It is no secret that our family reads--a lot--so it's not surprising that our favorite reviews are often book reviews. This time though, we're not talking about a single book, but a whole pile of interesting and educational materials.
Imagine my excitement when we were able to choose our own books from Library and Educational Services LLC. We were given the choice of one book from the best-selling Who Was . . . ? series, one CD from the dynamic Lifehouse Theater CD series, and a selection of the Reinforced Hardcover Library Binding Nonfiction books.
Library and Educational Services is a small, family-owned company right here in Michigan. They've been in business as a whole-sale distributor for over 40 years, selling to libraries, schools, re-sellers, specialty stores, churches, missionaries, daycare centers, and ministry leaders. The merchandise is carefully selected to ensure they represent Christian morals and values. They specialize in materials for children, though they do offer many products for the adult crowd, as well. From Bibles to biographies to DVDs to marriage helps to coloring books and everything in between, there is something to appeal to everyone.
On top of their great selection are their great prices. All of their materials are between 30% to 70% off publisher's list prices every day. I personally have ordered from them multiple times and have been very pleased with both the products and the prices. And my kids are always thrilled when they get a big box of new books!
We've been big fans of the Who Was . . . ? books for a while. In fact, we own over 50 titles from the series. I require my kids to spend a certain portion every week reading a biography. While we have many different types in our personal library, the Who Was . . . ? books are a favorite. They are perfect for the middle grades with a slightly larger font size and vocabulary usage. Each book is right around 100 pages and is filled with sketch drawings on nearly every page. There are also timelines in the back and additional bibliography suggestions. Along with the Who Was? books which focus on people of the past, there are What Was? (events), Where Is? (places), and Who Is? (people of the present) titles.
We were given 1 book, but I ordered an additional 4 to add to our collection. Occasionally, a single title might drop lower in price from another retailer, but in general, this is the cheapest place to purchase these books. In fact, they have dropped even lower than the every day price during a current sale. All the titles in the series are only $2.89. I already placed another order of 10 of these books! The ones I got for this review though are Who Was William Shakespeare?, Who Were The Brothers Grimm?, What Was the Great Chicago Fire?, What Was Pearl Harbor?, and Where Is the Tower of London?.
Another great aspect that I never noticed before is that the What Was? books each have an additional 16 pages of historical photographs and the Where Is books have a full-color, fold-out map with pictures on the back. These bonus pages help the places and events comes to life and give the reader a more vivid understanding. I've enjoyed looking through these pictures of the past.
The Lifehouse Theater CD series is also something we were familiar with as we already owned a couple productions. These On-The-Air audio dramas are adaptations of classic stories from literature, history, and the Bible. The stories come to life through powerful performances, beautiful music, and rich sound effects, making a "theater of the imaginations."
We chose "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi." The story is based on a short account within Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book. In it, a pet mongoose bravely protects his human family from a pair of deadly cobras. This version begins and ends with a side story as a missionary relates the courage of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi to calm a young boy who had been bitten by a snake and wins over the boy's aloof father in the process. The story encourages bravery, faith, and love. This production is well done and was enjoyed by the whole family. This particular story is right around a half hour, but others in the series are more than twice that length.
Choosing our Reinforced Hardcover Library Binding Nonfiction books was a more more difficult task than deciding the other materials. There are just so many options! Since my kids range in age from 4 years to 13 years and naturally have different interests, I picked books that would not only be educational, but intriguing, as well. Here is our loot:
- The Black Death 1347-1350
- Bloodiest Battles (set of 4)
- Ye Yucky Middle Ages (set of 4)
- Real Life Science Projects (set of 2)
- Extreme Survival (set of 2)
I admit, I am a book nerd, but I have to say that these books are beautiful! There is just something special about a brand new pile of books, especially ones that are as well-made as these. All but the survival books are hardcover with sturdy binding. The books are full of color with eye-catching pictures and pleasing formats. The books are designed to teach kids all sorts of important and fascinating facts, but even I have been reading my way through them and learning new things.
My daughter did find a single defect in one of our books. She was reading Who Was William Shakespeare? when she came across a page that was flipped and torn. The page wasn't cut properly so it was substantially larger than the others, causing it damage.
I headed to the site, clicked the contact us button, and then filled out the form through the email link. I gave my information and explained the situation. The next day I received a personalized email from customer service. She was friendly, apologized for the defect, and shipped me a new book. Mistakes happen; how you handle them is important. The customer service at Library and Educational Services LLC is fantastic.
I have always been pleased with my experiences with Library and Educational Services LLC. They have a vast selection of quality books at amazing prices. Here is a sampling of materials we own that they sell: the Rush Revere books, set of 26 Profiles of the Presidents books, Adventures in Odyssey CDs, Drive Thru History DVDs, pack of Cartoon Nation books, Go Science DVDs, and, of course, dozens of Who Was . . . ? books. They truly offer something for everyone.
Head over to Library and Educational Services LLC today and don't forget to take advantage of their sale on the Who Was . . . ? series!
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Since members of the Crew were able to choose their own titles for this review, there are so many more books and CDs that have been used by homeschooling families this summer. You can read those reviews on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.
