say goodbye to summer with vampirina at the beach!

Summer is almost over, and we are having one more big beach bash before we say goodbye to running through the sprinkler and wedges of watermelon for lunch and say hello to school books and lunch boxes.  Thanks to Disney Hyperion for sending me a copy of this adorable book! 

This is the second book for Vampirina.  In her first book, Vampirina Ballerina, we meet our main character, a little vampire girl who wants very much to be a ballet dancer but has never taken a class before.  When she goes to the ballet school, she is definitely not your average student and does things her own way.  

In Vampirina At The Beach, Vampirina is going to the beach with her family and friends for a night of beachy fun.  They do all the things everyone does at the beach - building sand castles, splashing in the ocean waves, roasting marshmallows by the fire, but these beach-goers do things their own monstery way.  The combination of the familiar beach summer scene and the monsters of all shapes and sizes produces really fun results!  It reminds me of a modern, kiddy version of the tv show, The Munsters.  Every time I read this book, I can't help but hear the Munsters theme music.  

What's story time without snacks?!  We made some pretty pink and purple sea monster cookies to munch while we read today.  I like my recipes super, duper simple, and my monster cookies are made easily with the work of an octopus shaped cookie cutter.   Once you have made up your favorite sugar cookie dough and given it whatever bright color you want, cut the dough with the octopus cutter, and bake.  After they are baked and while they are still hot on the baking sheet, stick on several candy eyes.  

meet one loud and proud feminist baby! a board book by loryn brantz

Thank you, thank you Disney-Hyperion for sending me a copy of their newest release, Feminist Baby by Loryn Brantz!

Meet the irrepressible Feminist Baby! She's strong, she's smart, and she makes as much noise as possible!

"Feminist" is somewhat of a buzz word lately, and sometimes it can evoke strong reactions from people that are both negative and positive.  The negative reactions to the word always puzzle me because to me, feminism is simply the idea that a woman can do anything a man can do, and a man can do anything a woman can do.  I think Feminist Baby would agree with me!  She's one confident baby. She wears what she wants, sings as loud as she wants, plays with just as many trucks as dolls, and most importantly, she knows that when she grows up, she can be whatever she wants.  

This book is recommended for ages 0-2, and I think that the simple words and funny, bright illustrations are perfect for that age group.   I also think that this book could work for preschool-age kids too and could work as a great conversation starter about gender equality.

When it comes to raising their kids, today's parents definitely have the concept of gender equality on their minds.  We want to show our kids that anybody can do anything.  Feminism and Feminist Baby isn't just something we should be encouraging in our girls.  Don't forget that boys need feminism too!  I have two boys, and I want to shape not only their attitudes towards girls but also their attitudes when it comes to the flip side of gender equality.  Boys can be boxed in to "boy stuff" just as easily as girls can be limited to "girl stuff".  My four year old came to me the other day with a sad face.  When I asked him what was wrong, he said that he really wishes that he could be a girl because only girls get to dance ballet.  I quickly stopped what I was doing and sat down with him to watch You Tube videos of male ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov leaping across the stage.  Boys need to know that it is okay to color outside the lines of "boy stuff" just as girls need to be encouraged to do the same.  

What do you think?

Would you like more information about Feminist Baby by Loryn Brantz? Let's go to the links!

Go to the author's website here.

Go to the official website for the book here.

new adventures with bruce the bear! hotel bruce by ryan t. higgins

I was so excited when publishers Disney-Hyperion asked my to promote the newest adventure with Bruce the Bear, Hotel Bruce.  You know that I only share books that me and my kids absolutely love, and we thought that the first Bruce book - Mother Bruce - was a total hoot! 

In the first book, Bruce is a culinarily-adventurous bear who loves to try out fancy and delicious recipes, and of course, he seeks out locally-sourced ingredients from his forest home.  When he gets some fresh goose eggs for his latest recipe, he wasn't expecting them to hatch!  Bruce reluctantly has to learn how to be a dad to his new gosling babies.  

In Ryan T. Higgins' new book, Bruce and his gosling kids return from their annual winter migration holiday to the beach to find that three mice have moved into Bruce's home and turned it into a hotel!  Well, obviously, this did not sit well with Bruce.  There were animals in his bed, animals in his bathroom, animals in his kitchen, animals everywhere he turned!  After lots of shenanigans, Bruce finally gets his home to himself once again, and peace and quiet returns.  

I am so happy that Higgins is bringing Bruce back for more fun.  His character is lovably grumpy.  His love for his gosling babies is adorable.  The story and the illustrations are full of laugh-out-loud funny moments for kids and the adults who read with them.  Hotel Bruce comes to stores October 18. recommended age: 4 - 10