Reviews for Books & Magazines
We love the simple premise of Family Talk and Grandparent Talk — card decks with questions that provide the perfect spark for conversations among family members and peers. The games include 100 diverse question cards clipped together and small enough to bring anywhere where it might be helpful and enjoyable to pass time or become lost in memorable conversation. The questions have been developed for ages four and up — the younger set will need help reading the cards, of course. In Family Talk, questions are as simple as, “What is your favorite color?” or can get as detailed as, “What is one of the most important things your parents taught you?” Grandparent Talk is designed to help deepen intergenerational relationships among family members and keep family history alive. Questions range from: “Did you have your own bedroom growing up?” and “Who was your favorite teacher and why?” to “Are you afraid of anything?” and “What do you think about kids today?” Writing about this makes me want to turn back time to play this game with my own grandparents. Both games (as well as a Family Talk 2 version) come in the portable clip format or in a tabletop jar format. The Founder of Around the Table Games is a working mom who enjoyed learning all she could about her grandparents and great grandparents — and who knows how today’s busy lifestyles can prevent us from enjoying these types of valuable interactions. The games are great gifts for kids and their families, or for yourself — to keep at your home for when your grandchildren visit. Your “talks” will never be the same again!
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
What if you could buy a great gift for your grandchild (something you’ve found on Grandkids Gift Guide, of course!) — make that gift even more special by personalizing it and wrapping it in adventure — and, better, yet — make that special experience last 1 to 2 weeks, and forever in their memories? A new service called Giftventure will make that happen for you! All you need to do is go to their website and order a giftventure by choosing an adventure and answering a few short questions about your grandchild to personalize it. Choose a treasure map adventure for kids 4-8, a maze adventure for kids 8-12, or choose from several seasonal/holiday adventures. Their characters include: Captain Percy the Pirate, Fay the Fairy Princess, Gunther the Dragon, and holiday favorites — Santa Claus, Easter Bunny and Cupid. A giftventure includes 3-4 mailers to your granchild sent every three days from the character you choose. The mailers include colorful letters and posters, as well as puzzles and clues leading them to the location of your gift. Simply provide Giftventure with your grandchild’s name and address, location where your gift will be hidden, as well as a favorite toy/game and landmark to be incorporated in their special story. Giftventure will do the rest! If you know you want to give your grandchild a giftventure but don’t know exactly when — or you’re waiting for a special occasion to occur (a birthday, the holidays — or a special visit at your house or theirs!), Giftventure provides two simple options. One option is to have the giftventure mailed to you or your grandchild’s parents as a package, where everything is included, and the letters, etc. can be distributed (by grown-ups) at the most appropriate times. Or you can purchase a Giftventure gift certificate, which can be redeemed by you or your grandchild’s parents at a later date. Once you decide to give a giftventure, all you need is the gift — and you’re only a few clicks away from that! So… let the adventure and the memory-making begin!
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
My Heritage Book is a wonderful companion piece that helps you share your family’s heritage with your grandchild. Much research, work and heart have gone into these beautifully illustrated and descriptive pages, which can be personalized throughout with your grandchild’s name. Each book has an introduction about Americans originating from different places, and space to fill in a family tree and special family traditions. Also included is a letter from you, the person giving the book as a gift and keepsake to your grandchild. Over 50 countries have been researched (a list is included on their website), with more being added constantly. You can choose up to four countries to be discussed in each book, with each country being given an equal number of pages. There’s a sample book on the website that includes pages and illustrations on Italy and Columbia, to give you an idea of the writing and illustrative style, as well as the reading level. There’s even a glossary included at the end of each book! Of course, nothing beats time together with your grandchild, discussing your family’s heritage in person — why not use this as a discussion piece during those special visits. And if you can’t be with your grandchild as much as you’d like, My Heritage Book is a creative way to help strengthen connections whether you’re in the next town or another time zone.
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
Gallop! Scanimation Picture Book$10.15 at Amazon.com |
We’ve already spent hours staring at the pages of this book, trying to figure out how the animals move in such a vividly realistic way. What I assume to be some type of “special effect,” is a new patented technology called, “scanimation.” I’ll call it eye candy! Apparently, the copies of Gallop!, by Rufus Butler Seder, were flying off the shelves this past holiday season and our daughter was the lucky recipient of one of these books. It’s not so much a storybook, but rather, a gazing book. When you move the pages opposite the image pages, they activate the scanimation. A horse gallops (hence, the book’s title), an eagle soars, a cat leaps, a turtle swims, etc. The book certainly grabs the attention of young children (3-8), and would make a great car trip or restaurant distraction. A wonderful little gift, for sure — and fun for parents and grandparents, too!
| Buy Now |
to learn more at our trusted vendor's website |
“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 books 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 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 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 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 |
-25-07-2001]bearhomeb1.GIF)
