NOW CLOSED: Talk to us about buying children's books: you could win a £50 JL voucher

[AnnMumsnet]

As you may or may not know, we have been working with Pearson Education over the last year or so.

Pearson is an educational publisher - they have provided many worksheets here for example, and free e-books [link], as well as working with MN to provide information on curriculum review as well as lots more see here.

Some Mumsnetters have been reviewing the books - for KS1 and KS2 (and Scottish equivalents too). These books (and more) are for sale in the Pearson shop on Mumsnet (and elsewhere).

They say "you have fed back that you like support we are giving you monthly, we've had 100s of positive MN reviews of the packs of books in the shop, and there's been some fantastic feedback from Mnetters that our books have really helped their children learn to read"

HOWEVER...we're not seeing loads of visitors to the shop!

Please take a couple of minutes to let us know why. For example....

~ Where do you normally buy books from for your child and why do you buy from there? Do you use the library a lot or borrow from elsewhere?
~ Are you looking for resources to buy to help your child? Or does the free service give you all the support you need?
~ Is it that you've not found the shop, or if you've gone there is it too difficult to find your way around? Or any other issues with it?
~ Are you not actually interested in buying stuff when you're on Mumsnet - or are we just showing you the 'wrong' resources?
~ Have you bought from MN via Pearson - if so how was it?

Any feedback is welcome.

Everyone who adds a comment will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will get a £50 John Lewis voucher as a thank you.

Thanks, MNHQ

PS: here's the link to the Pearson shop on MN if you want to check it out

[Solo]

I didn't actually know that there was a shop for Pearson's books on here!

[HateBeingCantDoUpMyJeans]

Do you mean clicking to them via a link/using a mn code?

Tbh I always look for the cheapest deal if I am looking for a specific title. I have looked at any of tge stuff above I will go and have a nose. For me books are something that I value but do not have tge funds to get what I want.

[Pascha]

OK. I admit that I never knew the shop was there.

We use the library but the range of books is quite limited. My son is only 19 months old though so enough there for him at the moment.

Maybe in the not so distant future I will be considering using the free service. I don't know about buying books through Pearson when it seems no cheaper than the dreaded Amazon.

TBH a large proportion of the books we have are gifts or bought when we have a giftcard from Waterstones or just second hand. I can't justify the money when there are so many ways of getting hold of free or cheap books.

I imagine a resource like this is much more useful as children grow up. I would consider it a good idea for kids older than about 4.

[Lilyloo]

I had seen the review threads but wasn't aware there was a shop on here. I tend to get most of my books for the dc's from the book club at work or order online from The book people. Will go and peruse your shop now.

[fivegomadindorset]

Didn't realise there was a shop on here for Pearsons although can I also say who?

To be honest unless it is a classic book that I want the children to keep and pass on to their children we use the library.

[Lilyloo]

Is it just my computer, when I click on an age a drop down link comes on but then goes off before I can choose an option?

[Pascha]

Also, having just (probably for the first time ever) gone to see if I can find the store from scratch, its not obvious there is one from the home page. The bookshop link is buried halfway down the page on the Learning link and I had to look for it. I think you need the shop link in a very prominent place for people to start looking at it.

[RustyBear]

How about an iPad friendly video?

[NoKnownAllergies]

I just looked at the store and the site itself looks wrong. It's not very easy to find, search or get more information on. If I am going to buy a multipack I like to see the titles in that pack. I couldn't find them here.

The prices seem high to me even with hefty discounts. I use Bookpeople and the works for cheap books. As someone said up thread I also use the library. I have never seen a Pearson book so making an investment in a 'teach to read' series is a leap of faith as to whether DD would find them engaging.

[Kveta]

I tend to go to the library and charity shops for books for ds.

On the rare occasion I can't find what I want there, I will look on amazon for 2nd hand deals. I prefer not to buy new books when I can get them cheaper elsewhere!

Also, I didn't know Pearsons had an online shop anyway...

[NoKnownAllergies]

We also buy books from eBay, boot sales and charity shops. Our local library has excellent similar resources to the Pearson ones.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

Didn't know the shop was there. Just had a look and the books seem very expensive but look really cheap. (DD is 2)

I tend to buy books on amazon via recommendations from people or in RL from waterstones or local independant.

I tend to buy books that are a bit quirky and beautifully illustrated rather than the bog standard cheap and cheerful that it looks like Pearson have. Books that will still be good to look at as DD gets older.

[DilysPrice]

I didn't know about the specific shop on Mumsnet (though I was aware of Pearson via the various MN linkups). It's really not very obvious. Having now browsed through, I think that though the Puffin selections are quite good for my KS2 DCs and quite well priced I wouldn't actually buy any of them because I've already got a copy of at least one of the books in each of the 3-packs. Might consider them as presents perhaps although, being chronically disorganised, I tend leave it late and have to go to actual shops for birthday presents.

Generally speaking I don't buy new books at full price unless they're hot off the press installments of series my DCs are hooked on, and I stock up on classics as and when I see them at incredibly cheap prices or in charity shops. The only other time I buy new is one book per term per child at the school book fair, or very special books as presents.

[Lastyearsmodel]

Didn't know there was a link to the shop.
Tend to buy from Amazon for classics but use library for the rest. Not overly keen on giving extra work to kids as they spend long enough in school and I am happy with their progress.

[maybeyoushoulddrive]

I didn't know it was there! Are there other shops on MN I know nothing about???

We use the library a lot for our 8 year old dd. Also any book tokens/amazon vouchers are always happily received. I think the books are a nice range, but run the risk of duplications from the sets sold eg we already have The Secret Garden so wouldn't buy a set including it IYSWIM?

[RabbitsMakeBrownEggs]

It took me a while to find the shop for them to be honest, I think they need to make it easier to find.

I had a fiddle about on it the other day, and I am definitely interested in some of their book packs, but for me I simply struggle with that much money up front and they didn't have individual options for the books, only groups.

DS has loved everything we reviewed for them, and if I won the £50 I would use it to buy the pack that does the whole process of learning to read for my DD, which is £49.99.

Other than that, I tend to use charity shops and amazon.co.uk?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 for cheaper books.

The one thing that would make me buy from Pearsons is that it is structured to support learning at school.

[gazzalw]

this thread has made me review how we buy books in this household - particularly ones for the children. The children are never short of books but we do borrow a lot from the libraries, on the grounds that it would be extraordinarily expensive buying books to satisfy demand! But our children have loads of books at home too because they get lots as pressies, from relatives and us for birthdays and Christmas.

We are always getting book catalogues from school and/or The Book People and Red House so usually pick and choose from those sources. Don't actively often go into Waterstones any more (our local one has a particularly non-inspiring children's section anyway) and don't even tend to browse on Amazon very much.

That is probably not the answer Pearson is looking for but I'm not sure what the solution is. I think they would need to compete with Amazon/The Book People (and that type of discounted outfit) on prices (of at least some books) to attract more custom. Maybe flag up, for a given time, very competitively priced classics (for whatever age-group).

It is a very difficult one. When I was a child we loved nothing more than browsing for hours in a bookshop to buy books with well-saved pocket money. But bookshops don't have the same pulling power in general these days. And browsing for children's books on-line is not really enjoyable unless you know what you are looking for....

[nickseasterchick]

I didnt know the shop was here either ....for books for my dc I either use the library,borrow from friends or choose the best deal .....quite often some bookshops do buy one get one half price so I can use that to get a Xmas/birthday gift to put away.

Also I now find that the supermarkets offer very competetively priced books and I can pop them in with the groceries.

[ICutMyFootOnOccamsRazor]

Never knew there was a shop link here. I don't really shop off Mumsnet, probably should check it out more.

Books we mostly get as presents or from charity shops. I also have boxes of them stored by my obsessively organised mother from when I was a child that get dug out when age appropriate.

[HarrietSchulenberg]

~ Where do you normally buy books from for your child - local and wonderful bookshop, Amazon, Waterstones or charity shop finds.

~ Are you looking for resources to buy to help your child? Or does the free service give you all the support you need? Not looking for resources. Use library and take advice from school if more help needed.

~ Is it that you've not found the shop, or if you've gone there is it too difficult to find your way around? Or any other issues with it? - Didn't know there was a shop, mainly as I'm not looking for it.

~ Are you not actually interested in buying stuff when you're on Mumsnet - or are we just showing you the 'wrong' resources? - I don't come on Mumsnet to shop. I come for a chat, a lurk, sometimes for advice and sometimes just to procrastinate.

~ Have you bought from MN via Pearson - if so how was it? - Not bought in person, sorry.

[LimeLeafLizard]

~ Where do you normally buy books from for your child

Amazon or special offers in Waitrose / other shops. We used to have a good local bookshop but it closed.

~ Are you looking for resources to buy to help your child? Or does the free service give you all the support you need?

Not currently, no. Might need to in future.

~ Is it that you've not found the shop, or if you've gone there is it too difficult to find your way around? Or any other issues with it?

Didn't know there was a shop.

~ Are you not actually interested in buying stuff when you're on Mumsnet - or are we just showing you the 'wrong' resources?

Not really, I come on MN to talk or sometimes for product reviews.

~ Have you bought from MN via Pearson - if so how was it?

No, I haven't...

[kellykateneedsaholiday]

My children are give loads of books as presents and I still have all my books from when I was a child. Occasionally they buy books from school bookfair or The Book People.
I didnt know there was a shop on here and Im not looking for resources.
I dont use Mumsnet for shopping, just use it for a bit of lurking and talk.

[KnittingNovice]

Like most other people I didn't know there was a pearson shop on mn. We tend to use the library, charity shops, and local bookshops as well as The Works because books just seem so expensive nowadays.

However ds is starting school in September so this might all change & I do miss seeing the book people at work now I am a sahm

[gazzalw]

PS Never really thought to look on Mumsnet to buy stuff - leave the buying to DW generally. We've just browsed the Pearson on-line shop and found it relatively expensive. For DS (11) wouldn't think any of the recommended titles (for his age-group) would appeal (but he doesn't like reading anyway) and for DD (6) the 9 - 11 age-group ones are the type we would read to her as bedtime stories and are the classics we would naturally pick. But would prefer to see the books sold in their natural sets (i.e. all the Anne of Green Gables ones).

I think that because we don't buy many full-price children's books ourselves these days, we are totally out of touch with how extortionately expensive they are. With DS and DD, who have very different literary demands, it is unlikely that there are many that we would buy full-price if they are only going to be read once or by one rather than both children. Since they emerged from toddler picture books (all of which have been read by DS and subsequently by DD), apart from the Harry Potter series and the Narnia set and possibly Roald Dahl, there has not been much overlap. DS has always preferred non-fiction whereas DD prefers fiction.

DS wanted The Hunger Games Trilogy recently. DW went off in search of it in Waterstone's and WH Smith to compare pricing. She was not impressed that the set would set her back at least £15. Then received a copy of The Book People's catalogue and she was much happier to find the trilogy for £4.99! There's the rub.....

[eeden]

~ Where do you normally buy books from for your child and why do you buy from there? Do you use the library a lot or borrow from elsewhere?

I "borrow" from Reading Chest because my child struggled with reading and I know that they will send me huge quantities of carefully banded books. My child went from struggling to above average in the space of a few months. If I buy books, it's likely to be from the book people for cheapness, convenience and habit.

~ Are you looking for resources to buy to help your child? Or does the free service give you all the support you need?

It is pretty daunting to find help for a struggling child yourself/structure it correctly. Hence using reading chest and kumon - ie paying for professional help effectively.

~ Is it that you've not found the shop, or if you've gone there is it too difficult to find your way around? Or any other issues with it?

Haven't seen the shop.

~ Are you not actually interested in buying stuff when you're on Mumsnet - or are we just showing you the 'wrong' resources?

Yes am interested in buying but indecisive and don't trust myself to get the right things.

~ Have you bought from MN via Pearson - if so how was it?

No. I might have a look now.