Reviews for Books & Magazines
“This is Bear’s house and this is the key. Open the door and what do you see?” Both of our kids can recite this entire book on the spot, as can my husband and I. Bear at Home is one in a series of “Bear” infant and toddler books published and sold by Barefoot Books, a publishing house focused on quality, creativity and cultural diversity. The “Bear” series, which also includes Bear About Town, Bear’s Busy Family, Bear in Sunshine, Bear in a Square, and Bear on a Bike, are simple rhyming books that surprisingly cast an immediate spell on babies, toddlers, parents and grandparents, drawing them in time and time again. One of the things that makes Bear at Home and all of Barefoot Books’ titles so alluring yet comforting are the vibrantly colored illustrations, which, at the same time, are simple, and somehow familiar. Babies and toddlers love them. When reading this to my kids, I’d often joke that I would love to live in Bear’s house! Bear’s house, with “big cozy chairs,” and “walls painted bright” seems to be the kind of safe, fun place where we all want our children and grandchildren to be.
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
What a wonderful way to document your grandchild’s early years! The First Adventures of Incredible You, published by Custom Made for Kids (created by two moms), is a personalized children’s book about the everyday experiences of a young child — your grandchild. You help write the story, by providing the names of special people and places in your grandchild’s life (including you!). From splashing in rain puddles to cheering on a favorite team to smelling a beloved family food, the book tells the story they can most easily relate to. The publisher’s website has a great FAQ page that answers all types of questions, like how the story accommodates multiple siblings, if a child is adopted, a twin, etc. Great for kids ages 0-8, the book is the winner of the 2007 iParenting Media Award Winner for Outstanding Product in the Gift category. We are sure that this is one story your grandchild won’t want to miss!
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
Every once in a while, a product leaps out in front of us and it’s love at first sight. These books by flattenme transform a single photo of your grandchild into a personalized tale of adventure that uses your grandchild’s image and name throughout its pages. Simply upload or mail a photo of your grandchild (see flattenme’s FAQ page for details) to the flattenme website via our link below. You can then choose from four books: The Tuesday Mushroom King (for girls and boys ages 3-6), Here There Be Pirates (for girls and boys ages 3-6), The Potty Dance (for girls and boys ages 2-4), and My Little Monster (for girls and boys ages 2-4). The Tuesday Mushroom King features your grandchild and another wee wood sprite on their first adventure in the Old Forest. In Here There Be Pirates, your grandchild is the first mate on a ship headed for an adventure worthy of a hearty “Argh.” In the Potty Dance book, your grandchild’s toilet training escapades are translated into a dancing tour around the world. And My Little Monster has your grandchild getting into heaps of trouble with a little toy monster. All of the books except My Little Monster are available in English, Spanish, French and German. Flattenme personalized storybooks have received several awards, including ones from Creative Child Magazine and The National Parenting Center. They’ve also been featured on NBC News as a useful method to get reluctant readers to engage with books. A wonderful way to cast a magical spell, indeed!
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
Everything your grandchild needs to build 17 different full-proof paper airplanes is in this Highlights Paper Planes That Soar book kit. 96 sheet of paper are patterned and “flight-ready,” and the designs are kid-tested with plenty of flight hours clocked. The book gives step-by-step instructions and diagrams to guide your grandchild through the process. Prepare for takeoff!
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
This The Body Book & kit by Klutz (who make wonderful craft products for kids) does a great job educating preteen girls on how to take care of their bodies naturally and inexpensively. It features skin care and other body care tips and recipes, and includes supplies, such as a face brush, pumice stone, nail buffer and more, to get started. One example of a recipe is a hand and foot scrub made from sugar, oil, and lemon juice. Kid-testers insist that the recipes work! And the full-color spiral bound book also discusses good nutrition, including delicious recipes. Girls will have fun learning from the Body Book, and thus, may not feel the need to go out and buy expensive products.
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
Is it obvious that your grandchild is a creative genius? Or is this fact yet to be discovered? We’re sure that every child has lots of creative potential, and in most cases these qualities just need to be unearthed, embraced, and enhanced. This is where a subscription to Creative Child Magazine comes in. It gives parents the latest information on how to foster their child’s originality, imagination, and inventiveness. Departments include Kids at Play, Health and Safety, Discovering Creativity, Nurturing Talent, and Tomorrow’s Child - Investing for Your Child’s Future. Parents will appreciate articles such as, “Is My Child Ready for Music Lessons?” or “A Battle of Wills - Discipline and the Creative Child.” To subscribe, simply click on our “Click Here” or Creative Child Magazine link — this will take you to the Creative Child Online homepage. Then click on either of the “subscribe” buttons located on their homepage. It’s $24 for six issues a year, which is 40% off of the cover price.
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
Do you have a young sports fan or two in your brood? Sports Illustrated Kids offers age-appropriate (8 and above) sports coverage that focuses on the admirable achievements of both professional, and some amateur athletes — so there’s no fear of kids reading any unsavory stories of athletes gone-astray. Instead, the magazine focuses on the thrill of the sports themselves, often highlighting the human aspect of each story. There’s also lots of fun stuff in each issue, including collectible cards, comics and a trivia challenge. And, of course, it’s always a plus to promote reading — all-in-all, we say that’s a home run gift!
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
Why not make it easy for your grandchildren to say a proper “thank you,” or keep in touch? Personalization Mall has a great selection of personalized notecards, from this nice looking sports motif, to floral or striped patterns, to infant and little kid designs. Simply search under note cards and pick your perfect pattern. You can personalize up to 30 characters, and for an additional charge, you can add a return address on each envelope. The notecards are sold in various quantities — this sports set of 24 cards plus personalized envelopes sells for $29.95. We also recommend Personalization Mall’s Post-Its (see our review) and personalized stickers.
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
Why not make it easy for your grandchildren to say a proper “thank you,” or keep in touch? Personalization Mall has a great selection of personalized notecards, from this “sassy” name design, to floral or striped patterns, to infant and little kid designs. Simply search under note cards and pick your perfect pattern. You can personalize up to 30 characters, and for an additional charge, you can add a return address on each envelope. The notecards are sold in various quantities — this set of 24 cards plus personalized envelopes sells for $24.95. We also recommend Personalization Mall’s Post-Its (see our review) and personalized stickers.
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
Revolving Royal Bookshelf - Boy$149.95 at Amazon.com |
We’ve already mentioned the creative attributes of Levels of Discovery furniture in our review of their Musical Rocker. The Royal Revolving Bookshelf will not disappoint! It’s a wonderful way for children to store their favorite books. It comes in the deep royal purple and midnight blue (with gold accents) castle design for boys, show here, as well as a pink princess design for girls (see our review). It also has two 4 x 6 photo frame bookends where you can include the likeness of your little prince. The bookshelf revolves for easy access, and measures 37″ H x 13″ W x 13″ D. Levels of Discovery also makes a Firefighter design for boys — just click on our “Click Here” link and search under “Levels of Discovery Revolving Bookshelf” to see all of their designs.
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
-25-07-2001]bearhomeb1.GIF)
