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Feeding Minds and Creating Life-Long Readers #MomsMeet #Sponsored

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Moms Meet
I received complimentary product for the purpose of review, 
but all opinions are honest and they are my own. This page may contain affiliate links.

If you follow my blog, you'll know that I focus on food and our family's culinary adventures; I also write about food inspired by books that I've read. This is slightly different in that I'm writing not about actually food. I'm focusing on feeding kids' minds and creating life-long learners.

In a blink of an eye, it seems, they go from this...


...to this.


My boys are never far from books! This is R just after two different signings with his new books. The first was meeting Greg Mortensen in 2010 and the second from meeting Andy Weir just last week.



Through my association with Moms Meet -I received a selection of books from National Geographic, including Hey Baby: A Collection of Pictures, Poems, and Stories from Nature's Nursery. You might think it an odd book for a mother of two teenage boys to read and review, but we have shelves full of books just like this; they have always preferred books about natural history to pure fiction. So, I've read many, many of these kinds of books over the years. And this one is a beauty.


My Thoughts on the Book
This book is a delight to look at and to consume...kinda like a beautiful dish. There are vivid photographs and engaging stories and poems in addition to the purely factual information about all the animals and their habitat. The book is organized by habitat. We particularly enjoyed the folktales from around the world. And while you might think this is a children's book, all of us in our household - from ages 13 to 44 - enjoyed consuming text and images. We sat on the couch and took turns selecting a page and sharing it.

Why Read to Them?
When you read to your kids, you form a habit of reading. They see reading as part of life...kinda like eating. Yes, I always do bring my posts back around to food. My boys always have a book tucked into their bags - or my bag - when we go to events. It helps pass the time!


My husband and I joke that some parents take their teens to rock concerts. We take our kids to author meet-and-greets. Just last week we drove up to Santa Cruz to hear and meet Andy Weir, the author of The Martian and, newly released,  Artemis. "He's a rockstar, Mom!" they both quipped. I agree.

 Can you spot us in this seas of nerdiness? [photo by host Bookshop Santa Cruz]


When you have readers, they are constantly learning. Each book can transport them to a time or place, especially if it's a historical work. Books can challenge them to think about concepts in different ways.

Readers are life-long learners. And this process starts waaaaaay before they themselves know how to read. So, I'll get off my soapbox, but just do it. Read to your kids! And books such as these are engaging ways to get them excited about reading.

Giving Back and Where to Buy
Purchases of National Geographic Kids books support National Geographic Society in their efforts in conservation, research, and exploration. You can purchase Hey Baby! and other titles from stores such as Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million, from local independent bookstores, from mass merchants such as Target, Costco, Walmart, and from Amazon.


You may find National Geographic...
on the web
on Twitter

Disclosure: I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program,
May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of this product.

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