Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs

     Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs is a simple yet funny retail of the classic fairytale, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, by three-time Caldecott Honor winner Mo Willems.  After tidying up their home, mommy and daddy dinosaur and a little suitcase carrying dinosaur visiting from Norway, started to feel very, very hungry.  So, daddy dinosaur cooks up three bowls of scrumptious chocolate pudding all at different temperatures (one hot, one cold, one, well…you remember…just right!).  But, our naughty trio decides that this pudding would taste so much better with the addition of a delicious child!  Quickly hatching their plot, the three lay in wait in the nearby woods for an unsuspecting little girl to come by!  While trying to not give so much of the tale away, your little readers will always remember the look on Goldilocks face when she is done eating the bowls of pudding, and the “We are natural gas” poster is hilarious (although for your little ‘dinosaurs’ you may need to explain why it’s so funny). Delightfully entertaining from start to finish, your little ones will have you reading this tale over and over again!

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs (2012)

Retails for $17.99 (Hardcover)

As retold by Mo Willems

Ages 4 and up (or, as the author notes, “For dinosaur ages Triassic to Jurassic”)

ISBN: 978-0-06-210418-2

Publisher:  Balzer + Bray (An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)

Website: www.harpercollinschildrens.com

 

 

 

 

 

Charlie and the Christmas Kitty

     Stories that take children on an adventure that they perhaps may never get a chance to experience in life are those that I am drawn to, both as a mother as well as an elementary school librarian.  To see the joy in my child’s as well as my students faces when I share a story with them that they will learn something new brings me great pleasure, which I experienced when I shared Charlie and the Christmas Kitty, Ree Drummond’s delightful follow up to her New York Times best-selling picture book, Charlie the Ranch Dog.

     Our tale quickly transports us back out to the Drummond’s Oklahoma ranch, where Charlie, the helpful basset hound’s idyllic life as chief ranch hand and occasional squirrel chaser is quickly turned upside down by the arrival of a new baby kitten.  As Charlie soon tries, to no success, in getting the kitten to go away (“Maybe if I take a nice, long nap, it’ll go away”), he realizes that after the little kitten helps to make his back feel better from a hard day’s work on the ranch by scratching his fur, maybe this little addition to the family won’t be so bad after all.  With Diane de Groat’s colorfully detailed illustrations, and Drummond’s cheerful prose, this delightful storybook is destined to become a great addition to the list of holiday tales that I will share with  both my family as well as my students every year.

Charlie and the Christmas Kitty (2012)

Written by Ree Drummond & Illustrated by Diane deGroat

Retails for: $17.99 (Hardcover)

Ages 4 thru 8

ISBN: 978-0-06-199657-3

Publisher:  Harper Collins

Website: www.harpercollins.com

 

 

ALEX ®Duct Tape Tote™ kit.

     It may seem funny to us adults, but duct tape has become a unique fashion trend among kids and teens, and your budding fashion accessory designer will find it’s so simple to use to create a one-of-a-kind tote purse with ALEX ® Duct Tape Tote™ kit.

     Simply take the plain pre-sewn tote bag (featuring two straps) and either use the clear instructions found in the kit, or go about setting and expressing your own individual style with the six colorful rolls of duct tape and stencil to design your unique purse.  You can also add your own stickers, using the tape, stencils as well as paper that are included in the kit.   

     We found that although the tape was not as sticky as regular duct tape, we completely recommend this great product from ALEX, as it helps to foster girls’ imaginations to create their very own creations.

     Perfect for ages 7 and up, the ALEX® Duct Tape Tote™ kit retails for $18.95.  To find  a retailer near you, please visit the ALEX website at: www.alextoys.com