On Reading: Cheerios offers up Spoonfuls of Stories

Cheerios and kids go together. They are generally one of the first finger food snacks that children are allowed. And once a year they offer up Spoonfuls of Stories by including cute little paperback books in specially marked boxes of Cheerios.

I remember the first time I saw them on the shelves. I admit it — the little Doreen Cronin book that was included there was what made me put the cereal box in my shopping cart on that particular trip.

Check out the Spoonfuls of Stories for information on all the books included this year (available now while supplies last), and also their partnership with Jennie Garth and First Book.

These are the books you’ll find in the specially marked boxes:

• All the World, by Liz Garton Scanlon and illustrated by Marla Frazee, discusses the many wonderful things a child can encounter in the world as well as the commonalities all the world shares.
• Chaucer’s First Winter, by Stephen Krensky and illustrated by Henry Cole, follows a bear named Chaucer, who knows he is supposed to sleep through the winter but feels it’s much more fun to stay up and play.
• Jump!, by Scott M. Fischer, chronicles the adventures of a bug, a frog, a cat, a hound, a crocodile, a shark, and a whale, who all love to jump!
• No T. Rex in the Library, by Toni Buzzeo and illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa, is a story about a little girl named Tess and her adventures in the library with a boisterous T-Rex.
• The Purple Kangaroo, by comedian Michael Ian Black and illustrated by Peter Brown, is a vivid and humor-filled story that tricks the reader into thinking about a purple kangaroo.

I have shared before that I have a little thing for Board Books. I love their sturdiness and portability and ease of use as a plaything and car toy and crib entertainer before/after sleep. These little paperback books sort of make me feel the same way. They are so portable and lightweight — perfect to tuck into your purse or diaper bag — and

I also love that they are all written in English and Spanish.

Thanks, Cheerios for helping us moms out in our quest to make books a critical part of our kids’ lives.

Disclosure: I received a box of Cheerios and the five little books included in the boxes, but it’s my pleasure to help spread the word about this project.

Jennifer Donovan remembers the days of prizes inside cereal boxes, and as excited as she got back in the day over them, books beat out plastic rings and thingamajigs any day. She blogs at Snapshot.