Win Free Baby Books to
Begin a Lifetime Love of Reading

Who doesn't love free baby books? I'm always on the prowl for good books for my children. The more books around the house, the homey-er the home. It's such a happy feeling to see your little one's pulling down book after book, flipping around, and laughing at pictures. That's brain-power at work!

There are several reasons why reading to your baby is universally encouraged by early childhood educators. Not only will your baby be in heaven, listening to your voice and cuddling on your lap, the whole reading process gets those little synapses firing...which encourages healthy development. Giving your baby a brain-boost through reading is one of the most loving things you can do.

In order to encourage this early reading, the EiR has teemed up with several book distributors to offer various collections of books. This article will lay out what you need to do to be entered to win free baby books for three months.

Our Current Give-Away:
3 Months of Dr. Seuss Classics!

A home without a few Dr. Seuss books on the shelf is like a kitchen without any flour. Dr. Seuss is a staple of any good children's library. To help you start your library on the right foot, we're offering 3 months of Dr. Seuss classics, delivered monthly to your door.

Month One:

A Dr. Seuss Tote Bag (perfect for library trips)
Green Eggs and Ham
The Cat in the Hat
Go Dog Go

Month Two:

And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street
Are You My Mother? (This books in on the review list as a baby book favorite!)

Month Three:

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Mr. Brown Can Moo...Can You? (Another classic on the review list!)

If you already have one or two of these, don't sweat. Christmas is coming and they make excellent gifts!

How To Win Free Baby Books

Entering this contest is easy. At the bottom of this page you'll see a list of some of the most popular baby books published today. (If you'd like a specific book listed, email me. When I've received a few nominations for the same book, I'll add it to the list.)

All you have to do is offer your thoughts about one of these books. For every book review you submit, you'll receive one entry into the contest. Click on the links here to add your review for a particular book.

Contest MUSTS:

You MUST make your review helpful. Not helpful? No entry. The best way to do this is to copy the questions listed in the entry form and answer them one at a time. Here's a great example of a helpful review (add a photo for a bonus entry!).
You MUST include your email address in your entry. Otherwise, how can I contact you when you win?

Book Review Guidelines

These reviews are to be helpful. If they aren't, they won't be accepted and your entry into the contest will be invalid. To help you know what is considered "helpful", here are some guidelines you can follow when writing your book review.

What do you really like (or dislike) about this book?
Share a memory you have of this book (either from your childhood, or with your baby) that makes it special to you.
What do you think of the illustrations?
What is your baby's favorite part?

If you had only 5 books on your baby's book shelf, would this be one of them? What would be the other 4?

How to Get Bonus Entries into the Contest

As well as your standard entry into the contest, you have the opportunity to up your chances of winning by receiving bonus entries. You can receive these bonus entries by...

Uploading a picture of your baby and the book you're reviewing.
Signing up for email notification on my blog.
Subscribing to The Merry Mother monthly newsletter.
Simply above-and-beyond awesome reviews will be granted a bonus entry (my discretion). So be as thorough and helpful as possible!
Promoting the contest on your Facebook page, Twitter, or blog. (Here are some banners.) You get one bonus entry every week per website!

Naturally, I'll have to verify your subscriptions and promotions in order to grant your bonus entries. Simply email me here via an online form or directly at heather@the-essential-infant-resource-for-moms.com. Subject: My bonus entries please!

The more books you review, the more entries into the contest you can receive! (And if you include a photo with each one, and post about the contest on Facebook, sign up for my blog, etc...you could receive more than 20 bonus entries!)

The Official Contest Rules and Guidelines

First of all, we're looking for original reviews not posted elsewhere on the web. Each person gets one book review. You cannot submit three reviews of I Love You Stinky Face. But you can submit book reviews for I Love You Stinky Face, Baby Pets and The Very Hungry Caterpillar for a total of 3 entries (without any bonuses added).

The winner will be randomly chosen using the website www.random.org. The more entries you have, the better your chances of winning! He/she will be notified via email and will have 7 days to claim their prize. An email is essential to your entry. (You are asked to provide it after you submit your book review.)

However, it will only be used to contact you if you win, and will be deleted after the contest is over. (Unless you use it to subscribe to my blog or newsletter.) See my privacy policy.

Contest Deadlines

This contest is organized around the following dates. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Dr. Seuss Book Giveaway Contest Begins: October 27th, 2009
Dr. Seuss Book Giveaway Contest Ends: November 22nd, 2009 at 11:59pm
The winner will be announced and notified on: November 23rd, 2009

Update and Side Note
December 1st, 2009

Congrats to Connie for winning 3 months of Dr. Seuss books! Our next reading contest is for 3 months of Disney books, including the newest Disney movie, "Princess and the Pea". Any entries received after December 1st, 2009 will qualify.
I will be updating this page sometime in December with pictures and specific information on the books. However, since my due date for baby #3 is tomorrow...it may take me a while! Be patient and enter anyway. Any book reviews received will be counted!

Thanks for your patience!

heather