I Spy Winners

Grand Prize Winner:

#26 -- Laurie

One of my favorite children's books is The Girl with the Silver Eyes. I don't remember a lot of specifics, but I remember completely understanding the main character. She gets treated differently because of her intelligence (and her supernatural powers)!

I Spy A to Z Book Winners:

#11 Marielle

I'm pretty selfishly leading my children to my own childhood favorites. So far Ramona, Henry & Ribsy books as well as the infamous Amelia Bedelia get a ton of play around here. Reading Ramona books from the viewpoint of a parent is beyond hilarious.

#13  Lori

Right now I'd say I really like the Knuffle Bunny books by Mo Willems -- and my daughter loves them, too! Love the illustrations and some of the parental humor.

#10 Danielle

My favorite children's book is "I Love You Stinky Face" because the little boys goes through all these scenarios with his mom about if he was these different creatures and monsters and his mom just lets him know that no matter what he was, she would love him and take care of him. The illustrations are awesome and all 3 of my boys have loved this book and I love reading it to them. It's just a fun book with a sweet message!

#9 Carey

Our favorite book is Zin Zin Zin a Violin. The rhythm of the words is great and he uses the perfect words to describe each instrument and the pictures go perfectly with the words.

Numbers drawn by Random.org

I Spy... A Great Giveaway!

It's been about a year since I started Mommy's Favorite Children's Books last summer and when it started, I hoped someday to do a giveaway contest with a great prize.   Now I am happy to announce the first blog giveaway..... featuring I Spy books.  

I Spy books are favorites of my 4.5 year old son.  We have a few in our collection and he enjoys the photos so much.  I love how focused he is while working on searching for items within the pictures.  We love I Spy books for anytime, and they are very useful when kids need to sit a while while waiting or traveling. 

This giveaway celebrates a brand new I Spy book....  

I Spy A to Z!

Easy-to-read riddles by Jean Marzollo are paired with forty-six object-filled photographs by Walter Wick to create I Spy A to Z, the most engaging alphabet book ever! With more than thirty titles and 36 million books in print, the I Spy series continues to win the hearts and minds of parents and kids everywhere. 

 

This giveaway offers FIVE prizes!  Wow!

One very lucky reader will receive an awesome grand prize package valued at more than $80 with books AND games! 

• Wii Video Game ‘Ultimate I SPY’

• Board Game ‘I SPY Memory Game’

• I SPY A to Z: A Book of Picture Riddles

• I SPY Treasure Hunt

Four (4) runner-up winners receive a copy of the new book I SPY A to Z: A Book of Picture Riddles!  (Each book valued at $13.99)

HOW TO ENTER:  Leave a comment (with your email or a link with a way to contact you if you win) and include 1) the title of your favorite children's book and 2) why you love it.

We're doing this the old fashioned way, one entry per person, please. No duplicates or incomplete entries. Entries will be accepted through July 6.  US residents only, please. Winners will be chosen at random, announced and notified by email on Wednesday July 8.  

(Anonoymous commenters and new visitors -- thank you so much for visiting --please be sure to leave me a way to contact you if you win, otherwise your entry is invalid. If you forgot and want to fix it, post an identical comment with a way to reach you, thanks.) 

Thank you for reading and entering the I SPY giveaway at Mommy's Favorite Children's Books!  Good luck!

First giveaway coming soon!

Mommy's Favorite Children's Books will be hosting a giveaway to be announced on Monday!

Top 30 picture books - what we have read

My friend Marietta at Bookworm's Booklist asked which of the Top 30 Picture Books featured at A Fuse #8 Production, School Library Journal we have shared with our family.  Here is our list:

#1: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (1963)

#2: Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (1947)

#3: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (1979)

#4: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (1962)

#5: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems (2003)

#6: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey (1941)

#7: Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson (1955)

#8: Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans (1939)

#9: Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag (1928)

#10: Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems (2004)

#11: The Story of Ferdinand y Monroe Leaf, ill. Robert Lawson (1936)

#12: Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann (1994)

#13: Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey (1948)

#14: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, ill. Lane Smith(1989)

#15: Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes (1996)

#16: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen (1987)

#17: Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina (1947)

#18: In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak (1970)

#19: Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney (1982)

#20: George and Martha by James Marshall (1972)

#21: Bark, George by Jules Feiffer (1999)

#22: The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone, ill. by Mike Smollin (1971)

#23: Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Lillian Hoban (1964)

#24: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault, ill. Lois Ehlert (1989)

#25: The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton (1942)

#26: Corduroy by Donald Freeman (1976)

#27: The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (1902)

#28: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, ill. Ray Cruz (1972)

#29: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (1969)

#30: Brown, Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? by Bill Martin Jr., ill. Eric Carle (1967)

I am not certain whether I will make it a goal or not to do the whole Top 30.  The ones I am most interested in trying with our kids are:

-- Millions of Cats

-- The Monster at the End of This Book

-- The Story of Ferdinand

-- Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (I have seen this on PBS' Between the Lions) 

A sweet classic board game: Candyland

There are only two board games that get regular use at our house -- Candyland and Go Away Monster  (review to come).  

I wonder if there is anyone who is unfamiliar with Candyland -- this classic board game has been around for generations.

A (our oldest, 4.5 years), loves Candyland, he is willing to play it anytime. 

See this game at Amazon.com

As a child I remember being very bored with Candyland.  Perhaps it's because I was an early reader and I felt the color cards were too simple.  I much preferred Chutes and Ladders .  I think that may mean I'm unique.  My new brother-in-law has detailed memories of Candyland's Lord Licorice.....  uh, I thought, who is that?  

It is interesting to compare various versions of Candyland published over the years.   The current came has Princess Frostine instead of Queen Frostine.  The molasses swamp has become a chocolate swamp, and the gameplay has changed.  In the version of my childhood, a player would get stuck on a dot space until a certain color card was drawn, which made for a long, frustrating  time stuck.  The modern version has a photo of licorice on the sticky spaces and the unlucky player only loses one turn -- for a gentler and less frustrating wait. 

The Hasbro web site has a history of the game and neat slide show with photos of the different versions through the decades.  Which version do you remember playing as a child? 

Now that I have a child that loves Candyland, I'm just now experiencing the best of this game with him.  

I admit, I let my son cheat and win every time we play.  He does not like getting sent back to an earlier point in the game by one of the special cards.  For a little while the house rules were that pieces only go forward, but now I am sending my player back to try and model the correct way to play.  A seems to be innately competitive, and he wants to win Candyland every time we play, cheering for himself when he receives double color cards and expressing disappointment when his game piece advances only a space or two.  He sweetly invites me to join him in the Candy Castle as soon as he wins.

I have heard the new, electronic Candy Land Castle  game suits younger players (2 and 3 year olds) who aren't ready for the classic Candyland game.  Apparently the concepts are totally different, and Castle is about color and shape matching.  I am not a big fan of electronic games though, and they can be expensive.  Have you tried Candyland Castle?  Let us know what you think!

A book for Father's Day -- I Love My Daddy by Sebastien Braun

I've got to say, Infant Bibliophile is on top of things -- I visited today to find Father's Day books -- a topic that would very possibly have completely slipped my mind until the week of.  I so admire the organized!  

Anyway, I have a single addition to the Bibliophile's list.  It's a beautiful, beautiful picture book called I Love My Daddy by Sebastien Braun.  

See this book at Amazon.com

Just look at the gorgeous images! Beautiful color! Each spread depicts a father bear and baby bear spending time together in sweet everyday moments.

The boys have enjoyed this book, especially, "My daddy tickles me!"  

I discovered this great-looking book when it was sold at Pottery Barn Kids a couple years ago -- those home decor style-makers picked a winner!   Since this purchase I have perused the PBK book selections a few more times -- I didn't find anything that grabbed me as much,  but kudos to PBK for making shelf space in its stores for children's books.

Added:  When is Father's Day this year, anyway?  I went and looked it up -- June 21!  Mark your calendars!

(Also, yes, today is Memorial Day!  Yes, I have the holidays all mixed-up! We do not have any books about flags, the USA or patriotism!  It's a huge deficiency in our collection.    And my husband was an Army reserve tank commander.  I have one book about Abraham Lincoln, that's it!  Any suggestions?)

Proud mama - A's spontaneous letter writing

We were playing outside the other day and after being busy with other things for a while, I noticed that A had written these letters on the driveway.  He said that he made the three A's for himself and the J for his brother.  

I am so proud!  

Sending gifts for a 2 year old's birthday

Today I sent birthday gifts for a charming little two-year-old relative blessed with gorgeous red hair (like mine).  You would think it's easy to choose books for gifts because I have this blog that is all about our recommended favorites, but it took a few minutes to think about what might be nice (and to remember what I've already given!)  I ended up choosing two of our family favorites:

In the Small, Small Pond 

Our family's paperback copy of In the Small Small Pond is tattered and taped.  It has been very much loved.  Honestly I'm not sure why the book is such a favorite.... perhaps it is the bold and beautiful warm colors, the wonderful and colorful animals (with a little frog that appears on every spread), or maybe especially the ear-pleasing phrases.  All good reasons to love this book, which was recognized as a Caldecott honor book.

See this book at Amazon.com

It's everything I think a perfect children's book should be -- very, very, colorful, beautiful, simple and engaging.  

Harold and the Purple Crayon DVD set

I may risk getting some hate mail from saying this, but here are my true feelings:  The Harold and the Purple Crayon DVD set of the complete HBO series is...  better than the books.  

See Harold and the Purple Crayon at Amazon.com

Yup.  These DVDs are awesome.  Sharon Stone does a fabulous read, the music is wonderful and the animation of Harold creating his many drawings adds a lot to the stories.  I found this series when I was searching for some family video entertainment that is age-appropriate, gently paced and not too scary.  It fit our need perfectly.  

I had not heard of Harold or experienced him in my own childhood.  Harold is a young boy with a fantastic imagination and great artistic ability.  He imagines things, and draws them, and they become real....  he has wonderful adventures, he experiences some dilemmas and challenges along the way and uses his trusty purple crayon to confidently take charge of things. 

We did not experience the book until I picked up a copy at a resale shop.  All I have to say is that after seeing the videos, the book was ho-hum.  We still read the book, and sometimes books are more convenient and appropriate than videos, but given the choice, the videos are the superior media.   And that's the truth.  Hmph! 

I hope baby B loves his gifts!  (Is it right to call a 2 y.o. a baby? He's really a toddler!)

Knock Knock Jokes

Knock, Knock!

Who's there?

Banana!

Banana who?

Is it just my favorite, or is the banana joke the most well-known knock knock out there? 

We were traveling home from Thanksgiving when my 4-year-old decided to start telling us knock knock jokes with nonsense words for the who and punch line.  It was clear that he enjoys them, and I started trying to think up any halfway decent knock knock to share with the family.

Coming up with knock knocks is not the easiest for me. I managed a few, "Harry up and open the door!"  but after about 5 or 6 I was seriously stuck and made it a point to go purchase a knock knock book at Amazon.   

We were just looking at one of the books last night, Good Clean Knock-Knock Jokes for Kids, as we were having another family knock knock session. (We improvised a great one in Jamaica based on the name of an appetizer on a restaurant menu.  Here it is: 

Knock, Knock!

Who's there?

Jamaica!

Jamaica who? 

Jamaica me crazy! 

Hope you like it!)

It is hard to review a knock knock book.  Some of the jokes are good, some are OK, some are clunkers, some don't make sense.  But.... having a knock knock joke book on hand is a fun, good resource for some fun family entertainment.  I think making up your own is awesome and great brain exercise, but when you run out, a joke book keeps the fun going. 

I want to get some videos of the kids telling knock knock jokes.  They are not master joke tellers by any means, but they enjoy the interaction and pattern of knock knock jokes.  I think that we'll enjoy knock knocks for at least a few more years.  Perhaps I will remember a few more in time than just the banana and Harry. 

I *think* that joke books fall into the nonfiction category.  If you are interested visiting today's Nonfiction Monday, check it out here at the APCL Mock Sibert blog. 

Top 100 Picture Books list

Here is a link to the final listing of the Top 100 Picture Books (as voted on by members of the kidlitosphere) at School Library Journal - a Fuse #8 Production

The articles on each book are tremendous!  I know I'll be referring to this list frequently as we explore new reads for our family. Enjoy!