The Family Storybook Treasury - Review and Giveaway

With Christmas fast approaching, everyone is on the look-out for great gift values. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's The Family Storybook Treasury is without question one of this season's best children's book deals. The recently released keepsake treasury includes eight familiar picture books and eight poems. But what makes this storybook collection a truly unbeatable value is the accompanying bonus audio CD of all the stories and poems!

The Family Storybook Treasury with CD: Tales of Laughter, Curiosity, and Fun. HMH Books (October 2011); ISBN 9780547612218; 304 pages
Book Source: Review copy provided by publisher

Both my kids have been sick lately, so we've had quite a bit of time to peruse this large 304 page, 10" x 10" book of stories and poems. The hardcover book offers a really nice selection of titles, and it appeals to a broad age range of kids, from toddlers to elementary age.

Picture books included in this treasury:

• Curious George and the Firefighters by Margret and H. A. Rey
• Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh
• Lyle Walks the Dogs by Bernard Waber, illustrated by Paulis Waber
• Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw, illustrated by Margo Apple
• Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger
• Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
• The Great Doughnut Parade by Rebecca Bond
• Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton

The Family Storybook Treasury is destined to become a cherished addition to home libraries. It would also make a great gift for teachers! Inside the shiny gold cover are several beloved and classic characters. My kids instantaneously recognized Curious George, Martha the talking dog and those five silly monkeys that are always getting into trouble. The text of each of the picture books is unabridged and the illustrations are just as one would expect. All the titles chosen for the volume work wonderfully as read-aloud books and the print size and reading levels vary with each title and poem.

Colored paper divides the book sections, making it easy to thumb through the pages to locate the stories. Two page, illustrated poetry spreads also divide each of the stories. The book contains the following poems:

Illustrated Poems:

• "The Cheetah" by Douglas Florian
• "The Egret" by Calef Brown from Soup for Breakfast
• "Caterpillar" by Nikki Grimes (illustrated by Javaka Septoe)
• "Song of the Water Boatman" by Joyce Sidman (illustrated by Beckie Prange)
• "Tree Horse" by Kristine O'Connell George (illustrated by Kate Kiesler)
• "Robert's Four At-Bats" by John Grandits
• "The Sphinx Ain't All That" by Adam Rex
• "Lying on the Lawn" by Bob Raczka (illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds)

Like I said, one of the best features of this treasury is the audio CD. Narrated by several individuals, the recordings are high quality. The narration is often accompanied by corresponding background music. Although the audio does not include page-turn signals, the CD is still a nice tool for young children, especially beginning readers. Audio books help children expand their reading comprehension. My daughter has already listened to the audio twice and has not had any problems following along. Her favorite story is one she's never read before, a humorous cumulative story, The Great Doughnut Parade. My son enjoys Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. I especially like that the book includes a few poems. Poems tend to get overlooked by parents but early exposure to poetry is such an important component in a child's development and helps with both language and writing skills.

Usually books that contain an audio recording cost a little more. However, considering how many stories this treasury includes, this book is extremely affordable. The treasury has a $18.99 suggested retail price (which is a pretty good deal in itself) but it's available right now for $12.91 on Amazon! Snap one up for your family or favorite teacher this holiday season.


HMH has kindly offered to give away a copy of The Family Storybook Treasury to two (2) Brimful Curiosities' readers. 2 Winners!

For a chance to win, leave a comment relative to this post or answer the following question: Which story or poem in this treasury would you most like to read?

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• Contest ends on Monday, December 5th, 2011 at 11:59 PM CST.
• Winner will be chosen at random and sent an email notification.

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