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

 

Santa on the Loose! ─ A Seek and Solve Mystery!

Santa on the Loose! ─ A Seek and Solve Mystery!
     Santa Claus’ sleigh has been checked and is ready to make his annual nighttime trip, except there’s just one (big) problem─ the presents are missing!  This colorful and amusing book by author Bruce Hale reminded me of the “Where’s Waldo?” books that were so popular when I was younger.   Both you and your little one will have to search among brilliantly bright illustrations to solve the clues.  Who hid the presents, you ask?  Was it Loki the eyeglass wearing reindeer? Or could it be Emo, Santa’s elf helper?  Both you and your little one will have to search among pages of brilliantly bright illustrations by artist Dave Garbot.  With so many suspects, your little one will have to do a lot of thinking to crack this case before Christmas comes! 

 

Written by Bruce Hale & Illustrated by Dave Garbot

Retails for: $7.99 (Hardcover)

Ages 4 thru 8

 ISBN:978-0-06-202262-2

 Publisher: Harper Festival

Website:www.harpercollins.com

Modest Momma's Holiday Gift Spotlight #6-Step 2 Creative Cooks Kitchen

Step 2 Creative Cooks Kitchen

     Your littlest gourmets will play with delight in this bright and colorful kitchen from Step 2 that resembles mommy's grown up kitchen!  Realistic features include a farmhouse sink; working shutters, back splash, electronic stove top and microwave create an almost perfect backdrop for hours of imaginative playtime.  The kitchen also contains a 39 piece accessory kit, with large storage space in the fridge and freezer, along with cabinets and bins. 

     The setup and assembly took about 90 minutes altogether, and the kitchen is well built and sturdy enough to handle the task of dealing with the Pre-Ker's in my school! There is plenty of room in this sprawling kitchen.  One of my favorite details is the spinning spice rack.  The little spices contained in this set, fit nicely in the little carousel that spins around (a nice little feature that I'd like to have in my own 'grown-up' kitchen.

      This play kitchen is a great example of a high quality, functional make-believe toy that my family has, for years, turned to Step 2 to provide.  It is a toy that is colorful and bright, yet realistically mimics the tools and products that we,  moms and adults alike, use in our very own real life 'grown-up' kitchens!

     The Step 2 Creative Cooks Kitchen retails for $199.99, and can be found in Target, Wal-Mart and Toys-r-Us stores nationwide and online.

 

Prematurity Awareness Month--Tips for Mommas-to-Be

     Along with all of the joy and anticipation that pregnancy brings, come several unknowns and quite a few worries. First time moms and seasoned pros alike share a common concern─ preterm labor.  Sadly, this concern is well-founded according to the March of Dimes, as nearly half a million babies are born too soon in the United States each year.  Our countries premature birth rate has risen by 36 percent over the last 25 years.  This month is National Prematurity Awareness Month, and according to Dennis Costakos, M.D., a neonatologist at the Mayo Clinic Health system in La Crosse, Wisconsin, “one-third of the time, a preterm birth is due to infection, such as membranes rupturing.  Another third of the time, it is due to a medical condition such as preeclampsia or high blood pressure.  Other factors that can raise your risk of preterm labor also may include the following:

●Maternal age─ risk increases if you are younger than 17 and older than 35.

●Being underweight or overweight before pregnancy, or gaining either too little or too much during pregnancy.

●Chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes.

●Certain problems with the uterus, cervix or placenta.

●Past history of miscarriage and/or vaginal bleeding during pregnancy.

 

     To lower your risk of developing preterm labor, Dr. Costakos stresses the importance of prenatal care.  “Also, women should avoid smoking, and stay off of their feet as much as possible,” he states.  “A pregnant woman shouldn’t be on her feet for more than 10 hours a day.”

Faber-Castell's Creativity for Kids Beaded Snowflake Kit

     The weather has been getting colder as the days go by, and as we are quickly approaching the holiday season (with Thanksgiving being two days away!), as a mom and as an elementary school librarian, I am constantly on the lookout for holiday creative and fun activities for both my family and my students to work on while we are stuck indoors.

     Faber-Castell’s Creativity for Kids Beaded Snowflake Kit is simply the perfect cold weather day activity.  This kit includes a wide variety of shiny rhinestones, markers, color-in foil stickers, hanging ribbon and convenient gift wrapper envelopes that you can use to give your creations as gifts.  When completed, the snowflake measures about 5 ½ “, and the flakes can be hung in your windows, use them as a decoration when wrapping your presents, or will look pretty hanging from your tree.  The six snowflakes that my son and some of my students created will be hung on our classroom tree next month, and we are all excited to see how they look like when placed against the tree’s lights. 
     My family and I have been fans of Faber-Castell’s Creativity for Kids line of arts and crafts kits for children since our son was small.  There wide variety of kits provides children of all ages with an outlet to discover their ‘artist within’ and strengthen their imaginations, and the Beaded Snowflake Kit did not disappoint!  To find a retailer near you, please visit the Faber-Castell’s website at: http://www.fabercastell.com/creativity-for-kids