Cooper & Me and the Winter Adventure Review, Coupon Code, and Giveaway!

If you put aside the spiritual milestones and precious time spent with my children in training them in the love of Christ, teaching them to read and the love of reading is the greatest joy I have as a parent and a home educator.  Just a few days ago we surprised the kids with a field trip that included an amazing few hours at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum.  Though we've now made IL our home for five years, it was the first time we had been able to make that short trip.  During one of the presentations, the speaker made the statement that as long as we we're opening books, our minds could never be closed.  Very profound! 

Reading is one of the greatest joys and pleasures I enjoy.  Though I've successfully taught two of our children to read well and the third (5 years old) is well on his way, it is more than just a skill I want them to learn.  I want them to LOVE it and cherish it.  So far, we are well on our way to seeing that happen.

One of the greatest ways for that to happen is to constantly let your children see you reading and to read with them and to them.  I admit that one of my regrets is that I didn't continue reading to them once they were able to read themselves.  I do plan to do a bit more of that in the coming months with "A Christmas Carol" and the Little House series. 

Bradlee has always enjoyed being read to, but right now he is in the stage that he REALLY loves it.  Every day it's about sitting and reading to him, letting him listen to books on tape/CD, and letting him read his beginner books on his own (BOB Books for example). 

Earlier this week, I received a book for review and I was thrilled that it was a children's books that is specifically geared for his age.

Cooper and Me----by Monique & Alexa Peters

Website: http://www.cooperandme.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cooper-and-Me-Inc/214695101924101
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/cooper_and_me

The particular book we read was "Cooper and Me and the Winter Adventure".  The series is written by a mother, daughter team and the drawings are based on the drawings of the daughter (10 at the time of the first book). 

Let me just say this:  Bradlee loved the book!  He loved the story, the illustrations, and even the "extra" activities in the book.  We've since read it a couple more times and he doesn't tire of it! 

As a mom, I loved it as well.   I fell in love with Cooper and Bella, the dog characters in the book.  As you can see, I think our dog loves them as well because he constantly comes to join in when we read the book.  :)

The authors' mission is to "both entertain young children and help them gain emotional resilience as they navigate the challenges of everyday living".  Through the character of Cooper and his adventures, they do a great job of approaching tough topics.  In this particular one, Cooper and Bella get a bit lost on a snow adventure.  It opened up some great conversations about what Bradlee would do if he were ever lost and also about emotions he was feeling during the story.  I loved listening to him tell me what he does when he is scared and things that scare him. 

I know that another book in the series deals with being in the military! 

I also LOVE products that give back.  Products that I can feel good about purchasing because they continue to "give".  Portions of the proceeds from these books are donated to the Lustgarten Foundation, pancreatic cancer research. 

What I truly loved about the book is the parts that appeal to the teacher side of me.  The books end with additional activities that engage the young reader.  Comprehension questions, activities for extension, music downloads to name a few.  You can also go online to the website and download additional resources.  I love being able to take just a "simple" book and turn it into an entire learning experience. 

The book is geared towards the Kindergarten (read to me) age and is also great for 1st and 2nd graders that are developing their independent reading skills. 

I highly recommend checking out www.cooperandme.com .  If you make a purchase of $25 or more through December 15th, you can get free shipping with coupon code:  COOPERBLOG 

One of you can also win a copy of Cooper and Me and the Winter Adventure.  Just simply leave a comment on this blog post (or the link I share on facebook).  Giveaway will end on the 15th and winner will be chosen by using random.org.  Be sure to leave your email address or check back in on the 16th to see if you are the winner. 

For me, I'm off to read the book yet again.....at little man's request!

*Per guidelines: “Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or

services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the
Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”*