I just put Madelyn down for her nap (she’s not sleeping yet by the way) and thanks to Cheerios we read two new books today. The first book from the Spoonful of Stories gift pack is about a little girl named Ruby who has a little issue with manners and must straighten up before she has tea with the Queen who ends up being her Grandma. The second book we read, Sleepyhead, and is a great bedtime story about a little teddy bear that always wants another story, another kiss, another cuddle. Sound farmiliar? The books are written in english and spanish but I’m not brave enough to read them in spanish yet.

About the Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories program:

Over the past eight years, Cheerios has given away more than 40 million children´s books by distributing them free inside cereal boxes and has donated $3.2 million to First Book, their non-profit partner, which provides books to children from low-income families. The program is part of Cheerios´ ongoing commitment to helping parents provide their children with a healthy, nutritional and educational foundation.

Beginning this month, Cheerios is again bringing books to the breakfast table, by providing six million children´s books free inside Cheerios boxes. The books are for children ages 3 to 8 years old, and include a brand new book in the popular “Trucktown” series, available only inside Cheerios boxes. And for the first time, all five books have been specially printed in both English and Spanish.

This year´s book offerings from Cheerios – all by Simon & Schuster Children´s Publishing – are:

Junkyard Fort, written by Jon Scieszka, and illustrated by David Shannon, Loren Long and Dave Gordon: Join Gabriella, Jack, Melvin, Ted, Lucy and the other Trucktown characters as they make their own fort, using things found in the junkyard. Ages 4-8.

Tea for Ruby, written by The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser: Wherever Ruby goes, a bit of disaster seems to follow. But one sunny morning, things change when the postman brings Ruby an amazing invitation: would she like to have tea with the Queen? Ruby needs to polish her manners, and quickly. Ages 4-8.

Sleepyhead, written by Karma Wilson and illustrated by John Segal: In this rhythmic bedtime story, a cat is the parent and a teddy bear is the child who doesn’t want to go to bed. All ready for bed with teeth brushed and story read, Sleepyhead teddy tries anything to prolong his bedtime; books and his quilt provide ample fodder for his imagination. Ages 3-7.

Ballyhoo Bay, written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Derek Anderson: Mira Bella, an artist who teaches painting and sculpture, loves Ballyhoo Bay and what it offers: sun, sea, sand, and sky. But one gray day a billboard arrives, announcing an impending development that would take all the fun out of the place. Read along to see if Mira Bella and her art can save the day and Ballyhoo Bay! Ages 4-8.

What´s Under the Bed?, written and illustrated by Joe Fenton: Young Fred cannot stop worrying about the scary creature that might be hiding beneath his bed. Finally summoning the courage to peer under his bed, Fred, with his cumbersome glasses, sees that the only thing there is Ted, his friendly Teddy Bear! Ages 3-7.

Learn more about the Spoonful of Stories program here.

GIVEAWAY!
Enter to win a Spoonfuls of Stories gift pack! The gift pack includes a set of the five Spoonfuls of Stories books, a box of Cheerios, and a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble.
To enter just tell me in the comments below what book character your child is most like and for two entries tell me what your child’s favorite book is in a second comment. For four entries click here to Tweet this post then leave your Twitter user name in a third comment. For example, my son is most like Jack from Jack and Annie. He loves to explore and learn.
Entries accepted until October 27th.

A big thanks to Cheerios and MyBlogSpark for providing us with the free Cheerios Spoonful of Stories gift pack, information, and prize pack. Feel free to tell Cheerios how much you love them for their awesome cereal and Spoonful of Stories program below!