I've read to my kids since they were wee little things and have never felt like they were lacking in books. Especially since birthdays, holidays and frequent trips to the book store insure they always have new titles to enjoy . But, then…
Childhood diaries are always depicted as the tool of brooding, angry, angst-filled goth girls; more Heathers than Clueless . Personally, my own first journal was filled with a lot lighter fare. And a whole lot of bad rhyming poetry and o…
I was absolutely blown away when my four year-old, in a single day, suddenly mastered lowercase letters. No thanks to me, of course. This time, all the credit goes to the new Brain Quest write and erase alphabet book . Filled with 40 pag…
When we moved to Georgia, I tried to pad the transition with various books about what a great place it was and the interesting things that have happened here. My efforts were met with a resounding "meh" from my children. Hmph. Of course,…
If my kids are any indication, Stickermania may in fact be an actual medical condition. It strikes kids between 2 and 3, can last as long as a decade, and side effects may include weak and broken nails--your own--after scraping stickers …
It was a red-letter day in our household when each child was old enough to get his or her own library card. They love picking out books, handing their card over to the librarian and then skipping out with their new reads. What they don't…
We're heading into our second year of middle school , here, and it's been... interesting. It's definitely a whole different ballgame than elementary school, particularly for girls, who tend to morph into social piranhas pretty early. Is …
I've fought the princessification of my girls valiantly, as a mama who wants her girls to admire heroes who don't wait around for some dumb prince to find their happiness. As you may guess, it didn't work; they love princess everything, …
This here city mama is lucky that my children have grandparents in the country who grow tomatoes and kale and sweet peas and wild strawberries, so that they can learn that no, vegetables do not come from aisle 3. I've always thought that…
Those board books start out so cute and shiny, don't they? And then Baby Bookivore gets very interested in gnawing the corners, splitting the pages, and seeing what a slice of banana will look like sandwiched between B is for Broccoli an…
As a budding young ballerina, I was simply in love with A Very Young Dancer by Jill Krementz. I used to just lose myself in those marvelous photos until the pages were as dog-eared as the copies in the used bookstores that now carry it. …
After falling in love with Canadian mom Kate Inglis' writing at her personal blog Sweet Salty , it was no surprise to me that she'd write a book. But what I didn't expect was that it would be the fantastically scrumptious morsel of kid f…
Sandra Boynton's newest character in her newest book is the sweetest, funniest, cutest critter ever: My kid. And not because his sister drew him in with my missing Sharpie. I just love Are You A Cow? , a customizable (yes, customizable) …
There's some sort of unspoken rule that a baby can't be born until someone has purchased the little dude or dudette an ABC book. But let's say you know some hipster, emo, goth, inked, or punk parents. Calming pastels and fuzzy bunnies ar…
I run with a tough crowd of Type Nerds, the kind who can spend an hour discussing the joys of Helvetica, the horrors of Comic Sans, and play an iPhone game called "Cheese or Font" (yes, this really is a game). But even for those of us wh…
Everyone always asks where we find children's books , and the truth is, the best ones always come recommended by my mother. How lucky we are to have a teacher in the family! This past weekend, my four year-old grabbed Byrd Baylor's Every…
I admit that when I first saw Lynn Hirshfield's new book, Girls Gone Green , I mistakenly assumed it was a collection of tween and teen celebrities sharing how they use eco-conscious nail polish or consume locally grown avocados in their…
I love books. Love them. And I love reading to my kids. But let's say they are going to spend the weekend at their grandparents' place. Or my husband and I decide a romantic getaway is in order (hey, it could happen). Then what would my …
After stumbling upon the Design Your Own eggheads felt book from Beeper BeBe , I'm on the verge of nixing the whole Easter basket thing and going with Easter presents instead. because really, when you add up the price (and let's face it,…
The concepts of freedom from slavery, plagues, and a 40-year exodus through the desert, may be just a tad advanced for most little kids celebrating Passover next week . But the idea of pitching in and helping others in something I hope i…
We're huge Olivia fans 'round these parts - the book is a well-worn favorite at bedtime, and the Olivia TV series is a special treat. So I was so happy to see a new book hit the shelves recently starring our favorite difficult swine - Ol…
My sons are 7 and 9, but every night, the snuggle up in bed with their favorite stuffed friends. Those "stufties," as my little son calls them, are just one more layer of familiarity and comfort in their lives. Not every child has that t…
Games on the iPhone are nice, having books on hand make you feel a little less guilty about trying to keep the kid occupied on mile-long supermarket checkout lines. Now you can always have books on hand without carting around pounds of h…
I want my kids to know that Martin Luther King Day represents more than a three-day weekend. But instead of watching more grown-up documentaries that can be a bit scary for little eyes, I'm thrilled to have a copy of Scholastic's new DVD…