kids books

Welcome Spring with New Picture Books from Scholastic Canada

April 15, 2013 by Kathryn Leave a Comment

Even though spring is officially here, the weather here in Saskatchewan hasn’t let my boys get outside as much as I would like. In fact, we woke up to a snowstorm this morning! With wintry weather keeping us indoors more than we might like, I’m very grateful to have all kinds of fun indoor puzzles, games and, my personal favourite, books! Recently Scholastic Canada sent us some of the newest titles for spring and the boys and I have had a great time reading them together on chilly days!

exclamation mark cover Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

This book is so clever and a lot of fun to read. As the name suggests, there’s the opportunity to yell a bit when reading! The fitting personalities of the punctuation marks in the book, from periods to question marks, make it a fun and witty story for adults and it’s a great introduction to punctuation for kids learning to read. We had a great time learning about the little Exclamation Mark discovering his purpose and both boys were shouting along by the end! [Read more...]

Seek and Find Gets Personalized with Find Me If You Can Books from Bammco-Giveaway

January 10, 2013 by Kathryn

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My boys love seek and find books but while Zackary, at six years of age, is quite talented at finding tiny characters in a busy, jumbled picture, Benjamin, at three, often gets frustrated after a few minutes. Of course, he insists on searching anyways because if his big brother is doing something, then he wants to do it too!

find me if you can book bammco I really wanted to find a way for both of my boys to enjoy seek and find books so I was thrilled when I was given a chance to review a Find Me If You Can book from Bammco. These innovative 30-page books take the traditional idea of seek and find and turn it into something completely unique by using a picture of your child’s face in the images! My son was so excited to receive his very own “Where’s Benjamin” book and he couldn’t wait to look through it. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways Tagged With: bammco, book, books, child, children, find, find me, find me if you can, kids, kids books, personal, personalize, personalized, picture book, seek, seek and find

Entertain Your Kids with the Where’s Waldo: Santa Spectacular Activity Book-Giveaway

December 19, 2012 by Kathryn

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When winter break boredom strikes, it can be hard to find entertaining activities for my boys that don’t involve a screen. But neither one of my boys can say no to a good book and both of them love fun activities. So I was thrilled when I got the chance to review Where’s Waldo: Santa Spectacular, a fun activity book featuring everyone’s favourite hard-to-find friend, Waldo.

This book is not your typical Where’s Waldo book. Packed full of fun activities ranging from puzzles to word searches, there’s a lot more than seek and find adventure inside! I loved the fact that the book also contained hundreds of stickers so that kids could create their own Where’s Waldo scenes.

Zackary is a big fan of Where’s Waldo books so I knew he would love this book, that combined some of his favourite activities with one of his favourite book characters. At six-years-old, he was just the right age for this fun-filled book and like almost all kids, he always loves a book that includes stickers! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, Infants and Children, Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways Tagged With: activity, activity book, book, books, christmas, kids book, kids books, present, santa, santa spectacular, spectacular, waldo, waldo book, where's waldo, wheres

Fall Picture Books from Scholastic Make Reading Fun for Everyone

September 23, 2012 by Kathryn

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One of my favourite things about public school is Scholastic book orders. I used to love looking through the flyers when I was a child and now every month Zackary brings home a book order that the two of us can peruse together. I have to admit, I sometimes will even buy a book for myself after choosing books for him!

This fall, Scholastic Canada has some great fun book choices for younger children and I was so excited when we received three of the new fall pictures books from Scholastic to review.

As soon as I saw The Very Hungry Bear, the newest picture book from Nick Bland, I knew we would be reading that one first. My boys love his previous books and so we sat down together to check out the new story. The tale of a hungry bear that went fishing and found a lost polar bear was so much fun and both the boys enjoyed it. And I appreciated the theme the story had of helping those in need, even if it means going without something yourself! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways Tagged With: a gold star for zog, books, children's books, kids books, picture books, scholastic, scholastic book, scholastic canada, very hungry bear, wishes

Say Happy Birthday with a My Very Happy Birthday Book from I See Me Personalized Children’s Books-Giveaway

June 4, 2012 by Kathryn

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I love personalized items and personalized books are probably one of my favourites because they’re such a great way to get my boys involved in the story I’m reading. I’ve featured the gorgeous personalized books from I See Me Personalized Children’s Books on my site before and so when the company contacted me about reviewing their brand new My Very Happy Birthday book for boys or girls, I was thrilled, especially since my oldest son’s sixth birthday is right at the beginning of June! Here’s a brief synopsis of the book:

i see me my very happy birthday cover My Very Happy Birthday is an adorable personalized hardcover book with durable board pages, especially for babies and toddlers. In this delightful story, Duck, Mouse, Turtle, Bluebird and other friends come together to prepare a special birthday party and cake for your child. As an added personal touch, this beautifully illustrated book includes a personalized cover and a printed dedication from the sender. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coupon Code, Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways Tagged With: i see me, kids books, my very happy birthday, personalized, personalized books

Children’s Sing-Along Storybooks by Angela Kelman-Review

January 11, 2011 by Kathryn

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Children are born with a natural love of music, and encouraging that love is one of the best things a parent can do to encourage a child’s creative and intellectual development. Studies have repeatedly shown that exposure to music and participation in musical activities helps to improve cognitive and academic performance. In fact, when a study brought music games into schools to help teach academic skills, it was found that children who were unable to learn in a traditional school setting were able to learn skills set to musical games. As one researcher simply put it, “There’s a reason we sing a song to learn our ABCs.”

But finding creative new music for children isn’t always an easy task. Unless, of course, you’re Angela Kelman. This Manitoba-born singer/songwriter of the award-winning group Farmer’s Daughter knew when she became pregnant that she wanted to pass her love of music on to her son. But instead of merely sticking with the standards, she put her musical experience to work and created an original CD of children’s music guaranteed to get kids moving and grooving. Angela May’s Magnificent Musical Menagerie was incredibly popular among children and adults alike and was even nominated for a Juno award.

With the wonderful response the fun and narrative songs had received, creating a line of children’s books from the lyrics was the next project, and each book includes a CD of the song so that children can read along and sing along! There are currently two books available with a third coming out in the near future, and I was lucky enough to be given the chance to review these wonderful sing-along books for myself.

I received the first two books in the collection, Frank the Cat and Disco Dinosaurs, to review. I opened Frank the Cat first and the first thing I noticed about the book was the bright and busy illustrations. With fun cartoon characters and plenty of detail, the pages were a feast for the eyes and Zackary eagerly insisted I put on the CD right away so that he could listen to the song and follow along with the book.

I put on the CD and sat with Zackary as we flipped through the pages. The story is about a cat that thought he was a dog and his various antics as he imitated a typical dog’s behaviour. The melody is incredibly catchy and the chorus was easy enough to remember that by the end of the song Zackary and I were both singing along!

The CD contains a second track without words so that children can sing along on their own, karaoke-style. Zackary’s a little bit young for that concept yet, but in a year or two when he starts really learning to read, I’m sure the sing-along books will be an incredible teaching tool since by using the second track he will have to read along as he sings.

The book also includes the sheet music for the song so that young musicians can play the tune for themselves. I couldn’t resist sitting down and playing Frank the Cat for my sons, and both of the boys were so impressed by the fact that I could play the same song that was on the CD.

The second book featured the same colourful and child-friendly style of illustrating as the first book had, and after seeing how much Zackary had enjoyed Frank the Cat I couldn’t wait to see what he thought of Disco Dinosaurs.

The melody was very much a disco-style tune, and picking it up to the point where we could sing along took a little longer than it had with the first sing-along book. But there was some repetitive Doo-doo-doo sections that we joined in with as soon as they began, and Zackary loved the way that those portions ended with an energetic “Wooooo!” Both Zackary and Benjamin couldn’t help but get up and dance when we were listening to this song, so I played it a few times until they had danced themselves out and then we sat down again to listen to the song one final time as we followed along in the book.

We have had these books for almost a month now and Zackary still requests them regularly. Sometimes he sits down and flips the pages of the book as he listens and other times he simply jumps around to the song, but there is no question that he loves the Angela Kelman sing-along books and music. He periodically asks questions about certain lines in the songs (“What does ‘Do the Hustle’ mean?” he asked me recently after listening to Disco Dinosaurs for the tenth time.) and often sings the lyrics at random times as he is playing on the floor or when we are out walking.

In fact, I often do the same thing, which means that no matter which one of us starts singing, Zackary and I will often break out into impromptu performances during the day. Yes, the songs are just that catchy! I was very impressed with these fun and fresh sing-along books and I know we will enjoy them for many years to come. The combination of the book and CD means that both preschoolers and older children can enjoy these books, and the rhyme, rhythm and repetition in the music are all proven to be incredibly effective learning tools. But as beneficial as these books are for building literary strength and musical appreciation, the best thing about them is how much fun they are. Children are sure to enjoy both the stories and the songs, and best of all, parents will too! Why not check out these great books and see for yourself how much fun children’s music can be?

Buy It: Angela Kelman’s books can be purchased at www.singalongbooks.ca. And as a special bonus, buy both books and mention Mommy Kat and Kids in the Notes to Merchant and you’ll receive a free copy of the children’s music CD Angela May’s Magnificent Musical Menagerie, a $20 value! Angela will also personally sign the books to the child if the information is included.

Disclaimer: The product/s mentioned above have been provided free of charge by the manufacturer or PR firm for the purposes of this review. Opinions expressed belong to Mommy Kat and Kids and are NOT influenced in any way. Please view full Terms of Use and Policies

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Angela Kelman, book, book review, books, child, children's music, kids books, music, sing-along, singalong, singalong books

Scholastic Picture Books-Review and Giveaway

December 13, 2010 by Kathryn

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Holiday Gift for Book-Loving Children

For many people, there is no better Christmas gift than a good book. My Christmas just doesn’t feel complete unless I have a great new novel among my Christmas presents, and many of my other family members feel the same way. While both of my sons are too young to read on their own just yet, they are already showing signs that they have inherited the love of reading that is such a strong characteristic in my family, and I do everything I can to encourage that love. When Christmas comes around, the encouragement always come in the form of some new children’s books under the tree. Every parent knows that great children’s books are Scholastic Canada’s specialty, and I was lucky enough to be given the chance to review some of the company’s new festive titles for myself.

The wonderful thing about choosing books from Scholastic is that the variety is simply unbeatable. I received some titles from authors I was familiar with and others by writers that were unknown to me. Some books boasted incredible illustrations while others featured engaging plotlines. But all of the books had the child-friendly, fun-loving quality that makes Scholastic books so wonderful.

I really enjoyed the seasonal books I received. A Porcupine in a Pine Tree by Helaine Becker was a patriotic version of the twelve days of Christmas and the boys loved the humorous illustrations and lyrical text, while I was kept entertained by some of the book’s subtle humour. On the final page, for example, all of the characters from the story were scattered throughout the branches of a pine tree. When I noticed that the ten (Toronto Maple) Leafs a-leaping were all desperately grasping for the five Stanley Cups that all seemed to be just out of reach, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

It’s Christmas, David! by David Shannon was another guaranteed child pleaser. Parents and children everywhere are familiar with the insatiable David and his propensity for mischief. Any child will be able to relate to David’s frustration as he desperately tries (and fails) to behave in the days preceding Christmas. Parents will be equally entertained by David’s hapless mischievous antics.

The final seasonal title I received was One Hockey Night by David Ward. This touching tale centred on what most people consider to be Canada’s best loved sport, hockey. But the story also featured themes of loneliness, learning and adjustment that many children can relate to. The story chronicles the adventures of two young children that have moved from Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia, and the kids’ sorrow at losing their friends, their school and, most of all, the frozen lake where they played hockey each winter.

Thankfully, with the help of their new neighbours, the children’s parents decide to create a surprise Christmas gift that will give the children back the game they lost, and introduce them to a host of new friends at the same time. I found this story to be so touching, and I loved the way it illustrated the way that a simple recreational activity can create friendships that last a lifetime.

In addition to the wonderful seasonal titles Scholastic offers, there are also many books that are sure to become year-round favourites. The Queen’s Secret by Frieda Wishinsky was a fun rhyming book that any girl would be sure to love. When a young girl wonders why the queen of her land would need to carry a purse, her mind creates all kinds of fanciful contents for the royal handbag. Imagine her surprise when she gets a chance to see the contents of the bag for herself and learns that she and the queen have more in common than she would have believed! Children will love the surprise ending in this adorable book.

Mad at Mommy by Komako Sakai is a beautifully written story that portrays the frustration young children often feel with their parents, and the love that binds mother and child together no matter what. I could see my son in so many of the whimsical bunny narrator’s complaints, and couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty when I read about the bunny’s frustration with always being asked to hurry up, even though Mommy never does. In the end, though, Mommy’s love for her son and her son’s love for her prove to be unbreakable, no matter how frustrating a mother may be sometimes. Parents and children alike will find themselves relating to this easy-to-read book.

This is Silly! by Gary Taxali is a fun reading book with plenty of rhymes and fun nonsense words to appeal to young children, but it is the illustrations that really make this book unique. With styles that are inspired by Dr. Seuss, E.C. Segar (the creator of Popeye) and 1930s advertising and typography, the beautiful artwork in this book is a feast for the eyes.

Finally, Too Much Stuff! by Robert Munsch explores the challenges of traveling with children in classic Munsch style. Zackary is a huge Robert Munsch fan and he loved the story of the girl that couldn’t stand to be parted from her dolls and bears on vacation. The way that the toys end up bringing happiness to other children is just heart-warming, and the reward the young girl receives for her generosity will have any child eager to share their toys with friends!

Scholastic books make a great gift for children from preschool to high school, and the quality and popularity of every book the company carries is what has made them a household name for so many years. With their incredible selection, any parent will be able to find a book that was meant for their child. Our society depends so strongly on reading that encouraging that love in your child is one of the most beneficial things you can do to ensure future success both in school and in life. Show your child how much fun reading can be and pick up a great new book from Scholastic for you and your child to enjoy together!

Buy It: To purchase any of the great picture books from Scholastic Canada, check your local bookstore or

Win It: One lucky reader will receive their own copy of It’s Christmas, David! and A Porcupine In a Pine Tree from Scholastic Canada

To Enter (mandatory): Visit Scholastic Canada and tell me about another book that you would like to have

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Giveaway ends 11:59 pm CST on January 7, 2011. Open to Canada Only