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Starting kindergarten can be a stressful time for both children and parents. “Off to Kindergarten” by award winning author Tony Johnston is a darling book geared towards relieving some of the stress during this eventful time of a child’s life.A little boy is starting kindergarten and starts to make his list of all the things he will need to take with him when he goes to school. Some of the things include cookies for himself and his new friends, books, and a change of cloths. Things start to get out of hand when his list grows to include his favorite bear and a chair for...
Sunday, September 05, 2010
Award winning children’s book ‘Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present’ by author Charlotte Zolotow and illustrator Maurice Sendak is the story of a young girl with a problem and how Mr. Rabbit helps her. The little girl wants to give her mother a special birthday present but she has no idea how she can. When she tells Mr. Rabbit her mother’s favorite colors are read, yellow, green and blue he comes up with some very unique and entertaining suggestions. Mr. Rabbit’s ideas aren’t within reason but it does get the little girl thinking about other options and her...
Monday, August 16, 2010
American actress, singer, songwriter, talk show host, and comedienne, Whoopi Goldberg brings her long list of talents to a children’s book designed to help teach kids manners in Goldberg’s typical humorous fashion. Whoopi\'s Big Book of Manners by Whoopi Goldberg is a delightful read for both children and parents. Whoopi\'s Big Book of Manners starts out with the topic of picking your nose in public, right off the bat this catching children’s attention and lightens up the otherwise boring subject of learning manners. Everything from simple manners like saying please and...
Friday, August 13, 2010
Too often today we see the first response is violence whether it is hitting, name calling, biting or worse. Hands Are Not for Hitting is a remarkable children’s book that teaches good uses for hands. Recommended for children in the 4-8 year old range there is no reason why this book can’t be helpful for children as young as 2 or 3 up to 9 or 10. Not only does author Martine Agassi Ph.D. share numerous good uses for hands such as sharing, counting, helping, and clapping there is also a sections just for parents or caregivers giving a wealth of information on how to help children...
Thursday, August 12, 2010
More and more grandparents are taking on the role of raising grandchildren. According to the 2000 U.S. Census over 2.4 million grandparents have responsibility for their grandchildren. This is not the case for all grandchildren and grandparents though. With the mobile society we live in today it is not unusual for there to be thousands of miles between family members. This can often be difficult for both grandchildren and grandparents. This award winning children’s book shows the special bond between grandchildren and grandparents and dealing with separation. ‘Butterfly Kisses...
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Looking around and listening to people talk it’s very easy and common to see people who don’t respect other people. Most of the time people don’t respect them either. The really sad thing is whether they admit it or not in most cases they don’t even respect themselves.In “The Value of Respect: The Story of Abraham Lincoln” by Ann Donegan Johnson children are shown the many different types of respect: the respect Abe had for his parents, the respect his boss had for him, and the respect many people had for Abraham Lincoln the President of the United States...
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Children learn by example is rather cliché but the truth is it is true. One of the first and longest lasting ways children learn about life and the world is by example. The Value Tales books use real life people from history and relate their stories centered on values children (and adults) need to learn. Each book in the series focus’ on one famous person and a value their life exemplified. Without lecturing the history of the person is shared in easy to understand entertaining language and accompanied by colorful cartoon illustrations. At the end of each story there is a...
Sunday, August 08, 2010
If you listened to the radio in the late 90s you will most likely remember the catchy tune ‘Just the Two of Us’ when the multi-talented Will Smith made it a hit. Author Will Smith and illustrator Kadir Nelson created a darling children’s book by the same title based on the words of the song. If you don’t recall the song be sure to check out the video at the end of this article of Smith singing the song. The entire theme of both song and book is the connection between a father and son as the son grows into a man. The book begins with the lines "I told my parents...
Saturday, August 07, 2010
Reading Makes You Feel Good by Todd Parr encourages children to read by example. This fun colorful child’s book points out to children without preaching the many ways reading can be fun and helpful at the same time. Young readers will giggle and laugh at the people with green faces, purple elephants, and pink bunnies while they learn different ways and places reading can be handy and helpful. Reading the label on the pizza box or learning the names of different animals at the zoo Reading Makes You Feel Good is a great book for little ones. Beyond the imaginative stick drawings and...
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Although the million gallon oil spill in the Kalamazoo River tributary doesn’t affect Lansing directly the publicity has brought questions to many people including children. 365 Ways to Live Green for Kids: Saving the Environment at Home, School, or at Play--Every Day! by Sheri Amsel provides not only some answers about our environment but give many suggestions on different projects kids can do to help the environment. Most everyone is green conscious these days and what better way for children to get involved than to have fun things they can do as children that can carry over into...
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
It seems more than ever children have to deal with all of the emotions and questions involved with having a parent or even parents being military personnel. Anyone who has had a loved one serve in the military will understand what children are going through but it is often difficult to explain or help the child understand. My Dad\'s a Hero was a team effort of authors Rebecca Christiansen, Jewel Armstrong, illustrator Jen Robertson. Dealing with the sensitive subject of military service on a level children can relate to and understand My Dad’s a Hero addresses the problem of children...
Monday, August 02, 2010
County Fair is a Little House book by Laura Ingalls Wilder for younger children 4-8. While the story and antics and life of Laura Ingalls are the same the wording is simpler making it a great read for early readers and starting them on the road to being Little House fans. County Fair is based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s classic book Farmer Boy and finds Almanzo Wilder and his family visiting the fair. Almanzo is entering his pumpkin in the fair and is excited to see what the judges think of it. While at the fair the reader gets to experience the races, contests and great things to eat...
Friday, July 30, 2010
Summer is berry season in Michigan and a great children\'s book that includes recipes using different berries is The Berry Book by Gail Gibbons. Recommended for ages 5-8 The Berry Book is a wonderful guide for young children showing the many different kinds of berries, not just strawberries and blueberries. In The Berry Book children will learn how berries grow, how to grow some different berries and which berries are safe to eat and which aren\'t. Fun recipes included in the book are blueberry pie, raspberry ice cream and strawberry jam (my personal favorite). The colorful illustrations in...
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Baby Blessings Bible by Alice Joyce Davidson makes a wonderful and thoughtful gift for baby showers, celebration of a new birth, first birthday gift or any other occasion. Baby Blessings Bible is 10 favorite bible stories told in rhyming simple language with colorful illustrations that hold the attention of the youngest of children. The book comes in a soft cover with a carry handle attached making it easy for little ones to carry with them but the greatest feature in my opinion is the cover is removable and washable. I know a big problem I had when my children were little was encouraging...
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Children of all ages love to go to the fair. In Maisy at the Fair by Lucy Cousins the little mouse Maisy and her friends go on the merry-go-round, a Ferris wheel and a slide. Young children will delight at the experiences of Maisy and her friends who include a duck, a crocodile, and an elephant. All of the Maisy books are great fun for young children and hold the attention of the youngest of children. Maisy and her friend’s experiences are simple and often famliar to little ones which helps them to relate to the characters and at the same time learn about new places and things. You...
Tuesday, July 27, 2010