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Sticks N Stones N Dinosaur Bones: rhyming fun for dino kids

Kids love dinosaurs. The funny thing about being a parent is that you start to love them again too. You remember how to pronounce the names, the silent “P” in Pteranodon for example and how much they really stretch the imagination. Sticks N Stones N Dinosaur Bones is a slightly historical take on the Bone Wars in the 1870’s. It’s a fact based children’s book, with just enough whimsy and tall tails to make kids dream of dinosaurs and the men who chased their bones.

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Stocking stuffer ideas: Beginning Pearls by Stephan Pastis

Pearls Before Swine is one of only two comics in the daily paper that can make me laugh out loud. It reminds me of the absurdity of The Far Side, has artwork similar to Dilbert and friend ships that are a more contemporary version of Peanuts. You’re probably heard of Pearls Before Swine, but if not, Beginning Pearls is an excellent jumping off point for this comic strip.

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A Little Bit of Oomph! is spirited, creative fun for all

A Little Bit of Oomph is the latest book by Barney Saltzberg. It’s a sequel of sorts to Beautiful Oops!, a book that explored the possibilities of things that can happen when you make a mistake. A Little Bit of Oomph! takes that lesson of learning and simply asks the question what would happen if you did it just a bit differently?

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Battle Bunny- creative & twisted children’s book at its best

As a child I remember getting a book or two that I didn’t want to get. It was boring, too young and intended for the child that they thought I was, instead of the boy that I had become. Battle Bunny takes that premise, turns it on its head and manages to make one of the most enjoyable children’s books that my wife and I have seen this year.

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Alphablock is the best book to teach the alphabet we’ve seen

Uh oh, that title has a lot to live up to. We have about 8 books upstairs that are solely dedicated to teaching small children the alphabet. Is Alphablock really the best book to teach the alphabet that we have seen? Yes, its size, simplicity, vivid graphics and more make it great for kids and enjoyable for the adults.

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2 books on foreign language and culture: 1 curious 1 conversational

We’re teaching our kids a 2^nd language. I’ll speak as much Spanish as I know, mix in bits of the other languages I speak, put in some Curious George en Espanol and they’re super happy to listen and learn. We received two books that help children understand things outside of their own culture. Bosley Sees the World is an English/Spanish book about a bear that travels the world. If You Were Me and Lived in…..Norway is an introductory book about what life is like for Norwegian children. Both books are good at teaching about different cultures; one just does it from a tourist perspective while the other is more education based.

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Muddy Paws’ New Friends and Bunny Loves to Read, book review

One of the great things about being a parent is re-reading your favorite children’s books to your children. Of course another great thing is discovering new books that will become their favorites that they’ll read to their children. Along the way though, you’ll discover what I call library, or stock books that won’t be elevated to the status of an heirloom. They’re entertaining for what they are, and they might become some child’s favorite book, but just weren’t enjoyed by your child. Muddy Paws’ New Friends by Steve Smallman and Simon Mendez and Bunny Loves to Read by Peter Bently and Deborah Melmon are in that category.

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A look at the 11 Halloween ComicFest Mini Comics

The other day we read over 4 of the 11 full size comics that were available for Halloween ComicFest. These are free comics that you can pick up at your local comic book store. Several publishers also released 11 mini comics that are also free. They ranged across the board from knock someone down to get it (joking…hello, but GREAT), good to OK for their fan base.

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