Holiday Preview: Books

When the day has ended and everyone else has fallen asleep, a young boy embarks on a magical adventure with his friend the Moon. Their unusual journey is described in lyrical verse, creating a enchanting story that celebrates the serene beauty of the world at night. "The lyrical text and poetic voice adds a soothing factor to this imaginative tale," Barefoot Books Group Communications Director Leah Lesser told TDmonthly.
— The Reading Tub praised the book for its “nice combination of reality reading (seeing one's glow in the water) and fantasy (the boy and moon sharing a night-time flight) that will appeal to all readers.” The reviewer added that “the notes at the back will be wonderful for expanding the book beyond the poetry when our toddler gets a little bit older.”
— Sheela from The Joy of My Life noted that the “delightful and dreamy” illustration “evokes a magical night world in this book, and, accompanied by rhythmic verse has become a bedtime must-read over the last few weeks in our house.” Sheela liked that the book contains factual scientific information while “still preserving the imaginative and magical world personifying the moon through the motley illustrations that project the ethereal story.”

Based on the Gospel of Luke, this story brings the dramatic events of Jesus's birth to life. "With beautiful illustrations, this timeless story is told in a way that will easily introduce children to God's grace for a fallen world," Rosemary Parkinson, Corporate Communications, Concordia Publishing House, told TDmonthly.

Even though it doesn’t have a door, Chicken, Pig and Cow love everything about the home that Girl made for them out of Popsicle sticks. Everything but Dog, who lives outside, but whose drooling makes it feel as if it’s raining inside. When Cow is left alone one day, she ends up making friends with Dog. Best of all, Dog knocks down two Popsicle sticks creating a door, so that now their home is truly perfect.
Awards: 2010 Great Books for 2010, Canadian Toy Testing Council; 2009 Toronto Public Library First and Best List; 2009 Pennsylvania Center for the Book Best Books for Family Literacy; 2009 Ontario Library Association Best Bets List; 2009 Cdn Children’s Book Centre Best Books for Kids and Teens; 2009 Canadian Children’s Book Centre Awards finalist

With more than 200 drawing and coloring activities, ARTastic! is designed to fuel kids' creativity, teach them drawing basics, and inspire their minds. Kids will complete pictures by adding their own creations, learn to draw simple images themselves, explore different colors and more. "High production values mean kids can use whichever scribbling or coloring medium they choose," Kendal Gerard, Marketing Associate, Owlkids, told TDmonthly.

In this novelty peek-a-boo book, children are invited to look through the holes on every other page to answer the repeating refrain, "Who’s coming to see how my garden grows?" The energetic, rhyming text introduces all sorts of creatures that are busy foraging and frolicking in the garden.

This Read Along Storybook, the first in a series of five, is a companion piece to Queetles plush toys.

My Beastly Book of Monsters offers kids the opportunity to scribble, doodle and reconfigure over 150 monstrous creatures. Tie a monster's shoes together, draw a creature that's part monster and part pickle, or scare a monster with a mouse. Each amusing scenario encourages kids to use their imaginations and their budding artistic skills.

A pony in a field moves a child to play giddy-up on her father’s shoulders; a plane high above invites kids to pretend they are birds soaring in the sky. Everyday things, seen here in striking photos, are the catalyst for imaginative play, which is captured in lively illustrations. Short bursts of energetic, rhythmic poetry are designed to inspire preschoolers to create their own fun from what they see around them.
Awards: 2009 First & Best List, Toronto Public Library; 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Award

Welcome to the wondrous world of Diana Schoenbrun's "Beasties," where mythic and imaginary creatures come alive from simple materials, such as scrap fabric and thread. From werewolves to zombies to yetis to unidentifiable yet adorable beasts, these projects allow crafters to push the limits of their imaginations to sew a menagerie of whimsical beings.
— “Author Diana Schoenbrun does a fantastic job of presenting an array of wonderful creatures to create,” proclaimed BookLegion. According to the reviewers, the monsters created based on the book “make great personalized gifts for others.”
— Jocelynn Brown of the Detroit News Handmade Crafts Blog loved that the book encouraged the resourceful use of fabric scraps, since the “more woven and textured scraps of fabric, the more interesting your creatures will look.” Her colleague Erik Henrickson loved the irreverent designs of the monsters, from the “soft and fluffy” Tomte to a “patriotic Werewolf” complete with “red, white and blue fur.”

Flower Feelings are emotions brought to life as a garden of eight adorable plush characters, each with a distinctive facial expression identifiable by the feeling name embroidered on the back. Accompanying the toy is a full-color booklet describing the individual traits of each emotion, along with playful questions and answers designed to help children recognize feelings in their own life. A sing-along CD about the Flower Feelings is included in the package, along with lesson plans for home or classroom. "The colorful and engaging plush allow children a tangible way to embrace their feelings while the activities and song included in the kit provide many ways to create a positive setting in which children can express their emotions," Ei Kids President Daniel Nix told TDmonthly.

This lively "un"cyclopedia gives young readers an eye-opening broad basis of general knowledge. From a tour of the human skeleton and the five senses to modern technology and inventions, from life in a desert to a day at the fire station, children will be delighted and fascinated at every turn of the page. "Special features throughout make information fun and accessible: Kids' Questions sidebars, What About You? bubbles, Figure It Out! activities, Did You Know? sidebars, Number Time bubbles, Day-in-the-Life pages, and more," Kendal Gerard, Marketing Associate, Owlkids, told TDmonthly.

The Hear Me Read Bible is designed to help children learn to read and learn about Jesus. This level one series is comprised of 18 complete stories that contain 25 words or less. "Each story uses colorful illustrations, limited words and repetition to help children develop reading vocabulary and skills," Rosemary Parkinson of Concordia Publishing House Corporate Communications told TDmonthly.

In this paperback children's book, a little girl named Lily travels into space to talk to the moon.

The Complete Hawaiian Reef Fish Coloring Book includes more than 200 colorable illustrations designed to help teach children how to identify over 80 species of fish. Each illustration is accompanied by a complete description of the fish, with information about anatomical features, coloration, body designs, feeding habits and reproductive strategies. An overview of coral reef ecology is provided to help children understand the relationship between the fishes and the coral reef as well as the importance of conservation. This eco-friendly book is printed on recycled paper. "This book is often referred to as a coloring textbook or even coloring encyclopedia, because it is the most complete source of information about reef fish that you will find in a coloring book," Lucid Publishing Author Monika Mira told TDmonthly.
Awards: Summer 2010 Dr. Toy Best Vacation Children's Products; 2010 Creative Child Magazine Book of the Year Award

Children want to know "Why don't ships sink?", "Which is the fastest jet plane?", and "Why do cars need gasoline?" Climb aboard and discover the answers in this intriguing look at transportation.

This book was designed to open dialog between parents and children about money issues. Moo learns the importance of saving her money, want versus need, and the importance of being charitable. "Our humorous approach sets us apart; we try to add a lot of fun and self-motivational reasons to work — no matter how young or little you are," My Cow Moo Creator Kimberly Arezzi told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2009 The Toy Man Seal of Approval; 2009 The Toy Man Eco-Recognition Seal; 2009 The Toy Man E-Choice Award

With its lively, creative approach, this is a unique and highly memorable one-stop guide to using punctuation marks correctly. Each mark is each represented by its own character – from unassuming Semicolon to loud-mouthed Exclamation Mark – who explain in their own words what makes them tick and how they are used. “Do’s and “Don’t”s provide practical advice to help every child unravel the rules and regulations of the English language.

"Panda-Cutie and YOU... in Los Angeles" for SMART KIDS ONLY! features Panda-Cutie who takes children ages 8 to 16 on a fascinating city tour of Los Angeles. This E-Book on CD-ROM comes in a sturdy cover and is ready for easy download to a PC or laptop. It serves as a unique travel guide for parents who like to make a trip to L.A. with their kids and want to have a preview of what to expect. The program also includes useful information about transportation, parking, admission fees, etc. Features 177 A-4 pages with more than 150 photos of Panda-Cutie strolling around; and even having his picture taken with celebrities such as Paula Abdul, Peter Fonda, Olivia Newton-John, Hector Elizondo, and others.

Grundel is a little boy who thinks his life is the pits, until he makes a memorable visit to his Nana Loop's farm. Follow him and his trusted Take-Along-Teddy as they both learn the secret to true happiness with this illustrated book and 14" Take Along Teddy. Storm Tussey, Retail Marketing Coordinator at Vermont Teddy Bear Company, told TDmonthly, "This Book and Bear combo is produced in Vermont with a Vermont author, illustrator and publisher." Launch date: July 2010.

Junior paleontologists will delight in the engaging text and cool illustrations of Viewfinder: Fossils. Featuring a unique removable magnifier, readers can take a close-up look at extraordinary photos and eye-popping digital illustrations of the fossils of the Velociraptor, Sauropod and more. Interactive elements include flaps to lift, slider panels and comparative exercises. Silver Dolphin Publicist Julie Serra told TDmonthly, "Kids will explore like never before in this fascinating fossil book!"

“The Money Savvy Kids Club” children’s book series are co-written by financial literacy expert Susan Beacham and bestselling author Lynnette Khalfani-Cox. Through four funny and engaging stories in these smart and creative illustrated picture books, a group of childhood friends learn that there are actually four things you can do with money: Save, Spend, Donate or Invest. Money Savvy Generation Director of Operations and Marketing Melinda Voelcker told TDmonthly, "These books address the challenging topic of money choices, but in a fun and age-appropriate manner that kids can understand and that parents can use to help begin a conversation about money with their kids. Topics include: how to earn money, saving for a goal, what is a donation and how you can donate, what home foreclosure means and compound interest."

The Feelings Storybook is a sensitive and heartfelt book for children of all ages that can act as an assessment tool for emotional growth. This book is interactive and contains 32 pages with full-color illustrations. It is ideal for the developing reader and features a 22-minute companion CD narrated by the author/psychologist, Dr. Alexandra Delis-Abrams.

An inspiring story of a boy with a dream who learned skills that would last a lifetime. A boy takes his love of fishing and turns it into an adventure, learning skills that would stay with him forever and turn his passion into profit.

Featuring a padded cover and sturdy board book pages for easy handling, this 24-page book follows inquisitive Caillou as he explores the zoo and finds all kinds of interesting wild animals. Each page features a different animal and its name, including a panther, tiger, parrot and giraffe.