Monday, August 30, 2010

One Hand, Two Hands


One Hand, Two Hands
by Max Lucado, Illustrated by Gaby Hansen

This is an adorable Children's Book that is sure to be a favorite in any home.  A little girl goes through her day learning of all the ways she can use her hands... from petting a dog and buttoning a button to writing a letter and washing dishes.  The story helps children learn about many of the things they can do with their hands in helpful and kind ways in a fun, bright and rhyming singsong format that appeals to young readers.  Appropriate for ages 3-8, but great for younger and older as well. 

With a discussion section in the back of this book and a list of suggested things children can do with their hands, this book becomes more than just a quick story.  The illustrations are engaging and colorful, with softer colors and engaging tones.  Words are in varied fonts, drawing eyes to different places on the page.
With a final suggestion that hands are used for praying, this book shows it spiritual message, yet is not overtly religious and is appropriate for all children.  Highly recommended to all families with young children, this book is easy to read, fun to look at and has a great teaching message in a fun format.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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.”

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

FTC Regulations Compliance

FTC Regulations Compliance


To comply with new regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, please mention as part of every Web or retail site review that Thomas Nelson has provided you with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy. For example:

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://booksneeze.com/> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Children's Book/Gift Book Review Guidelines

Children’s Books/Gift Books


First and foremost, we want nothing but complete honesty in your reviews. If you loved a title, that’s great! That’s what we are striving for at Thomas Nelson. We want to consistently produce quality products for readers of all ages. If you didn’t enjoy a certain book, well that’s great as well! Of course we want every title to be a home run with readers, but when they aren’t we want to know why. The only way we can continue to bring our readers consistent and quality material is to receive honest and unbiased feedback from them. We’re not asking for positive reviews in return for free review materials. We’re asking for complete objectivity.

We ask that you keep your reviews under 200 words if at all possible. This word count allows you to be informative without being too informative. We want your reviews to be read and most people tend to shy away from long reviews. Here is our recommendation for the structure of each review:

Title: For the title of your post please include the title of the book and the name of the author and illustrator (e.g. Moon Shines Down by Margaret Wise, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)

Summary (50-100 words): Please make sure your summary is in the first few sentences of the review.

•Be sure and designate what type of product this is (Children’s Book or Gift Book).

•What is the story about? What is the message/purpose of the product?

•What age groups is the story appropriate for?
Your Reactions (100-150 words)

•Is the message of the product presented in a clear and interesting manner?

•What are your thoughts on the quality of the illustrations?

•Did the author(s) present a strong, spiritual message?

•Would you recommend this product to others?
You can see an example of both the structure and content of a quality children’s book review here:
http://geaux2girl.blogspot.com/2008/11/new-childhood-classic-in-making-for.html

Please sign in to your account at http://booksneeze.com/ and post the link to your review. If at all possible, be sure to provide the specific link to the post where your review is found.

After you’ve posted the review on your blog and our website, post your review on at least one consumer site such as Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, or Christianbook.com. To comply with new regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, please mention as part of every Web or retail site review that Thomas Nelson has provided you with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy.

Bible Review Guidelines

Bibles


First and foremost, we want nothing but complete honesty in your reviews. If you loved the layout and structure of a particular Bible, that’s great! That’s what we are striving for at Thomas Nelson. We want to consistently produce Bibles that are not only accessible, but informative and conducive to quality Bible study. If you didn’t enjoy a certain type of Bible, please tell readers why! We’re not asking for positive reviews in return for free review materials. We’re asking for complete objectivity.

We do not expect you to read the entire Bible for this review. We recommend you pick one of you favorite books of the Bible to read and get a feel for the Bible.

We ask that you keep your reviews under 200 words if at all possible. This word count allows you to be informative without being too informative. We want your reviews to be read and most people tend to shy away from long reviews. Here is our recommendation for the structure of each review:

Title:  For the title of your post please include the name of the particular Bible you are reviewing and the version (e.g. The Chronological Study Bible, NKJV)

Description of Content (50-100 words): Please make sure your description is in the first few sentences of the review.

•What kind of Bible is it? (Study Bible, Daily Reading Bible, Children’s Bible, etc).

•What kind of special content (if any) is in this Bible? (Commentary, Family Content, Devotionals, Maps, Indexes, Concordance, etc.)

•What version is it? (NIV, TNIV, NASB, NKJV, etc).

Your Reactions (100-150 words)

•What are you overall feelings towards this particular Bible? Is it easy to use?

•Are the study tools helpful and informative? Does the commentary convey Biblical truth?

•Is the Bible durable?

•Do you like/dislike the typeface and print in general?

•Would you recommend this particular Bible to others?
You can see an example of both the structure and content of a quality Bible review here:
http://stepuptothecall.blogspot.com/2008/12/review-nkjv-chronological-study-bible.html

Please sign in to your account at http://booksneeze.com/ and post the link to your review. If at all possible, be sure to provide the specific link to the post where your review is found.

After you’ve posted the review on your blog and our website, post your review on at least one consumer site such as Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, or Christianbook.com. To comply with new regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, please mention as part of every Web or retail site review that Thomas Nelson has provided you with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy.

Non-Fiction Review Guidelines

Non-Fiction


First and foremost, we want nothing but complete honesty in your reviews. If you loved a title, that’s great! That’s what we are striving for at Thomas Nelson. We want to consistently produce quality non-fiction that inspires, informs, and challenges readers. If you didn’t enjoy a certain book, well that’s great as well! Of course we want every title to be a home run with readers, but when they aren’t we want to know why. The only way we can continue to bring our readers consistent and quality non-fiction is to receive honest and unbiased feedback from them. We’re not asking for positive reviews in return for free review materials. We’re asking for complete objectivity.
We ask that you keep your reviews under 200 words if at all possible. This word count allows you to be informative without being too informative. We want your reviews to be read and most people tend to shy away from long reviews. Here is our recommendation for the structure of each review:

Title: For the title of your post please include the title of the book and the author (e.g. For the Tough Times by Max Lucado)

Summary (50-100 words): Please make sure your summary is in the first few sentences of the review.
•What is this book about? What’s the overall gist of the message or topic?
•Summarize the message of the book in 3 or 4 sentences.
Your Reactions: (100-150 words)
* Was this book interesting to you? Did it challenge, inspire, or enlighten you in any way?
* Did the author(s) make you think? Did the author(s) hold your attention?
* Was the information presented in a cohesive, yet appealing manner?
* Did the author(s) successfully convey Biblical truth?
* Would you recommend this book to others?
You can see an example of both the structure and content of a quality non-fiction review here:
http://deenasbooks.blogspot.com/2009/01/for-these-tough-times-by-max-lucado.html

Please sign in to your account at http://booksneeze.com/ and post the link to your review. If at all possible, be sure to provide the specific link to the post where your review is found.

After you’ve posted the review on your blog and our website, post your review on at least one consumer site such as Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, or Christianbook.com. To comply with new regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, please mention as part of every Web or retail site review that Thomas Nelson has provided you with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy.

Fiction Review Guidelines

Fiction


First and foremost, we want nothing but complete honesty in your reviews. If you loved the story, that’s great! That’s what we are striving for at Thomas Nelson. We want to consistently produce quality fiction that inspires, entertains, and challenges readers. If you didn’t enjoy a certain novel, well that’s great as well! Of course we want every title to be a home run with readers, but when they aren’t we want to know why. The only way we can continue to bring our readers consistent and quality fiction is to receive honest and unbiased feedback from them. We’re not asking for positive reviews in return for free review materials. We’re simply asking for complete objectivity.

We ask that you keep your reviews under 200 words if at all possible. This word count allows you to be informative without being too informative. We want your reviews to be read and most people tend to shy away from long reviews. Here is our recommendation for the structure of each review:

Title: For the title of your post please include the title of the book and the author (e.g. House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo)

Summary (50-100 words): Please make sure your summary is in the first few sentences of the review.

•What’s the story about? How would you describe this story to someone in 3 or 4 sentences?

•Be careful not to give away major plot points, twists, or surprise endings.
Your Reactions (100-150 words): Let us know what you liked and didn’t like about the novel.
•Was the story suspenseful, frightening, or romantic? How did it make you feel?
•Consider story elements such as plot, character development, dialogue, description, and scene. What worked and what didn’t?

•Was the overall message inspiring? Were you challenged in your faith? Were you entertained?

•Would you recommend this novel to others?
Please keep in mind that we prefer our fiction reviews to be spoiler free. We don’t want to take away from someone’s reading experience. If you think a line or a sentence from you review is too revealing it’s usually best to omit it or rewrite it.

You can see an example of both the structure and content of a quality fiction review here: http://myreadingfrenzy.wordpress.com/2008/12/07/the-unseen/

Please sign in to your account at http://booksneeze.com/ and post the link to your review. If at all possible, be sure to provide the specific link to the post where your review is found.

After you’ve posted the review on your blog and our website, post your review on at least one consumer site such as Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, or Christianbook.com. To comply with new regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, please mention as part of every Web or retail site review that Thomas Nelson has provided you with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Free Stuff

These are the top websites I follow for free samples and products as well as coupons, discounts and deals:

Freebies
Free Samples Blog
Free Grabber
Walmart
My Savings
Shop 4 Freebies
Hey! It's Free
Free Stuff Times
Just Free Stuff
Sweet Free Stuff

Deals, Coupons, Discounts
Fat Wallet
Slick Deals
My Savings
Deal Taker
E-Coupons
Hip 2 Save

My mailbox is nearly always full of free stuff, including food, pet products, infant and child products, magazines, health and beauty products, coupons, etc.  Getting the mail is truly fun as I never know what I am going to get, but can pretty much rest assured that if there is a bill, it will be off set by the joy of my next free item.  It is like Christmas when I open the mailbox door.  I never know what will be inside, but I can bet that it will be something good!