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Shop Quirk Books Merchandise for Mother’s Day

Shop Quirk Books Merchandise for Mother’s Day

Mother's Day is fast upon us like a hungry lion upon an unsuspecting gazelle. But don't panic! We've curated the best kid-tested, mother-approved products in the Quirk Books Zazzle store. There's a little something for every mom, but mostly your mom.

 

Posted by Brett Cohen

Celebrate Reading on #GivingTuesday

Celebrate Reading on #GivingTuesday
 
We have a day for giving thanks. We have two for shopping IRL and online. Now, we have #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back.
 
If you don’t know, #GivingTuesday was founded in 2012 by New York’s 92nd Street Y in partnership with the United Nations Foundation.  On Tuesday, December 2, 2014, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.
 
We at Quirk Books naturally have a deep love for reading and believe that books are vital to our community for their entertainment and educational value.  If you share our passion and are feeling generous during this holiday season, I thought I’d point you in the direction of a few organizations  that foster literacy and provide access to books in our community and nationwide.  (Click to learn more and donate.)
 
Free Library of Philadelphia: The mission of the Free Library of Philadelphia is to advance literacy, guide learning, and inspire curiosity. Its vision is to build an enlightened community devoted to lifelong learning.
 
Tree House Books:  Tree House Books is on a mission of growing and sustaining a community of readers, writers, and thinkers in North Central Philadelphia.
 
First Book:  First Book provides new books to children in need, addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy: access to books.
 
Mighty Writers: The Mighty Writers' mission is to teach Philadelphia kids (ages 7 to 17) to think and write with clarity so they can achieve success at school, at work and in life.
 
Story Storks: Story Storks is a non-profit organization that focuses on creating future readers starting at birth. They provide parents of newborns with the strategies and tools needed to promote infant literacy development.
 
I hope you’ll support these great organizations…or find your own.  If you’ve got another non-profit in mind, please share it in the comments for others to review.
 
Thank you!

Posted by Brett Cohen

Celebrate Hello Kitty Reading Day on October 25th!

Celebrate Hello Kitty Reading Day on October 25th!
 
Be a part of the first-ever Hello Kitty Reading Day on October 25, 2014 at bookstores and libraries across the US!
 
Quirk Books is partnering with Sanrio and a bunch of other great publishers to celebrate reading and Hello Kitty’s 40th Anniversary. Participating bookstores and libraries will offer Hello Kitty themed activities, giveaways, trivia and more!
 
You can get involved in the fun, too! Find a location of the nearest Hello Kitty event (don't forget to call ahead to confirm event timing and participation). There will also be supercute treats available online, including:
• Hello Kitty trivia
• Cookie decorating from The Hello Kitty Baking Book
• A crochet project from Hello Kitty Crochet
• Activity sheets from Happy Birthday, Hello Kitty and Hello Kitty Wipe Clean Workbook ABC
• Coloring sheet from Hello Kitty, Hello New York and Hello Kitty Comic Book
• Mad Libs madness with Hello Kitty Mad Libs
• Read-along with Let's Read: Hello Kitty and Me
• Giveaways: Hello Kitty crowns, Hello Kitty nail decals from Hello Kitty Nail Art, and more. (Available at select participating locations while supplies last.)
 
Participating publishers include Abrams, Penguin, Perfect Square, Priddy Books, Quirk Books and Sourcebooks. 
 
The event will be a blast for fans of all ages. We hope you can join us!

Posted by Brett Cohen

Should Know Series

Dad Wisdom: The Paternal Teachings of Pop Culture

Dad Wisdom: The Paternal Teachings of Pop Culture
 
Dads have been giving advice longer than we’ve been receiving ties for Father’s Day.  We’ve given advice on the big screen, the small screen and the mobile screen.  We’ve given advice in books and music.  And, we’ve given advice a long time ago…and in galaxies far, far away.  The advice is sometimes comedic, often practical and always from the heart.
 
So, I ask you, is there a better way to celebrate Father’s Day than to recount the wit and wisdom of our favorite pop culture dads? Well, maybe a family BBQ or a quiet round of golf.  But, this will work better for the Internet.  Happy Father’s Day!
 
And make sure you enter the Rafflecopter below, for a chance to win one of five bundles of books! 
 
 
Brett is the author of Stuff Every Dad Should Know, Stuff Every Man Should Know and Recipes Every Man Should Know.  You can follow him on Twitter (@BaconTheBooks) and Pinterest (@88mph).
 
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Posted by Brett Cohen

Fiction

What if Classic Books had Suggested Hashtags?

What if Classic Books had Suggested Hashtags?

It’s pretty common for today’s media to have suggested hashtags so we can join the community of fans talking about a (theoretically) shared experience.  You see them in movie trailers.  They pop-up on your screen multiple times during your favorite TV show.  And even books will often include a suggested hashtag on the back cover.

Recently, I’ve seen a ton of posts that posit what it might look like if classic TV show XYZ had suggested hashtags.  My favorite one is for Friends.  So I started wondering what it would look like if our favorite classic works of literature had similarly suggested Twitter hashtags…  

Posted by Brett Cohen

Parenting, Parenting: Dad

How to Con Your Kid

How to Con Your Kid

I will start by saying that I love my kids. But, ahhh…the joys of parenthood. Their first smile. Their first word. Their first step. Their first tantrum. Their first defiant 'no'.

No matter how great of a parent we think we are, we will all eventually find ourselves in the cage match battle of wills. You know? The one that goes like this…

Posted by Brett Cohen

New Releases

Dog’s First Baby
Dog’s First Baby
By Natalie Nelson
Elf
Elf
By Kim Smith
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires
By Grady Hendrix
My Best Friend’s Exorcism
My Best Friend’s Exorcism
By Grady Hendrix
Horrorstör
Horrorstör
By Grady Hendrix