Product Review: Hallmark Recordable Storybooks

I hadn't heard much about recordable storybooks until my son received one for his first birthday recorded by his adorable 6-year-old cousin Kayla. It was such a special, and thoughtful gift--and one that he is going to treasure for so many years to come.

The good people at Hallmark just sent me one of their beautiful recordable storybooks for kids to review--the gorgeous On the Night You Were born by Nancy Tillman--and I can't tell you how excited I was to record a storybook of my own! I tore open the package and started recording in no time flat, not even waiting for Andrew to stop chattering in the background or the cars outside my window to stop buzzing by.

And you know what? The finished book is just perfect! The book was so incredibly simple to record--I just pressed the "record" button and a voice prompted me to "start recording after the tone and press stop when finished". And the finished voice recording was crystal clear without picking up hardly any background noise at all. Andrew's other book has a distinct switching off sound at the end of each recorded page, but the Hallmark book is as quiet as a whisper.

Also, if I made a mistake or Andrew squealed a bit too loud while I was reading, all I needed to do was hit "record" again to make a new recording. And, I have to admit, I did leave his voice in a few of the recordings just because it is so darn cute!

Most importantly, Andrew loves the book. He flips the pages to hear me reading the story and, of course, likes to hit the little "record" and "stop" buttons near the speaker. Just remember to lock in the recording by unscrewing the battery cap and flipping the switch so curious hands can't erase it. You might also want to have your little one use the book in a well-lit room as it is light sensitive and anything casting a shadow on the books pages can stop and restart the recording from playing... but Andrew really doesn't care about starting and stopping the book a million times, anyway!

Add the gorgeous story and illustrations--packaged into a really nice-quality gift book package--to the equation and this is just a really special present for a child in your life. I hope Andrew will always keep it as a keepsake--he can even change the batteries when they get played out and the recording will not be erased.

Check out the Hallmark recordable book page for a video on how the books work and for information on all of the recordable titles they offer, from the classic On the Night You Were Born, Good Night Moon, and Guess How Much I Love You to a handful of Hallmark originals. Thanks again to the folks at Hallmark for giving me a chance to review this really great product.

Edit: The books are available at Hallmark and retailers who sell Hallmark merchandise for around $29.95!