Fall Y'all Bloggy Giveaway

This Bloggy Giveaway will end promptly at 4 pm EST today, Friday the 2nd of November. Thank you for participating. Because there were so many responses (Yay you!) I will be using a Random Number Generator to determine the winners, who I will notify by email. I will also post their names here on my blog. Note, I ONLY go to the post office on Thursdays.


Shannon, from Rocks in My Dryer, is sponsoring another Giveaway. Last summer she hosted the first one, which had hundreds of participants (including me) giving away prizes. And here we are again. All you have to do to be eligible to win is to leave a comment with your name and contact information. Say something nice, tell me why you want to win!

So what am I offering this time around? Books! Yes, Books. Two absolutely wonderful books. Two fabulous prizes.

The first book is The Dangerous Book for Boys, by Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. If you haven't yet seen this best selling book, it's a must have for any boy from elementary to middle school age. Or older. Even adult men are coveting this book. It is a compendium of lots of important information that kids today just don't get a chance to learn. It covers around eighty topics, from building a tree house to catching rabbits and how to understand girls. The Dangerous Book is a guide book for dads as well as their sons, as a reminder of lore and technique that have not yet been completely lost to the digital age. Recall the adventures of Scott of the Antarctic and the Battle of the Somme, relearn how to palm a coin, tan a skin, and, most charmingly, wrap a package in brown paper and string. The book's ambitions are both modest and winningly optimistic: you get the sense that by learning how to place a splint or write in invisible ink, a boy might be prepared for anything he might need later in life.

Dozens of short chapters, in fairly random order, cover a wide range of topics in conversational prose. Simple instructions for coin tricks and paper airplanes alternate with excerpts from history such as Famous Battles and facts about ancient wonders of the world and astronomy. The dangerous aspect is more apparent in such chapters as Making Cloth Fireproof, and Hunting and Cooking a Rabbit, but also applies to the overall premise that action is fun and can be worth the risks. A section on stickball, for instance, includes advice to possibly flee the vicinity in the event of a broken window. The information is appropriately concise. The knot-tying section, for example, sticks to five basic varieties with clear instructions and useful diagrams. Occasional topics such as Marbling Paper and Latin Phrases Every Boy Should Know may not fit the stereotypical interests of young males, but support the general theme of cultivating curiosity.

The second book offering is The Daring Book for Girls by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz . Modeled after the Dangerous Book for Boys, this brand new offering is the manual for everything that girls need to know -- and that doesn't mean sewing buttonholes! Whether it's female heroes in history, secret note–passing skills, science projects, friendship bracelets, double dutch, cats cradle, the perfect cartwheel or the eternal mystery of what boys are thinking, this book has it all. But it's not just a guide to giggling at sleepovers --although that's included, of course! Whether readers consider themselves tomboys, girly-girls, or a little bit of both, this book is every girl's invitation to adventure.

I'll be reviewing this book for MotherTalk next month for my review blog, and have just started reading it, so I'm going to turn it over to Design Mom, who already reviewed it. She says:

"...And to be honest, I was a little worried I might not like it. Would it be too pc? Would it be too girly and assume girls mostly like to groom? Would it pretend girls are the same as boys? But my worries were unfounded. It's lovely.

Some of my favorite sections:
Make Your Own Quill Pen
Telling Ghost Stories
How to Play Four Square (My kids were totally asking me about Four Square and I couldn't remember the rules. Hooray for the book!)
How to Tie a Sari
Lemon-Powered Clock
Campfire Songs
Robert's Rules
Books That Will Change Your Life
Plus, lots of interesting women throughout history. And the French and Spanish words and phrases that every girl needs to know. And many, many, many more sections.

Oh. And the cover has this subtle glitter thing going on that is really fantastic. I've already bought two copies as gifts. A great book. Ralph finds it as interesting as Maude found The Dangerous Book for Boys. If you have both sons and daughters, you'll enjoy having both books in your home."

Both of these books are guaranteed to have your kids enthralled with all the cool things they can learn, and you will be able to learn a few things yourself.

Remember, to win these books, leave a comment with your name and contact information! And the more creative the comments, the more fun I'm going to have wading through them, if you get my drift!

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