There is an attraction to the concept of princesses that seems to be universal, especially for young girls. The beauty, the fancy dresses and frills, the royal stature- all of it speaks to some children, and there is certainly a bevy of books and toys that address this mass interest. With the release of Sterling Books' new, and highly anticipated, book The Secret Lives of Princesses, the field of royalty has been greatly expanded. And the newly introduced Princesses are like none you've ever seen before. Written by Philippe Lechermeier and illustrated by Rebecca Dautremer, The Secret Lives of Princesses truly is a tome of fun information about a slew of princesses that don't always fit in the typical mold. You may know all about Sleeping Beauty, but her lesser known relative, Princess Somnia may ...
Category Archives: ages 6 – 9
The Summer Camp Survival Guide
If you're a parent, chances are that you know about the summer camp opportunities in your area for your kids. Maybe you've got some cool sports or arts-and-crafts themed day camps, or perhaps you opt for the sleep-away version and kiss your young guy or gal goodbye by the camp fire. For these, and all other available formats of the summer camp experience, there is a new book by Chris Pallatto and Ron DeFazio that needs to find a place on your shelf or in your kids' duffel bag. Read my full review of The Summer Camp Survival Guide: Cool Games, Camp Classics, and How to Capture the Flag over at 5 Minutes for Mom, and be sure to leave a comment over there to enter one of three copies. Dawn spent much of her ...
Books on Screen Stage:
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical
There are some picture books that I've read hundreds of times over the years, either as the teacher reading to a group of preschoolers or as the mom snuggling with her own brood. When I can read a story again and again (times 100!), and still do it with joy and gusto, I believe it says something pretty remarkable about that book. At the top of that list are the wonderful and funny works by author/illustrator Mo Willems. With a collection of characters that continues to grow (he's certainly one prolific writer!), my children and I happily consume his books like crazy. This month sees the transformation of one of Mo Willems' most beloved stories from the page to the stage, with the opening of Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical at The Kennedy Center in Washington, ...
Picture Books for Moms
There are some picture books out there that are not really intended for their target audience. Yes, the three-year-olds and the seven-year-olds may listen, they may like the artwork, but perhaps what they like most is being close to Mom as she reads words that speak to her heart. I have to admit that I am likely as not to get teary-eyed when I am reading Are You My Mother?. It does warm my heart when the baby bird recognizes his mother and they are finally reunited, but this is a children's book. The rhythm is perfect for children, the drawings are appealing in their simplicity, but there's no question that it speaks to moms in a completely different way (or is it just me?). Now Love You Forever is an entirely different category. I remember being a baby showers ...
Candy Fairies
For young girls beginning to read chapter books, there are many series available. Unfortunately, many of the more popular series include quite a bit of sassiness and negative attitudes. Because of this, I was excited to read Chocolate Dreams, the first book in the Candy Fairies series. The Candy Fairies live in Sugar Valley, and they are excited about the coming spring egg parade. Cocoa, the chocolate fairy, is particularly excited because she is responsible for the special chocolate eggs for the parade. Unfortunately, the eggs are stolen from their nest, and Cocoa feels that she has failed everyone in Sugar Valley. With the help of encouraging friends, Cocoa sets out to recover the eggs and save the spring celebration. My daughter (age 5) ...
Picture Book Round-Up, 2nd Edition
Last month, Carrie shared six new children's releases that she reviewed as engaging and fun in the post Picture Books for 2010! I'm happy to follow in her lead and showcase a handful of books that have been released this year that I have enjoyed reading with my own crew of kids. With a mix of fantastic books like this, all kids' age groups are covered! For the very youngest among my own children, Time for Bed, Baby Ted by Debra Sartell and illustrated by Kay Chorao, has proven to be the perfect just before bedtime reading material in our family. With Baby Ted pretending to be many different animals in what appears to be some classic bedtime-stalling-technique action, Ted's father gently guides him through the series of getting ready for bed tasks while playing along ...
New York, New York!
You caught on that Jennifer and I will be attending the big Book Expo in NYC at the end of May, didn't you? We're also planning to be at the Book Bloggers Convention so we can see and be seen. (Is that the point? Maybe not. We're going to learn about the industry and meet and greet our book blogging friends!) And no, I'm not the least little bit excited about it. In preparation for this upcoming trip, (that our husbands are being oh so very encouraging and supportive of), I've been reading and looking at books on New York with my children. Can you guess the first publisher that I checked in with, to see if they had books on New York? If you guessed anything other than Sleeping Bear Press you would be very wrong! When it comes to educating children on exciting and new places, ...
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Jennifer Donovan
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