We're huge Olivia fans 'round these parts - the book is a well-worn favorite at bedtime, and the Olivia TV series is a special treat. So I was so happy to see a new book hit the shelves recently starring our favorite difficult swine - Ol…
Games on the iPhone are nice, having books on hand make you feel a little less guilty about trying to keep the kid occupied on mile-long supermarket checkout lines. Now you can always have books on hand without carting around pounds of h…
We've amassed quite the collection of Christmas-themed picture books, but I'm always on the lookout for cool new titles to replace some of the ones we were given when the kids were little (I'm looking at you, Strawberry Shortcake's Berry…
Last year, we recommended the Gift Lit book of the month series as a cool children's gift , and it still is. But it makes smart last-minute gift for a fully grown adult too. You can just tell the thoughtful book choices in each series ha…
I don't do much overseas traveling. Okay, none, really. And I can't even blame my kids, since I barely did it before they were born, either. A passionate desire for a reduced carbon footprint or sheer laziness? I'll let you decide. But, …
We've been keeping our eyes open for those extra special holiday gifts, like for a baby's first Christmas. I'm very intrigued by Picture Book Originals which offers which offers original illustrations and signed giclee prints from childr…
Browsing the Picasso Museum gift shop in Barcelona last week (I know, totally rubbing it in) I came across the most wonderful little book called Oh ! by Josse Goffin . I had an idea that my two year-old wouldn't be able to put it down an…
Pat the Bunny is the essential baby gift book for about a zillion people--including me--so it's not surprising that it's spawned a number of parodies. Now there's one more to add to the list: The very funny Pat the Beasti e . Henrik Dres…
I am so excited about artist Rufus Butler Seder's third "scanimation" book, Waddle! . Um, I mean my kids are. If you're not familiar with these so cool they're almost magic books, they blend engaging rhyming prose about animals with grap…
CD audiobooks, or what I still call " books on tape ," are my secret weapon against boredom in the car. Our newest gem is Tell Me a Story 3: Women of Wonder which follows in the footsteps of its much loved predecessors, Tell Me a Story a…
Even though I realize that the amazing Charley Harper Coloring Book is intended for younger audiences, it's so sophisticated that I can't help but want to save a couple of pages for me. American illustrator Charley Harper's "minimal real…
We love Oliver Chin, author of the Tales from the Chinese Zodiac Series. In his latest book, Baltazar and the Flying Pirates , Chin teams up with illustrator (and blogger!) Justin Roth in this, um, high-flying tale of adventure and fortu…
With the kids heading back to school , the birthday party circuit will be starting up again. If your kid is old enough to read, you may understand my temptation to give other kids books rather than more toys. The problem is that while th…
I'm pretty sure there's nothing most kids love more than seeing their name or likeness in anything, hence the slew of personalized books that cram my daughter's bookshelves. Her most recent birthday gift was a personalized book found at …
We've all been there; the kid has found his Most Favorite Book Ever, and he wants to hear it over and over. Sure, you were a patient and loving model parent the first 5,000 times, but after that I think you get a pass. With One More Stor…
From skateboard and sneaker design to children's picture books, Australian artist Luke Feldman has created quite a cult following of his waif-like illustrated characters known as Skaffs. They hang in the Cartoon Art Museum, they delight …
If you're looking for a graduation gift for the preschooler in your life - or even the high schooler who's not so cool she can't appreciate a sweet children's book - Peep: A Little Book About Taking a Leap gets a big thumbs up from me. M…
The wonderful Duck! Rabbit! is the newest book from the prolific Amy Krouse Rosenthal, who you might know for children's books like Little Pea or even her wonderful adult book, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life . In this title, she's team…
I recently got a look at Alphabetica: Odes to the Alphabet , Diana Spieker and Krista Skehan's mind-blowing alphabet book filled with multisyllabic metaphors and modern, deep-inked illustrations. This book bursts with detail. Each page c…
I bet you've wondered how we find the great children's books we review here at Cool Mom Picks. Well, we will share one hot tip: Bookmark sites like the brand new One Potato . This children's book site is like literary nirvana for book-lo…
This year for Earth Day, instead of confusing my four year-old son with talk of his "carbon footprint," I plan to mark the day by sharing the four age-appropriate "Green Start" board books from Innovative Kids . The adorable soy-based in…
I completely understand that repetition breeds learning, but seriously, can someone come up with something other than the extremely original A is for Alligator and B is for Bumblebee? Well leave it to the Aussies to shake things up with …
Raising two voracious but sometimes picky readers, I've learned that there are a few factors that go into a guaranteed successful kids' board book : Simple concepts, not too many words on each page, and ideally, anything a kid can touch/…
I thought I knew what hip hop was, but after picking up the kids' CD-and-book set Hip Hop Speaks to Children , I have a whole new appreciation for this diverse and often moving art form of "poetry with a beat." Edited by poet, writer and…