It's hard not to be completely smitten with the work of Brooklyn artist Ida Pearle as we have for ages. Her cut-paper illustrations beautifully capture the whimsy and joy of childhood. We loved her alphabet book A Child's Day: An Alphabe…
We're always looking for ways to keep kids reading, especially once the school year ends and those 20 or 30 or 45 minutes a day aren't exactly "required" any more. (Well, depending on your house rules.) Plus, that lure of all that extra …
As big-time book lovers here, we've learned that a love of reading is acquired and not something kids are necessarily born with, like the color of their eyes or their uncanny inability to sleep past 6 AM on a Saturday. So we love putting…
We just finished putting together a ton of great educational activities for kids to keep them sharp over the summer, and now of course I find one more I'd love to add to the list. This free printable paper chain reading log from Eighteen…
I know that teaching my kids about personal safety is so important, but there seems to be a fine line between preparing kids for emergencies and scaring them about Things That Could Happen. Like all parents, I definitely don't want to te…
Mother's Day may be one of our favorite holidays for obvious reasons, but it's also obvious that not all kids have a mother living in their family. For young kids in this situation, this can be a difficult time, especially in school when…
As you probably know, a good alphabet book is one of those must-haves in any child's library. Over the years my kids have loved learning about design in Maira Kalman's Ah Ha to Zig Zag , getting a real feel for their letters in Francesch…
Bright, fun, and very, very easy, the new oversized search-and-find books Animal Fun Search & Find and Fairy Tale Search & Find by Stephanie Hinton are absolutely charming me. And my preschoolers. They're perfect for kids who are too you…
Sometimes the simplest books are a parent's best friend at bedtime. Few words, pretty pictures, calming premise. These are the elements that come together perfectly in Case Jernigan's A Place to Live , a lovely book for a new reader--or …
Bookends are always a smart way to blend function with design in a kid's room, so I'm often looking for cool ones. I'm taken with the wooden car bookends on My Sweet Muffin, which also happen to be on sale right now. They're handmade in …
Thousands of books are published for children each year, and it seems like there are thousands of "best of" lists published too. If you're shopping for kids books for Christmas like we are, you'll want to check these lists out for some g…
The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City houses incredible exhibits for lovers of design, including fantastic workshops for kids to help them gain an appreciation for fine design before they even hit kindergarten. And…
For those of us who love great illustration as much as a great story, I've found three new picture books that are worth making space for in your kids' bookcase or wrapping to give to a child this holiday. What I love most about all three…
There’s nothing quite like seeing your child pick up a book and read it to himself for the first time. And even though we've been known to tell our kids to putdownthatbookrightnow! when we're trying to get them out the door for school, w…
This is a sponsored message from Peppa Pig and Me As any kid can tell you, the only thing better than reading a book about one of their favorite cartoon characters is being in a book with one of their favorite cartoon characters. Now, th…
As a kid who saw creatures in my bedroom shadows at night, I always identified with the protagonist of Bedtime for Frances, who saw monsters in her bathrobe and had all kinds of other excuses for not going to bed. The new scary story for…
What's black and white and chic all over? Your baby's future nursery, of course! If you're looking for something other than the traditional blues, pinks and yellows, we've got you covered. I'm a huge fan of this gender-neutral nursery tr…
Just out in the US from French author Fani Marceau is a new favorite picture book that I expect will become a permanent fixture on many kids' bookshelves: In This Book . It features the kind of repetitive structure that really appeals to…
Sometimes it's the little things that make the biggest impression, and when it comes to back to school shopping , it may be the backpack we spend all our time stressing about, when it turns out to be the $1 hamster eraser or the personal…
As parents, one of our favorite things about the web is the ability to find so many cool--often free-- printables for kids of all kinds that make us all look like crafty geniuses. They're especially abundant this time of year, as back to…
I don't know about you, but the books that get my reluctant reader the most excited are the ones that drive me nuts. You know, the ones that include a catchy little song that he can shout at bedtime, when he's supposed to be relaxing? Hi…
We thought hedgehogs , foxes , even narwhals would hit it big as the hot animal for kids his year. And yes, they have. But of all things, we're also noticing a ton of adorable panda school supplies and we can't say we're complaining. If …
I have a few non-negotiable criteria when I'm looking for a new bedtime book to read with my kids and The Bear's Song by Benjamin Chaud exceeds my expectations on all counts. This book is my kids' and my own current favorite bedtime stor…
Everyone's eyes are on World Cup soccer for the next month, and The Soccer Fence by Phil Bildner, a thought-provoking and hope-filled soccer book for kids set in the waning days of South African Apartheid, is perfect for reading breaks b…