picture book

Father’s Day Books for Dads and their Kids from Scholastic Canada

June 13, 2014 by Kathryn 22 Comments

Father’s Day is this weekend and Scholastic Canada is celebrating with some great books that illustrate that special bond between a dad and his kids. I received a few of Scholastic Canada’s newest books featuring dear old dad to review and they are a great choice for little ones this Father’s Day!

Mighty Dads by Joan Holub is a great choice for boys since it features loveable construction vehicle characters. Illustrated by James Dean, the creator of Pete the Cat, this book’s inspirational story about the ways fathers share life lessons with their children is sure to make Dad smile. And kids will love the message that no matter where their talents lie, their dads are proud of them! [Read more…]

McDonald’s Happy Meals Encourage Reading with Fun New Books-Giveaway

November 8, 2013 by Kathryn 120 Comments

Almost every child gets excited about a McDonald’s Canada Happy Meal, and between now and November 14, 2013, you can get excited about Happy Meals too, because each one now comes with one of four charming children’s books! As a huge literacy advocate, I was so excited about this new program and my boys, both of whom love reading, were just as delighted.

I received all four of the books to review along with a few McDonald’s goodies. I liked the fact that the books had positive messages about eating healthy or exploring the world, while still being lots of fun. Doddi the Dodo Goes to Orlando was my personal favourite. The story of a Dodo that gets lost on the yearly migration to Orlando and ends up touring the world was fun, fresh and had a clever ending. Plus it helped get my boys asking questions about other countries! [Read more…]

Inspire a Love of Reading with Unique Books and Toys from Barefoot Books-Giveaway

October 17, 2013 by Kathryn 66 Comments

I am an avid reader and one of my goals as a parent is to ensure that my boys develop the same love of reading that I have. That’s why finding engaging and age-appropriate books is something that I am passionate about. Recently, Jen Mills of Barefoot Books contacted me and gave me the chance to review a few of the company’s colourful and educational children’s books. I had never heard of the brand before and I was so excited to have the chance to find new books for my boys to enjoy.

I received The Feathered Ogre and The Barefoot Book of Pirates to review. Zackary has recently reached the point of being able to read chapter books by himself and I loved that Barefoot Books had age-appropriate chapter books for children to help promote independent reading. But what really makes these books so special is the fact that they’re inspired by stories from around the world to give children an introduction to different cultures as well as providing engaging tales to enjoy.

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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 83 Comments

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…]