Passionate readers know there's nothing better than receiving a free copy of a favorite author's new book, so imagine how thrilled I was when a British publicist offered me a copy of Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud. I was just about to hit the "Reply" button when I noticed a small problem: the publicist could only send books within the U.K. Cursing my U.S. address, I sent him my disappointed reply. A few days later, I got another email from one Hallie Patterson, a publicist from Disney. Not only did she offer me the Stroud book, but she sent me two fat catalogs of books she had available for distribution. I started marking my selections, thinking, "There's no way Hallie's going to send me 50 books," but guess what? She urged me to request as many as I wanted. Needless to say, I went crazy. Today, a big, heavy box arrived on my doorstep. Books, books and more books. And it's only a third of the titles I requested. I couldn't be more excited. Really, I couldn't. Thanks so much, Hallie and Disney!
My 4-year-old was home when the package arrived. I ordered two of these book and magnet sets for him - the Wall E and Toy Story themes. The sets come with a book based on the movie, a set of character magnets, several backdrops, and a handy dandy carrying case. The sides of the case are magnetic, so kids can slide in a backdrop then stick the magnets on to create scenes from the film. Best of all, everything fits neatly in the case creating a portable fun center. My only complaint about the product is that my son couldn't open the case by himself. Several of the sets are available on Amazon for between $10 and $15. The price may be a little steep, but my son loved this product. I'm not sure where else you can find these - I'll check with Hallie and get back to you all.
My impatient 7-year-old has been asking me every day when "her" books were going to come in the mail. When she saw the box from Disney, she about flipped. She's now devouring her many Disney Fairies books and kits. I haven't even had a chance to look through her loot, much less review any of the products, but I can tell you that she's super excited. I think the pictures say it all!
Yay for a good mail day, and yay for an awesome company who knows exactly how to get books into the hands of eager readers.
Holy cow! I had the same story as you regarding Heroes of the Valley, but that's a gigantic box of books! Lucky duck!
ReplyDeleteWas there anything for your 10 year old? Perhaps he has outgrown Disney or perhaps Disney does not satisfy his non-fiction needs :)
ReplyDeleteA box of brand new books, how exciting!
WOW
ReplyDeleteFyrefly - Cool! I'll be anxious to see what you think of the Stroud book. Did you read the Bartimaeus Trilogy?
ReplyDeleteLaurel - No, there wasn't much for T. Disney publishes children's books and teen books - he's too old for the children's, too young for the teen reads. He was a little disappointed that everyone got something but him :(
Eva - You said it!
Holy Wow! Amazing! They sure look like they are having fun.
ReplyDeletePS - (LOL) Feel free to pass my name on to that wonderful publicist. Hee hee
Very nice!!
ReplyDeleteI have read the Bartimaeus Trilogy, and loved it. Heroes of the Valley was also really good - maybe skewed a little bit younger, and the pacing was kind of strange, but still really enjoyable. My review's here if you're interested. :)
ReplyDeleteWow! I cannot imagine the price of shipping all those books!
ReplyDeleteWhat luck! It looks like you and your children will have plenty to read for awhile now. :-) Enjoy your new books.
ReplyDeleteWow! That box looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteI loved Stroud's Bartimaeus Trilogy. I look forward to your review of Heroes of the Valley.
OMG, what a great box! I'm totally jealous. Enjoy your new books! :D
ReplyDeleteThat is so incredible you were able to get that haul delivered to your door to devour! Love the pictures of your kids :)
ReplyDelete