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NOW CLOSED: Calling all parents of children aged 1 to 7. Do you want to join Pearson's Book Review Panel?

191 replies

AnnMumsnet · 12/07/2011 13:28

You may know Mumsnet have been working with Pearson to provide some special learning-related content for you.

Linked to the site is a Pearson shop where you can buy educational books for children ? Pearson say, "There are touch & feel books for your littlest learners, brilliant fiction and non?fiction for your early readers, science and history books for 9?11 year olds and much more besides ? all at great prices and with free UK P&P on all orders over £24.99".

They have now asked us to find 80 Mumsnetters to join a special book review panel. To take part you must:

~ live in the UK
~ have a child aged from 1?7 - in KS1/p2 (If you have more than one child aged 7 and under please choose one child to take part in this review with)
~ be willing to review (and keep!) up to 5 packs of books before the end of the year

[Please note at some stage we will be recruiting parents of children aged 8?11.]

Each reviewer will be sent up to 5 packs of books before the end of the year for review. You'll be asked to take a proper look at the pack, read the books with your child, maybe get together with a group of mums to see what they think, and then submit your review on a special review thread on Talk. Panellists will be asked to submit their reviews within 2 weeks of receiving their review packs. You must review each book pack you receive. If you want to opt out of the project you can at any stage by emailing MNHQ.

If you are selected to take part, MN will email you to let you know. We will then pass on your name, age and gender of your child, and address details to Pearson for them to dispatch your books.

Each panellist will be able to keep the packs they review. Pack values vary from around £7.00 to around £30.00 and contain up to 24 titles. As a thank you for taking part there will be a monthly prize draw (on the last day of each month) for all those who have submitted a review in that month. The prize each month will be £50 of John Lewis vouchers.

The reviews will be used by Pearson to help promote the books to other Mumsnetters ? they will link to the feedback thread from the book shop pages and will feature the reviews you send in on the site. Pearson also say "we want the reviews to help us refine and improve our selection of packs for the shop, so if a particular programme is receiving rave reviews, we'll add more titles into the shop and if something isn't being received well, we'll use this feedback to refine our offering."

So if you and your child would like to take part please add your details here.

The first packs will be sent out in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks, MNHQ

OP posts:
Raahh · 21/07/2011 11:06

Our pack has arrived! Thank you Grin

Raahh · 21/07/2011 11:07

Forgot to add- I guess someone will e-mail with details of the review thread?

IlanaK · 21/07/2011 11:10

Did they come via royal mail? Just wondering as royal mail regularly decide not to deliver to us for days on end but the couriers do.

ClaimedByMe · 21/07/2011 11:13

I was about to ask if they came via royal mail. My postie is due soon!!

OvO · 21/07/2011 11:13

Yes, it was just our normal postie that knocked. Hope you get yours soon, IlanaK.

AnnMumsnet · 21/07/2011 11:14

Hi raahh - yes I will email you a link - will be next week sometime to give you chance to have a good look at the books.

OP posts:
feedthegoat · 21/07/2011 11:18

Ours have just arrived too. They came by courier Ilanak.

They look interesting and I recognise some of the titles on the lists as things ds has enjoyed at school (the 'Sid' titles).

I just hope that they don't panic Ds as look much more complicated than what he is used to . He has only just moved onto ORT level 2 at end of reception. Fingers crossed though so I am looking forward to seeing as teacher has agreed with me that his lack of confidence is a huge issue. It will be interesting to see how he does. Books look good though.

ClaimedByMe · 21/07/2011 11:30

My post just came and no books :(

OvO · 21/07/2011 11:35

Did you get a large pack, goat? Just wondering if that's why yours came by courier.

MrsOlf · 21/07/2011 12:05

Hurrah
Pack arrived this morning and DD1 was so excited she read a book as soon as the parcel was opened.
They do look good - thank you including us!
Smile

GrownUpNow · 21/07/2011 13:10

We have received our books, via Royal Mail, and I am sure my DS is going to be very excited to see them when he gets home today. Can't wait to get reading.

feedthegoat · 21/07/2011 14:33

Yes OvO, we did get the large pack.

ClaimedByMe · 21/07/2011 16:12

They books have just arrived, very excited here all on my own as ds had gone out to play!

feedthegoat · 21/07/2011 17:06

Ds read one as soon as he got home from school. Needed a little help in places but was extremely proud of himself as harder than he's used to. But most importantly he was interested. It is the first time I have managed to get him to read anything himself that hasn't come out of his book bag!

ilovesprouts · 21/07/2011 18:20

not got my books yet:(

BornToFolk · 21/07/2011 18:32

Got our books! I read one with DS. It's the first time he's actually tried to combine letter sounds into words. Exciting stuff!

ThePrincessRoyalFiggyrolls · 21/07/2011 18:44

I didn't know I was in!!!! However I got Reception books today - dd very excited about them and we have tried reading them but we are a little behind I think as she has never had reading lessons

ThePrincessRoyalFiggyrolls · 21/07/2011 18:44

When I say reading lessons I mean from me she is only 3!

cather · 21/07/2011 19:20

Our books came today too! We're looking forward to reading them.

Spirael · 21/07/2011 20:10

We got a pack of books today too! However I'm a little unsure how to review them... As the books we got are Phonic Bugs for ages 3-5 and DD is only just 1. Confused

I can review the books in terms of being very short bedtime stories made of very short words with a few pictures, but I don't think that's really what they were designed to be.

There are exercises at the end such as: "Can the children retell you the story in their own words?" ... DD hasn't said a single word yet, let alone retelling a story. Wink

Did we end up in the wrong age category or something..? I'm pretty sure I marked DD as being 1!

FannyFifer · 21/07/2011 20:21

Got my pack today, 3 books plus some stickers and a mouse mat.Smile
They are a bit too advanced for DS to read himself though, he has just finished primary 1 and I would think they more suitable for p4+

bringinghomethebacon · 21/07/2011 20:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ClaimedByMe · 21/07/2011 20:56

fannyfifer my ds just finished P1 too and got 24 books, starting at level orange b, 16, phase 5, he struggled a bit with it!

WhatWouldLeoDo · 21/07/2011 20:56

We got our pack today - annoyingly, we already have two out of the three books sent (Dear Zoo and Each Peach Pear Plum). Easier for me to review those though as he's had them for about 2 years already!

Spirael my letter said (about 4 para down) which category we had been put into. DS who has just turned three has been put in the 'pre-school panel'.

ThePrincessRoyalFiggyrolls · 21/07/2011 21:03

Can I ask, did you get 2 packs? I got 4 phonics books of about 6 pages, a mousemat, some stickers but also a red card to say I had a parcel. I am expecting something else but I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the books that arrived after reading this as they are very very short and a little bit advanced for dd - the story is too short for reading and a bit advanced as she recognises letters and some words but I am hoping that it will help her Smile