One Month and Going Strong

It's been a little over a month since I was lying in bed after a long long long day when the idea for this blog suddenly hit me. Since then, I've been working hard at building the blog, researching, and reading lots of children's books so I can be sure to give you the best recommendations. I've also been working hard at gaining a loyal readership and steady partnerships with publishers and authors.

Here are the major accomplishments since The Well-Read Child's inception on November 2, 2007:

• Formed partnerships with four publishers. I've got lots of new books coming my way so you can get recommendations for the newest books out there. A big thanks to Random House, Chronicle Books, Houghton Mifflin, and Henry Holt for throwing your support behind The Well-Read Child.
  
• Set up an affiliate relationship with Amazon and built an online Amazon store. If you order books through The Well-Read Child, a small percentage comes back to me, and I'll use most of that money to buying and donating new books to local literacy charities. The rest will go toward helping pay for the website I'm building so you can get even more valuable information in a more user-friendly interface.
  
• Got listed on a number of blogs, including the Mom Blogs and Review Bloggers to help raise awareness of The Well-Read Child throughout the blogosphere. A GIANT thanks to all of you who've given us a mention, added us to your blogrolls and who've subscribed to The Well-Read Child.
  
• Developed weekly schedule so you know what to expect on each day of the week and can visit on the days that most appeal to you. Of course, I'm hoping you'll love what I have to say EVERY day. ;)
  
• Joined the Newbery Project, a blog dedicated to providing reviews on Newbery Award Winning books.
  There are over 40 bloggers with different perspectives who contribute to this blog, enabling you to get a number of opinions and reviews on these books.

What's Next?

• In January, I'm launching, The Well-Read Teen, a blog that features young adult books.
  
• Look for an interview with Barbara Joosse when her newest book Grandma Calls Me Beautiful is released. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it, and I hope I am able to speak in coherent sentences when I do talk to her!
  
• Finally, I will continue to look for great books and give you lots and lots of ideas for instilling the joy of reading in your child.

Thanks to everyone for a great first month, and I look forward to many many many more!