Inspiration From The Distant Past

Inspiration From The Distant Past
Found note in an old book... warms the cockles of my bookish heart...

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

A Bookish Lagniappe: Party Favors

Books as party favors!

image by wedding.theknot.com via Pinterest


Don't you love this idea?  

And the old fashioned borrower cards are so cute and nostalgic. I miss those cards and I really miss the due date cards.  Remember how they stayed put in the little pockets. I'm forever losing the modern paper due date receipts -- even when I use them as bookmarks. How about you?

I suppose non-bookworms might groan at receiving a book as a party favor but who cares about them... besides the possibilities are endless.

Wouldn't it be fun to match books to the party theme... books about tea for tea parties... wine books for wine tasting parties... board books for toddler birthday parties. 

What sort of book might you use as favors at your next shindig?

11 comments:

  1. Ooo! That's actually a great idea!! I'll see if I can think up something for christmas...maybe give everyone a copy of Dickens' Christmas Carol!!:D

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  2. Hmmm. You are right, the possibilities are endless.
    I am doing the kid party circuit now.
    There could be some very cool children's classics - Mother Goose, The Secret Garden, Treasure Island, etc.
    Or even modern classics like Dr. Seuss.
    Or downright silly like Captain Underpants...

    Yes, I need to marinate on this idea.

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  3. +JMJ+

    My old school library had all sorts of cards!

    There were green library cards for each student. You'd write the codes for every book you wanted to take out, and the librarian would stamp its due date in one column and the return date in the next column.

    Then there were the blue book cards, which were like library cards in reverse. Each book had one in a little pocket, and you'd write your name on them whenever you borrowed books. Then the cards would be kept in a temporary filing box near check out, so that the librarians would always know which books were out of the library--and which students had them!

    Finally, there were the grey due date sheets on the back covers of each book. (The sheets were flaps over the book cards' pockets!) Those had your student ID number on them as well as the due date and return date. I remember feeling very proud about certain books which I had taken out of the library over ten times in a row. I'd see my number up and down the entire column and feel a sense of ownership. =)

    Now what were you talking about again? . . . Oh, yes. Party favours!

    My first worry is that they'd be too pricey. But would they really? My mother likes to buy loot for giveaway bags in bulk at flea markets and our equivalent of "$1 stores." I think a lot of mothers here have similar strategies. (Is something similar done in the US, Lesa?) All things considered, perhaps a bag full of lollies, little plastic toys and other party favours might cost as much as a single board book or mass market Middle Grade paperback. I should do more research!

    Then there's the second worry that children used to such loot bags might balk at a book! =P Then again, there's no better time than childhood to learn that reading can be FUN (Yes, as fun as a party!). We should start the indoctrination now! ;-)

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  4. I'm with En, and will keep my eyes open for appropriate books to give as gifts. And I will try to approximate the library card pocket when I do....promise...

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  5. Good ideas, Risa and Leslie!

    E: Yes! I have those same memories except for the grey sheet. I can tell that you loved the ritual of checking out books as much as I did.

    At my elem school the librarian stamped the cards by hand.

    Middle school had a machine-- the student's library card went in a slot, then the book card and due date cards went in another slot for automatic stamping.

    In 8th grade, I worked as an aide in the library during one class period -- it was so cool using the machine to check out books to students.

    Wonder if DeLynne remembers that? She got out of class to come check out books and talk.

    The newfangled computerized way of checking out books is convenient but not near as fun.

    About the party favors: Yes, I thought about the price too-- I am a bargain book shopper, you know. And books are expensive. But like you said buying bunches of trinkets and candies adds up too.

    Party favors at Walmart aren't cheap especially when there isn't enough in the pkg for each child so you gotta more.

    But candy disappears and cheaply made plastic toys break or don't work-- books last and last and last.

    Book party favors might not be something I could afford to do for a classroom party but for a small home party it wouldn't be too bad.

    And us BBB pros know how to find cheap books, that is for sure! haha

    Scholastic always has a few books for $1-$3. And the Target store has children's adapted classics for .50 or $1.

    I avoid adapted books like the plague but they might be ideal party favors to begin the indoctrination! ;o)

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  6. DeLynne: Ha, try to approximate? You know your party favor books will look more spectacular than the photo!

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  7. That is true, Delynne, you and your girls have quite a bit of talent...please don't make me feel too bad, okay?

    Hmm, the cost of books is a good point. But, I'd be willing to bet that with time and a little bit of effort, you could find some books. Maybe not all the same book, but the same theme?

    And yes, E, I buy party favors in bulk at a party warehouse. Or from www.Orientaltrading.com . But you know, if you had a nice party, like an engagement party or wedding, anniversary, etc, that you were already planning on spending a chunk of change, this wouldn't be too bad.
    Like at Barnes and Noble they have coffee table books for $3. And I'd bet that they would have some type of great discount if you bought 20 or 50 or 100...

    Something to think about. And yes, Lesa, I hate adaptions too, but I guess it is better than nothing. You could tell them that if they like this version, try the original, it's even better...

    Glad I am not having a party right now. This would cause me problems. Like Scarlett, I'll think about that tomorrow.

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  8. +JMJ+

    On affordable adaptations . . .

    The bookstore closest to my house is having its annual cut-price sale and among the marked down books are graphic novel adaptations of classics from Rudyard Kipling's Kim to Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe! =D Should I stock up now for my brother's birthday in October? LOL!

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  9. Oh, cool! Does that mean comic books classics? That would be very fun!

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  10. This is an awesome idea. I WOULD do it.

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