Hanukkah Harry's Hip & Happenin' Gift Guide: Give Good Reads

I currently have four hideously ugly plastic toys cruising around my living room playing the most annoying songs in the universe.  I've actually seriously considered suggesting to the CIA that they could discontinue the use of waterboarding as a torture tactic and simply play the Follow Me Fred theme song on repeat to get suspected terrorists to spill the beans.  I know the lengths I'll go to in order to avoid having to hear one more round of the Animal Train song, and I can't help but think even the most hardened international criminal would share my sentiment.  In order to keep what's left of my sanity, I've vowed not to purchase any primary-hued plastic toys that make noise this holiday season.  Not only because we already have two baskets full of them, but also because the Muffin Man often forgoes playing with them in favor of a wooden spoon and a piece of tupperware.  However I did want to give Noah something other than kitchen utensils for Hanukkah, which is why I was absolutely thrilled to discover Zoobean.

No loud plastic toys at Zoobean, just good old fashioned books hand picked based on your child's age, favorite interests and reading level.  They offer three, six, and twelve month gift subscriptions, and each book that your child receives will be carefully selected based on the information you provide when ordering.  Do you have a son who is six and loves adventure and mysteries?  They have you covered!  How about a daughter who's a bit of a tomboy?  Zoobean is perfect for her, too!  For Noah I selected a three month subscription of board books on any subject.  Oh, and Noah's little girlfriend who's Daddy is Spanish is getting a six month bilingual batch with both English and Spanish books.  Now that's pretty cool.

I suppose you could go to your local toy store and fight someone over the last Rainbow Loom, but why not give a book subscription instead?  Eventually your kiddo will get tired of making friendship bracelets and you'll end up donating the loom that you practically came to blows over to the Salvation Army, but the gift of a good book never gets old.  Plus, it's never too early to start reading to your little one - we've been doing it since Noah was a week old - and there's no danger of going insane listening to a stupid song over and over again.  Unless, of course, it's one you make up from the book.

Zoobean has kindly offered all of my readers a $5.00 discount off of any six, twelve, or monthly auto-renew subscription!  Enter code AnnaMom.  

Seriously, go over there and give your kid the gift of books this Hanukkah, if for no other reason than your own sanity.

The family behind Zoobean.  How gorgeous are they?!