at Zoobean understand what appeals to kids.

There are two features I want to emphasize in talking about Zoobean.  The Smartlist, which is a web-based option for parents looking to get personalized resources without guess work.  They send weekly, personalized recommendations for books and apps, along with the literacy guides.  Here is an example book literacy guide and an example app literacy guide so you can see for yourself how comprehensive a service Zoobean is.  There is a 60 day free trial of this service!  With the Smartlist, you can either order the books from Amazon or another online retailer, or request them from your local library.

The other option is the home delivery option, like we received.  This is available in either paperback or hardcover versions.  The books show up on your doorstep with literacy guides.  So convenient!  My readers can use the promo code:  SmartyTwoShoes to save $5 off any premium purchase.

You can connect with Zoobean on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, for literacy ideas, specials, articles, and more!  Wishing you many happy storytimes with the children in your life.

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