When I first got my hands on the open-ended coloring book Fotoplay! back in 2012, I fell in love with the way photographer M. J. Bronstein used her snapshots as prompts, encouraging kids to draw all over them to create their own personal…
When cool dad and author Mike Adamick's new Dad's Book of Awesome Science Experiments (phew!) arrived at our door, my oldest daughter screamed with delight and I haven't seen the book since. Whether you're looking to get your kids more e…
My favorite Mother's Day gifts from my children are the ones they make themselves . Not that I'd say no to jewelry, but if you're looking for a terrific gift for mom from the kids, I think I've found the perfect, affordable, sentimental …
I am an unapologetic Mo Willems groupie, in part because I don't think the author/illustrator has ever had a miss. Now, the .500 streak continues with his newest in the popular Pigeon Series, The Pigeon Needs a Bath . All just in time fo…
I've come to understand that for tweens, creating a love of history is often about making it as salacious and entertaining as possible. The British creators of Horrible Histories have nailed that genre, with a successful series of illust…
Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny were among the regular read-aloud books in my home for a very long time. So I am thrilled for her old and new fans alike that Goodnight Songs , a treasure trove of poems from the late Margaret Wise Br…
If your kids love wordplay as much as mine do, then Ann and Nan are Anagrams: A Mixed-Up Word Dilemma is going to be their new favorite book. With more than 101 anagrams hidden throughout the narrative and wonderful illustrations , it's …
Thanks to a recommendation from our friends at Zoobean , I recently discovered a new book my kids are obsessing over. The Odd One Out: A Spotting Book by Britta Teckentrup puts a modern twist on the classic kids find-it book. You know, t…
As the east coast gets hit with yet another snow storm, and parents everywhere slowly lose their minds looking for snow day activities, you can start with our ideas for 12 fun things to do during a snow day from games to crafts to an imp…
Ninjas are very stealthy and there could very well already be one on your child's bookshelf , hiding between The House on Pooh Corner and Goodnight, Moon . As for the the ninja in the board book Hello Ninja , don't worry. He's helpful an…
When a book gets your kids excited to read more, that's about the most beautiful thing in the world. But when a book gets your kids excited to create too, it's absolutely thrilling. And that's just what happened when my girls discovered …
In case you missed them, here are 5 of our most popular Cool Mom Tech picks from this past week. 1. This handy device is like having a second brain . Couldn't we all use one of those these days? 2. Our kids are obsessed with these awesom…
Our favorite picture books inspire our kids to come up with stories of their own, though I'm especially excited about the Little Red Writing book , which also teaches them the how to construct the story so that it's entertaining and fun.…
If you liked our round-up of the best kids books of 2013 , you'll appreciate this year's crop of books named best of 2013 by the American Library Association, and awarded a 2014 Newbery Award, Caldecott Award, Coretta Scott King Book Awa…
Yesterday was Penguin Awareness Day, but you probably already knew that. (Right.) Still, how fun is a day celebrating penguins? At my house, we read one of our new favorite picture books, Baby Penguins Everywhere by Melissa Guion. Here, …
It's clear that Josephine Baker is one of those few celebrity icons who transcends generations. My parents loved her, I loved her, and now my girls love her thanks to the new book, Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker . And de…
I don't know about you, but when I pick up a kids' book published by McSweeney's McMullens, and endorsed by the likes of Maira Kalman , Lemony Snicket , and Patton Oswald, it's a pretty good bet that I will need to bring it home immediat…
To start 2014, we're excited to feature the best board books for babies of 2013 that we fell in love with. Because honestly, our babies fell in love with them too. And not just because the cardboard covers taste delicious. If there's eve…
You'd think a book called Sad Santa , complete with a morose bearded guy in red on the cover, would be a real downer at the holidays. But fortunately, illustrator and author Tad Carpenter's story will put a smile on your face. And--spoil…
There's still time to give a special child a special gift that keeps giving each month with one of these awesome subscription boxes . We've recently rounded up our picks for the 10 best subscription gifts for adults , but kiddos get thei…
What are the best gifts for an 8-year-old boy? I'm looking for a big gift, in the $50-$100 range. — CMP reader, via Twitter Oh, you mean the kind of gift that makes a child pause while unwrapping, shout out with glee, and rush over to gi…
We wanted to find the best books for kids in 2013, but over 1350 books are published every week! It's easy to miss a story your kids would love . So we've rounded up 15 of the best round-ups on the internet from all kinds of writers, edi…
A coloring book can make a fantastic holiday gift for kids : It doesn't require batteries, it's portable for the trip home, and you can start using it right away. Now here's a new one that's fantastic for another reason besides the fact …
Reading The Night Before Christmas is a holiday staple in our house, though this new personalized Night Before Christmas book for kids that stars one special child throughout the pages is sure to be the new Christmas favorite for years t…