tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38456762278631949052024-03-14T00:21:19.780-05:00Mommy's Favorite Children's BooksSharing our family's favorite chidren's books, media, toys and gamesKarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-28280975186761616252011-12-29T17:15:00.002-06:002011-12-29T17:21:01.684-06:00The potty training book our family LOVED - Toilet Learning by Alison MackOur family has reached a wonderful milestone -- our youngest son has mastered use of the potty. It was the best Christmas present of 2011. One of the tools, and perhaps the primary tool we used for potty training was this book, Toilet Learning, the picture book technique for children and parents, by Alison Mack.<br />
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Originally I heard about this book on a parenting forum and sought it out on Amazon.com. The book is divided into two sections, the front for the parents, and the back part, a picture book for parents to read to their children. The picture book is excellent, it explains very nicely to children about using the potty and includes a lot of details that are interesting to children.... things like.... there are bathrooms almost everywhere you go... and.... that everyone uses the bathroom. The drawings feature a child that can be described as a boy or girl and the author recommends using the words for pee and poop that your family uses to describe them.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=momsfavchisbo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0316542377&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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Happily, our third child's potty learning was the quickest and easiest of all our three kids. I don't know if we're getting better with practice, or if he's just caught on better. But this book has been a staple for all our three kids and we loved reading a book so much more than watching a video. Mr. Rodgers' book is also nice and we had some Elmo but this book was our favorite. I hope your children enjoy it too.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: arial, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Mommy's Favorite Children's Books earns a commission on Amazon.com sales. Thanks for reading!</span>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-67613181491467675472011-11-29T21:22:00.000-06:002011-11-29T21:22:23.166-06:00O Christmas TreeThis year, we decided to make all of our Christmas ornaments as a family. The goal is to spend some time together creating. We started tonight, with no special supplies or plans, just what we had on hand, which was some construction paper, scissors, glue stick and we're doing big, chunky super-fast paper chains, that's it. The boys worked in a bit of a rush but we had all the kids around the table. It was nice.Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-42195143332970206332011-11-29T20:48:00.002-06:002011-11-29T21:26:12.811-06:00Seymour Simon VOLCANOESWe were just reading this book at bedtime and my oldest, Alek (age 7) pointed to a couple of the books on the back cover and asked for additional titles. This book is part of the Smithsonian series by Seymour Simon. We have at least one other Simon book, which is the Seymour Simon book of Trains. For now, let's talk about the Volcanoes book.<br />
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This book has been in our stash for a while. I like reading nonfiction titles to the kids, they are curious about the world and are very interested in many topics, space, ocean animals, science, etc. It's great to read to them and they sit quietly, and really listen to what I'm talking about. These books are geared toward slightly older kids, grades 1-5. My kids are 7, 5, and 3 now, and even the little guy pays attention. Right now I read to them, but I like that the books have a long life and later on the boys will be able to read the books again themselves. The text has great vocabulary, it's great to have the boys hear unique and interesting words as we read together.<br />
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The photographs are stunning, and the book has many details about volcanoes, along with specific examples of volcanoes around the world and various eruptions (which reminds me we have another volcano title called Eruption, by D&K) This book has greater detail, is a bigger format and has more dramatic photos. I like the map that shows the Earth's plates.<br />
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The book is 32 pages and includes a glossary. Tonight we didn't make it all the way through before bedtime, but it was a great reading experience. We're getting a few more books from this series for Christmas, I've chosen Lightning, and Earthquakes (the one my son requested). I expect they will be great reading experiences as well.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: arial, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Mommy's Favorite Children's Books earns a commission on Amazon.com sales. Thanks for reading!</span>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-14050820283692437032011-11-18T14:30:00.000-06:002011-11-18T14:30:16.711-06:00Dusting off...I've let the blog go idle for... a long while... we have been thoroughly enjoying family life! My oldest son is now age 7 and beginning to read independently, which is extremely exciting and we have been enjoying a lot of great books through our elementary school's library days. I will try to stop in occasionally and share our very favorites. Best wishes to you and yours! --KarenKarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-25471829850534516122010-12-17T09:00:00.000-06:002010-12-17T09:00:14.630-06:00Christmas shopping!Small update: My two oldest are now in K and 4K -- it's been good so far! My oldest is starting to learn to read. Awesome. Love our teachers, love library day every Wednesday -- the kids have been bringing home some great books!<br />
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I am doing last minute shopping and wanted to share this link -- I'm using it for reference to add some picture books to our collection -- this was a wonderful list to work with!!! <br />
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http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2009/05/16/top-100-picture-books-poll-results-1-101/<br />
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Happy Holidays!<br />
KarenKarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-82279663790023693882010-04-23T18:54:00.001-05:002011-11-18T14:32:58.801-06:00Butterfly KitWe're going to try a butterfly kit this spring! A friend who homeschools her preschooler son has done this and they loved it. <br />
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Update on the butterfly kit: it was a very interesting experience. A little traumatic for me when one of the butterflies was caught up and struggling in getting out of the chrysalis and ended up not making it. I blame myself for not removing enough of the stringy fibers around the chrysalis when transferring to the net container. Lessons learned through experience. I would approve of repeating the experience, the kids would love to do it again also. <br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=momsfavchisbo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B00000ISC5" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-89910665111119529822010-03-14T22:31:00.015-05:002010-03-14T22:46:40.601-05:00Dinosaurs! The Complete Guide to Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Reptiles<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">M</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">y 5 year-old-received t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">his book as a gift, and it is AWESOME! I had </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">looked online for a while to <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">find a good dinosaur book and didn't ever </span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">find one that seemed right for a preschool-kindergarten age child. We are so luck</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">y to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">have been given this book because it is wonderful -- </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">the perfect dinosaur book for children! </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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</div></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The reason our famil</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">y loves t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">his book is the wonderful illustrations -- </span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">as the cover states -- "more than 250 superb illustrations". Dinosaurs </span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">of all t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ypes come to life, wit</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">h great visuals, size references to adult </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">human beings, and helpful pronunciation guides. The book is oversized giving plent</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">y of room for t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">he rich visuals inside.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Who knew there were so man</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">y dinosaurs -- at bedtime my 5-year-old will ask to browse a few spreads and talk about t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">hese fascinating </span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">creatures. It's wonderful to share and learn together, and I'm pleased to recommend this book as a great famil</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">y exploration or as a great gift to s</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">hare. </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: arial, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; white-space: normal;">Mommy's Favorite Children's Books earns a commission on Amazon.com sales. Thanks for reading!</span></span></span>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-57890448587292062212010-01-02T08:07:00.001-06:002010-03-14T22:48:55.858-05:00Baby Danced the Polka<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcF_7IIokoTtUjxcZ-i7M_L3DJIpp8dIYthhzISBCUsciyQ-WXxhkx9eYfX5ma9K3Z8Dw5esr__BCcHghz5NNJI6QHr6FzDAJzvq9D1hQ6Yt5fQCtn-MMiYDnvHXmcMfWigXqWqS8EKXq/s1600-h/Bab+danced+polka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcF_7IIokoTtUjxcZ-i7M_L3DJIpp8dIYthhzISBCUsciyQ-WXxhkx9eYfX5ma9K3Z8Dw5esr__BCcHghz5NNJI6QHr6FzDAJzvq9D1hQ6Yt5fQCtn-MMiYDnvHXmcMfWigXqWqS8EKXq/s320/Bab+danced+polka.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0803725876?ie=UTF8&tag=momsfavchisbo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0803725876">See this book at Amazon.com</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momsfavchisbo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0803725876" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 11px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 27px; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div>First, I want to thank my friend Susan for recommending Karen Beaumont's book, <b>Baby Danced the Polka! </b> This is a sweet book with wonderful text, artwork and lift-the-flap details that make it a delightful book to read with our own children or to share as a gift.<br />
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<b>Baby Danced the Polka</b> tells the cute and fun stor<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">y</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> of a couple with their little baby living on an old-fashioned farm. The farm is an interesting setting, and ma and pa are trying to do their chores -- interesting chores, like starching long johns and fixing chow... and baby is supposed to be taking a nap... but... baby wants to DANCE!!!! And so, baby dances all through naptime with a variety of toy animals, cat, pig, cow and sheep.</span></span><br />
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In the end, the whole family dances the night away together.<br />
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Nearly every page has a lift-the-flap that shows baby dancing and dancing.<br />
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I love this book for the great words and lift-the-flaps and also the happy family relationship, along with the real and very familiar situation of mom and dad tring to get some things done during naptme.<br />
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</div><div><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mommy's Favorite Children's Books earns a commission on Amazon.com sales. Thanks for reading!</span></span></div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-72589265166995826492009-11-16T15:08:00.002-06:002009-11-21T08:39:48.453-06:00What we are listening to: Junie B Jones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CJvnVCyTaX1fLgbczkTtId-CXwxR6yP0wF6H1cb4kCWwIrt2CIftSLJ5gkmgKBn4nIKOQm1pvQHyEOMl2IpXi2jcnpLU4oXs61TmSqI98U4w0S6pO9tp-hZxyA6sWoPd4JmCGjNRJxhZ/s1600/junie+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CJvnVCyTaX1fLgbczkTtId-CXwxR6yP0wF6H1cb4kCWwIrt2CIftSLJ5gkmgKBn4nIKOQm1pvQHyEOMl2IpXi2jcnpLU4oXs61TmSqI98U4w0S6pO9tp-hZxyA6sWoPd4JmCGjNRJxhZ/s320/junie+b.jpg" /></a><br />
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The boys and I trekked to the library this morning after preschool. Library visits with three children 5 and under are interesting. I am thankful that the librarians are easygoing about the four of us getting a little crazy in the children's section (which is open to the whole library). The boys enjoy library visits, but baby Mark was having a little too much fun opening the audiocassette and CD cases in the audiobooks shelves. <br />
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Alek found magazines and he decided to check out one Highlights and two copies of Boys Life. (Unfortunately he was suckered in immediately by the toy advertisements and now wants an age-inappropriate marble run for Christmas. It's not happening.) <br />
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Getting to the point, we have been exploring audio books as something to do instead of watching TV. The boys are mildly interested. We checked out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307706141?ie=UTF8&tag=momsfavchisbo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0307706141">The House at Pooh Corner</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momsfavchisbo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0307706141" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> a few weeks ago, and now we found <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807218677?ie=UTF8&tag=momsfavchisbo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0807218677">Junie B Jones</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momsfavchisbo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0807218677" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> on tape. Alek and I started reading a copy of Junie B Jones recently (about a farm trip) and the reading is holding his interest. I think it's nice that Junie B is about Alek's age and she's precocious and I think he relates to that and finds it funny.<br />
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That's what we're listening to this week!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: arial, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mommy's Favorite Children's Books earns a commission on Amazon.com sales. Thanks for reading!</span>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-53850518829588779512009-10-20T13:31:00.006-05:002009-11-21T08:39:21.623-06:00What we are reading: The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdKN8f873sWTh8bwEG3NLuJ9vsjjM5wigwPeNEApkf5EkwP6bDyRsTeoUp6VAApw6WvegPuIpDQQsAYq8V2XyzSGenS0LeoBJ6YuZYrCssxY_qi5ggbpZIz3IHKpUqcCMttTI9Q9YKiMyC/s1600-h/Spookley.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394752858317438434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdKN8f873sWTh8bwEG3NLuJ9vsjjM5wigwPeNEApkf5EkwP6bDyRsTeoUp6VAApw6WvegPuIpDQQsAYq8V2XyzSGenS0LeoBJ6YuZYrCssxY_qi5ggbpZIz3IHKpUqcCMttTI9Q9YKiMyC/s400/Spookley.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0760727546?ie=UTF8&tag=momsfavchisbo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0760727546">See this book at Amazon.com</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momsfavchisbo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0760727546" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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</div>Halloween is coming up! Last year we checked out and shared a great collection of poems -- <b><a href="http://favoritechildrensbooks.blogspot.com/2008/10/halloween-poems-for-preschoolers-its.html">It's Halloween!</a> </b> This year, our family borrowed a copy of <b>The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin</b> from the library and want to share notes about this cute book. <br />
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</div><div>Spookley is a cute little story with a basic message -- it's OK and even valuable to be different from everyone else. The plot is like a Fall version of <b>Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer</b>... Spookley is a pumpkin who is square. The round pumpkins make fun of him until one night during a storm, Spookley saves the day. The farmer realizes how special Spookley is, and decides to plant his seeds in his fields the following year, which leads to a magical kind of surprise -- pumpkins of all shapes, colors and sizes!<br />
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</div><div>The book comes with a bonus CD, which we listened to and enjoyed as well. Spookely is a cute book that our kids enjoyed very much. My oldest talked about Spookley a lot after reading the book.<br />
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</div><div><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Mommy's Favorite Children's Books earns a commission on Amazon.com sales. Thanks for reading!</span><br />
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</div></div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-16219998257666999912009-10-20T07:26:00.010-05:002009-10-20T11:02:47.735-05:00Cardboard Building Blocks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEideZUJcR4v8nkRzPPXkUhEvhA-V1k1TBcDopBreQw4dQ3aLwoXGH552Y2UW177lz2n7gYM6a0l_pCrZSK7nInD_Q5csHYUbqCrovSspukXP-kuNhV3yYZkvlW91wN0rkdfKEbxDANSURgr/s1600-h/edushape+blocks.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEideZUJcR4v8nkRzPPXkUhEvhA-V1k1TBcDopBreQw4dQ3aLwoXGH552Y2UW177lz2n7gYM6a0l_pCrZSK7nInD_Q5csHYUbqCrovSspukXP-kuNhV3yYZkvlW91wN0rkdfKEbxDANSURgr/s400/edushape+blocks.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394674820390626370" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007D9WVS?ie=UTF8&tag=momsfavchisbo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0007D9WVS">See this toy at Amazon.com</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momsfavchisbo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0007D9WVS" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Sometimes the simplest toys are the most fun. This is true with one of our family's favorite toys, basic <b>cardboard building blocks</b>. I think these have been around forever, I remember playing with similar blocks waaay back when I was in preschool and kindergarten, and they are still in early childhood classrooms today.</div><div><br /></div><div>We've owned our cardboard blocks for about two years now, and they have been the most played with blocks in our house. (We have three sets, the cardboard blocks, a set of very fine wooden unit blocks, and a set of wooden ABC cubes. I should probably also mention plastic peek-a-blocks, although those are separate in my mind as baby toys vs. building toys.) </div><div><br /></div><div><b>What I like about our cardboard blocks:</b> </div><div><ol><li>They are lightweight, I do not have to worry about anyone getting hurt when they topple over</li><li>The boys are pretty good about cleaning up the large cardboard blocks -- we keep them in a not-so-attractive but very functional LARGE cardboard shipping box that sits in our living room. Clean up is often a game of toss-the-block-in-the-box. It's fun. </li><li>Everybody can play with them. The 5-year-old, 3 year-old and 1 year-old all play and everybody loves it. Dad and I play too, and we have a good time. </li><li>They are not made of plastic. Our family has many plastic toys, but it's nice to have something fun that's <i>not</i> plastic in the mix.</li><li>They are sturdy. They have been thrown, stepped on, kicked down and knocked over many, many times, and are still in good shape despite our rough handling. </li></ol></div><div><b>What I don't like about our cardboard blocks: </b></div><div><ol><li>They were spendy. Daddy purchased ours at a learning boutique store, and I remember saying -- you spent <i>what</i> on a bunch of cardboard?? <i>cardboard??? </i> The blocks come packed flat, and so it's very clear that what you have purchased is really not all that much in terms of material. Thankfully, the delightful experience of building big structures and the enduring play value of the blocks has made it seem like it was a good purchase vs. some of our other toys that have not gotten nearly as much use. (<i>Frugal tip:</i> a fun free alternative to purchasing cardboard blocks is to save up a lot of cardboard shoe boxes and let the kids play with them. This is what the boys' grandma has done, I walked into her house one day to an enormous tower of shoe boxes and it was also delightful. Grandmas are so smart!) </li><li>Storage. They take up a little room, so it may be useful to have a place in mind for keeping them. I am OK with a big shipping box full of cardboard blocks in the living room. These could fit in a closet if I were more organized.</li></ol></div><div><br /></div><div><b>What the kids love about the cardboard blocks:</b> </div><div><ol><li>They are large (comparatively). It does not take stacking many of the largest red blocks before my 3 year-old has a tower taller than he is, and that is just cool. </li><li>They are open-ended, and the boys get to be creative with them. We love building walls, and towers, and caves, we enjoy walling off a corner of the living room for a fort (and using the large storage box and couch cushions as additional building materials), we build statues... Most recently the boys have gotten into karate-chopping the blocks and kicking the blocks, which is a little rough on them, but it's been loads of fun. </li></ol></div><div>I'm happy to share that these simple blocks are some of our favorite toys and recommend them for families with toddlers and preschoolers.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Mommy's Favorite Children's Books earns a small commission on Amazon.com sales.</span></span></span><br /><br /></div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-56645454693837065992009-10-19T21:00:00.007-05:002009-10-20T11:03:50.796-05:00Go Away Monster!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDR2BZmHXN9cckxiRyp28vyEuknc69ZbIEJpmNJUUIc0X4ECtXIjn5Qsc0lCV_mSsDLaVurgSeKWF6Q70mTxkmobZKm-lsUQntVlt1Q3AGsDdc2E73asvlfTpBotoQpNj1v_XZqkcYLIn5/s1600-h/go+away+monster.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 147px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDR2BZmHXN9cckxiRyp28vyEuknc69ZbIEJpmNJUUIc0X4ECtXIjn5Qsc0lCV_mSsDLaVurgSeKWF6Q70mTxkmobZKm-lsUQntVlt1Q3AGsDdc2E73asvlfTpBotoQpNj1v_XZqkcYLIn5/s400/go+away+monster.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394505090992166898" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00001TPYA?ie=UTF8&tag=momsfavchisbo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00001TPYA">See this game at Amazon.com</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momsfavchisbo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00001TPYA" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></div><div>In all honesty, we don't play many board games in our house. That is kind of sad for me as a mom, because I grew up loving all board games and playing them as often as I could wrangle a willing friend or adult into playing with me. Perhaps the boys are still too young to love board games (and still working on turn-taking skills). My oldest (now almost 5!) loves <b><a href="http://favoritechildrensbooks.blogspot.com/2009/05/sweet-classic-board-game-candyland.html">Candyland</a></b>. (Our three year old does not play it yet.) But one game that both our 5 and 3 year olds play is.... <b>Go Away Monster </b>by Gamewright.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Go Away Monster</b> is a cute and simple game. Each player (up to four players total) chooses a game board that looks like a bedroom. There is also a small sack with game pieces that fall into two categories -- items that belong in your bedroom and... MONSTERS! If you happen to draw a monster, you get to yell GO AWAY MONSTER!!!!, and in our house, you get to toss your little monster across the room. </div><div><br /></div><div>This has been loads of fun. The boys like picking their rooms and selecting items for their rooms in the game. The game has gotten my older son acting a little bit like a decorator, wanting to coordinate his favorite room with the best matching room accessories. The boys also enjoy all the monsters, they like the surprise of pulling a monster from the sack, and they love yelling GO AWAY MONSTER!!! </div><div><br /></div><div>My nearly-five-year-old also at times decides that some of the monsters are nice monsters and he has chosen to invite them to stay and hang out in his nicely decorated room. </div><div><br /></div><div>Game play moves fairly quickly, and it works with our kids' attention spans. The set packs up nicely in it's container, and it's an easy way to have a little family fun. The kids have not grown bored with it.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Go Away Monster</b> is a simple, fun, delightful game that our family enjoys very much. I recommend it and think it's a great game to share with preschoolers.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Mommy's Favorite Children's Books earns a small commission on Amazon.com sales.</span></span></span></div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-10614248175998496442009-10-17T04:44:00.010-05:002009-10-20T11:04:32.383-05:00Scaredy Squirrel at Night<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6_llM3OmcGCx1gp78iZum9_MBJKYw5VeEaKcfgnDAPPRNNeeD3235aEmLAr6iS-9aq6sGXWrrG4UykjTkbmYvKYGCSRf6NNHF9PN5SXlIOgUJ3yRXp6SUuXfUw5BR7Zj1L-GCtlNHkzj/s1600-h/scaredy+squirrel.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6_llM3OmcGCx1gp78iZum9_MBJKYw5VeEaKcfgnDAPPRNNeeD3235aEmLAr6iS-9aq6sGXWrrG4UykjTkbmYvKYGCSRf6NNHF9PN5SXlIOgUJ3yRXp6SUuXfUw5BR7Zj1L-GCtlNHkzj/s400/scaredy+squirrel.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393508148758806274" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554532884?ie=UTF8&tag=momsfavchisbo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1554532884">See this book at Amazon.com</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momsfavchisbo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1554532884" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></div><br />I had heard about <b>S</b><b>caredy Squirrel</b> around the kidlitosphere (that's the children's books blogging community) -- librarians and other kids' books fans had written favorably about it. But I had never made a big effort to go out and find it. <div><br /></div><div>My oldest son (almost five) grabbed a copy of <b>Scaredy Squirrel at Night </b>by Melanie Watt<b> </b>when we were at the library a few weeks ago. (His book selection method right now is pretty much grabbing anything the librarians have on feature display, we are coming home with many great things!) </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Scaredy Squirrel at Night</b> is written in a cartoonish format with very cute illustrations. A simple plot summary: Scaredy Squirrel is very worried about having bad dreams. He has very specific concerns about the subject matter of nightmares -- he is afraid of things like polka-dot monsters and mean fairies and unicorns. (The drawings for all these things that Scaredy Squirrel is afraid of are cute, in a scary way.) Being proactive, Scaredy Squirrel comes up with detailed plans to avoid his bad dreams by staying awake. Unfortunately his plans go very wrong and poor Sacredy Squirrel has an unexpected adventure. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's a cute and funny book. And I think my five-year-old has picked a winner. We recommend <b>Scaredy Squirrel at Night</b> and I'm making a note to also check out the original <b>Scaredy Squirrel</b> (and any other in the series that may exist.) </div><div><br /></div><div>Happy reading! </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Mommy's Favorite Children's Books earns a small commission on Amazon.com sales.</span></span></span></div><div><br /></div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-60117991057275571692009-10-17T04:41:00.002-05:002009-10-17T04:43:50.448-05:00Back to bloggingWe had a wonderful summer! Our family has made several library trips recently and we have discovered several great books that we look forward to sharing with you!Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-87154184133074242242009-07-09T06:36:00.002-05:002009-07-09T06:48:24.546-05:00I Spy WinnersGrand Prize Winner:<div><br /></div><div>#26 -- Laurie</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">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)!</span></span><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;">I Spy A to Z Book Winners:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;">#11 Marielle</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; ">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.</span><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;">#13 Lori</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;">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.<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;">#10 Danielle</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;">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!<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;">#9 Carey</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;">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.<br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;">Numbers drawn by Random.org</span></div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-23420672957016165262009-06-15T06:29:00.012-05:002009-06-15T10:52:18.535-05:00I Spy... A Great Giveaway!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:Georgia;font-size:13px;"><h1 style="line-height: 110%; font-size: 200%; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; display: none; ">I Spy... A Great Giveaway!</h1><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); margin-left: 0.2em; font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';font-size:16px;"><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">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. <br /></span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><br /></span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">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. </span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><br /></span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">This giveaway celebrates a brand new I Spy book.... <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">I Spy A to Z!</span></span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0lmBaLbEkRqJnDyUZZxcy53QUOPyWDb2F6FMD54ZkA1gnmiAGnNJSRe-jz944T5w91FgY_T5mEYL2SOgTp1HfpjiLOT_dtlOWgFNBEulPribOeOcCBq1Ekp5OUGpAWgXzk7cnLs9gtuI/s1600-h/ISpyA2Z_COV.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0lmBaLbEkRqJnDyUZZxcy53QUOPyWDb2F6FMD54ZkA1gnmiAGnNJSRe-jz944T5w91FgY_T5mEYL2SOgTp1HfpjiLOT_dtlOWgFNBEulPribOeOcCBq1Ekp5OUGpAWgXzk7cnLs9gtuI/s320/ISpyA2Z_COV.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347528147265365570" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><br /></span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Easy-to-read riddles by Jean Marzollo are paired with forty-six object-filled photographs by Walter Wick to create <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">I Spy A to Z</span>, 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.</span> </span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">This giveaway offers FIVE prizes! Wow!</span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><br /></span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">One very lucky reader will receive an awesome grand prize package valued at more than $80 with books AND games! </span></span></div><div id="previewbody" size="4" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">•</span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Wii Video Game ‘Ultimate I SPY’</span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">•</span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Board Game ‘I SPY Memory Game’</span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">•</span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">I SPY A to Z: A Book of Picture Riddles</span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">•</span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">I SPY Treasure Hunt</span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><br /></span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">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)</span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><br /></span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">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.</span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><br /></span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">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. </span></span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; "><br /></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">(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.) </span></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; "><br /></div><div id="previewbody" style="display: block; margin-left: 0.2em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Thank you for reading and entering the I SPY giveaway at Mommy's Favorite Children's Books! Good luck!</span></span></div></span></div></span></span>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-36397861128499413192009-06-13T15:55:00.002-05:002009-06-13T15:55:44.410-05:00First giveaway coming soon!Mommy's Favorite Children's Books will be hosting a giveaway to be announced on Monday!Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-88964640903819358472009-06-01T13:25:00.003-05:002009-06-01T13:51:25.651-05:00Top 30 picture books - what we have read<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family:'trebuchet ms';font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">My friend Marietta at </span><a href="http://thebookwormsbooklist.blogspot.com/2009/05/be-book-buddy.html">Bookworm's Booklist</a> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; font-family:'trebuchet ms';font-size:16px;">asked which of the</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family:'trebuchet ms';font-size:16px;"> <a href="http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379/post/540044254.html">Top 30 Picture Books</a> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; font-family:'trebuchet ms';font-size:16px;">featured at A Fuse #8 Production, School Library Journal we have shared with our family. Here is our list:</span><br /></div><div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'trebuchet ms';font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#1: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (1963)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#2: Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (1947)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#3: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (1979)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#4: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (1962)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#5: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems (2003)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#6: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey (1941)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#7: Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson (1955)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#8: Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans (1939)</span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#9: Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag (1928)</span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#10: Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems (2004)</span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#11: The Story of Ferdinand y Monroe Leaf, ill. Robert Lawson (1936)</span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#12: Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann (1994)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#13: Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey (1948)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#14: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, ill. Lane Smith(1989)</span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#15: Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes (1996)</span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#16: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen (1987)</span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#17: Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina (1947</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">)</span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#18: In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak (1970)</span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#19: Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney (1982)</span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#20: George and Martha by James Marshall (1972)</span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#21: Bark, George by Jules Feiffer (1999)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#22: The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone, ill. by Mike Smollin (1971)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#23: Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Lillian Hoban (1964)</span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#24: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault, ill. Lois Ehlert (1989)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#25: The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton (1942)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#26: Corduroy by Donald Freeman (1976)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#27: The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (1902)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#28: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, ill. Ray Cruz (1972)</span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#29: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (1969)</span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">#30: Brown, Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? by Bill Martin Jr., ill. Eric Carle (1967)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">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:</span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">-- Millions of Cats<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">-- The Monster at the End of This Book<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">-- The Story of Ferdinand</span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">-- Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (I have seen this on PBS' </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Between the Lions</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">) </span></span></span></span></p></div></span>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-44661101489331012022009-05-26T07:25:00.013-05:002009-05-26T07:57:14.963-05:00A sweet classic board game: Candyland<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">There are only two board games that get regular use at our house -- </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Candyland</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; "><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00001TPYA?ie=UTF8&tag=momsfavchisbo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00001TPYA"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Go Away Monster</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momsfavchisbo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00001TPYA" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (review to come). </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I wonder if there is anyone who is unfamiliar with </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Candyland</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> -- this classic board game has been around for generations.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A (our oldest, 4.5 years), loves </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Candyland</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, he is willing to play it anytime. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdyayPUimdcqm4MfsRlBlUhMSLna0YVi4GOoGHl5DviHBl_8fD70Jb6oMnNNhuSfbrix7kWAF60IaY7BLwebZ69i7TJcombS8F7O1tS5OS3qf5xqsMEE6wHgzPh77c1t4eVGwWxN3V1Imv/s1600-h/candyland.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 109px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdyayPUimdcqm4MfsRlBlUhMSLna0YVi4GOoGHl5DviHBl_8fD70Jb6oMnNNhuSfbrix7kWAF60IaY7BLwebZ69i7TJcombS8F7O1tS5OS3qf5xqsMEE6wHgzPh77c1t4eVGwWxN3V1Imv/s400/candyland.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340110870635243234" /></a><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; "><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000DMF5?ie=UTF8&tag=momsfavchisbo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00000DMF5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">See this game at Amazon.com</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momsfavchisbo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00000DMF5" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> </span></span></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As a child I remember being very bored with </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Candyland</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. Perhaps it's because I was an early reader and I felt the color cards were too simple. I much preferred </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; "><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000DMF6?ie=UTF8&tag=momsfavchisbo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00000DMF6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Chutes and Ladders</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momsfavchisbo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00000DMF6" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. I think that may mean I'm unique. My new brother-in-law has detailed memories of </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Candyland</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">'s Lord Licorice..... uh, I thought, who is that? </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It is interesting to compare various versions of </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Candyland</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 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. </span></span></span></span></p><p></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Hasbro web site has a </span></span><a href="http://www.hasbro.com/candyland/en_US/discover/history.cfm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">history of the game and neat slide show</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> with photos of the different versions through the decades. Which version do you remember playing as a child? </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Now that I have a child that loves </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Candyland</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, I'm just now experiencing the best of this game with him. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">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 </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Candyland</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 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.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I have heard the new, electronic </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; "><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OKS774?ie=UTF8&tag=momsfavchisbo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000OKS774"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Candy Land Castle</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momsfavchisbo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000OKS774" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> game suits younger players (2 and 3 year olds) who aren't ready for the classic </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Candyland</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 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 </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Candyland Castle</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">? Let us know what you think!</span></span></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-89095297698121955302009-05-25T07:22:00.017-05:002009-05-26T07:16:52.177-05:00A book for Father's Day -- I Love My Daddy by Sebastien BraunI've got to say, <a href="http://infantbibliophile.blogspot.com/2009/05/childrens-books-about-dad.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Infant Bibliophile</span></a> 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! <div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I have a single addition to the Bibliophile's list. It's a beautiful, beautiful picture book called <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">I Love My Daddy</span> by Sebastien Braun. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK1TpcY62Sr89sUocl6-2-7pnccWzjBJ9blr4H4MT7Wu3TOaAB_juyVdVcB00H-cK0eDbYgijmjtJPwi7DULcNsp6u2hVnb9Mt0gLV0xrVC0goBatlQK_HpMQyU9YFVHI6mBfQs7YoAAb2/s1600-h/My+daddy+cover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 369px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK1TpcY62Sr89sUocl6-2-7pnccWzjBJ9blr4H4MT7Wu3TOaAB_juyVdVcB00H-cK0eDbYgijmjtJPwi7DULcNsp6u2hVnb9Mt0gLV0xrVC0goBatlQK_HpMQyU9YFVHI6mBfQs7YoAAb2/s400/My+daddy+cover.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339739416803951346" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'Lucida Grande';"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060543116?ie=UTF8&tag=momsfavchisbo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0060543116"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">See this book at Amazon.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momsfavchisbo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0060543116" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap;font-family:'Lucida Grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap;font-family:'Lucida Grande';">Just look at the gorgeous images! Beautiful color! Each spread depicts a father bear and baby bear spending time together in sweet everyday moments. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8eYIcqHcldoFu-lxqGvwqFJ3yEJzawwg5AcgBXHN7dIqEzNwvWNQ72lwY5NTzv46xz9LBTAT1iycnjLbS-ZI48iNucUSRaE1KsZnTzWP-5DGkqmOF4XclyDQlMu8jExsRcsv214NgJLMw/s1600-h/My+daddy+sits.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 243px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8eYIcqHcldoFu-lxqGvwqFJ3yEJzawwg5AcgBXHN7dIqEzNwvWNQ72lwY5NTzv46xz9LBTAT1iycnjLbS-ZI48iNucUSRaE1KsZnTzWP-5DGkqmOF4XclyDQlMu8jExsRcsv214NgJLMw/s400/My+daddy+sits.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339739566791187586" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdIBG1e2STvPh5_ColgXoHx_JST68pBXDUhsg1CVWQH8NYgVlkRFX15aKgEucD_b4tkZcyhCcydzkr6EJjE6l_NChP-ZIzXI7ULXInHl29bR-LgbBqhPaq_yVgySLSMHkBWKLThL-7j79E/s1600-h/My+daddy+washes.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdIBG1e2STvPh5_ColgXoHx_JST68pBXDUhsg1CVWQH8NYgVlkRFX15aKgEucD_b4tkZcyhCcydzkr6EJjE6l_NChP-ZIzXI7ULXInHl29bR-LgbBqhPaq_yVgySLSMHkBWKLThL-7j79E/s400/My+daddy+washes.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339739758033333090" /></a>The boys have enjoyed this book, especially, "My daddy tickles me!" <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div>Added: When is Father's Day this year, anyway? I went and looked it up -- June 21! Mark your calendars!</div><div><br /></div><div>(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?)</div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-71826608990126822812009-05-24T13:38:00.003-05:002009-05-24T13:40:08.469-05:00Proud mama - A's spontaneous letter writing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOjG95aWuC1x_x2Nz-TIdsqnUCH0R_U8aevbs4bBssmRLJyKF1ISCHeUMRYWAYgZRWGL5mcH8iAvv4L_UNMgYLpttUKCymsOBCIwkiLzryLFe-igaxH1MYD_vogxmDVzFXPBhdiSJsWvH/s1600-h/Alek's+letters.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOjG95aWuC1x_x2Nz-TIdsqnUCH0R_U8aevbs4bBssmRLJyKF1ISCHeUMRYWAYgZRWGL5mcH8iAvv4L_UNMgYLpttUKCymsOBCIwkiLzryLFe-igaxH1MYD_vogxmDVzFXPBhdiSJsWvH/s400/Alek's+letters.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339461820404778914" /></a>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. <div><br /></div><div>I am so proud! </div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-29662875995760489442009-05-24T12:54:00.014-05:002009-05-25T09:05:40.250-05:00Sending gifts for a 2 year old's birthdayToday 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:<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">In the Small, Small Pond</span> </span></div><div>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.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7XH3qlQR-AjEIaaBFZhfmdhoI6xoOT8uEd8W2emCFSMPSVOmoRP1ncQfq-VP_RttQSPqdMOjsiINip0rqPmfndIPhDPwokBl9e_rH63T3KauwtD9FmyfDJ5PUXwWTZEmjuI7TgbCwu-c/s1600-h/small+pond+cover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 362px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7XH3qlQR-AjEIaaBFZhfmdhoI6xoOT8uEd8W2emCFSMPSVOmoRP1ncQfq-VP_RttQSPqdMOjsiINip0rqPmfndIPhDPwokBl9e_rH63T3KauwtD9FmyfDJ5PUXwWTZEmjuI7TgbCwu-c/s400/small+pond+cover.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339458273267512866" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kyDXnvJVqX7nkP9ZuPtZl1hfti9h5Gz9wLE2CLRSaEVtZRHTwMWvCorUG7ukDfuFf4ewjxyLWegpHZiGKnYjkAgYDjK3g7s2Hxb_-C8iie_byxUI0SQjPOhDb16nmiusChN38nrCd1RM/s1600-h/small+pond+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kyDXnvJVqX7nkP9ZuPtZl1hfti9h5Gz9wLE2CLRSaEVtZRHTwMWvCorUG7ukDfuFf4ewjxyLWegpHZiGKnYjkAgYDjK3g7s2Hxb_-C8iie_byxUI0SQjPOhDb16nmiusChN38nrCd1RM/s320/small+pond+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339458536538689954" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwECbfcu8O2CyefFOroS_gAYZ-hkLowoTBJtDFU4SqPvyzwLPanV6YoV-aeV9vBmx-heTB9r4LdjKcXS_eP7pb5l5oDFTNEOfwwUG4eGvjkWzLcXITcpRHvQeTk1y7fiN0b8P5uv5EQTQR/s1600-h/small+pond+.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwECbfcu8O2CyefFOroS_gAYZ-hkLowoTBJtDFU4SqPvyzwLPanV6YoV-aeV9vBmx-heTB9r4LdjKcXS_eP7pb5l5oDFTNEOfwwUG4eGvjkWzLcXITcpRHvQeTk1y7fiN0b8P5uv5EQTQR/s320/small+pond+.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339458420381210034" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'Lucida Grande';"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805059830?ie=UTF8&tag=momsfavchisbo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0805059830"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">See this book at Amazon.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momsfavchisbo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0805059830" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'Lucida Grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div>It's everything I think a perfect children's book should be -- very, very, colorful, beautiful, simple and engaging. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Harold and the Purple Crayon DVD set</span></span><br /></div><div>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... <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">better</span> than the books. </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUD7HmCUJ5Kxsdde0aSh6nEoGqPfWaXSVx6zRjvSIqjYtd-cbTBvEaedtej8u73UpawbPeG1u7vDiy5AFuJw5yQi72ISsLGwmkB7-1ZG_TZVaigrFLzD7qmj-Irr_BhwMnVpUVP6XT1m5p/s1600-h/harold.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 116px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUD7HmCUJ5Kxsdde0aSh6nEoGqPfWaXSVx6zRjvSIqjYtd-cbTBvEaedtej8u73UpawbPeG1u7vDiy5AFuJw5yQi72ISsLGwmkB7-1ZG_TZVaigrFLzD7qmj-Irr_BhwMnVpUVP6XT1m5p/s400/harold.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339452123729665010" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'Lucida Grande';"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002TSZFQ?ie=UTF8&tag=momsfavchisbo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0002TSZFQ"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">See Harold and the Purple Crayon at Amazon.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momsfavchisbo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0002TSZFQ" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'Lucida Grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap;font-family:'Lucida Grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div>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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> a lot</span> 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. </div><div><br /></div><div>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. </div><div><br /></div><div>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! </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I hope baby B loves his gifts! (Is it right to call a 2 y.o. a baby? He's really a toddler!)</div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-78784024381458273402009-05-18T11:33:00.002-05:002009-05-18T11:49:20.680-05:00Knock Knock Jokes<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">Knock, Knock!</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Who's there?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Banana!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Banana who?</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Is it just my favorite, or is the banana joke the most well-known knock knock out there? </div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div>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. </div><div><br /></div><div>We were just looking at one of the books last night, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0736917780?ie=UTF8&tag=momsfavchisbo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0736917780">Good Clean Knock-Knock Jokes for Kids</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momsfavchisbo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0736917780" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />, 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: <br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Knock, Knock!<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Who's there?<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Jamaica!<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Jamaica who? <br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Jamaica me crazy! </span></div><div><br /></div><div>Hope you like it!)</div><div><br /></div><div>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. </div><div><br /></div><div>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. </div><div><br /></div><div>I *think* that joke books fall into the nonfiction category. If you are interested visiting today's Nonfiction Monday, check it out <a href="http://acplmocksibert.blogspot.com/">here</a> at the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">APCL Mock Sibert blog</span>. </div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-77731426276661887272009-05-16T08:49:00.002-05:002009-05-16T08:51:39.248-05:00Top 100 Picture Books listHere is a link to the final listing of the <a href="http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379/post/540044254.html">Top 100 Picture Books</a> (as voted on by members of the kidlitosphere) at School Library Journal - a Fuse #8 Production<div><br /></div><div>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!</div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3845676227863194905.post-46654142112300228602009-05-16T08:30:00.004-05:002009-05-16T12:16:02.477-05:00Kumon Maze Books<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QbaiOu3pz7cJMdwfQrzGBgV6m5ysBG6VUzAq8H05MBRpRzefo36zCVCtK0P-i0vVu4krVwWMtUut8E3bx6CQPEAc42sXxqJRvdkFQvBcT9BHZh5eJyzCLfdt2fP_pm5Xtvnxr6DhIfmn/s1600-h/Kumon+maze+book.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 117px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QbaiOu3pz7cJMdwfQrzGBgV6m5ysBG6VUzAq8H05MBRpRzefo36zCVCtK0P-i0vVu4krVwWMtUut8E3bx6CQPEAc42sXxqJRvdkFQvBcT9BHZh5eJyzCLfdt2fP_pm5Xtvnxr6DhIfmn/s400/Kumon+maze+book.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336415034675136530" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/4774307092?ie=UTF8&tag=momsfavchisbo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=4774307092"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:13px;">see this book at Amazon.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:13px;"><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momsfavchisbo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=4774307092" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></span><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>As we were getting ready for a family trip to Jamaica, I was running around Target trying to get odds and ends for the trip. Knowing we would have a few long airplane rides, I checked out the activity books and decided to try a couple Kumon books. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Even before we left, A (age 4.5) found the maze book and sat in his room before bed tracing the paths with his finger. He loves it!</div><div><br /></div><div>For people who have not seen activity books in years, it's a nice surprise to see the vivid color artwork. The pages are very attractive. </div><div><br /></div><div>I recommend the Kumon maze books for preschoolers. </div><div><br /></div><div>Edited to add: Exploring what's out there, I see other maze books and connect the dot books that also have nice colors that are by other publishers too. In the past I have printed connect the dots puzzles from free online sources, but I like the color illustrations and ease of a book format for organization too. </div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398765438599269210noreply@blogger.com0