#5 was the only one whom I read to from young. Now that he is in Primary 1, I can see how reading widely does make a big difference. For his compositions, his teacher is impressed by his ability to make his stories vivid. She commented that most students will simply use the helping words and string them together to form a story. For him, he uses a lot of descriptive words to make his story come alive. Reading to him daily also helped him to have a natural intonation which served him well in his oral component. I am constantly buying them books, so I’m really pleased to have found a local bookstore which sells books at heavily discounted prices.
The Groovy Giraffe is Singapore’s first online remainder bookshop. This means that the books are overprints, and are brand new. I browsed through their website and got carried away. Here’s what I ordered!
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| More books for our home library. Yay! |
Dr Seuss is an all-time favourite in our family (erm excluding the hubs.. the only thing he reads are car magazines). I’m glad the kids love his books, because I really enjoy reading his works to them. I like how he artfully delivers his political and social themes behind such lovely poetry which appeals so wonderfully to children. His books are suitable for children from 0-12 years old. The rhymes are great for babies, his humour can be understood by toddlers, and the underlying themes can be appreciated by the older children. Their stocks for the mini hardback set gets snapped up in no time, so if you see it in stock, grab it! They also do sell some of the titles separately.
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| Dr Seuss: From $4.50 – $8.90 per book |
The Berenstain Bears series is one of their bestsellers, and it’s no wonder as it has been around for more than 50 years. The bears deal with everyday issues and I can see myself reflected in Mama bear!
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| The Berenstain Bears Bunch (8 books) – |
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| Animals Lift the Flap Book by Garry Fleming |
This book was given to #1 many moons ago. It’s one of the few books that lasted from my eldest to my youngest. This is one classic children’s book which is absolutely suitable for bedtime. It re-assures the kids just how much their parents love them. They sell the large hardback version which is perfect for a gift or for display in your little darling’s room.
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| Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney |
For Kate, I got her this adorable little Spot set. The other kids used to enjoy watching Spot on TV (or was it DVD?) and they had lots of Spot books. It has all been given away so I got this mini-sized set for her to look at during the car journeys. It’s just the perfect size for her little hands.
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| Spot’s Little Learning Library by Eric Hill |
Paddington bear books are another great children’s classic. This set comes with a CD which is very useful as I can put it on for the kids to listen when I’m busy. Unfortunately, it’s already sold out and taken off from their website as new stock won’t be coming in anymore. So one thing about this bookstore, if you like what you see, better grab it before it’s gone!
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| Paddington the Artist |
#1 is starting to become more conscious of her diet so I decided that I should start cooking food that is healthy yet filling so that she won’t have to go on fad diets that seem to be rampant amongst teenage girls these days. And of course, the ‘Fast’ claim was what I was sold on!
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| Fast Low-Fat Meals by Women’s Weekly |
I’m really no gourmet chef, yet I managed to whip this up for her in less than 20 minutes and she said it was delicious!
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| Pan-fried fish with white wine sauce |
I bought this great book Make your child brilliant from Page One and it cost me $44.95. You can get it here for a steal! It is written by Bernadette Tynan, an expert in gifted children. She has a few excellent chapters. “Discovering your child’s gifts” explains how brilliant and successful people were nurtured. It includes spotting a child’s gift, providing a mentor and looking for a cluster of gifts. It describes Albert Einstein, David Beckham and Donald Trump’s basis for success. It also mentions how some gifts may be masked or hidden. She advises parents and teachers on how to unearth the natural gifts of every child. Her other chapters include: “Living and learning”, “Getting the Best out of schools”, and “How your child learns best”. I have always firmly believed that every child is born with innate gifts and talent, and that it is the parents’ responsibility to unlock their gifts. This book gives me a lot of concrete information on how to do that.
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| Make your child brilliant by Bernadette Tynan |
Sane tip: I saved a total of $140 and the books were delivered in 3 days. Great bargain, package in the mail, and someone appreciated my cooking! Couldn’t be happier 🙂
Save tip: The Groovy Giraffe is giving mummywee readers an additional 5% off all books (except those under the Bargain section) with the code: MWEEGG. Local shipping is chargeable at a flat fee of $5, but orders above $60 entitles you to FREE shipping. Happy book shopping!
For a review of more great books, click here.
If you want to know Why you should read to your child, click here.
If you need some tips on How to read to your child, click here.
For ideas on How to get your child interested in reading, click here.
Disclaimer: I am on an affiliate program with The Groovy Giraffe and store vouchers and a discount were given. All opinions are my own.