Friday, January 14, 2011

Books by Tara Review and Giveaway!!


Books by Tara has offered for me to do another review and awesome giveaway!  Have you ever wanted to have more fun and interaction with your child while reading?  Well, Books by Tara offers this unique opportunity for you to help your child develop language skills and enjoy photos of things that they know.  The possibilities for learning potential are endless.  All of Tara's books are about 20 pages and have an introductory poem and 19 photographs.  Each book is spiral bound with glossy pages.  These books are beautiful!

Shrade and I got to experience her brand new book, Green.  Tara chose to do a color book and because green is everywhere.  She wanted to capture more than just a color, but concepts like different shades, items and even abstract terms like green living.  This book takes a look at the real world and even explores the differences between colors like a green tomato vs. a red tomato.
Tara takes special care to find the right pictures for her theme.  She says that she probably spent about 1.5 years making this book.  This dedication shows how hard she works to create an enjoyable and interactive product that many kids will love as well as their parents, like me!
So, Tara, what is your favorite part about making a book?  Each book is very exciting to make, but my favorite part has to be when I finally get the image I have in my mind - or better yet something BETTER than I even imagined! Like the lawn mower/grass photo, I was going for more a more drastic difference in the grass being cut from long to short, but the photo I ended up choosing just had some details that really captured my memories of watching the grass being cut as a child. I was excited to see how the grass and the pink and white highlighted the cat's green eyes too. I like trying to capture what appeals to children, because children have taught me to appreciate little things that might go unnoticed due to the constant demands and distractions of life. These are all opportunities to connect and think and learn together.

Shrade and I had so much fun exploring with Green.  Every photo gave us an opportunity to talk about what it was and even to find those items in real life.  Tara does such a great job of capturing life and Green is probably the first in a series of color books (hopefully!).  Tara also gives Extension Ideas for this book.

Win it:  You can win Green or another book by Books by Tara by filling out the entry form below.  Giveaway ends Monday, January 31.

To enter:  Be sure to connect with all the links before filling out the entry form.
1. (Mandatory) Be a follower on my blog (2 entries)
2. Tell me another book by Tara that you want to read. (required)
3. "Like" Milk N' Honey on Facebook (link on my blog)
4. Subscribe to Milk N Honey by email (link on my blog)
5. "Like" Books by Tara on Facebook
6. Sign up for Tara's newsletter (book giveaways every month)
7. Post about this giveaway on another site (Facebook, Twitter, Blog) (1 entry for each)