Children | Page 7 of 54

Brussels Sprouts, smelly shoes, parenting and school starting

We were provided with payment or product for this post. All thoughts are our own. At their core and for better or worse, children are the 100% honest, pint sized versions of us. Everything-and I mean everything strange that our kids do I know that I did at one point myself. This includes the manner in which they think those thoughts; and how they manifest themselves into the sometimes very un-PC statements that come out of their adorable heads that are impossible to distance yourself from. Continue reading Brussels Sprouts, smelly shoes, parenting and school starting

The Night Knights is a great good-nite book

There are some children’s books that extend beyond the ages that they’ve meant for. In theory they have a younger skewing interest level, but there is just something about them makes them work for a couple years older, or longer than you think they will. The Night Knights by Gideon Sterer with illustrations by Cory Godbey is that kind of book.

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Ghoulia-Making Friends Can Be Scary, but this is 100% fun

There was a period where I watched The Nightmare Before Christmas at least twice a week. I found it very coincidental that our 6 year-old started watching it-on his own accord and could sing the songs. Ghoulia, Making Friends Can Be Scary by Barbara Cantini is a spiritual cousin to Christmas, Coraline and Paranorman. It’s an emerging reader’s book that brings an all age appropriate scare and spook to readers aged 6-9.

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Mixed A Colorful Story is as happy as a children’s illustrated book can get

Mixed A Colorful Story is a great example of a simple children’s book that succeeds beyond the demographics that its aiming for. On the cover there are three colored dots, red, yellow and blue. These are the primary colors as I’m often reminded by our children. A combination of them can create any color on Earth. In Mixed A Colorful Story we see that each color has their default personality. Reds are loud, yellows are bright and blues are the coolest. Everything is great until one day reds start saying that they’re the best. Continue reading Mixed A Colorful Story is as happy as a children’s illustrated book can get

Lola Dutch is witty, artistic fun that makes up a great good-night book

At some point in their day most kids who are between six and eight years old are like Lola Dutch. She’s a hyper creative girl who likes to paint, cook and hangs out with her four friends a bear, alligator, pig and crane. Everything she does is in excess. When she goes to the library she checks out so many books that bear has to help push them in her wagon. When she paints it’s a myriad of styles that the masters have done through the ages. It’s so much even that bear has to say, “Lola Dutch, you are just too much”.

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Charlie & Frog is leisure and gateway kidlit reading for mid-elementary

Some books are easier than others. Charlie & Frog, A Mystery by Karen Kane firmly has second grade through middle school as its sweet spot. Readers on the younger side of the scale should be able to read it with minimal assistance, if any; while those on the older side of the scale will enjoy reading Charlie & Frog as a lively pleasure read. Whaa? A pleasure read, some of the kids or parents might be asking themselves, que es este? Leisure reading, it’s the unicorn book of mid-elementary school that kids want to read that allows them to escape, all the while getting further along the bridge that leads from books with-pictures to those without.

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi, in-home party for happy Padawans

We were provided with product for this post. It’s a basic truth that kids love Star Wars. Our 6YO ‘likes’ Star Wars even though action based films sometimes scare him. Having said that, it’s a good kind of scare that exhilarates him more than provides bad dreams. He’s seen Star Wars: A New Hope, but he closed his eyes for parts of it, said to turn it off during many parts of the film; but then said that he loved it his family and all of his friends. For Star Wars fans, who enjoy action and science-fiction, with just a touch of Star Wars mythos, Star Wars: The Last Jedi will fit the bill?

When in doubt, have a party themed after the movie in question. Now, to a 6 an 8 year old a party is relative. A party can be full on legitimate party, with lots of friends, games, presents and more. In our case for The Last Jedi party it was much more free range.

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How to Tame a Human Tornado continues The Genius Series brilliance

When does a children’s fiction book transcend to a non-fiction book that anyone in middle school or older can enjoy? I don’t know, but The Genius Factor series from Paul Tobin is coming precariously close to doing all of that. How to Tame A Human Tornado is the third book is the series about seventh-grader Nate Bannister, his friend-who is definitely not his girlfriend Delphine, Bosper the talking dog and a mysterious sect of people that like tea who are out to kill him.

The first book How to Capture an Invisible Cat was a great start to the series. How to Outsmart a Billion Robot Bees was the second book and improved upon the characters and storytelling. How to Tame a Human Tornado continues this fabulous series and doesn’t disappoint in the slightest; which is quite rare for a series of books to continually keep improving upon their predecessors. Continue reading How to Tame a Human Tornado continues The Genius Series brilliance