When
|
Where
|
Second Sunday
of February |
Norway
|
8th March
|
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Vietnam
|
Fourth Sunday
of Lent |
Guernsey, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Nigeria, United Kingdom
|
21st March
|
Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Lebanon, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
|
10th May
|
Mexico, El Salvador, Guatamala
|
Second Sunday
of May |
Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Bhutan, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Liberia, Malaysia, Malta, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Samoa, Singapore, Slovakia
South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United States of America, Uruguay, Vietnam, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe
|
26th May
|
Poland
|
30th May
|
Nicaragua
|
Last Sunday
of May |
Algeria, Cameroon, Dominican Republic, France, Haiti, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Sweden, Tunisia
|
12th August
|
Thailand
|
15th October
|
Malawi
|
As Mother's Day is around the corner, we were wondering why there are over 10 different days when Mother's Day is celebrated instead of just one date around the globe. I thought you might have the same questions too and did a little digging and a little writing to help solve this mystery!
Throughout history, cultures and societies have developed their own traditions and customs, shaping the way they commemorate and honour motherhood. From the bustling streets of New York City to the serene villages of rural France, each country has its own unique Mother's Day celebrations.
In this blog, I not only explored the origins of Mother's Day in different countries but also tried to find the cultural, historical, and religious factors that have influenced the choice of dates. Whether it's the second Sunday of May in the United States, the fourth Sunday of Lent in the United Kingdom, or the last Sunday of May in France, each date holds significance and symbolism tied to its respective country.
So, here we go!
USA 🇺🇸 (Second Sunday of May):
Let's kick things off with the good ol' US of A! Picture this: it's the early 20th century, and a spunky lady named Anna Jarvis is feeling all warm and fuzzy about her mom. So, in 1908, she decides to honor her mother, who was a peace activist during the Civil War, by organizing the first official Mother's Day celebration. Word spread like wildfire, and by 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared the second Sunday of May as Mother's Day. And thus, a tradition was born! Now, it's all about showering our moms with love, brunches, and maybe a few too many "World's Best Mom" mugs.
A little trivia about Anna-Jarvis for those who might want to read on. Jarvis spent her life popularizing the holiday and then railing against its overt commercialization. She even went so far as to scold First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt for using Mother’s Day to raise funds for charities.
UK 🇬🇧 ( Fourth Sunday of Lent):
Back in the day, Mother's Day in the UK had a more religious flavor. It was tied to the Christian festival of Lent, and folks would flock to their "mother church" – the main church or cathedral in their area – for a special service. It was a time for reflection, gratitude, and, of course, honoring dear old mum.
But as times changed, so did the way we celebrate. Nowadays, Mother's Day in the UK has taken on a more secular vibe. It's less about the religious aspect and more about showing appreciation for all the amazing mums out there.
Sure, they might have borrowed a few ideas from our friends across the pond. I mean, who can resist the allure of brunches, flowers, and heartfelt cards? But hey, why mess with a winning formula? Spoiling our mums rotten has become a beloved tradition, and we're not about to change that anytime soon.
France 🇫🇷 (Last Sunday of May or First Sunday of June):
Ah, bonjour! Over in France, they do things a little differently. Instead of sticking to the second Sunday of May like their American counterparts, the French celebrate Mother's Day, or "Fête des Mères," on the last Sunday of May or the first Sunday of June. Ooh la la! This tradition gained official recognition in 1950 when the French government designated it as a national holiday to honor mothers and their role in society. Talk about giving mom the VIP treatment! But why the last Sunday of May or the first Sunday of June, you ask?
Unlike the Americans, who stick to the second Sunday of May, the French like to keep things interesting by switching up the date. It's like a little surprise gift for all the mamas out there – you never know exactly when the celebrations will begin!
So, to all the mères out there – whether you're celebrating on the last Sunday of May, the first Sunday of June, or any day in between, merci beaucoup for all that you do, and here's to you.
Indonesia 🇮🇩 (December 22nd):
In the roaring '20s – specifically, 1928, Indonesia was all about the change and excitement, especially among women who were eager to carve out their place in society. In a historic move, a group of visionary Indonesian women came together for the Indonesian Women's Congress. This wasn't just any gathering – it was a groundbreaking event where these trailblazing women discussed women's rights, education, and empowerment.
Now, here's where it gets really interesting. Among the many topics on the agenda, these forward-thinking ladies decided to designate December 22nd as the official day to celebrate mothers and the remarkable women who hold families together and thus fast forward to today, and December 22nd has become synonymous with love and celebration across Indonesia. It's a day when families come together to honor their moms in the most special ways possible!
Russia and Ukraine 🇷🇺🇺🇦 (March 8th):
But wait, there's more! In some countries like Russia and Ukraine, they celebrate International Women's Day on March 8th. Now, you might be scratching your head and wondering, "What does Women's Day have to do with Mother's Day?" Well, it's like a two-for-one deal! International Women's Day celebrates women's achievements and contributions to society, including their roles as mothers. It's a day to recognize and appreciate the women who rock our world – both as moms and as fierce leaders, innovators, and changemakers.
Conclusion:
So, why all the differences? Well, every culture has its own unique traditions, history, and reasons for celebrating. But at the heart of it all, whether it's in May, March, or whenever, the message is the same: moms are superheroes, and they deserve all the love and appreciation we can muster!
If you are ever struggling while deciding what to buy for your Mom for Mother's Day, fret not! We have you covered!
Our heartwarming collection of personalized books are sure to make this Mother's Day extra special.
First up, we have "All About Mom" – an adorably cute, personalized, picture-perfect gift for the bestest, greatest mother in the whole wide world. With the PhotoStory version, you can upload and add your own photos directly into the book, creating a truly unique and cherished keepsake that your mom will treasure forever.
And if you're looking to tug at those heartstrings even more, "Your Baby's Story" is the perfect choice. This heartwarming, gentle, and loving story takes you on a wonderful trip down memory lane, reliving the beautiful experience of giving birth to your first child. It's a touching tribute to the journey of motherhood and the special bond between mother and child.
So why settle for ordinary when you can give your mom something extraordinary? Our personalized books are not just gifts – they're tokens of love!
So here's to all the moms out there, no matter where you are or when you celebrate – you're incredible, and we love you to the moon and back!
Manimal Tales is a publisher of personalized books for all ages and occasions. As a small company, we did not have a large budget (or any budget really) to build out our influencer network of mothers, but we managed to do so anyway.
This is the third article in our series detailing how we created that influencer strategy at Manimal Tales, and this article lists out the actual mommy bloggers we have reached out to. We also talk about the overall strategy and go-to-market considerations when building your own influencer network, and detail the practical steps taken in order to do so as a resource for other companies. Enjoy!
Instagram ID |
Followers |
Description |
_allthingscorey_ |
10900 |
Brand ambassador for enfant.chics. lots of paid AD content and collabs |
ada.skye |
1831 |
outfits, gifts and adventures. low followership but good engagement |
alayahmarie_harding |
2040 |
content creation and styling. lots of clothing content |
ameliabutextra |
8321 |
Not a lot of PR/ Ad content but very good engagement |
candiceandmaemae |
17800 |
Blogs about daily life with a toddler |
diana.betty.brandt |
12100 |
Documenting all the firsts and supporting small businesses ✨ |
dylnne |
4,084 |
kids fashion |
esmaeslittlelife |
6061 |
Lots of kids clothes companies PR/ Ads |
firstladytamtam21 |
4352 |
Does toy and clothes reviews |
gabrielle_lealupp |
1959 |
kid plus home content. lots of travel content |
itskelseyjordan |
32100 |
Motherhood/ Family/ Lifestyle. Does not have any collabs/ PR content on feed |
jackbutlerofficial |
29800 |
Child model. Most collabs with kids toys |
kxtrinalouise |
5371 |
mom of 2. blogs about content and lifestyle. mix between kids content and perosnal blog |
learnurdwith_me |
25800 |
lifestyle blogger. parenting/travel/food |
lifewithaliceelizabeth |
3167 |
kids finds and products |
lifewiththekfamily |
9517 |
lots of collabs and reviews on kids products |
miaslifewithasd |
5658 |
documenting kids life with ASD and raising awareness |
mom2twolittlehumansinlondon |
19100 |
Food|Travel|Lifestyle|Entertainment/ Reeling real & relatable|Marriage & Motherhood |
mum_ofthesouth |
4951 |
Has PR with different baby products as well as self care products |
mumtoboys_x |
4246 |
blogs about motherhood. mom to 3 boys. Has collabs with wonderbly |
raising_arthur22 |
10000 |
lots of PR and collabs with different kids products |
sarah pho85 |
3139 |
Home, life and kid content. Had PR and collabs with kid products |
stephania_ayla_esme |
9158 |
open to collabs / very good engagement for no of followers |
texasmadefamily |
23600 |
"All things Mom" fashion, homeproducts, amazon review |
thacutest_1 |
5532 |
Does collabs with almost everything. Has a PR post for littlehippo books |
the_gerrings |
8877 |
parenting/ sustainability and self care. has collabs with bran ds |
the_gough_family |
11000 |
Home, life and kid content. Had PR and collabs with kid products |
tiny_tales_usa |
18800 |
“Toyfluencer”. Almost only does reviews / PR for all kids products. Has a PR post for littlehippo books |
ukleothelion |
10700 |
open to collabs / very good engagement for no of followers |
vayda.aviana |
4529 |
Has collabs with littlehippo books. Most PR/Ads with kids toys and clothing |
warwickthefoodie |
15400 |
foodblog for kids |
whatteddy_didnext |
9455 |
kids toys reviews and content |
xameliajeanyx |
3342 |
kids clothes PR and collabs |
yorkshiremum_wingingmotherhood |
4472 |
all things lifestyle and motherhood |
Instagram ID |
Followers |
Description |
__baby_nala |
3360 |
Baby content, no PR or Ad collabs yet |
17400 |
Model and child influencer |
|
_brandimartin |
22000 |
beauty creator. Has PR and collabs with few brands |
_cherriecc |
13500 |
Motherhood and beauty. Collabs with costo, cereal brands and kids toys. |
_nobuddy.likeabrother |
27600 |
Family • Life • Travel • Home / has PR and collabs with kids toys |
abbyteh |
14900 |
Content creator. Does a lot of PR / Ad content |
aisla.sky |
13200 |
Has PR with different baby products as well as self care products |
allietims |
12900 |
Not many collabs with baby things. Mostly cereal, skin care and wine. |
ameliabutextra |
8321 |
Not a lot of PR/ Ad content but very good engagement |
annashieldsss |
4784 |
Paid partnerships with kids brands mostly and skincare |
avarie.style |
3157 |
Baby and home decor and fashion page. |
babygaurika |
21100 |
Lots of collabs and mainly kids content |
bambino_adventures |
19000 |
Does PR and collbas with kids products |
bethanyfontaine |
82500 |
Youtuber. Homeschooling and slow living content |
bookswithcayla |
6357 |
Bookstagram / book reviewer |
brooklyn_bliss |
4733 |
Does collabs with baby products. Regular content. Mostly pictures of her kids |
cammknight_ |
9421 |
Momfluencer, make up artist. Does not have any PR/Ad content on her page right now |
candiceandmaemae |
17800 |
Blogs about daily life with a toddler |
chey.powers |
50500 |
Does not have many paid partnerships on her page but has great engagement and high number of likes/comments. |
cocoabearandmummy |
19300 |
fashion model |
demjudegirls |
6536 |
Family/lifestyle influencers. 3 sisters |
destinedtobeamom_ |
33100 |
Featured on hooray heros. Does collabs and PR for baby products. |
diana.betty.brandt |
12100 |
𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝘂𝗺 / 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗶 / 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 / 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. Documenting all the firsts and supporting small businesses ✨ |
dylnne |
4,084 |
kids fashion |
eliloveforbeauty |
10700 |
Posts content about beauty and motherhood. Has collabs with kids products. |
emelie_aleyssa2 |
1856 |
Fashion / kids clothes influencer |
emilia.roses.closet |
7439 |
Clothing ads mostly |
ericayettaw |
15700 |
New mom. Posts motherhood content |
esmaeslittlelife |
6061 |
Lots of kids clothes companies PR/ Ads |
everydaymamadrama |
7639 |
Code-based collabs. |
firstladytamtam21 |
4352 |
Does toy and clothes reviews |
fitpeanutbay |
20400 |
midwest mama. talks about her postpartum journey. Does not have PR content on her page |
fixerupperfarmhouse |
20600 |
collabs with baby food and toy companies |
frankiec_eats |
67400 |
toys and fashion. did a collab with little hippo books and wonderbly. |
gall_adventures |
24100 |
Motherhood and travel blog. Has PR and collabs with food/beverage brands |
hannahmcmorrison |
30000 |
Content about motherhood and fashion |
heidiannehan |
7354 |
Posts about, family and travel. Has collabs with baby products. |
hellakidsinhere |
12200 |
Affiliated with target / mother of 4 |
hudson.brodyy |
4345 |
Hudson Brody | Mini Influencer | Toddler Fashion Fashion Model Brand Rep Small shop supporter | Toddler Fashion Inspo |
immy_and_my_mini |
6201 |
birth, baby & finding yourself as a new mum |
itskelseyjordan |
32100 |
Motherhood/ Family/ Lifestyle. Does not have any collabs/ PR content on feed |
ivin.la.vita.leto |
10600 |
Most Ad partnerships with baby clothing companies. Baby models |
izzyy.owens |
12900 |
Travel content. Has 2 kids. No collabs/PR on her insta page |
jaceandshantel |
1645 |
Did a collab with hooray heroes. Have not posted anything since dec 2022. |
jackbutlerofficial |
29800 |
Child model. Most collabs with kids toys |
jackiecambron |
14500 |
Aesthetic traveler mom vibe. Does not have any Paid partnerships or collab posts on her page. |
jadelouisegx |
20400 |
Kids and life blog |
jaiden.ashlea |
49800 |
Her son has Spina Bifida so she posts awareness posts. She also has collabs with brands |
jasmindionne |
6159 |
Kids content and kids products PR |
jen.galati |
13200 |
Mostly does code-based partnerships / collabs. Most of them are for baby clothing companies. |
jessica.mcdanie.l |
73000 |
Has a lot of collabs. Some posts have 400+ likes while others have only 80-110. |
joni_boni_and3_little_ruslings |
6796 |
Motherhood, fashion. Has PR and collabs with kids toys, products and boos |
2198 |
Having ababy soon, lifestyle content |
|
justthesixxofus_ |
16700 |
lots of kids content / collab with kids books |
11200 |
Kids fashion. Has a lot of collabs with kids clothing |
|
laurakatiej |
4269 |
Lifestyle, home and kids content |
laurenmeadows__ |
20100 |
Posts a lot of DIY home projects. Does not have any active PR/Ad content |
laurenvdp |
9872 |
kids content / not many collabs |
life_with_elise_x |
12400 |
Lots of collabs with kids products (lots of clothing) |
life.with.enya.and.eryn |
2195 |
kids Fashion blog |
lifewithaaryana_ |
20900 |
fashion, lifestyle and toys influencer. Has many collabs with books and toys companies |
lindseywengerd |
10800 |
Does a lot of clothing ads. Does not have many paid partnership |
liveabouts |
123000 |
very popular / good content/ has collabs with kids toys and books |
logie_henry |
15200 |
Has collabs/ PR with baby products |
lynda_09 |
12900 |
Lifestyle/Family Vlogs/Travel. Does paid partnerships with kids clothing and toys. Has one with Macys. |
lyonard_sydney |
6286 |
has collabs with food and health products |
madisyn_and_the3bears |
24500 |
open to collabs / mid engagement |
mamaofkids_travels |
Instapage for 4 kids. Traveling and kids content. Has a PR post for littlehippo books |
|
marybrittferguson |
4666 |
Baby blogger mother. Does not have any PR/ Collabs |
maryy_jarrell |
4208 |
Posts mostly about her life. Did a collab with hooray heros. |
19400 |
Does not have PR/ collabs |
|
miss_orlaivy |
21500 |
fashion inspo and motherhood blog |
mommy_4gentleman |
13700 |
Most PR/Ads are with kids clothing and toys. Mother of 4 |
moriah.celestee |
20900 |
Mom blogger. Does not have any PR/Ad posts on her page. |
motherofgrom |
9915 |
vegan / van life/ travel with kids\ |
moveswithmaggie |
19700 |
Paid partnerships with kids clothing brands and ambassador for hooray heroes |
mum_ofthesouth |
4951 |
Has PR with different baby products as well as self care products |
mummyofgingers |
16200 |
Has done collabs with other books (mostly teen books) |
mumunplugged |
7292 |
Collabs with kids products and toys |
myinjenuity |
42200 |
jen | home, lifestyle, motherhood, travel | 📍MN. Does not have many PR/collab posts |
nami_ayah |
9665 |
Collab with wonderbly, clothing and kids toys |
nicoleexdaviss |
7318 |
Tarrot card reader with a baby and an unalive husband. Has sympathy followers |
ourcoastielife |
12800 |
Digital creator. Mostly does collabs and Or for kids products (diapers ) |
ourlifewithlainey |
2884 |
Does not have many PR posts. Did a collab with hooray heroes. |
paige.hackettxo |
2293 |
All baby content. Has PR and collabs with kids products |
playbakecreate |
13700 |
Does collabs with kids products but also has her own products. |
rach_mummy2_hugo_sofia_elliot |
42400 |
lots of kids content / collabs with lots of kids toys |
raisingmavricks |
30000 |
mother of 4 / lot of travel and outdoor content |
raisingmylittleskind |
19700 |
Did collab with dittybirdbooks. Does a lot of baby clothing. |
raisingthebonds |
2202 |
Has collabs with baby products companies |
rowan_indiana_aspen |
37300 |
Lots of baby clothes content |
runningwwild |
14000 |
motherhood | style | everyday life. Featured on hooray heros. has 3 kids. does collabs and PR |
sarah pho85 |
3139 |
Home, life and kid content. Had PR and collabs with kid products |
scarletts_world_ |
56900 |
Momfluencer. Make up / fashion content. |
sebastianj321 |
24700 |
V cute kid. Does lots of collabs with kids clothing. |
shawnaaaaa |
5909 |
Most collabs with baby clothing brands |
shelbsbarlow |
7931 |
Motherhood and lifestyle |
stephania_ayla_esme |
9158 |
open to collabs / very good engagement for no of followers |
strongasamotha |
32100 |
Family Blog & Motherhood Journey. Some of her posts did really well but the others did not. |
sydney.meek |
10300 |
Has a few paid partnerships. Did a giveaway with hooray heroes. |
texasmadefamily |
23600 |
"All things Mom" fashion, homeproducts, amazon review |
thacutest_1 |
5532 |
Does collabs with almost everything. Has a PR post for littlehippo books |
thaniacantarelli |
54900 |
Posts a lot of makeup/beauty stuff. has 3 kids |
thatcomfymom |
33600 |
Very tiktok famous. Does not post content of her babies but mom related content. Good engagement on her page |
thats.so.simmons |
7427 |
Does collabs with kids clothing companies mostly. Has an average of 600 likes per post |
the_garnertwins |
17000 |
twins content |
the_gerrings |
8877 |
parenting/ sustainability and self care. has collabs with bran ds |
the_south_family_x |
28300 |
Has 4 kids. Does a lot of PR / ADs mostly with kids prodcuts |
the_unorganised_mum |
6854 |
Motherhood | Lifestyle | Adventures. Has PR/Collabs with reading eggs and bigjig toys. Posts review content |
the.real.life.dad |
6216 |
great content and very good engagement for the number of followers |
thecaravanningmummy |
19000 |
Family caravanning adventures & mum life. Has PR and Paid partnerships with kids toys and day to day products. |
thejennapohl |
11200 |
teen mom lifestyle blogger. has collabs with skincare products |
10400 |
26 | Mom of 2 👦👧 | Family • Food • Lifestyle • Beauty & Health |
|
thewanderlustmamabear |
7425 |
Has PR post with frightvisionbooks. posts about motherhood • travel • themeparks • lifestyle |
tiny_tales_usa |
18800 |
“Toyfluencer”. Almost only does reviews / PR for all kids products. Has a PR post for littlehippo books |
twinmamaslife |
19200 |
Motherhood •Travel • Lifestyle • Wellness. Might be a weightloss coach |
two_littlepickles |
24600 |
Has collabs with books and toys companies |
twoinayear |
8842 |
lots of kids content / collab with kids books |
valeriecoon |
31300 |
Mother of 2. Does a lot of PR/Collabs. Kids toys and home/ food products |
vayda.aviana |
4529 |
Has collabs with littlehippo books. Most PR/Ads with kids toys and clothing |
yasminecamilla |
28200 |
body positivity content mostly / 1-3 kids products content |
youmeandraeni |
12300 |
Collabs with a myriad of things. Hosts giveaways |
yourstruly_thehensleys |
42600 |
Promotes children's products. Has a youtube channel. Has paid partnerships with kids coloring books |
Manimal Tales is a publisher of personalized books for all ages and occasions. As a small company, we did not have a large budget (or any budget really) to build out our influencer network of mothers, but we managed to do so anyway.
This is the second article in our series detailing how we created that influencer strategy at Manimal Tales, and this article details the practical steps taken in order to do so, along with actual examples and other resources. We also talk about the overall strategy and go-to-market considerations when building your own influencer network, and also provide a list of all the mommy influencers who we have corresponded with as a valuable resource for other companies. Enjoy!
Table of Contents
In our pursuit of connecting our personalized children's books with mommy influencers, we embarked on a meticulous journey that blended innovation with strategic precision. Our approach was shaped by the unique needs of our small business, aligning every step with our budget constraints and brand vision. Here's an in-depth look at how we built our curated list of mommy bloggers:
For our small business, specializing in personalized books for children, this was a crucial step to ensure that our influencer strategy was executed seamlessly. Here's a detailed look at how we organized our efforts using a Google Sheets tracker.
With our list of mommy influencers in hand, we recognized the need for a streamlined approach to manage our outreach, collaborations, and outcomes. Google Sheets emerged as our virtual command center, offering flexibility, accessibility, and ease of use.
Sheet 1: Mom Influencer Database
Our first sheet became a comprehensive database of all the mommy influencers we had discovered. This sheet included the following essential fields:
Sheet 2: Outreach and Collaboration Tracker
The second sheet became our dynamic workspace, enabling us to meticulously track every interaction and collaboration. This sheet was designed to provide an organized snapshot of our progress, allowing us to make informed decisions and nurture relationships effectively. It included the following fields:
Efficiency at its Finest: Benefits of the Tracker
Conclusion:
Our Google Sheets tracker wasn't just a tool; it was the backbone of our influencer strategy. With a structured database of influencers and a collaboration tracker, we streamlined our approach, creating efficiency, personalization, and strategic insights. As we ventured into the world of mommy influencer collaborations, our tracker ensured that every opportunity leveraged, and every collaboration orchestrated seamlessly.
In the dynamic realm of influencer collaborations, the ability to craft a compelling proposition can make all the difference. As a small business specializing in personalized books for children, we recognized the power of a well-crafted offer when reaching out to mommy bloggers. Here's an in-depth look at how we approached our proposition, the message we sent, and the diverse responses we encountered during our influencer outreach journey.
The Proposition
In our quest to collaborate with mommy influencers, we understood the importance of creating a proposition that resonated with their interests and values. Our approach was centered around offering genuine value while aligning with the authenticity of our brand. Our proposition revolved around sending influencers a free hardcover book in exchange for a review post on their Instagram. This post would showcase the book, highlight what they loved about it, and include photos that they would provide, which we could feature on our social media platforms. This proposition aimed to create a win-win scenario - influencers would receive a valuable product, and we would benefit from their authentic endorsement and user-generated content.
The Outreach Message
The cornerstone of our influencer outreach was the initial message we sent to mommy bloggers. Our message was carefully designed to capture their attention, convey our brand essence, and express our eagerness to collaborate. Here's the message we sent to every influencer:
"Hello! We love your content and would like to collaborate with you. Manimal Tales creates unique personalized books for all ages and occasions. We can offer you a free hardcover book in exchange for a review post and content that we can feature on our social media. If things go well, we’d love to do this periodically with you. If you’re interested, please let us know. Thank you!"
This message encapsulated our brand's enthusiasm, the product we aimed to offer, and our openness to establishing a lasting partnership. Its concise yet engaging nature aimed to capture the influencers' attention and encourage them to explore the potential collaboration further.
We totally get how life can get crazy busy, and we know Instagram messages sometimes slip through the cracks. So, we sent a couple of friendly follow-ups to influencers every 5 days just to check in and make sure they didn't miss our collab offer.
The second message was a quick shout-out to ensure they caught our first one and to nudge them for a simple yes or no. Here's what we said
“Hello. Just wanted to follow up on the previous message. If you are interested, we can discuss the next steps. And if not, no worries, let us know. Thank you!”
Lastly, our final text was to make sure of their decision and also ask for their rate card so we could keep it on file for future use.
“Hey, sorry for bugging you but we just wanted to ask one last time if you were interested and if not, if you could send us your rate card if you have one for us to keep on file!”
The influencer landscape is richly diverse, and our outreach yielded an array of responses that mirrored this diversity. Our experience encompassed a range of outcomes, each offering valuable insights into the influencers' preferences, expectations, and collaborative styles:
Conclusion:
Our journey through influencer outreach was a set of varied responses. Crafting an irresistible proposition and initiating contact with a well-crafted message was our aim. As a small business, these interactions provided us with valuable insights into influencers' expectations, pricing models, and collaboration preferences. From price-list responses to enthusiastic acceptance and non-responsiveness, each interaction added a layer of knowledge to our influencer strategy.
Through our journey of working with influencers, below are some of our key tactical learnings about our partnerships:
Our pursuit to integrate our personalized children's books with mommy influencers involved a rather innovative approach, which was tailored to the requirements of our small business. It started by leveraging Instagram search to target the micro-influencer sweet spot, connecting with engaged followers, drawing strategic insights from peer brands, and creating content that our audience would like.
To do this as seamlessly as possible while being organized , we used a Google Sheets tracker, serving as a centralized hub for managing collaborations. This tool comprised a comprehensive influencer database and an outreach/collaboration tracker, providing oversight, data-driven insights, and enabling us to be able to track the outreach process without too much hassle.
Our messaging was simple and to the point without any clickbait and revolved around a proposition that highlighted genuine value, offering influencers a complimentary hardcover book in exchange for a review post. The outreach message was crafted to be direct , effective and convey our enthusiasm for potential collaborations.
The dynamic response spectrum revealed diverse outcomes, including influencers accepting our proposition, positive responses featuring price lists, and non-responsive segments. Each interaction was entered into our google tracker and we got insights into influencers' expectations, pricing dynamics, and collaboration preferences, contributing to the refinement of our influencer strategy.
Learnings from our influencer partnerships underscored the significance of incorporating video content, requesting comprehensive content for repurposing, encouraging influencers to add us as collaborators for dual visibility, and integrating giveaways to enhance audience engagement and platform traffic.
In total, our journey was explorative and when we started, we had no clue what would or would not work. Combined with some planning, efficient execution, and adaptive learning, we figured out what is best for us (and we hope that it is for you too). As we went about our mommy influencer collaborations hunt, we learnt and now we write this blog hoping that it helps you!
Manimal Tales is a publisher of personalized books for all ages and occasions. As a small company, we did not have a large budget (or any budget really) to build out our influencer network of mothers, but we managed to do so anyway.
This is the first article in our series detailing how we created that influencer strategy at Manimal Tales. We also talk about the actual steps taken to do so, along with examples of all resources, and also provide a list of all the mommy influencers on Instagram with whom we have corresponded with, as a valuable resource for other companies. Enjoy!
Table of Contents
In today's dynamic digital landscape, influencer marketing has become an indispensable tool for small businesses to reach their target audience effectively.
However, the idea of creating an influencer strategy, especially for those with tight budgets, can be daunting. In this blog post, we'll take you through a real-life case study (of ourselves - check us out at manimaltales.com) and how we devised a successful influencer strategy targeting mommy influencers without breaking the bank!
Manimal Tales is a small publisher of personalized books for all ages and occasions. In our case, we had absolutely zero dollars in the budget to pay for influencers. What we were willing to do was offer free products in exchange for product reviews and giveaways. Before we honed in on our homegrown DIY approach, we did take a look at the universe of possible options and have shared those learnings here as well.
We will also provide (as separate blog posts) all the real-world tools we used to execute our DIY Influencer strategy, including our list of Mommy Bloggers, our tracking sheet and sample outreach content!
We hope this proves to be useful to other small businesses looking to do the same!
When a small business aims to resonate with mothers and grandmothers, mommy influencers become the natural bridge. These influencers, who share their parenting journeys, insights, and recommendations, possess an intrinsic ability to connect with their audience. We embarked on a journey to discover effective ways to tap into this power.
In the quest to identify suitable mommy influencers, third-party influencer marketing platforms offer an efficient avenue. These platforms streamline the process of influencer discovery, relationship management, and campaign tracking. Here are a couple of options:
Instagram Influencer Platforms
Micro-Influencer Platforms
Influencer marketing has become a popular marketing strategy in recent years, as companies look to leverage the audiences of social media influencers to promote their products or services. Influencer platforms are services that connect influencers with brands and help facilitate influencer marketing campaigns.
One major advantage of using influencer platforms is the ability to find influencers who align well with your brand's values and mission. Many influencer platforms allow brands to search for influencers based on their interests, audience demographics, and other factors, helping to ensure that the influencers you work with are a good fit for your brand.
In addition, working with influencers through an influencer platform can often be more cost-effective than hiring an agency or managing influencer relationships in-house. Influencer platforms often offer a range of pricing tiers that allow brands to choose which influencers to work with based on their budget and the scope of the campaign .
However, there are also some downsides to using influencer platforms. One potential disadvantage is the sheer number of influencers and platforms available. This can make it difficult to find the right influencers to work with and to evaluate the quality of their followers. In addition, influencer platforms may charge fees or take a percentage of the campaign cost, which can add up quickly.
Also - and this is most key - all influencers on existing platforms charge for their content and rarely accept barter or in-kind offers. So for us, this was a double whammy - not only would we have to pay for the platform, but we would have to pay for the influencers as well!
Key issues to consider when using Influencer Marketing Platforms:
Authenticity and Fit: While influencer marketing platforms provide access to numerous influencers, brands need to ensure they collaborate with authentic and relevant influencers. Conducting thorough research, reviewing past collaborations, and analyzing audience engagement can help determine the authenticity and fit of potential influencers.
Cost vs. ROI: Engaging influencers through platforms often involves financial commitments, including fees and compensation. Brands should carefully evaluate the potential return on investment when selecting influencers and negotiating rates. It's important to consider factors such as reach, engagement, and the influencer's alignment with the brand's values and target audience.
Content Control: When working with influencers through platforms, brands may have limited control over the creative process and content produced. While influencers bring their expertise in creating engaging content, it's crucial to ensure that the content aligns with the brand's vision and messaging. Establishing clear guidelines and maintaining open communication with influencers can help strike a balance between creative freedom and brand alignment.
Market Saturation: The increasing popularity of influencer marketing has led to a saturated market, with numerous influencers collaborating with various brands. This saturation can make it challenging to find influencers who haven't already worked with many competitors in a specific industry. Brands need to conduct thorough research and seek unique collaborations to avoid the risk of appearing repetitive or inauthentic.
Conclusion
Despite these potential drawbacks, influencer marketing remains a popular and effective marketing strategy. According to a survey by Influencer Marketing Hub, businesses on average earn $5.20 for every $1 spent on influencer marketing. In addition, 63% of marketers plan to increase their influencer marketing budgets in 2021, indicating that the strategy is only getting more popular.
In conclusion, influencer platforms can be a valuable tool for brands looking to get into influencer marketing, offering the ability to find and collaborate with influencers in a more efficient and cost-effective way. However, brands need to carefully evaluate their options and consider the potential downsides of working with influencers through a platform.
After exploring these various influencer platforms, we realized that it was better to manage influencer outreach on our own. While the platforms did offer lists of influencers, we found that we could find mommy bloggers on our own and that most of these platforms were not cost-effective for small businesses. Read our next blog to see how we did it!
However, for businesses seeking to manage influencer programs, these platforms could be a useful investment with the vast array of features they offer. As always, research and analysis are key in determining which platform is best for your specific business needs.
Influencer Platform |
Pros |
Best For |
- Comprehensive influencer profiles |
Large businesses with a higher budget |
|
- Detailed audience demographics |
||
- Robust campaign management |
||
- Performance tracking |
- Detailed influencer insights |
Small to medium-sized businesses |
|
- Flexible pricing options |
||
- Strong communication tools |
||
- Data-driven analytics |
- In-depth influencer profiles |
Businesses seeking extensive influencer data |
|
- Extensive data analytics |
||
- Efficient campaign management |
||
- Access to a wide range of influencers |
- Specialized influencer performance data |
Brands focused on influencer-driven impact |
|
- Emphasis on relationship management |
||
- Effective brand mention tracking |
||
- Deep understanding of influencer-driven impact |
HYPR |
- Comprehensive influencer profiles |
Businesses seeking wide platform coverage |
- Wide range of social media platform coverage |
||
- Robust analytics and fraud detection |
||
- Customizable pricing options |
Collaborating with influencer marketing agencies is another route that small businesses can consider. These agencies specialize in connecting brands with suitable influencers, managing campaigns, and ensuring smooth execution. However, it's important to note:
Benefits: Agencies bring expertise, connections, and a well-defined process to the table. They handle the intricacies of influencer collaborations, saving the brand time and effort.
Considerations: The cost associated with agency collaborations can be substantial, often exceeding the budgets of small businesses. Additionally, relinquishing control over certain aspects of the campaign might not align with the brand's vision.
There are hundreds and hundreds of agencies and performance and capabilities vary significantly. Most agencies are pretty local and we suggest the best way to work with them is to get a referral from someone you know who has used them and can vouch for their performance!
Tailoring the Strategy to Your Budget and Goals
For many small businesses, navigating the world of influencers on a limited budget requires creative thinking and strategic decision-making. While third-party platforms and agencies offer valuable services, their costs might outweigh the benefits for smaller enterprises.
In our journey as a small business specializing in personalized books for children, we discovered that the art of storytelling extends beyond the pages of our books. When faced with budget constraints, we recognized the value of a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach to influencer collaboration. This strategy not only proved to be the most cost-effective option but also allowed us to maintain a level of control that resonated deeply with our brand ethos.
Embracing Personalization in Strategy
Just as we take pride in crafting books that reflect the uniqueness of each child, we approached influencer collaboration with a focus on personalization. The DIY approach enabled us to tailor our strategies to fit the distinct personalities and styles of mommy influencers we aimed to collaborate with. We understood that personalization extended beyond just our products; it was an integral part of how to approach micro mommy influencers.
The Power of Control and Consistency
One of the most significant advantages of the DIY approach was the level of control it granted us. From initial research and influencer identification to campaign execution and post-collaboration engagement, we had a hands-on role in every step
Optimizing Resource Utilization
As a small business, we're no strangers to resourcefulness. By choosing the DIY path, we strategically allocated our limited budget. Rather than investing in expensive third-party platforms or agency fees, we directed our resources towards establishing great collaborations which we can use periodically in the long run. This approach not only stretched our budget but also allowed us to sort through the mommy influencers who created the content best suited for us!
Fostering Authentic Connections: A Personalized Journey
Researching, identifying, and reaching out to mommy influencers directly became an insightful journey of its own. Instead of simply targeting influencers based on follower counts, we delved deeper.
Precision and Tailoring: Every Collaboration Counts
Our personalized books stand out because they are carefully tailored for each child. Similarly, our influencer collaborations were approached with precision. Through the DIY strategy, we gained a good understanding of each influencer's unique style, audience, and content preferences. Armed with this knowledge, we were able to craft tailored messaging and collaborations that seamlessly aligned with their platforms.
Narrative Consistency for Meaningful Impact
Choosing the DIY approach meant that our influencer collaborations became a part of the larger story we were telling through our brand. Just as our personalized books have a narrative arc, our influencer partnerships took on a purposeful trajectory. This narrative consistency ensures that each collaboration contributes meaningfully to our brand's overall message, with each mommy influencer becoming an authentic advocate for our products.
To sum it up, diving into the world of influencer marketing for small businesses is like choosing between a bunch of exciting options at an ice cream parlor. While influencer platforms and agencies offer some tempting flavors, you have to weigh in the costs and consider whether they'll satisfy your budgetary taste buds.
So, we took a stroll through the influencer platform neighborhood, checking out cool spots like Upfluence, AspireIQ, Julius, Tribe Dynamics, and HYPR. They have comprehensive influencer profiles, great analytics, and campaign management tools. But, hold up – there's a catch! These platforms might ask for both a fee and a scoop of your budget to pay influencers. Double whammy!
Platforms give you access to a variety of influencers, but you we have make sure they are in line with our brand. And when it comes to the creative stuff, influencers might want to sprinkle their own flavor, so you've got to find the right balance between letting them do their thing and keeping your brand's identity intact.
Now, let's talk about influencer marketing agencies – the cool cats of the influencer world. They bring the expertise, connections, and a whole process to the table, making your life easier. But here's the scoop: they might charge a hefty fee, and you might have to give up a bit of control over your campaign. It's like getting a fancy sundae but not being able to choose the toppings.
So, how did we, a small business making personalized children's books, tackle this influencer marketing adventure? We went for the DIY route – just like making your own ice cream sundae at home. It's all about personalization, baby! We tailored our influencer collabs to match the unique styles of mommy influencers. Having control over the whole process allowed us to stretch our budget wisely, spending on collaborations that would keep giving in the long run.
Reaching out to mommy influencers directly was a learning curve for us. Instead of just looking at follower counts, we dug deeper into their style, audience, and content preferences.
In a nutshell, our experience showed us that a DIY approach is like creating your own campaign– budget-friendly and personal. By navigating the influencer landscape with a dash of creativity, a scoop of personalization, and a little bit strategic thinking, we found our niche of influencers.
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We are thrilled to introduce our latest offering: a collection of free coloring books designed to ignite your child's creativity and provide endless hours of fun and learning. In this digital age, we understand the importance of nurturing imagination and artistic expression in children.
Plus, with summer here, the kids need activities to keep them occupied!
These personalized coloring books have been carefully crafted to engage young minds, encourage exploration, and unleash the power of creativity. Let's delve deeper into the details of these two extraordinary coloring books.
These activity sheets are designed to stimulate learning, creativity and artistic skills, making them the perfect way to spend the summer. By combining artistic expression with cognitive challenges, we aim to provide a holistic and enriching experience for children.
We believe in the power of creativity to shape young minds and nurture their overall development.
Coloring activities promote hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, concentration, and color recognition. They also serve as a calming and therapeutic outlet, helping children relax and express themselves. Furthermore, coloring fosters imagination, allowing children to create their own interpretations of the illustrations, experiment with colors, and explore their artistic potential. It is a wonderful medium for self-expression and storytelling.
We at Manimal Tales, publishers of beautifully illustrated personalized books for all ages and occasions (excuse the obligatory plug), have put together this useful guide on best practises for posting on Instagram. As a small business, we struggle with how best to maximize the time we spend and the effectiveness of our social media strategy.
We’ve been posting about personalized books on Instagram for a while, and we had a lot of questions. When it comes to social media (specifically Instagram) and the best practices, the questions are a dime a dozen and the answers to them are vast and inconclusive most of the time.
We wanted specific actionable answers to those questions, and so we did tons and tons of research. We correlated what others were saying with our own evidence and anecdotal evidence from others, and provided our best-guess answers!
Once we did that, we figured it was best to share it with the world! If you have alternate opinions on any of the below, please feel free to share in the comments!
Below are some of the questions we have attempted to answer:
The first topic is probably the one that gets asked the most on Instagram. According to research done by Hootsuite, you should post between 3 and 5 times per week on Instagram and post stories more frequently, as much as 2 times per day. The same study by Hootsuite found that creating a minimum of three posts per week on Instagram is recommended for optimal engagement.
Social media analytics site Union Metrics analyzed 55 popular active Instagram brands and found that major brands post an average of 1.5 times per day to Instagram, with no drop-off in engagement for posting more, as long as the rate of posting can be sustained.
In June 2021, the Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri suggested posting "a couple of feed posts a week, and a couple stories a day", but noted that one size doesn't fit all.
Neil Patel on Forbes says that "posting frequency is not all that important for your Instagram marketing." Instead, what you should focus on is consistency. Whether you post once or twenty times per day, do your best to maintain that same cadence.
Based on all the data, we at Manimal Tales decided to post to our feed once every day, Monday to Saturday. We take Sundays off. For a small company like ours, any more than that would be very difficult to do consistently, and any less means we risk losing the engagement with our followers. Also since we publish and sell personalized books, we have to make sure our content remains fresh, original and consistent, and posting too often risks it feeling stale or repetitive.
According to a recent post from Instagram's Creator account, users should use between 3-5 hashtags.
Instagram's recommendation of using only a few hashtags sounds surprising, especially since the platform previously recommended using up to 30 hashtags. In fact, Instagram’s Creator account explicitly says NOT to use 20 to 30 hashtags any more!
The fact remains though that using relevant, targeted hashtags on posts and reels is still one of the best ways to get discovered by new audiences on Instagram.
A study by Later found that while using more hashtags can increase likes and comments, there is a limit to the number of hashtags that should be used. Posts with 20 hashtags see the highest average reach rate, while those with 30 hashtags are not too far behind according to an article by Social Media Today.
Another study by Social Insider analyzed over 650,000 Instagram posts and found that the ideal number of hashtags for maximum engagement is 9-12 hashtags per post.
According to a couple of studies done by Hopper HQ and Sprout Social, the best times to post vary by day of the week. Hopper HQ posits the best times of the day are those times of the day when people have downtime - e.g. during the morning commute, during lunch, after work, at bedtime etc. Intuitively that makes sense. Sprout was more specific, giving specific times that seem to work best for each day. According to Sprout, the best days of the week to post on Instagram are Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Generally speaking, most of the recommendations seem to say the best time for posting is between 9 am and 11 am ET during weekdays. Most sites also agree that the worst day for posts is Sunday, which has the lowest engagement of all!
That being said, the best time to post on Instagram depends on the audience's location, age, and behavior patterns. Time zones matter, and audience composition does too. If you are based in a different time zone, be sure to adjust your post times accordingly! Similarly if your audience skews heavily towards one particular demographic, be sure to post at the time you think will work best for them. For example, if your audience was largely young college students, posting between 9 and 11 am may not be the best idea as they are likely to be attending lectures at that time!
After looking at the data and comparing it to our Instagram insights, we realized that evenings from 9 AM to 11 AM EST work the best for us, Monday to Saturday. We take the day off on Sundays! Our core audience for personalized books are mothers and grandmothers, and so posting during the week makes sense, and most of them don’t use social media much on weekends anyway.
We recommend also trying different times and see which ones give you the best results. A good rule of thumb is to think of times when your audience is likely to be on Instagram and have some downtime!
According to Emplifi, Reels have seen a steady uptick in usage over the past few years, as have Carousels. Video posts and image posts on the other hand have decreased as a percentage of the overall number of posts being done by brands.
A study by Social Insider found that Instagram reels have an average engagement rate of 1.23%, which is higher than the average engagement rate for Instagram posts. Carousels have a higher engagement rate than single image posts (0.99% vs 0.7%).
According to Publer, the average engagement rate per post for Instagram carousels is 1.92%, higher than the average engagement rate of 1.74% for images and 1.45% for videos. This means that users are more likely to interact with posts containing multiple images or videos in a single post rather than viewing one image or video at a time. Based on the available research, Instagram reels generally have a higher user reach and engagement rate compared to regular posts on the platform.
Later analyzed over 81M Instagram feed posts (excluding Reels) to find an answer to this question. They collected data from January 1, 2021 to February 28, 2022, and analyzed over 44M Instagram feed posts (excluding Reels) and came to the conclusion that:
Hootsuite’s social media team found that, on average, carousel posts get 1.4x more reach and 3.1x more engagement than regular posts on Instagram.
In summary, Instagram carousels offer a range of benefits that make them a powerful tool for creators and businesses. Through enhanced storytelling, increased engagement, versatility in content creation, and maximized reach and discoverability, carousels provide an immersive experience that captivates and connects with your audience. By leveraging this format effectively, you can elevate your Instagram strategy and create impactful and engaging content that stands out in the crowded social media landscape.
Source: Sprout Social
Like most of the rest of the world, we historically defaulted to single image posts in our feed, but based on the data above we have moved to increasing our usage of reels and carousel posts, and have seen a corresponding increase in engagement as well! Also, both reels and carousel posts allow us to tell richer and more engaging stories about our personalized books!
Have you ever wondered if it is better to keep the text short or does a lengthy text work better in terms of attracting followers and reach on Instagram? You can write up to 2,200 characters in your caption, but should you? Quintly, in an analysis of 5.9 million posts, found that the ideal length is 1-50 characters, as these tend to drive more interactions. That being said, the same study also found that the ideal caption length also varied based on the number of followers you had, with more text being better for accounts with smaller number of followers, and ideal caption lengths getting smaller as your follower counts increase!
Conclusion:
At Manimal Tales, we like to keep our posts short and snazzy, and let the images speak for themselves! A picture is worth a thousand words (especially when it comes to personalized picture books!), and we believe that anything more than 50 characters is probably too many!
Instagram Stories are great for temporary and more informal content, and should absolutely be a core part of your overall Instagram content strategy. But should you repost every Instagram post of yours as an Instagram story as well?
After extensive research across the web and reading multiple opinions, I can tell you that there are some pros and cons to consider when deciding whether to post a story or a regular post.
First, let’s get the facts in place. Stories have a higher engagement rate compared to regular posts. They are also a great way to showcase behind-the-scenes content and create a sense of exclusivity among followers. Exclusivity is great to create organic growth as well as increase content engagement! However, stories are only visible for 24 hours, which means that they have a shorter lifespan compared to regular posts.
There isn’t much data available on this particular question, but as far as we can tell, there is no negative effect to publishing every post as a story. Put simply, Instagram doesn’t penalize you for taking a post and publishing it as a story as well.
Based on the data:
The main differences between a video post and a Reel on Instagram are as follows:
Reel:
Instagram reel |
Instagram post |
|
Format options |
Short-form video |
Single images and carousels |
Interactive tools |
Stickers, tags, message & reminder buttons |
Tags and message & reminder buttons |
Algorithm factors |
User activity data |
Post and author data |
Average reach |
Potentially higher |
Often lower |
Average engagement |
Typically lower |
Usually higher |
Return on investment |
Your mileage may vary |
Your mileage may vary |
In summary, while both video posts and Reels allow you to share videos on Instagram, Reels have a stronger focus on short-form, vertical, and creatively enhanced content with more discoverability options, while video posts offer greater flexibility in format and are primarily displayed in the regular feed.
Instagram doesn’t prioritize the exact same ranking factors for Reels vs. Posts. There are two separate “algorithms” for determining reach.
However, Instagram has been heavily promoting Reels as a bulwark against TikTok, and accordingly, the median interaction count on Reels is almost 40% higher than traditional video posts on Instagram.
Instagram Reels beat all other short-form video apps when it comes to engagement, having a global average of 53 minutes of viewing time per session.
Reels are specifically designed for short-form, attention-grabbing videos. Their maximum length of 60 seconds encourages concise and impactful storytelling. This format aligns perfectly with the fast-paced nature of social media consumption, capturing viewers' attention and keeping them engaged. Unlike longer video posts, which may require more time commitment, Reels offer a quick and immersive viewing experience that holds the potential for higher engagement rates.
Instagram Reels have revolutionized the way creators and businesses engage with their audience on the platform. With their unparalleled discoverability, creative opportunities, the potential for virality, and engaging bite-sized format, Reels outshine traditional video posts in terms of reach, impact, and audience interaction. One can amplify their brand, increase engagement, and connect with a wider audience on Instagram, making it an indispensable tool in your content strategy. When it comes to personalized books, our reels allow us to showcase our books very effectively. It is time we embrace the Reels revolution!
We’ve all been there. Sometimes we have multiple images, and in our desperation to feed the content machine, we find ourselves asking whether it’s better to bunch all the pictures together in one carousel post, or perhaps space them out over a few days as separate image posts?
Research conducted by Later, a social media marketing platform, suggests that carousel posts tend to receive higher engagement rates than separate image posts. The ability to showcase multiple images within a single post can capture users' attention and encourage them to swipe through the carousel, resulting in increased reach and engagement.
Further research indicates that carousel posts tend to have higher engagement rates compared to separate image posts. According to a study by Social Insider, Instagram carousel posts have an average engagement rate of 1.92%, compared to 1.74% for single-image posts and 1.45% for video posts.
The same study found that engagement rates increase as the number of images in a carousel post increases, with the highest engagement rate achieved at 10 images.
In addition to that, carousel posts also allow for more creativity and storytelling opportunities, as they provide a way to showcase multiple images or videos in a single post . This can be particularly useful for brands that want to showcase a product or tell a story through a series of images. Carousels also actually generate the most number of comments for small accounts like ours.
Anecdotally we have noticed we get slightly better engagement on carousel posts. Also, the data is pretty unequivocal on this one. Carousels are better for engagement, allow for a more layered story-telling (especially when it comes to personalized picture books) and are increasing in popularity. We have started using more and more carousel posts whenever possible!
Boosting a post and running an ad on Instagram are two different ways to promote content and reach a wider audience. Boosting a post is a quick and easy way to promote an existing post to a larger audience while running an ad provides more advanced targeting options and ad formats.
Boosted Posts vs. Running Ads: Which One Truly Works?
As an advertiser, you might think that running ads and boosting posts are both equally effective. However, you must understand the significant differences between the two.
What is Boosting a Post?
Boosting a post is a way to increase the reach and visibility of a particular post on your brand's Instagram page. It allows you to show your content to a broader audience, including those who don't follow you but might be interested in your brand, product or services. Boosts are easy to set up and can be managed from your Instagram page.
What is Running an Ad?Running an ad means creating an ad campaign from scratch from the Meta Ads Manager. You have more control and customization over ad targeting, ad placement, ad formats, and more. By running an ad, you can show your content not only on Instagram but Facebook and other platforms. Ads are more complex to create but have greater flexibility and can be more sophisticated in their targeting and parameters.
Boosted Post vs. Ad Performance ComparisonThere are several factors that you should consider when deciding if you should boost a post or run an ad. Let's compare the execution, targeting, and effectiveness of both methods to determine which one works better.
An independent study found that Instagram ads have a higher return on investment (ROI) than boosted posts, with 63% of marketers saying that Facebook ads had a positive ROI compared to 37% for boosted posts.
As a rough rule of thumb, we use boosted posts to drive followership and increase engagement on our Instagram page, while we use ads to drive traffic and sales to our website.
Within the pages of this personalized baby gift, each child embarks on a unique adventure, as their name becomes the protagonist of their tale. From the moment the baby book is opened, young readers are captivated by the vibrant illustrations that bring their story to life.
]]>Here are five key learnings to take away from Your Baby’s Story:
1. Cherishing Precious Memories
Your Baby's Story" emphasizes the significance of treasuring the journey of bringing a child into the world. By incorporating photos of important milestones, such as the parents' wedding, the grandparents' love and support, and the pregnancy journey, the book encourages parents to reflect on and celebrate these cherished memories.
Including a photo of the parents' wedding showcases the love and commitment that laid the foundation for the child's arrival, reinforcing the importance of their union.
2. Personalization for Individuality
Through the personalized story, children learn about the importance of family and the special role they play as older siblings. It encourages them to appreciate and cherish the unique bond they share with their new baby sibling and their parents. The book also gives the option to choose the first child or the second child. For each letter of your child’s name, the book has a unique personality trait that allows the child to develop a sense of confidence and individuality.
3. Engaging Your Child From a Young Age
Your Baby's Story engages the child by enabling parents to choose a character that resonates with their little one. This interactive element sparks the child's imagination and creates a sense of connection with the story. Seeing themselves on the pages adds a magical touch to the book, capturing the child's attention and creating a sense of wonder.
4. Celebrating Family Bonds
The book recognizes the importance of extended family in a child's life. By including photos of the whole family and grandparents, Your Baby's Story celebrates the love, support, and shared experiences that shape the child's upbringing. Adding a photo of the child with their grandparents depicts the intergenerational bond, showcasing the love and wisdom passed down through the family.
5. Preserving a Personalized Legacy
With the option to add personal messages to the book, parents can leave a lasting legacy of love and affection for their children. These messages become a timeless reminder of the strong bond between parents and children. A heartfelt message from the parents expressing their hopes, dreams, and unwavering love for their child serves as a constant reminder of the profound connection they share.
Activities to do with your child:
Sue says:
"Your Baby's Story," is a musical delight, Capturing memories, sparkling so bright. With photos and love, it brings pure joy, A keepsake to cherish, forever employed.
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With your child’s name inserted into the tale, The Grumpopotamus teaches valuable life lessons in a way that's fun and imaginative, it is a picture book about friendship. Young readers learn about the importance of friendship, dealing with grumpy feelings positively, and overcoming challenges through teamwork. Colorful illustrations and silly wordplay keep the story light while subtle messaging instills deeper meaning.
Here are five key learnings to take away from The Grumpopotamus:
1. Importance of Friendship
The book emphasizes the significance of friendships and highlights how they can bring joy and support into our lives. Encourage your child to talk about their friends and discuss why friendships are important to them. As in the story all the animals, Stutterfly, Dally Llama, Braindeer, Smellyphant emphasized friendship and together went to Grumpy’s house to help their friend.This is a children's book about friendship primarily, that is heart-warming!
2. Dealing with Grumpiness
The Grumpopotamus character portrays grumpiness as a natural feeling that everyone experiences from time to time. In the story, Grumpo doesn't know how to deal with his grumpiness. While reading the book. you can prompt your child to think about ways they can make themselves feel better when they are feeling grumpy. This helps develop emotional intelligence and self-awareness.
3. Problem-Solving and Bravery
The child takes on the role of the hero in the story, embarking on a quest to un-Grump the Grumpopotamus. This highlights the importance of problem-solving skills and bravery. Discuss with your child how they would approach challenges and encourage them to think creatively when faced with problems. In the book, the mouse showed how brave people truly behave and found a person who could help Grumpo.
4. Collaboration and Teamwork
Throughout the adventure, the child's character teams up with colorful Manimal characters like Anonymouse, Charmadillo, and the Dally Llama. This demonstrates the value of collaboration and teamwork. Talk to your child about the benefits of working together and how different strengths can complement one another. In the story, at the end, all the animals of the jungle come together and celebrated the end of the Grumpo war.
5. Appreciating Differences
The diverse cast of characters in the book celebrates individuality and promotes an appreciation of differences. It encourages children to embrace diversity, recognize the unique qualities of others, and celebrate what makes each person special. Through interactions with characters like Anonymouse, Charmadillo, and the Dally Llama, children learn that diversity is something to be celebrated rather than feared or judged.
Activities to do with your child:
1. Grumpy Feelings Jar: Decorate a jar with your child and label it the "Grumpy Feelings Jar." Cut small pieces of paper and encourage your child to write down or draw things that make them feel grumpy. Whenever they experience grumpy feelings, they can put the paper in the jar. At the end of the week, sit down together and discuss ways to address those feelings.
2. Act out the Adventure: Use stuffed animals or dolls to reenact scenes from "The Grumpopotamus." Let your child take the lead in assigning roles and guiding the story. Encourage them to come up with their solutions to un-grump the Grumpopotamus and promote their creativity.
3. Friendship Bracelets: Teach your child how to make friendship bracelets using colorful threads or yarn. Sit down together and create bracelets for their friends or family members. Discuss the meaning behind the bracelets and how they symbolize friendship and connection.
Sue says:
In a land of grumpiness, the Grumpopotamus resided. A child and the Manimals embarked on a quest, spreading friendship's light. Laughter, secrets, and joy were shared, melting the Grumpo's blues away, unveiling a world of happiness anew]]>It is a whimsical and entertaining tale that encourages children to explore, learn, and have fun while also reinforcing important skills such as observation, attention to detail, and problem-solving. This book is a perfect gift for any child who loves personalized books, seek-and-find challenges, and playful storytelling.
]]>Where is KarmaChameleon? is an exciting personalized search-and-find book for children between the ages of 3-6. The book takes children on an adventure with Karma, a master of disguise, who keeps disappearing on them at different locations such as the playground, toy store, street fair, beach, circus, and station. The book can be personalized with the child's name, character choice, and a personal message, making it a special and memorable gift for any young reader.
1. Attention To Detail
The book teaches children to pay attention to details by requiring them to search for KarmaChameleon on every page. By searching for Karma on each page, children develop their ability to observe and notice small details, which is an important skill in many areas of life, including academics and problem-solving.
2. Fosters Imagination and Creativity
Reading personalized books can foster imagination and creativity in children. By making your child the protagonist and involving them in the story, this book provides an opportunity for children to explore and expand their imaginations. As they engage with KarmaChameleon and his world, children are encouraged to think creatively and come up with their own ideas and solutions. This fosters a sense of creative thinking and problem-solving that can benefit them in all areas of their lives. For instance, In the book, there is a scene where Karma disappears at a street fair. The illustration shows a bustling fairground with various attractions and activities. As the child searches for Karma in the lively scene, they might come across a carousel or a Ferris wheel. The book prompts them to use their imagination and think creatively about where Karma might be hiding in such a vibrant setting.
3. Develop Problem-Solving Skills
By having to search for KarmaChameleon on each page, children are practicing their problem-solving skills. They have to come up with a strategy to find Karma and then apply that in different situations. This helps develop their ability to think logically and tackle challenges. As children embark on the quest to find KarmaChameleon on each page, they encounter different obstacles and clues that require careful observation and analysis.
4. Teaches Persistence and Resilience
Many children may not find KarmaChameleon immediately on each page. Toddlers learn the value of persistence and resilience as they continue searching for Karma, even when it's not immediately apparent. Continuing to search for KarmaChameleon encourages them to keep looking and trying different strategies.
5. Encourages Reading and Vocabulary Development
Reading personalized books is a wonderful way for children to improve their reading and language skills and can help children develop their reading skills and build their vocabulary. As they follow the storyline and search for KarmaChameleon, children will encounter new words and phrases that will expand their language abilities. Over the course of the book, there are likely many other new words and objects introduced in different scenes that children can learn the meaning of through context. By personalizing the book with the child's name, it also helps the child make a personal connection to these new words and incorporate them into their growing vocabulary.
Activities to do with your child:Sue Says:
Karma Chameleon likes to hide, In different places, he'll reside, Children search from page to page to find him and engage. KarmaChameleon is a book that your little one will never grow tired of. There’s always something new to explore! This book is a perfect gift for any child who loves personalized books, seek-and-find challenges, and playful storytelling.
]]>Manimal Tales has bought such thoughtful and inspiring personalized children's books in which it features each child by name, the book nurtures their confidence, imagination, and sense of wonder about the future.
More than just entertainment, this book nurtures key developmental skills. Learning the alphabet becomes effortless as letters map to professions. Creativity flourishes with colorful illustrations that bring each role to life. And seeing their name and interests reflected in a book builds self-esteem and a lifelong love of reading.
Here are five key learnings to take away from a personalized alphabet book:
1. Exciting Careers to Explore
A personalized alphabet book exposes kids to many career options they may never have considered otherwise. Each letter introduces a unique profession from adventurous ones like "Astro Adventurer" to made-up ones like "Wizard Warrior".
This significantly expands children's horizons. Suddenly, new possibilities open up that they may not have thought of on their own. Children learn there are so many varied and interesting jobs out there beyond the traditional careers they typically envision.
The colorful illustrations that accompany each letter bring these professions to life, igniting children's curiosity and imagination. The images introduce new realms for children to explore and capture their interest in potential future paths. By featuring such a diverse range of jobs, the book teaches children that their futures are constrained only by their interests, skills, and imagination. There is a place for everyone in the working world, and every job contains elements of meaning and purpose.
2. The Importance of Imagination
The bright pictures accompanying a zookeeper, artist, or astronaut bring these careers to life and capture children's imaginations. The illustrations transport kids into these roles, allowing them to imagine what it would be like to pursue these professions as a career.
This shows children the importance of imagination in setting and achieving goals. By dreaming big and thinking creatively, kids learn they can envision their own unique futures and career paths based on their interests.
Overall, the illustrations in personalized alphabet books for birthdays and gifts highlight the pivotal role imagination plays in goal-setting and self-discovery for children. They help kids understand that by using their imagination, they can define success on their own terms and pursue passions that light them up from the inside out.
3. Building Self-Esteem and Identity
Personalized gifts for children like alphabet books that feature the child's name and interests have a profound impact on their self-esteem and sense of identity.
When kids see their own name taking center stage in the pages of a storybook, coloring book, or alphabet book, it makes the gift uniquely theirs. The book becomes a reflection of the child's personality, sparking a sense of pride and ownership over their own story.
4. The Best Way to Teach and Learn the Alphabet
Personalized alphabet books that associate each letter with a child's interests or an exciting profession offer an engaging way for children to learn the alphabet The relatable themes make it easy for children to remember the order of the alphabet. Having context for each letter through a real-world example makes the letters more meaningful and memorable for kids.
The illustrations that accompany each letter-theme combination additionally help children associate a visual with each alphabet sound. The pictures provide another pathway for children to store and retrieve information, reinforcing alphabet learning in a multi-sensory way.
5. Instill a Love of Reading
Personalized children's books offer young readers an empowering introduction to the joys of getting lost within a story. By sparking children's natural curiosity and motivation through narratives that reflect their world, these books instill self-confidence and excitement about reading that can last a lifetime.
This positive first reading experience builds children's confidence as readers and lays the foundation for a growth mindset around learning. Because the book matches children's interests, kids develop a natural curiosity to find out what happens next - an important attribute of avid readers.
Activities to do with your child:
Sue says:
A book of wonder and delight, Personalized with a child's name in sight. The alphabet comes to life, With fun professions to ignite.
From Astro Adventurer to Zombie Zookeeper, each page brings a new dream to discover. Children's eyes light up with glee, as they see themselves in every cover.
]]>
Personalized books have become a popular gift option for people of all ages. They offer a unique and special touch to a traditional gift, allowing the recipient to feel seen and heard. Here are five reasons why personalized books make the perfect gift:
When you give a personalized book, you are giving something that is truly unique and thoughtful. Unlike a generic gift card or generic book, a personalized book is tailored specifically for the recipient. Personalized books show that you put thought and effort into finding the perfect gift for that person, and that you took the time to create something special just for them.
An example of a unique and thoughtful personalized book that makes a great gift is our “Happy Birthday PhotoStory.” The book is highly personalized, incorporating not just the child’s name but also their birthday and other personal details. Best of all, it is a PhotoStory, one of our unique books that allows customers to upload their own photos and have them become part of the book. In the Happy Birthday book, the parents can add photos of the child from when they were a baby, current photos, photos of the family and more to make it a truly personal gift that cannot be duplicated at all!
Personalized books can also encourage reading and learning, especially for children. When children see their name and personal details included in a story, it can spark their interest and excitement to read more. This can lead to a love of reading and a desire to learn more about the world around them.
One U.S. study found that adding personalized aspects to school reading books, reading comprehension scores improved by 40% compared to peers reading non-personalized stories.
One example of a personalized book that encourages reading and learning is our "ABC - What Will I Be?" book. This children's personalized book goes through the alphabet and walks the child through a list of whacky and imaginative professions they could be. The language is simple enough for a young toddler to read or follow along with, and as an added bonus, the child’s name is hidden on every page, making it a fun activity they can play as they read the book. The book can be customized with different characters to represent the child, making it a truly unique and special gift.
Personalized books can also serve as a keepsake, something that the recipient can treasure for years to come. Unlike a traditional gift that may eventually be forgotten or replaced, a personalized book is a unique and special item that can be cherished and passed down through generations.
At Manimal Tales, we have launched a whole series of books called PhotoStories, that are a great new way to personalize books and make them keepsakes. PhotoStories are part photo albums and part stories. Users can upload their own photos and have them become part of the story. We have a range of titles including our newly launched “About My Mother” and “About My Father” titles that are perfect gifts for parents, and our “Happy Birthday”, “Your Baby’s Story” and “Jingles Christmas Adventure” titles are perfect for birthdays, new babies and Christmas respectively.
Personalized books can also help boost self-esteem, especially for children. When a child sees their name and personal details included in a story, it can make them feel special and important. This can lead to increased confidence and self-esteem, which can have a positive impact on their overall well-being.
This has always been a particularly relevant point for us and is actually one of the main reasons Manimal Tales was founded in the first place. According to the Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in 2021, of all children’s books with human characters, 47% had main characters who were white. “Part of the reason I started writing personalized children’s books was to address the appalling lack of diversity in children’s books,” says Sue Donhym, our author and founder.
Our Manimal Tales series of stories dedicated to positive, progressive messages for children. Each title is focused on a particular empowering message for the child and makes the child the hero of that particular story. The Oiligator for example deals with climate change and the little things that children can do to help the environment; the Orangey-Tan talks about the importance of standing up for your beliefs and against injustices of any kind; the Grumpopotamus discusses the importance of of friendship and about being brave; and the ZooKeeper is a rollicking adventure story and also talks about friendship and bravery.
Finally, personalized books can strengthen relationships, whether it's between parent and child, partners, or friends. When you give a personalized book, you are creating a special and meaningful experience that can bring people closer together. It shows that you care about the person and value your relationship with them.
Example of personalized books that can strengthen relationships are our “Your Baby’s Story” and “About My Mother” and “About My Father” books. Each of these books covers key moments in the lives of those nearest and dearest to you; and each one allows you to supplement the story with your own real photos, creating a book that is both magical and meaningful. These are also books that you can pick up years later and relive memories with!
Conclusion
Personalized books make great gifts. The best personalized books though are ones that go deeper than just the surface level simplicity and offer greater levels of personalization through photos, added personal information to create memories and keepsakes that are treasured by the recipients for years to come!
]]>
Personalized children's books have become increasingly popular in recent years, and for good reason. There are several advantages to personalized books, especially when compared to regular children's picture books. Here are some of the key benefits of personalized books:
According to a study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology, personalized content “produced dramatic increases, not only in students' motivation but also in their depth of engagement in learning, the amount they learned in a fixed time period, and their perceived competence and levels of aspiration.”
Books like our ABC What Will You Be? continually engage readers by encouraging them to imagine what they would be when they grow up, but then make it fun by creating non-traditional, kid-friendly professions that speak to children at their level and not the ones out there in the grown-up world (e.g. instead of policeman, fireman, actor, we offer Astro Adventurer, Super Spy and Tiger Tamer).Studies have routinely showed that personalized books improve a child’s vocabulary and reading comprehension and create greater engagement between the child and the content. One U.S. study found that adding personalized aspects to school reading books, reading comprehension scores improved by 40% compared to peers reading non-personalized stories.
In fact, at Manimal Tales, we have a whole series of books focused on positive messages including the value of friendship, the importance of standing up for your beliefs, of kindness and equality and many more.
In summary, personalized books offer a range of advantages over regular children's picture books. From increased engagement and positive self-image, to enhanced learning and emotional connection, personalized books can be a valuable tool for both education and entertainment. They also make unique and special gifts that can be cherished for years to come.
The Manimal Tales personalized alphabet book is one of the best ABC books you could get your kids - because it’s the ultimate immersive, delightful, and imaginative alphabet journey that your child will ever go on! The ABC, What will I be? book talks about all the fun things a child could grow up to be. And they're not the usual boooring professions, but fun ones that will excite and stimulate their imagination. It's the perfect alphabet book for toddlers!
Here are three things your child could learn from the ABC book:
This one goes without saying, but an alphabet book should teach your kid the alphabet. Duh! The Manimal Tales personalized ABC book does precisely that. As your child flips through the pages of exciting and fantastical people they could be when they grow up, there’s no way they don’t learn the alphabet either.
2. There’s no limit to who they can be
The amazing professions include astronauts, ninjas, explorers, magicians, and more! The ABC book teaches kids that there’s no limit to who they can be when they grow up and that their future is as large as their imagination.
3. Normalizing careers
So many situations and cases in the real world don’t normalize people of color or women in certain professions. The ABC book is a way to reinforce to your child that all jobs, no matter what it is, are open to anyone and that they can be anything they want to be. By seeing their face and name in the personalized ABC book, children can start seeing themselves in careers that, in the real world, may not have a lot of people that look like them.Personalizing the Book
There are a couple of ways you can personalize the Manimal Tales ABC book:
Enter a custom dedication: The ABC book already has a cute, standard dedication, which you can use and sign your name. Or, you can also add a custom dedication and make the book that much more special!Activities to do with your child:
Find their name on every page: Help your child find their name, which is hidden within every illustration on every page. Some are easy, but some are pretty hard!
Dream up new professions: Spend hours with your kids thinking up fun new jobs every time you read this book! The more imaginative, the better!
Sue Says:
Dreaming up all the whimsical professions was the best part of writing this book. I actually had to cut down a lot of options to pick just one for each letter! Writing the Halloween version of this book was even more fun. There’s no better way to teach your kid the alphabet! I always use this book with my kids, and they love it.
You can personalize the book here.
]]>
In the yawns of sleep, with the glitters of stars and the moon, rest creates the start of a magical land where dreams live. Dreamland whispers sleepy, soothing rhymes for your little hooman. Candies, elephants, fairies and kites have a place in this magical land where memories become what you want them to be. This is Dreamland for you and your little one settling down for a magical and restful night’s sleep.
In the rhymes nestled on each page of Dreamland, every flip brings something new to shape your child’s dreams. Here are five takeaways for you and your little hooman:
1. Dreams are limitless
Adulting as a big hooman can leave you limited in your dreams and your aspirations, but luckily, Dreamland reminds your child that dreams are limiteless. The magic of flights in fantasies about a hill or a train or “wherever you want it to be” is a gentle reminder to keep that shining light on as little hoomans read about the choo-choo train. They can be limitless for the tomorrows that come after sleeping in the night.
2. There’s always a place for you in the world
Like the chugs of a train, rolling through life can leave you lost as a hooman. But Dreamland whispers about a “special” place that is “magical.” With only one key, this place is only for you, only for your little one. This can be the beginning of teaching little ones about the magic of saving a place for themselves in this world.
3. Your little one’s imagination is magical
The magic of Dreamland goes only as far as your imagination. Snugly resting in this land are goblins and fairies waiting for the make-believe world of your child. There is an adventure to be had, a playground for the little hoomans who visit. Like enchanting fairytales, Dreamland is full of wonderful and magical things like fairies.
4. Bedtime stories create the perfect environment for a restful night
“Dreamland is full of many things” that await your little princes and princesses. Dreamland is a wonderfully knot story that sets the stage for a restful night of sleep. Like the boats and coats that swim together, the art of a story is whatever the child wants it to be, of things “old and new”, “forgotten”, and “remembered.”
5. In the end, Dreamland is for Sleep
With teddy bears, prayers, hugs, and kisses, before slipping off to blissful sleep, Dreamland
speaks to the importance of rest. In a world shaken with many unpleasant things, Dreamland helps your child believe in the magic of dreams and restore the power of a good night’s sleep.
Activities to do with your child:
1) Find Your Name! – The beautiful illustrations in Dreamland have your child’s name on each page with huge, easy-to-read fonts. Can your child spot and count the number of times their name appears in the book?
2) Name the Things Mentioned! – Dreamland has boats and coats, elephants and bees, and so many things in between! Name the things you see, like counting sheep before sleep.
3) Stories in a Dream – With goblins and fairies in the book, can your child narrate the dreams they have had in their sleep too? Note them down in a Dream journal!
Sue Says:
The beautiful illustrations of carnivals, skies covered with coats, and houses on a hill, are entertaining for the senses and the imagination. Children need a lullaby-like book for sleep, and this tale is a beautiful start to begin that journey.
Check out Dreamland - personalize and view the entire book!
]]>
I wrote the ZooKeeper as a way to talk to my kids about animal cruelty, and some of the issues that Zoos have when it comes to doing what’s best for the animals. Talking to kids about animal cruelty can be hard to do, but with a personalized children’s book like the ZooKeeper can simplify it for your child.
Here are 5 lessons your child will be sure to learn about after reading this personalized adventure -
1. Trust yourself, even if nasty ZooKeepers tell you otherwise!
In the Zookeeper book, when the ZooKeeper tries to scare the little Hooman away from helping DandyLion (page 19), the child stands their ground. They know why animals should not be kept in zoos and trust themselves to do the right thing. In the end, this helps save DandyLion and makes him very very happy!
2. Greed won’t take you far.
Pleased with himself for catching the coolest singing lion, ZooKeeper gets greedy to make more money (page 25). His greed convinces him that he’s caught a Jabberwock, only to be fooled by the Hooman and Manimals who were undercover!
3. You can always count on your good-est friends!
When DandyLion was feeling sad & low, lo and behold his closest friends came to save him (page 31)! Your truest friends are always there to help you out, no matter how sticky the situation.
4. Everyone has their own unique superpower.
From the tiny yet sneaky Anonymouse to the grand and mighty Smellyphant - every Manimal had a special talent that came in handy when they had to save their friend and king. Just like that, each and every Hooman is special in their own way!
5. Teamwork makes the dream work!
The smart Hooman and the talented Manimals show us that when you work together anything is possible! Each of them had one mission - saving their friend DandyLion - and they followed through with a plan to make sure that they not only saved their friend but so many more animals who were being kept in the zoo!
Activities you can do with your child
Sue Says
In a tale as old as time, the king of the jungle is saved by his loyal friends in line!
This personalized adventure book will leave your child asking - “why should animals not be kept in zoos?” While also opening their minds to important lessons about friendship, teamwork and trusting their gut. If this is what gets your little Hooman jumpin’, click here to get your own copy of The ZooKeeper!
]]>Either way, turns out there are LOTS of affiliate networks!
Below is a full initial list of affiliate networks to consider. These are vetted networks - i.e. I have gone through and done the diligence on ensuring these are actually the best of what's out there and have a decent set of brands as well as publishers associated with them.
Some of these are region specific - where they are, I have added in the region/country. Those that don't have a region marked are more or less global or US specific.
My next step is to go into each one and take a look at which ones may best fit my needs. I haven't done that yet!
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(Click here to scroll directly down to the list if that’s all you care about)
Someone told me that coupon sites are a great way to get additional SEO backlinks and eventually traffic. Building up backlinks from websites with high Page Ranks is how you get better organic search traffic, so said my renowned search expert. Coupon websites are a great source of high quality backlinks. Plus, you know, they have millions of people combing through the sites looking for deals, a small fraction of which might actually be looking for personalized books.
I’ll try anything to market my personalized books, I thought.
So I’ve spent the past week surfing through an endless number of sites of varying degrees of crappiness…and I’ve come to the conclusion that yeah, maybe they did help with SEO…in 2003. But I doubt very much they do anything these days.
While its certainly true that having promo codes for your online store on multiple coupon search websites will increase the number of people who find and try your offers, it’s totally not simple to get them listed on sites that matter!
Most of the large, well known coupon sites (RetailMeNot, Savings.com, Coupons.com, Offers.com and the like) are a bit of a closed circle mafia. To get listed you either already have to be a large, well-known e-Commerce brand (ahem, small businesses are not) or you have to sign up with one of the large affiliate networks, like the ones below:
(click here for a fuller list of all affiliate networks that might work for small businesses)
The thing is, signing up with an Affiliate Network is expensive and I’m not entirely sure whether it’s worth it for a small company. That aside, I’m not even sure whether they will let you into their network…unless you are big enough. Most of them don’t disclose pricing and require you to contact their Sales team (always scary). ShareASale was the only one that showed pricing on its site, and there’s a $625 sign up fee and a minimum commit of $35 / month. That’s not horrible I suppose, and I may yet try it, and I suppose if you really want high quality link-backs that might be your only option.
While googling around, I found a few links to freelance services that will do manual coupon submissions for you to a curated list of coupon sites they have, like this one from Fiverr. The prices are (really) cheap and maybe they know what they’re doing, but honestly it’s hard to say for sure. That being said, in hindsight I probably should have saved myself the week and just done this (read on for why).
Being the stubborn, “wanting to get my hands dirty” type, I thought I should do this on my own. And so I did. I spent 4-5 days endlessly surfing the web, looking for coupon sites and then seeing if I could submit a Manimal Tales coupon to them. It turned out to be a pretty frustrating exercise. Like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, coupon sites have an inverse hierarchy of pain:
By now, most of those that are left are pretty sketchy and unclear quality…
Which is where I am today. I have absolutely no idea if my four days of effort is going to yield anything at all (which is why maybe I should just get the guy - or suck it up and join an affiliate network). Anything to market my personalized books!
Yeah yeah, all you care about is the listing of sites that do work. Don’t worry, I did all the hard work for you. In combing the web, I came across plenty of articles and lists: “105 Coupon Submission Sites”, “Top Sites to which You Can Submit Your Coupon Codes”, “Top Promo Code Sites To Advertise Your Business Online for Free” and so many, many more. They sounded great and I dutifully clicked through and tried a bunch. The only problem? Most of the sites they listed were either out of business, or no longer allowed for coupon submissions.
Oof.
So I went out and searched for my own sites that allowed coupon submissions - ones that worked and were somewhat decent looking sites. I figured I should share the love. Below are the sites that I managed to get to work. I will be updating this periodically as I find more (if I do). Enjoy!
p.s. Please don’t spam me or shout at me if these don’t work! They did for me! To be clear, they allowed me to submit a coupon - I have no idea if/when it will show up on the site! They're organized alphabetically fyi.
Store |
URL |
Requires Company Pre-Entered in DB |
Requires Registration |
MOZ DA Rank |
7 News Coupons |
||||
Ben's Bargains |
Yes |
|||
Coupert |
https://help.coupert.com/store-support/how-to-submit-a-coupon-code/ |
Link to email to add |
41 |
|
Coupon Annie |
||||
Coupon Birds |
39 |
|||
Coupon Kiri |
||||
Coupon Kiss |
29 |
|||
Coupon Seeker |
26 |
|||
CouponCodeWA |
||||
CouponFollow |
Yes |
|||
Coupons Villa |
13 |
|||
CouponUpto |
62 |
|||
CouponZania |
16 |
|||
Coupuyo |
||||
Deals Daddy | https://dealsdaddy.co.uk | No | No | |
Deal Drop |
37 |
|||
Deals Plus |
Yes |
|||
DealSpotr |
https://marketplace.dealspotr.com/join/merchants?confirm=Ig4uKx |
Reg Form to fill |
54 |
|
Dont Pay Full |
57 |
|||
Epic Saver |
24 |
|||
Honey |
https://help.joinhoney.com/article/44-can-i-add-a-coupon-code-to-honey |
Link to email to add |
||
Irish Times |
90 |
|||
Now Manifest |
||||
Retail Me Not |
82 |
|||
Slick Deals |
https://slickdeals.net/forums/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=9&action_source=Responsive+Nav |
|||
We Thrift |
||||
Wired |
Emailed them |
94 |
Well not anymore!
]]>
I am in the process of writing a personalized book about Christmas. It should be out by October and in time for this Christmas. It’s a PhotoStory personalized adventure book and I am quite excited about it (excuse the over-enthusiasm).
Anyway…the book features Santa and Santa’s elves. In writing the story I wanted to do some research on the elves - who they were, how many there were, what their names were, how they came about. We know all about the reindeer (for the record: there are nine and their names are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and of course, Rudolph; there used to be a time when I knew all of them by heart), but we don’t know much about Santa’s elves at all.
Santa Has Six Elves!
Turns out officially Santa only has six elves - at least according to modern Internet lore. I can’t find any actual primary sources or anything that points to why or how these six names came to the fore. All the articles (like these from Singing-Bell, ElfCrazy, DidYouKnow, WorldOfChristmas and others) either seem to be derived from each other or from an unfound original source.
It’s kind of amazing, because everything on the Internet seems remarkably consistent about the elves: their Western names are the same, and each source cites them as having the same responsibilities and duties. All this indicates a common source that this would have come from, but I can’t seem to find it! (And nor do any of the sites that show the information link or refer to it either). It’s just one of those Internet mysteries!
Anyway, the six elves are:
My favorite elf character is probably Alabaster - I love his name, and just think of the sheer power the man must wield. At the stroke of his pen, a kid’s Christmas can be made or undone. Just like that. I imagine him as a thin little fellow with a giant pot-belly, with pince-nez glasses, sitting behind a desk filled with mountains of papers, chewing tobacco, thriving on his own self-importance as he endlessly reviews lists of names. An elvish bureaucrat, not too different from the legions we have in third-world governments the world over.
Famous Christmas Elves
The concept of Christmas elves is a well-known fact: everybody now knows about Santa’s elves, who sit in his workshop and make toys, check the Naughty and Nice etc etc. Interestingly, although Christmas elves as a collective group are known the world over, there aren’t too many individually famous Christmas elves. I mean, how many do you know by name? To be clear I am talking about Christmas elves as distinct from regular elves who aren’t affiliated with Christmas (so no, Dobbie from Harry Potter and Legolas from Lord of the Rings don’t count).
How Did Elves Get Associated with Christmas?
Elves have existed as part of mythology for well over a millenia. Ancient Norse mythology refers to the álfar, also known as huldufólk, or "hidden folk." Originally this was a catch-all term to refer to describe unseen, supernatural species that inhabited the wilds surrounding people at the time. Over time these got refined into fairies, gnomes, dwarves, elves and other magical, mythological creatures. The Old English epic Beowulf (written sometime between 700 and 1000 A.D.) makes an explicit reference to elves, saying:
“Of Cain awoke all that woful breed,
Etins and elves and evil-spirits,
as well as the giants that warred with God."
In different tales at different times, elves alternated between good and bad. As with fairies, elves eventually developed a reputation for pranks and mischief, and strange daily occurrences were often attributed to them. According to folklorist Carol Rose in her encyclopedia "Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins" (Norton, 1998), though elves were sometimes friendly toward humans, they were also known to take "terrible revenge on any human who offends them. They may steal babies, cattle, milk, and bread or enchant and hold young men in their spell for years at a time.”
However, by the time of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, written in the 1590s, elves were much represented as being much less malignant and more mischievous. Puck in that story is represented as a jokester and trickster.
The representation of elves as part of the Christmas tradition however is much more recent.
Around the mid 19th century, as Christmas became popular again as a festival, famous Scandinavian writers including Abraham Viktor Ryberg and others began associating elves with Santa Claus and portraying them as unequivocally good (albeit still mischievous) creatures who helped Santa Claus.
Across the Atlantic the same ideas were catching on. In the United States, an 1823 poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (and more famously known today as “The Night Before Christmas”) referred to Santa Claus as a “right jolly old elf”, marking the first known instance of elves being associated with Christmas. In 1856, Louisa May Alcott (she of “Little Women” fame) write a book titled “Christmas Elves”, which was never published. In 1857, Harper’s Bazaar published a poem called “The Wonders of Santa Claus” which tells how Santa “keeps a great many elves at work.” Godey's Lady's Book, another influential magazine, featured an illustration in its 1873 Christmas issue titled "The Workshop of Santa Claus," which showed Santa surrounded by toys and elves (see below). Austin Thompson’s The House of Santa Claus, a Christmas Fairy Show for Sunday Schools (a great title if there ever was one), published in 1876, also played an instrumental role in further popularizing the image of Santa’s elves to the world.
By the end of the 1800s though, the notion of Santa and his elves had been firmly established in the popular imagination, so much so that when Norman Rockwell painted Santa in 1922, it was only natural to include his elves. And in 1932, Disney made a short movie called "Santa's Workshop" that showed bearded, blue-clad elves singing, prepping Santa's sleigh, brushing reindeer teeth and helping Santa with the naughty/nice list. You know they’ve become firmly enmeshed in the modern Christmas lexicon when they’ve become Disneyfied.
Icelandic Elves Are Bad!
According to a bunch of different sources (here, here and here), Icelandic lore lists 13 elves, better known as the “Yule Lads”. The names are completely unpronounceable, so I am not even sure why I am putting them down.
You definitely don’t want to mess with Icelandic elves though. The 13 Yule Lads in Iceland leave gifts in your shoes (yes, your shoes!). And if you’ve been bad they don’t leave you a lump of coal; instead their mother, the ogress Grýla will come and eat you up.
Oh yeah, and in German (even today) "albtraum" is the word for nightmare, which literally means "elf dream"
Fun.
About My Book:
If you’ve read this far, excuse the shameless plug. It’s a personalized children’s book with photographs. The book can be personalized with your child as the main protagonist and you can also upload your own photos and make them part of the story, so the book serves as both a great story and a beautiful keepsake photo album to treasure. We call them PhotoStories.
The story is about an elf named Jingles who’s first assignment as a Christmas elf is to find out whether your child has been naughty or nice. Unfortunately he leaves the window open in your house and the notorious and nasty Grrrimp manages to come in. The Grrrimp hates all things Christmas, and starts eating up all the Christmas decorations in the house. See how your child saves the day (and Jingles’ job!).
Personalized books are an amazing trend that has been around for a while, but what better way to push the envelope on personalizing our stories than with your photos!
PhotoStories are a great new way to personalize storybooks. Upload your own photos into our stories, and have them become part of an amazing book you can share with your loved ones. In other words, PhotoStories are delightful stories where you can insert your own photos into the books and have them be part of the story. It’s like a storybook and photo album all rolled into one, and a great way to capture and share memories with your kids. You can also personalize the names, characters, dates, and a whole host of story elements.
We at Manimal Tales are very proud to launch this entirely new kind of personalized book! As far as we can tell, it’s a level of personalization that has never been done before! You won’t find PhotoStories anywhere else!
Oh, and kids absolutely love seeing pictures of themselves and their loved ones in the books. We speak from experience here, having extensively tested our PhotoStories with our own families and friends. These books become instant classics for the kids, and they will come back to them again and again and again. They also end up as beautiful mementos and keepsakes for parents, and something they can refer to many years hence.
We currently have two titles on offer as PhotoStories: The Happy Birthday Book and Your Baby’s Story.
The Happy Birthday Book
The Happy Birthday Book is quite possibly the best birthday gift in the world (we’re biased, but still). It’s a great keepsake, is beautifully and exuberantly designed, with great rhyming text, and allows for uploading multiple pictures of the child in question, along with their mother, father, and family. In addition to the photos, it’s also personalized based on their name, and birthday and allows for a custom dedication as well!
Your Baby’s Story
This title was the original inspiration for PhotoStories! The book is a beautifully illustrated bedtime story that humorously tells your child how they came to be. With the addition of photos, the story becomes even richer and much more personalized! You can add in photos of the parents before the child was born, as well as baby photos for the child, transforming the book from a bedtime story to a treasure chest of memories that the parents and the kids can dip into from time to time!
Making a PhotoStory
Making a PhotoStory is incredibly easy. All you have to do is pick a title, put in your child’s name, and date of birth, customize the characters and enter a custom dedication if you want to.
You’ll be shown a full preview of the book, where you can browse through the pages, and then insert your photos through our simple, easy-to-use Photo Editor!
You can drag and drop, crop, rotate, enlarge and edit the photos as needed, so your photos look like they were always a part of our story.
The best part of our PhotoStories is that you can save your project and come back and finish it later! We know it can be hard to track down the perfect pictures. So don’t worry - you can start your PhotoStory book, and we’ll save it for you to finish another time.
We’ll Say It Again.
Our PhotoStory books make great gifts for kids, parents, and grandparents and are just perfect for special occasions like birthdays, and baby showers. It’s honestly the best-personalized gift out there (even if we do say so ourselves)!
Happy April Fools Day! Even though we maybe slightly wish this were true.
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Look Up! Is a story about Rocket, a little black girl who wants to be an astronaut when she grows up - like the first African American woman in space - Mae Jemison. She’s so passionate about a meteor shower that is going to happen, that she convinces a lot of people in her neighborhood to come to watch the shower with her! Everyone, that is, except her brother Jamal who is glued to his phone. The book is peppered with interesting facts about meteor showers and space and is great for little kids who like everything about space exploration.
2. Hair Love by Matthew Cherry
Hair love is all about a special relationship between a black dad and his daughter as he tries to get her beautiful kinky hair just right for a special day. Even though he fails, again and again, the little girl helps her dad get her hair just right! This book is based on an Oscar-winning short film with the same story - a tribute to accepting and loving natural hair. You can also watch the short film here.
This story is for really small babies - especially ones that like to trouble their older siblings. It’s about a little baby who just wants his older brothers’ attention. With really simple words and beautiful expressions and illustrations, Baby Says is a great board book for babies to see themselves in.
4. Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
Hidden Figures is based on the true story of four African American women who helped put a man on the moon during the space race. The book was even been adapted into a movie in 2016. The women, who were mathematicians just wanted to serve their country and fought an uphill battle against segregation, racism, and sexism. This book is great for slightly older children or tweens.
5. Hands Up! By Breanna J. McDaniel
This book puts a positive spin on the controversial phrase “Hands Up”. The phrase is still scary and relevant to numerous police brutality cases specifically against African Americans. This book recounts all the positive things you can do with your ‘hands up’. The story ends with the main character - a little girl, putting her ‘hands up’ with the rest of her community to join a protest.
6. The Night is Yours by Abdul-Razak Zachariah
A beautiful story about the nighttime, The Night is Yours is about a little girl named Amani and how she enjoys the night - playing with her friends, enjoying the cool breeze, and embracing the darkness of the night, just like the darkness of her own skin. The story is narrated by Amani’s mother - who watches her brave and joyful child embracing the night. The book has beautiful full-page illustrations and is perfect for a goodnight story.
7. Don’t touch my hair by Sharee Miller
Don’t touch my hair is about a little black girl who just gets so frustrated that everyone wants to touch her hair - all day long! She tried to escape to a whole lot of different places when no one will touch her hair, but just can’t seem to do it. Finally, having had enough, she screams and tells people that they can’t touch her hair without her permission. She finally learns to set boundaries and feel comfortable in her own skin.
8. All Because You Matter by Tami Charles
All Because You Matter is a love song to every child of color that they do matter in this world, irrespective of what anyone else says, or systems that make them feel otherwise. An extremely timely and beautiful book, this story is one of strength and love, all rolled into one. All Because You Matter was also chosen as The #1 Amazon Best Children's Book of 2020, among a slew of other awards.
9. Your Name Is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins Bigelow
This story is about a little girl whose name is different and hard to pronounce. All the kids and teachers at school have such a hard time pronouncing it, that she doesn’t want to ever go back again. When she tells her mom what happened, her mom teaches her all about how names are songs and the emotions and melodies behind them. The book has an amazing melody and rhythm that moves the story along beautifully.
10. Lottie Paris lives here by Angela Johnson
Lottie Paris lives here is a carefree whimsical tale of a girl named Lottie who lives across from a park. Best suited for younger readers, this book follows Lotties around as she plays and wanders around the park discovering new things, enjoying simple pleasures and imginging big and wonderful things.
If you’re looking for more books by African-American authors, or that have African-American characters, check out books in these lists:
Penguin
AALBC
Brightly
Growing Book by Book
Did we miss any really good ones? Tell us in the comments.
]]>We’re still in such a transitional period. For all the uncertainties 2021 posed, there were at least some highlights - like these amazing kids’ books that came out during the year. What’s more - some of them actually help your kids deal with things in the past year. Take a look at some of our favorites that made the list for the top ten children’s books of 2021.
1. Grandude's Green Submarine By Paul McCartney
Grandude and the Chillers - a group of children and their grandfather set of on a grand adventure in one of Grandude’s inventions - a bright green submarine that also flies! They set out to find Nandude (their grandmother). After a glorious dream-like adventure, they finally find Nandude and get home safe and sound - ready for another adventure.
A beautifully illustrated book, Cat Problems follows a day in the life of a cat, and all of the problems that the cat has to deal with, like - dry food instead of wet food, another cat stealing all his favorite sleeping spots, a monster vacuum cleaner, a disappearing sunbeam and so much more! A fun book with lots of sounds and immersive full-spread illustrations, Cat Problems is a great book for young children.
3. Big Feelings By Alexandra Penfold
Big Feelings is bright and teaches kids about all the different kinds of emotions that everyone can feel, including kids. The book also explains very easily and simply how everyone can deal with these big feelings - talk it out, see that there’s another point of view, and take a breath. The book helps kids understand that everyone has big emotions and how to best make sense of them.
4. I Don't Want to Read This Book By Max Greenfield
This book is great for kids who don’t like to read! Actor turned author Max Greenfield (If you feel like you’ve heard his name before, he’s Schmidt in the popular sitcom New Girl) wrote this book in hopes that kids who don’t like reading books will at least attempt to read this one. The book lists all the ways that reading is so exhausting, and is written like a long, funny rant about reading. If you’re looking for a read-aloud - here’s one (that’s hilarious) by the author himself.
5. Dream Street Hardcover by Tricia Elam Walker
Dream Street is a magical street that is filled with hope, peace, and joy. All the characters on dream street are diverse, but get along by appreciating everyone’s differences. On dream street, every single person is special. This book is a great way to teach kids about diversity and community.
6. The Longest Storm by Dan Yaccarino
The longest storm is about a really really long storm that forces a family to stay indoors with each other for an extended period of time. The book is really great to help kids understand why they have to stay indoors during the pandemic. The book can really help kids deal with the frustration of being stuck at home. In the book, at the end of the story, the family finally gets to go out again after the storm ends - giving kids hope that even these hard times will eventually pass.
7. The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess by Tom Gauld
In a magical tale full of adventure a King and Queen who can’t have children finally seek help from a group of inventors and a clever old witch. Soon, they have a princess (who turns into a log every night) and a robot for children. The log princess and the robot get lost in the cold and far north after a series of unfortunate events and have to go through a long and hard journey as they help each other get back home. Full of magic and imagination, this book is a classic adventure story for kids.
8. Change Sings by Amanda Gorman
Change sings is a poetic anthem for kids written by poet laureate Amanda C. Gorman. The illustrated book helps kids embrace change, and even drive change toward a more diverse, inclusive world. Just as the name suggests, this book sings! It will empower and inspire your kids and you too.
9. It Fell From the Sky by Terry Fan
This book is about a magical wonder that falls from the sky right in the midst of a cast of wonderful creatures in a garden. One of the creatures, Spider builds a huge exhibit and shows off the thing that fell from the sky - no one knows what it is! This intriguing story will keep children engaged for sure. The book’s illustrations are all in black and white - except for the wonder from the sky, which makes the book even more striking.
10. Bright Star by Yuyi Morales
Bright Star is a brilliant book about the Mexican experience. The book begins in a way that you think it’s about a deer, teaching her little one to survive in the wild, and feel her emotions in a deep and real way - only to realize halfway through the book - that it’s actually about a little Mexican girl. The book’s beautiful illustrations would draw in any child - and adult!
Here are some great lists for more amazing children’s books and novels that were released this past year:
Does your kid have any favorites from this past year?
]]>On the off-chance, you missed all the important updates and pledges to fight climate change, here’s a quick round-up of some things that happened at the conference:
The Good:
The fossil fuel industry had the biggest delegation. Hopefully, this means they were there to talk about transitioning to renewable energy, and not to convince everyone otherwise.
Obama called on all world leaders to fight climate change with a sense of urgency and particularly criticized China and Russia for not appreciating the need for quick action.
According to an advisor, China is doing more for climate change than is recognized and has put in place concrete actions in the near future.
More than 100 countries pledged to cut carbon emissions by 30% (woot!).
The Bad:
Police broke into an emergency shelter that was housing climate protesters and activists. You can read more about that here.
Developing nations say that rich countries are refusing to talk about the damage and loss that climate change has brought about in smaller countries.
The world leaders all tossed a coin into the Trevi fountain in Rome (a popular tradition for good luck) to wish for good luck for fighting climate change. Is it just me or does that sound like they think there’s nothing much to be done except cross our fingers, stock up the apocalypse bunker and hope for the best?
The Future:
12 donor governments have pledged $413million USD for the countries that are most vulnerable to climate change.
Even with all the pledges made to cut methane and other emissions by 2030, the Climate Action Tracker still estimates that we will overshoot the conferences’ main objective to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees celsius by twice as much.
Climate activists are still saying that the latest agreements are not a concrete plan to move towards renewable energy - they’re full of loopholes and are an attempt to ‘greenwash’ the non-renewable energy sector.
And there you have it - it seems like we’re trying to commit to things, but still failing to do so in a way that’s going to change the trajectory of our planet’s dire future by much. So where do we go from here? In the words of a wise little orange creature - “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not. ” - The Lorax.
If you want to get involved, here’s a good place to start for information on the US’s climate policies. Alternatively, if you’re ready to get involved or donate, Climate Connect is a great place to find local organizations fighting the good fight.
P.S: Manimal Tales has a new personalized children’s book on climate change in the works!
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1. Pin the Stem on the Pumpkin
This one is pretty self-explanatory! Print out a large pumpkin, and cut off the stem. Once you do, you can attach some masking tape to the stem. Blindfold one toddler at a time and have them try to place the stem as close to the right point on the pumpkin as possible. The toddler that places the stem the closest, wins!
2. Candy Corn Relay Race
Divide the toddlers into teams and have them stand in a line. Set up two bowls at two ends - one filled with candy corn, and the other empty. Toddlers have to transfer all the candy from one bowl to the other only using a spoon. The first little team of toddlers to finish transferring all the candy wins the game.
3. Candy Corn Catch
Each toddler - pair has to work together to catch the most amount of candy corn. One partner throes candy corn, and the other tries to catch it in a plastic pumpkin tied around their waist. At the end of a certain amount of time, the toddler pair that has the most amount of candy in the plastic pumpkin wins the game.
4. Wrapping the Mummy
No prep - but lots of clean-up. Depending on how big your group of toddlers is, either divide them into multiple groups or just have one group. Each group can select their own mummy (and by mummy, we literally mean you, mothers!), and the other toddlers can get to wrapping! Give each team a couple of rolls of toilet paper and let them loose. You can either play the game for a stipulated period of time - at the end of twitch, the best-wrapped mummy’s team wins the game, or you can just play without a time limit and let the toddlers have their fun.
5. Halloween Cup Knock Down
For this game, you can draw little spooky faces on small white cups. You can then stack the cups in a pyramid-like shape and have the toddlers try and knock down as many cups as they can with a small ball. The toddler that knocks off the most number of cups wins the game.
6. Witch Hat Ring Toss
This game requires a little more prep than the others on the list - but not too much. To play the game, you need to make witch’s hats that are about one to two feet tall. The best way to make these hats would be cardstock or construction paper. Grab a set of metal rings, and you’re good to go! You could also make rings by cutting out the inside part of a paper plate. The toddler that’s able to get the most number of rings around a hat, wins the game!
7. Halloween Scavenger / Treasure Hunt
If you’re someone that goes all out with Halloween decorations, this might be a good game to keep all those toddlers busy. List down different Halloween-themed decorations for them to find. Some ideas could include spiders, mini-pumpkins, webs, a skeleton, and more! The toddler (or toddler team) to find all the things on the list first, wins!
8. Spiderweb Walking Game
Using some sort of tape, you can draw a web on the floor and have toddlers try to walk on the lines without “falling off” the web. The game can be made more challenging or difficult by adding more obstacles to avoid, or by creating bonuses to ‘pick up’ on the way from start to finish.
9. Spooky Halloween Dance Party
This one is a personal favorite! Create a dark room that is completely empty of furniture and loose objects. Throw in some spooky Halloween-themed LED decorations (just enough so its not completely pitch dark). Give each toddler glow-stick bracelets and necklaces and play dance music and allow the kids to go dance crazy inside! Guaranteed to work off all the sugar rush they’ve built up during Trick or Treating!
If you’re still cramming for ideas - these guides have all the Halloween games for toddlers:
Got any other quick Halloween games for toddlers?
]]>While Manimal Tales doesn’t have their own Halloween book (yet), you might want to check out this tale about a strange pumpkin-colored creature called the Orangey-Tan here.
Until we have our very own Halloween Manimal Tale, here are some of our other favorites:
1. How to Catch a Monster by Adam Wallace
How to Catch a Monster is a heartwarming tale of a little boy who gets the part of a ninja master and his school play - so he thinks it’s time to take down the monster in his closet. As soon as he manages to overcome his fear and trap the monster, he realizes that the monster is not as scary as he thought! In fact, all the monster wants to do is play with the boy. This book is great for kids who might be scared of Halloween, or of monsters in their closet or under their bed.
2. Splat the Cat: What Was That? By Rob Scotton
This book is part of a larger series of books that feature Splat, the cat. Splat and his friends Spike and Seymour have just finished trick or treating, when Seymour runs into an old spooky house to check it out. Forced to go look for him, Splat and Spike wander through the house and hear all kinds of scary noises, and spooky figures. Finally, they find Seymour - the source of all the spooky noises as he moaned and groaned after eating too much candy. This lift a flap book has gorgeous illustrations and is the Halloween book for toddlers!
3. Bonaparte Falls Apart by Margaret Cuyler
Bonaparte is about to start school and he can’t stop his bones from falling all over the place. He’s so afraid that all the children are going to make fun of him. So, his friends Franky Stein, Blacky Widow and Mummicula (how adorable are these names??) try and come up with ways to keep him together. Finally, Bonaparte’s friends help him find the perfect solution that makes him the cool kid on the block at school! A wonderful Halloween-themed story about friendship and being different, Bonaparte Falls Apart is a must-have.
4. The Spooky Wheels on the Bus by J. Elizabeth Mills
This fun sing-along book is a Halloween-themed parody of “The wheels on the bus go round and round”. Kids meet spooktacular characters like mummies, ghosts, cats, spiders and more. The Spooky Wheels on the Bus is great for toddlers and younger kids. If you’re looking for a great read-aloud rendition of this book, you can find one here!
5. Llama Llama Trick or Treat by Anna Dewdney
Llama Llama Trick or treat is a great book for a first Halloween. Short and easy to read, the book follows Llama Llama as he decides what to dress up as for Halloween, and how he goes trick or treating with his friends. Sweet and simple. This board book is perfect for smaller children or toddlers, especially as an introduction to Halloween.
6. What was I scared of? By Dr. Seuss
This classic Dr. Seuss book is about a spooky pair of animated empty green pants that haunts a rabbit wherever he goes. Eventually, the rabbit realizes that the empty green pants are scared of him too, and that he should have never been so frightened of them in the first place. What Was I Scared of is a great book to help kids overcome their fears, especially around Halloween.
7. Goodnight Goon by Michael Rex
Goodnight Goon is a Halloween themed parody of Goodnight Moon. The book features a delightful cast of monsters, ghouls and mummies to say goodnight too, as well as a number of different Halloween objects and characters like scary bats, black hats and more! If your child is a fan of the Goodnight Moon book, this scary parody is a great choice for Halloween!
Another classic, The Witches by Roald Dahl is meant for older children - the book has fewer pictures and is much longer than any of the other books featured on this list. The Witches is about a little boy and his grandmother who set out to defeat child-hating witches. The witches have planned to turn all the children into mice, and they must stop them before that happens. The Witches is still considered to be one of the scariest children’s books ever, so you might want to make sure it won’t frighten your little one too much.
9. B is for Boo: A Halloween Alphabet by Greg Paprocki
A great Halloween themed ABC book for kids, B is for Boo is great for young children and toddlers to introduce them to Halloween words like Candy, Zombie, Dracula and more! The illustrations in this book are wonderful full page illustrations of each word that can really immerse your child in the spooky, magical world of Halloween.
Fright Club is a cute story about inclusion. A small group of monsters are trying to get ready for ‘Operation Kiddie Scare’, when they keep getting interrupted by cute animals that want to be a part of Fright Club. The leader Vlad keeps saying no until the cute animals scare all the monsters! After that, Vlad learns that not only monsters can be scary, but so can animals that seem cute and harmless. Fright Club is a great story about not being deceived by first appearances and always remembering to include everyone.
If none of these Halloween books seem right for your child, here’s a whole bunch more:
What’s your kids favorite Halloween Book? Also, Have a spooktacular Halloween this year!
P.S: Don’t steal all your kid’s candy.
]]>1. Personalized Pebble Baby Feet Art
While this isn’t exactly a baby shower gift, it still makes a wonderful keepsake for new parents. This customized framed pebble art piece features tiny pebbles that make up the baby’s feet. The framed piece also has the baby’s name, weight, and date of birth printed. The pieces are handmade and can also be personalized for weddings and other special occasions.
Made by Wendy Pound
Price: $98.00
2. Personalized Constellation Growth Chart
This personalized growth chart is a beautifully illustrated star map with whimsical shapes and objects that can also have the baby’s name on it. The chart comes with markings on the side that can be used to track a baby’s growth. The chart goes all the way up to 5’2” and is printed on high-quality canvas. The chart can be hung or laid on the ground and makes a really great background for those periodic Instagram posts! You can also choose to add the words “Love you more than all the stars” at the bottom of the chart.
Made by Jolie Bouchard
Price: $60.00
Your Baby’s Story is a sweet story of how your baby came to be! The story starts out with two parents trying to figure out what’s missing in their life until they realize what it is: a baby! The book can be personalized with a name as well as all the characters. You can customize the mom, dad as well as the baby’s skin and hair color by choosing from 5 different options for each of those elements. You can also add a custom dedication. Your Baby’s Story makes for a great gift for new parents, or for a baby shower - as long as you know the baby’s name!
Made by Sue Donnhym
Price: $19.99
4. Coat of Arms Personalized Birth Announcement
This ready-to-hang coat of arms illustrated print is super cute! Drawn in color-pencil illustrations, this birth announcement art features the baby’s name, date of birth, city, and state, weight, and even their zodiac sign. The artist even has versions available for same-sex couples, and single parents as well - which is not a customizable option that’s usually offered. The coat of arms drawing usually has a combination of animals and toys and other cute details - perfect to hang in the nursery!
Made by Patricia Carlin
Price: $120.00
5. Personalized Baby Photo Album
A personalized baby photo album is a great gift for a baby shower. The album has a customized wooden engraved cover that can have the baby’s name and their date of birth as well. The best part of this gift is that you can even just put ‘baby’ or another nickname on the front if you’re not sure yet about the baby’s actual name. The album can hold 40 photos, and even has space to write little captions and notes about each photograph.
Made by Kerri Lee
Price: $60.00
6. Personalized Football Babysuit
If the baby’s parents are huge football fans, then this gift is perfect! The color of a football, this baby suit has football stitches on one side, and the baby’s name on the other. The number can also be customized - so you can choose a favorite player’s jersey number, a special date, the baby’s birth year, or more. If you’re interested, the maker also sells a baseball version of these baby suits!
Made by Claire and Jon Osborne
Price: $60.00
7. Personalized Baby Keepsake Library
It’s ‘Your Baby’s Story’ - but for a sibling! When a second child comes along, the first child often feels displaced. With this goodnight story on their sibling’s origin (that also features them), new parents can read out a great bedtime story to both kids at once. In this edition, you can also customize the appearance of the older child and add their name to the book as well!
Made by Sue Donhym
Price: $19.99
Have you tried any personalized baby shower gifts that we missed out on? Let us know in the comments, and we can add it to the list!
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The past couple of years have been strange, disheartening and difficult, there’s no doubt about it. With many states moving back to in-person learning, and some continuing on with virtual learning, it can be difficult for young children to cope with the changes. While there’s not too much we can do to make the situation easier, we can definitely help our little ones be a little more prepared for what lies ahead.
This is our list of our eight favorite back to school books that you can read with your little ones:
1. Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney
Llama Llama Misses Mama tells the story of a shy little llama that has his first day of playschool. At first, Llama Llama doesn’t like anything at playschool - he doesn’t like the kids, there’s too much noise, he doesn't like the book at story time - but most of all, he misses his mama and wonders why she’s left him alone. But soon, he starts to give playschool a chance - he goes outside to play, starts to make friends and enjoys coloring. Suddenly, Mama Llama is back! Llama Llama now loves mama and school too! This book is great to make kids understand that even though you might leave them at school, you’ll always come back, and that school can be a lot of fun too!
2. Sunday Chutney by Aaron Blabey
Sunday Chutney is a book for older children. Sunday’s family moves around a lot, and so she’s always the new kid in school. What makes it a little worse is that she has a lazy eye, and is a bit unusual - she doesn't usually like the things other kids like. This book reinforces the idea that it’s okay to be different, that it may be hard to make new friends, but it can be done, and that kids should be accepting of what makes them truly unique. The book is an easy and quick read and has beautiful Tim Burton-ish illustrations - definitely a great book for a tween who has to start over at a new school.
3. We Don’t Eat our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
Penelope Rex is a young dinosaur who’s starting school - but she has one BIG problem - she can’t stop herself from trying to eat her classmates! All the children are terrified of her, and so she feels really alone. Finally her dad gives her some advice - to be nice! Once Penelope realizes that she’s just like her classmates, she stops trying to eat them and finally makes friends. This book is really great for children who are having trouble with other kids in school. It teaches them that all kids are the same, and that they have to be nice to make friends.
4. The Proudest Blue: A story of Hijab and Family by Ibtihaj Muhammad
The Proudest Blue is about two sisters who go back to school - and on the first day, the older sister, Asiya wears a hijab for the first time. The story is written from the perspective of the younger sister as she recounts her day at school. She hears other children saying mean things about her sister, but notices that her sister is strong and never seems to be bothered by it. The story is written by Olympic Medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad, and talks about how it can be difficult to be a child with a different religion or ethnicity in school.
5. I Got the School Spirit by Connie Schofield-Morrison
I Got the School Spirit is a wonderfully illustrated and rhythmic story about a little girl’s excitement to be going back to school. She sees school spirit and excitement in everything that she does or sees that’s a part of school - getting ready, her books, the school bus, and even when she helps a new friend feel better. The book has a lot of diverse characters in it, which is great for children to see. This book is perfect for getting your little one excited about going back to school!
6. Pirates Don’t Go to Kindergarten! by Lisa Robinson and Eda Kaban
In this imaginative story, Emma, who’s moving up from preschool to kindergarten, has some trouble leaving behind her old classroom and her favorite teacher, Capn’Chu. She’s apprehensive of the new space-themed classroom - after all, she is a pirate! Emma eventually decides to give kindergarten a try, after a good talk with her preschool teacher. This book is great for kids that may be moving up a class, or don’t do too well with change.
7. The Exceptionally, Extraordinarily Ordinary First Day of School by Albert Lorenz
There’s no doubt that this book is really unlike any other - on his first day of a new school, the librarian asks John if his old school is like his new school. John launches into a wild, over the top story about wild animals and monsters at his old school. Everyone starts listening to John’s fabulous tale, and he overcomes his fear of his new school. The book is filled with crowded and packed illustrations, graphic novel style conversation and a wild imagination. The Exceptionally, Extraordinarily Ordinary First Day of School is meant for older children that may be starting a new school, or are simply nervous about going back to school after a long break.
8. If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen
If I Built a School is about a boy named Jack who explains to his teacher that the way his school is planned is so boring! Instead he says, if he built a school, it would be much more fun. Jack then goes on to describe a really fun, futuristic school in which they learn history through hologram guests, and have pipe chutes that take them to class. They have trampoline basketball courts, and learn about genetics in science. Jack’s school sounds so fabulous that I hope schools actually do look like this in the future! The book is wonderful for getting kids excited again about how school can be fun, and also to validate how they might feel about school being boring! At any cost, your kid will have a lot of fun imagining this school of the future.
If you’re looking for more books that can help prepare your kids for going back to school, you could try these lists (there’s a total of more than 60 books to pick from!):
Are there any other great books we forgot to add? Let us know in the comments!
]]>Emille Buchwald, a writer once said, “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” - so why not start them young? We’ve made a list of eight personalized books that are great for young children, from about the age of two to four.
1. Mr Men: ‘You’ and the Silly Birthday by Roger Hargreaves
This book by Roger Hargreaves has all the classic Mr. Men characters in a story that features your child and their birthday. You can personalize the character by choosing hair color and type, skin color, color of the clothes and enter in the child’s name. The story even allows for a friend’s name to be added to the book. This book is perfect for toddlers. The story revolves around a special someones’ birthday, and you find out at the end of the book who’s birthday it is!
Available at Farshore.co.uk
If you’ve ever wondered how to teach your toddler the alphabet, worry no more. This book from Wonderbly is the perfect way to do it! Every page features your child, and an object, character or animal with every letter of the alphabet. You can choose from about 6 different avatars that have different hair and skin color. The book is easy for a small child to read, and the illustrations are exciting and will keep your kid entertained (for a while at least!).
Available at Wonderbly
3. Be Brave Little One by Marianne Richmond
Be Brave Little One is a parents’ wish for their child to be brave for all the things that life may bring them. Honestly, the book is a really good reminder for adults as well - to be brave and to be themselves. There are not a lot of options for personalization though - the character in the book can’t really be changed. However, you can add two photographs of your child that appear in the beginning and the end of the book. You can also add your child’s name, which will appear in several places throughout the story. You can also customize a dedication that appears at the beginning of the book.
Available at putmeinthestory.com
4. Your First Book of Animal Rhymes by Sandra Magsamen
This book of animal rhymes includes classics like The Three Little Pigs, Baa Baa Black Sheep and more. The twist is that your child’s name will appear in every rhyme, making this very engaging for toddlers. There’s no other way to personalize the book, except to add a custom dedication and a photo of the child that appears in the beginning of the book.
Available at putmeinthestory.com
5. The Grumpopotamus by Sue Donhym
The Grumpopotamus is the story of how your child and Anonymouse (a brave little mouse) un-grump the Grumpopotamus - a truly terribly grumpy hippo who makes everyone around him grumpy and mean as well. The Grumpopotamus is a personalized book with a lot of heart, and has great lessons for kids. You can personalize the book from eight different avatars with different skin and hair color. You can also put in your child’s name, as well as a custom dedication.
Available at ManimalTales.com
6. The Magic of My Name by My Magic Story
The Magic of My Name takes your child through a wonderful adventure through which they learn the meaning of their name. The book has beautiful illustrations, but is reminiscent of ‘A boy/girl who lost his/her name’ by Wonderbly. The child meets several characters on their adventure that tell them the meaning of each letter in their name. The book can be personalized in one of 20 different languages, and you can pick from 6 different avatars for your child - all with different combinations of hair and skin color.
Available at mymagicstory.com
7. Hello World! It's Me! By Jennifer Dewing
This personalized children’s book is written from the perspective of a baby who is announcing his/her arrival to the world. The baby tells us about all the wonderful things they can see, and how they’re excited to be in the world. The book can be personalized with your child’s name. You can even choose between a blue or pink cover for the book and add in a photograph as well.
Available at iseeme.com
8. The Adventures of <Name> and His/Her Magic Name by Andrew Buck
This book by Andrew Buck has your child on an adventure, helping a wizard and some friends at the circus. Your child hands out the letters that spell their name to help a big crew of animals and other friends that need their help! There are no options to personalize the character in the book, but there is a space to put in a custom dedication, and of course, add in the child’s name.
Available at mymagicname.com
9. Your Baby’s Story by Sue Donhym
Your Baby’s Story is a sweet story of how your baby came to be! The story starts out with two parents trying to figure out what’s missing in their life, until they realize - it’s time for a baby. You can customize the mom, dad as well as the baby’s skin and hair colour by choosing from 5 different options for each of those elements. You can also add a custom dedication. What’s more, we just came out with a sibling version as well - for the birth of the second child. Your Baby’s Story makes for a great gift for new parents, or for a baby shower.
Available at ManimalTales.com
Are there any personalized books for 2-4 year olds that we’ve missed out on? Let us know in the comments!
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