Monday, June 9, 2008

THE PINK TOTEBAG RECOMMENDS...

Hi everyone! Sorry for being so MIA over the past couple of weeks - we've been dealing with house stuff and it's been a bit crazy around here. We also had some pretty violent thunderstorms rolling through since last Wednesday, which led to some large-scale power outages. Thank goodness we're back up and running!

So, if you're like me, you spend a good deal of time and money on online shopping. Especially since Caroline came along, the internet has become not only my primary means of keeping my wardrobe up-to-date, but it's helped me take care of birthday and Christmas gifts, groceries, contact lenses, and more. The convenience of having things brought right to my door has definitely overshadowed the urge I have to drag my toddler daughter - stroller, sippy cup, board books, and all - to the mall. Yes, getting out the door is always a good thing, but sometimes, you just don't feel like dealing with the hassle!

The only thing I've never really liked purchasing online is books for my daughter. She loves to read and has built up quite the library of board and picture books over her short life. You go to a site like Amazon, read a few reviews or a summary and maybe see a picture of the cover of the book, but you never really know what you are going to get until you pay for shipping and wait a few days for the box to arrive, only to feel like the book you bought isn't quite what you were looking for. Also, while Steve and I love to take Caroline into bookstores or to the library, sometimes you just want to skip the tantrum when you won't buy her the 24 books she has pulled off the shelves.

Leave it to the people at Lookybook to help shoppers to weed through the junk and find the book that's just right for their little readers! This site features hundreds of authors, illustrators, and books that you can virtually read from cover to cover to see if you really want to buy it. While they obviously don't have every book ever written, they frequently add new ones, and have quite a few of the more famous children's book authors (including a couple of my personal favorites from my teaching days - Tomie de Paola and Patricia Polacco). You can search by subject or genre, save books to your virtual "bookshelf," and once you've made the decision to buy, there are links to sites such as Amazon or Barnes and Noble, in addition to a search engine to find the book at your local smaller bookseller. Love it! Happy shopping!

3 comments:

Lipstick said...

Welcome back! Can't wait to check out this site.

The Pink Totebag said...

Thanks, Lipstick! I've missed you guys too! It's nice to have a moment to sit down and write (as well as check in on some of my fellow bloggers' sites!). Hope all is well with you...

What Kate Wore said...

Hey ... I'm glad you're back as well. It sounds like you have really had some ups and downs the last six weeks or so! The wedding photos are stunning. And Caroline in the pool.... what can I say? With her little pail… and then dancing… sigh. Looking at all the photos with your parents, I know you have probably heard this a thousand times, but they are *so* darn cute!
I can't imagine the knot in the stomach type feeling when you came back in and saw the kitchen though... ick.
Can you tell I read a whole bunch of posts all at once tonight? And then looked at all the photos? And then read about Caroline and the "... need towel" request which was so sweet I about died. Honestly. You are such a good writer!
BTW, Blogger only lets me post as my former blogger person, with a blogger identity and address/url...if that makes sense? But actually I am really and truly now a wordpress person, at http://thePreppyPrincess.wordpress.com and I apologize for putting this in the middle of a comment and completely clogging up that section of your blog, but I don't know of any other way to get in touch and tell you. :-( I just didn't want you to think I never posted over at the old blog spot.