My daughter was a bit nervous before her first trip to the eye doctor, especially since she knew there was a good chance she'd need reading glasses. Fortunately it wasn't a scary visit, and she loves her cool new fuchsia frames, but I wi…
My tween is finally beyond the check-under-the-bed-for-monsters stage, and is now onto reading scary stories "for fun." So once she hangs up her Halloween trick-or-treat bag for the night, I know she'll enjoy digging into this smart and …
Do you have a recommendation for a good "Books I've Read" journal or notebook for kids? -Suzanne, via Facebook Book logs or journals are a great way to give kids tangible pride in all the reading they've done, as well as a place to look …
Jennifer Adams and Allison Oliver hooked us with their beautiful BabyLit counting and color board books based on classic literature like Alice in Wonderland and Jane Eyre. They've done it again--this time, with a counting Count Dracula. …
Of all the scary things my kids might face on Halloween night, one thing looms most terrifying in their minds: the prospect of trick-or-treating at homes with no candy left to give. (Yes, First World Problems, I know.) Which is why this …
I developed asthma as an adult. So I can only imagine how scary it is for a young child to have to deal with the coughing, wheezing, and breathlessness that comes with the disease. Not to mention the fear of being "different" from all yo…
Though my kids are mildly amused by the stories of my youth ( what do you mean, there was no internet? ), they are much more fascinated by stories about kids from faraway lands. So I'm excited to find a new series of globe-trotting books…
These days, there's so much intolerance in the world, it's dismaying. As a mom, I try to counteract the negative messages out there by teaching my kids to celebrate diversity , and by taking time as a family to learn about cultures and r…
Book lovers, we've come across some major cuteness for you. We think you and your Munchkins are going to go (winged) ape for these adorable 3D bookmarks . And if you're not into The Wizard of Oz, they come in several other shapes, includ…
I'm smitten with kittens--of the fox and rabbit variety. And piglets, too. If you like open-ended, simple, beautiful activity books that leave plenty of room for imagination and fun, then you'll want to buy all three. That's a total of 9…
While we're big supporters of all the cool kids' music out there, there's so much great adult music that kids love too. And no, not just the Beatles. So I'm really happy to see one of my kids' favorite "grown-up" songs has been turned in…
I still remember how much hard work it was for my kids to learn to read, with all the painfully slow sounding-out of words one-by-one. It sometimes seems that kids are so busy trying to figure out what the letters say that they can't eve…
It makes perfect sense that Caspar Babypants, the kindie music favorite whose song titles include My Flea Has Dogs and Stompy the Bear , would create an alphabet book with prose way beyond A is for Apple . But what really makes this pict…
With school starting soon--or for some it's already started--books are being bought and soon, books will be lost. There's nothing like a "this book belongs to..." label to make sure that the rightful owner remains the rightful owner. Esp…
One of my very favorite things about the just-finished London Olympics was seeing all the gorgeous footage of the city itself. It's made me even more determined to get my kids over to see Big Ben, London Bridge and their picturesque city…
Sally Ride was the first woman in space, and saying that the space she's left behind is hard to fill is an understatement. But we've found a beautiful kids' book to help your little girl dream big, just like Sally. My Name Is Not Isabell…
It seems a lot of baby toys are awfully loud these days. They light up, crinkle, beep and blast music, so sometimes its nice to just have some low-key playthings to appease our easily overstimulated little ones. These quiet handmade soft…
This past month, New York celebrated the 30th annual Mermaid Parade. For those of you not familiar, hoo boy...where to start. Well, maybe this gorgeous children's book that will charm all mermaid wannabes , regardless of age. Or gender. …
Pairing food and wine is an art. Pairing food and music is a new trend. Pairing food with a good food book: It's one of the best ways to get kids excited about eating--even foods that they're not normally excited about eating. In honor o…
The very first word my son ever spelled was S-T-O-P, which is not surprising given how many hours he spent accompanying his older sisters to their many activities. If you also have a little road warrior who's more interested in street si…
As much as my kids and I love Japanese Kokeshi dolls, I can't bring myself to let another collection into the house, what with all the stuffed animals and favorite rocks already displayed around my girls' room. But, I've found a way to c…
London designer Orla Kiely has had me under her spell for a few years now. I have always found her patterns and designs bursting with life, color, energy and a wonderful sense of playfulness. Orla has shown her love to mommies before wit…
We get a lot of requests for books for kids about to welcome a new sibling into the family. Some of the better known titles are pretty sappy, which isn't such a bad thing, but I never really liked the stories about how perfect it is to h…
Good news, bibliophiles! Your toddlers can now enjoy Alice in Wonderland and Jane Eyre, and not just as teething toys. Thanks to gorgeous illustrations and clever literary touches, you might enjoy this collection of amazing board books a…