How do you know if your child understands the true meaning of Thanksgiving? Before digging into their Turkey Day spread, many families go around the dinner table and share moments of gratitude. Kids are then put on the spot and forced to share one thing they are thankful for while a gaggle of extended guests stare them down. The end result: Typically, a long stretch of silence followed by a string of “ums,” “ers,” “ahs,” and more silence. If you are lucky, you’ll hear a barely audible, “toys” or a regurgitation of whatever the person ahead of your shy child … Continue reading →

Halloween can be a challenging time for young children. Dressing up and collecting candy is a blast, but having to deal with spooky sights and sounds is often more trick than treat. My daughter is no exception. She’s the kid who’ll open wide to cram four fun-sized chocolate bars in her mouth at one time, but slams her eyes shut when we get anywhere near a Halloween Express store. The cacophony of cackling witches and wailing zombies, not to mention the bloody limbs, exposed guts and skeletal remains of errant pirates are enough to make any kid cringe. Author Susan … Continue reading →

Believe it or not, 100 Grand Bars, Laffy Taffy and candy corn are not the only treats that scream, “Halloween!” If you are looking for a sugar-free/fat-free/calorie-free/peanut-free/gluten-free goodie to give kids on All Hallows’ Eve, consider Mia: Time to Trick or Treat! The adorable and affordable children’s book (it retails for less than $5) is an amazing alternative to candy and can be passed out as a Halloween party favor, a prize for a costume contest, or used to spice up your kid’s bedtime story collection. There’s nothing like a little seasonal spice to get youngsters excited about reading, and … Continue reading →

“Cats rule and dogs drool!” If Splat the Cat were old enough to drive himself to the mall, there’s no question he’d feature that phrase on a personalized tee. Only, you won’t find the dog-loathing kitty doing much shopping in Secret Agent Splat! Rather, the newest book in the Splat the Cat series finds our furry feline friend channeling his inner Sherlock Holmes to solve a mystery involving missing duck decoys. Just when you thought you knew everything about Splat, his supportive family, and his unlikely friends, author Rob Scotton unveils yet another deep, dark secret. This time we learn … Continue reading →

Just when you thought a snake-wearing zookeeper, who encourages elephants to paint and helps fish a kid out of a lion’s cage was a bit too wacky for comfort, along comes another installment of My Weirder School, which features a tech-loving teacher, who headlines an action-packed adventure that includes no less than 45 references to popular Beatles’ tunes. Get ready for another Dan Gutman page turner. Book 2 in the My Weirder School series is aptly titled: Mr. Harrison Is Embarrassin’! And if you are part of Gutman’s target audience (first through fourth graders) you will definitely agree that Ella … Continue reading →

If you give a dog a donut… you might end up with a nasty stain on your carpet. But in the wonderful world of children’s books, if you give a pooch a pastry with a hole in the middle, you get hours of reading fun. If You Give a Dog a Donut is lucky 13 for the famed writing/illustrating team of Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond. The duo is the mastermind behind the uber-popular and irresistibly delicious If You Give… series, which my 7-year-old daughter devours every chance she gets. In fact, we own the entire collection of If You … Continue reading →