What is BookTree?
BookTree is a book-lending service conducted in association with
your child’s school, an employer or
public location.
Each month we deliver 10 exceptional children’s picture books for you
and your child to enjoy together.
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How does BookTree work?
On a specific day of the month, you pick up a personalized tote
at your child’s school, place of employment or other participating
location. In the tote you’ll find 10 carefully selected books. You and
your child have a month to read and reread the selection. Return the tote of
books. Pick up a fresh batch. Savor. Repeat.
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What's in the tote?
Selected books are categorized by age-appropriateness and assembled
into sets of ten, balancing fiction vs. non-fiction, stories vs.
concepts, authors/illustrators, and breadth of subject matter. No
two books in a set are similar, so that children are exposed to
a wide variety of writing and illustrative styles, concepts, and
story themes each month.
There are six tracks of books with sophistication levels spanning
from infant up to about age 7. This makes it possible for our books
to continue to meet the needs of each child as he or she grows.
Learn More
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What are the benefits of BookTree?
BookTree offers many benefits pertaining to early literacy and
convenience.
Learn More
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How do I sign up for the service?
If your household has never received a tote of books from BookTree,
then you are eligible for a one-month FREE
TRIAL of the service. This offer allows you to receive a tote
of books for one child during the next service delivery to your
school, business or
public location
at no charge. You and your child have approximately
one-month to read and reread the books, returning them by the deadline
specified in the schedule. If you do not wish to continue the subscription
after the free trial, then you simply cancel your subscription.
Start your FREE TRIAL now!
If you have received a tote of books from BookTree before, please
go to Member Sign In & Registration to manage
or reactivate your subscription.
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How do I receive my books?
BookTree delivers your books to a convenient location that you visit almost daily.
This can be a public location in your
neighborhood, your employer, or your child's school. Our goal is to offer maximum
convenience to you as a busy parent. For parents who are at their workplace daily,
it may be easiest to receive the monthly book tote there. Parents who regularly drop
off and pick up their child at school may find it more convenient to receive the tote
at the school. Other parents may prefer to receive their tote at a participating
public location in their neighborhood.
Whatever your lifestyle, BookTree has a solution to deliver your books in a way
that fits seamlessly, with no special trips or arrangements required.
In order for you to receive books at your employer or your child's school,
the employer or school must be a participating BookTree location. If BookTree
is not already available to you from one of our many locations, please
e-mail us or call us
(415-469-9944 San Francisco; 310-922-8807 Los Angeles) in order
to explore how to establish a BookTree location that is convenient for you.
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How does the free trial work?
If your household has never received a tote of books from BookTree,
then you are eligible for a one-month FREE TRIAL. This offer allows
you to receive one tote of books at no charge during the next service
delivery to your school, business or
public location.
Start your FREE TRIAL now!
Learn More
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How much does the service cost?
For the first child enrolled, it is $28.95 per month. There is
a 20% discount for each additional subscription to the same
family (e.g., siblings, extra totes). Tax is included. Subscriptions
are month-to-month, and you can put your subscription on hold or
cancel at any time.
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Is there a reward for referrals?
Absolutely. If you tell a friend about BookTree and they continue membership
beyond their free trial, you will receive credit for a free month of membership.
Just have your friend go to
www.booktree.us,
click on the Start Your Free Trial Now button, and enter your name as the
person who referred them.
There is no limit to the number of free months you can build up or how
fast you can build them up. We will track your credits and apply them to
future tote deliveries. So if you refer friends you can receive your
child's tote at no charge!
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How do I give BookTree as a gift?
BookTree is a great gift for families! Please call us
(415-469-9944 San Francisco; 310-922-8807 Los Angeles)
for gift options and pricing. We will email a certificate to you,
or if you prefer, to the recipient, with a personal message from you.
Gift subscriptions include one free month if the recipient has never
previously received a BookTree tote. And if the recipient of your
gift continues beyond the gifted months, you earn a
free month of membership!
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How do I redeem a BookTree gift certificate or voucher?
Just go to
www.booktree.us,
click on the Member Sign In & Registration button, and complete the
steps which include entering the certificate or voucher code.
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What are the online subscription features?
BookTree subscriptions are created and managed online, making the
following parent-friendly features available to you:
- Month-to-month subscription.
- Place a hold on months during which you
do not wish to receive books, allowing you to adjust your subscription
around vacations or birthdays.
- Change contact and notification information.
- Add, change, or cancel subscriptions for
your children.
- View the schedule for picking-up and returning
books.
- View your billing history and change your payment method.
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How do I know where to pick up the books and when to return them?
You will receive this information during the online enrollment
process. Additionally, you can access this information at any time
by logging into your account and going to the “Location and
Schedule for Book Pick-up/Return” page.
You will receive an e-mail reminder the week prior to each scheduled
book pick-up and return.
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How are the books selected for my child each month?
We provide a balanced selection of books: fiction vs. non-fiction,
stories vs. concepts, authors and illustrators, and a wide breadth
of subject matter. No two books in a set are similar, and your child
is exposed to a wide variety of writing styles, illustrative styles,
concepts and story themes each month.
We have a well-defined and strict process for determining which
titles get selected for the service. Books that are fun and entertaining,
rich in content and concepts, and contain high-quality illustrations
score well in our evaluation process. Books that depict violence,
contain harsh language or market a commercial character are not
selected.
Learn More
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How does BookTree’s Spanish program work?
During enrollment, you are asked to select a language preference, and
you may choose either English or Spanish. If you select Spanish, we ask
for information about your child’s proficiency in Spanish as well as the
reader’s proficiency. The reader can be you, a caregiver, a grandparent, or
whoever will be spending time reading Spanish books with your child. In addition
to your child’s age, interest, and patience for books, this proficiency
information guides us in choosing the level of the books you will receive.
Like our English program, the Spanish program is built on high-quality
age-appropriate illustrated literature, and book sets balanced across a
broad range of topics, art styles, and cultural diversity. A rich literary
experience is achieved by culling books by native-language authors from
different countries, translations, and books with side-by-side English
and Spanish. Start your FREE TRIAL now!
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What if the books are too easy or too advanced?
During enrollment, you are asked about your child’s age and
her interest in and patience for books. That information guides
us in choosing the track of books for your monthly delivery. If
you feel they aren’t a good match for her, let us know and
we’ll adjust the level of the books you receive. We have many
different tracks of books, allowing the books to grow with your
child.
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What age range is BookTree appropriate for?
The age range is infant to about age 8 for English and one year to about
age 10 for Spanish. That said, there is really no fixed upper limit to the age
range. BookTree offers some very sophisticated illustrated books that are as
fun and enriching to adults as to children. BookTree has something to offer
as long as you and your child have an interest in great illustrated
literature. For infants and younger children, BookTree is a fit if you have
already begun introducing your child to books and reading together.
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Why not just go to the library or bookstore?
BookTree offers a tremendous time savings when you consider the hours spent at a library or bookstore to find a balanced set of ten age-appropriate books of equivalent quality. BookTree also provides a significant monetary savings compared to purchasing large numbers of books that a child will outgrow. In addition to offering these personal savings, BookTree demonstrates a commitment to green values through its efficient distribution model that includes on site delivery and reuse of each book many times before retirement.
BookTree can also be highly synergistic with both the library and the bookstore. Many of our subscribers find that their library and bookstore visits have become much more rewarding, because BookTree has helped them discover new interests, authors, and writing styles that are a hit with their child. Subscribers who buy books regularly use BookTree as a means to discover books they would like to buy as well as to supplement their familiar home collection.
Many of our subscribers go to the library regularly, and for them, BookTree can be a means to explore the types of books they would like to borrow. Also, they can relax even more at the library without feeling a need to come away from a visit with some minimum number of books for the week or month.
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What if our family already has some of the books?
We search out the best of children’s literature, and with
nearly a half-million children’s titles in publication today,
we find plenty of great, lesser-known choices. The chances of your
home library containing more than one of the books in a monthly
delivery are slim.
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What if I have more than one child?
BookTree is available for any kindergartner, preschooler, toddler
or infant in your family. The service is appropriate for all children
age seven and under. Each subscribed child will receive his own tote
each month. Children of the same age, or less than one year of age
apart, may share a tote. Additional sibling subscriptions are available at a 20% discount.
There are enough book titles and tracks in the service to guarantee
that your family will never receive the same tote of books twice.
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What if my child damages a book?
We repair books at no charge, though a $15 fee applies for any
impossible-to-fix book.
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What if a book is lost?
We don’t consider a book lost until it has been missing for
90 days, and most books are found by this time. If not, then a $15
fee applies.
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How are the books cleaned, and how is COVID-19 addressed?
Each returned book is inspected and hand-cleaned using an eco-friendly
process. Book totes are machine-washed. Book handling follows CDC guidelines,
with post-cleaning shelf quarantine time well beyond the survival time of
COVID-19 and other viruses on paper and plastic surfaces.
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