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Believe What They Say - OxiClean MaxForce

Friday, July 29th, 2011

It’s funny to think with my background in advertising that I’m so skeptical about advertising claims. Maybe it’s because of this background that I look at things differently, dissecting and judging a product before I buy it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge consumer; I just hesitate when a brand tells me they are the ‘bees knees’ when it comes to solving whatever problem I’m shopping for. oxiclean_maxforce So when I had a chance to meet the folks at Church & Dwight and I heard the stories about how fantastic their OxiClean MaxForce laundry products were, I was a little skeptical. Okay, a lot skeptical.

Thankfully one of my cats obliged with a test by getting sick all over my just washed white duvet cover. If you have cats you know this can be a messy and stain-ridden problem. And of course to make matters worse I didn’t notice the stain until late in the evening, meaning the stain had plenty of time to soak in. Nice.

But hey, I had a sample of OxiClean MaxForce, the spray bottle, to try. What harm could it do. Worst case, it wouldn’t do anything or just discolour the duvet cover. Best case, the stain would be faded, somewhat washed out. So you can imagine my surprise when I pulled the duvet out and didn’t notice the stain at all. Nothing. Not even a faint outline of where the dreaded sick had spread to. I flipped the duvet over and inside out thinking I missed it. Completely gone.

To say the least I was completely surprised. I know many companies, especially laundry manufacturers, make fantastic claims about keeping ‘whites white’ and getting stains out without much bother but the OxiClean MaxForce really worked.

And yes, the folks at Church & Dwight did give me the sample of OxiClean MaxForce but not to review. They didn’t even know I had tried it. So if this sounds like a paid endorsement, it’s not and I apologize but I just had to toss it out there that the OxiClean MaxForce spray stain remover actually lived up to it’s promise, at least where cat sick is concerned. Imagine the test stains my kids will come up with.

Tags: product review
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Write a Review Wednesday: Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

Welcome to another Write a Review Wednesday, a meme started by Tara Lazar as a way to show support to authors of kids literature. Last week we reviewed DK Readers: Star Wars series. This week we go a little older, reviewing Simon and Schuster‘s Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze (age 9-13), written and illustrated by Alan Silbergerg. I have to thank Katie at Simon and Schuster Canada for my review copy.

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MIlo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze deals with a 13-year-old boy’s struggle to come to terms with the loss of his mother. Ever since Milo Cruikshank’s mother died nothing has gone right. Now, instead of the kitchen being full of music, his whole house has been filled with Fog. Nothing’s the same. Not his Dad. Not his sister. And definitely not him. In love with the girl he sneezed on the first day of school and best pals with Marshall, the “One Eyed Jack” of friends, Milo copes with being the new kid (again) as he struggles to survive a school year that is filled with reminders of what his life “used to be.” [synopsis from Simon and Schuster Canada]

Although life as a teenager is in my distant past, the awkward moments, feelings of trying to fit in and school crushes are memories that still float around in my head, more so now that my oldest gets closer to that preteen age. Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze does a great job illustrating these awkward moments, probably more so for me since I was one of those awkward kids growing up. The issue of Milo’s mother’s death is subtle at the beginning of the story, only alluded to. At first I thought it was just a bit of background information. As the story progresses, as Milo develops stronger friendship ties and becomes more comfortable with himself, he reveals to us (and his friends) how his mother’s death really has impacted him. He develops enough courage to try to bring her back into his life, his family’s life, even though he fears his dad’s reaction.

Throughout the pages Alan Silverberg adds cartoon-like illustrations; illustrations that Milo makes to express how he feels, thoughts going through his head, or moments witnessed. They remind me a lot like doodles you would do in the margins of your school book. The images help to illustrate a thought, like Milo explaining how his dad is different in front of people, wearing his Dad costume. They also add a slice of humour to the story and give you a sense that you’re reading Milo’s personal thoughts, like a diary.

Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze will have you nodding your head in understanding, laughing and cringing at those awkward teen moments and crying as Milo opens his heart to mourn and love his mother. Even with the main character being a boy, pre-teen girls can still relate to Milo’s feelings and experiences; I don’t think they’re boy specific. Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze is a great story about friendship, fitting in and coming to terms with your inner self. Take a peek at the book trailer below:

To add a copy of Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze to your personal collection or to give as a gift to a preteen you know (or even a school classroom), visit your local bookstore or Simon and Schuster Canada. For other great book recommendations for kids, read through the past Write a Review Wednesday posts. What books are you enjoying with your kids?

Filed under: age 8-12, books, review, Write a Review Wednesday Tagged: books about death, Children's book review, coming of age books, raising school kids, Simon and Schuster, Write a Review Wednesday

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Story Buddy iPad App from Hallmark

Saturday, May 7th, 2011

If you have kids no doubt books are a part of your daily life. In our house we read books individually and as a family and no bedtime routine is complete without a story. I even review children’s literature once a week through my Write a Review Wednesday posts on my personal blog (also syndicated on EverythingMom).

Actual books are great for their size and physical feel (turning pages, lifting flaps) hallmark_interactive_storybook_ipad_app but technology can add a new experience around reading and kids. Hallmark’s Interactive Story Buddy is a lap-sized stuffed animal your kids will instantly befriend. What makes the Interactive Story Buddy extra special is his ability to interact with the story you’re reading or rather the Hallmark Interactive Storybook (either the hard copy or the iPad app). The first book comes free with your Story Buddy purchase. We received Watson the Raccoon but you can also purchase Cooper the Bear. The other nice thing about the Story Buddy is that his responses when you read the book. This makes for an ever-changing experience each time your child listens or reads the story.

You can find book 1: Watson and the Case of the Sneaky Stealer as a free download in the app store. The iPad app lets your child enjoy the story being read to her and her Story Buddy will interact with key lines being read in the story. My daughter enjoyed loved hearing Watson the Raccoon interacting along with the story she was listening too; like a friend commenting during story time together. The pages have subtle animations like rain falling or or leaves blowing to add some movement during the story and you control when to move to the next page so you’re child can take it all in at their pace.

Along with hearing the story with the default narrator, there is the option to have someone else record the audio, like dad or grandma or mom. This is a nice touch for the child to hear a story from someone who may not be around all the time. You record the story right in the app, page by page. In the settings you can choose which audio to play when your child listens to the story. This means one story can have multiple readers. Watson the Raccoon also reacts to the recorded audio but make sure the Story Buddy isn’t around when you are recording or you’ll get his reaction added recorded also. And be sure to speak loudly when recording so the Story Buddy will be able to hear the key words and react when it’s being played.

Unlike the book form, the interactive storybook also included some games: an easy 9-piece puzzle based on various pictures from the story and a search-and-find puzzle based on comparing two illustrations from the story. Just another fun way to interact with the story.

The app is only available for the iPad but that size is ideal for little fingers and it presents a nice story space too. You can also get the iPad app for Hallmark’s Cooper the Bear Story Buddy and their Christmas themed Jingle Story Buddy. hallmark_interactive_storybook_storybuddy

When you purchase your Story Buddy, you do get the book 1 for that particular Story Buddy for free plus you can buy additional Interactive Storybooks to be read with your Story Buddy too.

I love when technology merges and converges to give you and your family an experience based on your needs. We love looking at the hard cover version of Watson and the Case of the Sneaky Stealer but the interactivity of the iPad version, such as the ability for my daughter to listen to the story on her own or to have different family members record the story for her enjoyment, is a great advantage too. And all items work with her Story Buddy. right now you can only get the original Interactive Storybook as an app. Perhaps down the road they will give you the option of buying additional books in app form.

I want to thank the folks at Hallmark for sending the Interactive Storybook and Story Buddy to us to try. We stumbled upon the iPad version and thought it was worth sharing.

Tags: family and technology, iPad apps
Posted in age 4-7, bedtime routine, books, fun stuff, learning to read, picture books, raising kids, review, those darn kids | No Comments »

Write a Review Wednesday: Star Wars DK Readers

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

Welcome to another Write a Review Wednesday, a meme started by Tara Lazar as a way to show support to authors of kids literature. Last week we reviewed Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors. This week we’re participating in DK Canada‘s May the 4th be with You event, supporting reading in Canada thanks to Star Wars. We reviewed Star Wars The Clone Wars: Pirates…and Worse! (age 5-7), part of the DK Readers series. I have to thank Chris at DK Canada for my review copy.

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Get eye-to-eye with the bad guys including Nuvo Vindi and the Separatist leaders, buddy up with jedi and droids as well as extraordinary creatures like the Gutkurrs and Blurrgs, and meet the terrifying pirates Hondo Ohnaka and Turk Falso in Star Wars: The Clone Wars Reader: Pirates…and Worse!!

My 6-year old son is a beginning reader. He loves books and loves hearing stories read to him, but finding a story that interests him enough to practice reading on his own can be a bit of a challenge. There are a lot of leveled reading books out there but he doesn’t have much interest in reading about bunnies or Dora or digging in the dirt so when I was introduced to the DK Readers Star Wars series, I thought these would be ideal for my son. And I was right. He loved the four books we were sent: Watch Out for Jabba the Hutt and Pirates…And Worse! (both level 1); Stand Aside – Bounty Hunters and Boba Fett: Jedi Hunter (both level 2).

It’s amazing just how different leveled readers are from publisher to publisher. Level 1 in the DK Readers series is designed for those beginning to read. Unlike other beginning readers that have 1 sentence on a page, the DK Readers actually consisted of two or three sentences which I preferred as a parent. Most of the vocabulary is understandable but I did have to help my son with a few words. Many of the words are repeated in the story, helping to reinforce vocabulary. The hardest words I found were character names; some my son knew, others we guessed. My son actually enjoyed reading these books and I even found him reading one of the level 1 books to both his dad and little sister; that’s a good sign.

The level 2 books we looked at not only had more sentences per page but the sentences themselves were a little more complex in grammar: He blows things up, and, above all else, he enjoys a good fight. There were also call-outs throughout the story, providing tidbits of Star Wars info; my son loved these elements. In both the level 1 and 2 books we reviewed, my son loved that the topics were on the bad guys; reading about bounty hunters and pirates versus the good guys. The illustrations used are the same as in the animated series, The Clone Wars, drawing a closer connection to the series my son is already familiar with . The only problem I have with this is that many of the illustrations are very dark but this didn’t seem to be an issue with my son.

If you have a child in your family that’s into Star Wars, you’ll love the May the 4th be with You contest DK Canada is running this month. Simply submit a photo of your chid or family reading a Star Wars book and you could win a complete DK Star Wars collection and a Canadian school or library of their choice will receive a complete DK READERS Star Wars set. Plus, for every photo submitted, DK Publishing will donate a “toonie” to Frontier College, Canada’s original literacy organization. For more information visit their site: cn.dk.com/starwars

If you have a Lego Star Wars fan in your home, you might be interested in the review I wrote over at Best Tools for Schools blog: Lego Star Wars: A Visual Dictionary also from DK Canada.

To add a copy of DK Readers: Star War Series to your own personal library, visit your nearest bookstore or DK Canada. For other great books for kids, read through the past Write a Review Wednesday posts. What books are you enjoying with your kids?

Filed under: age 4-7, age 8-12, books, holidays, nature, review, seasons, Write a Review Wednesday Tagged: books about animals, Children's book review, holiday books, Spring books, Sterling Publishing, Write a Review Wednesday

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Write a Review Wednesday: Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

Welcome to another Write a Review Wednesday, a meme started by Tara Lazar as a way to show support to authors of kids literature. Last week we reviewed Dream Big Little Pig. This week, with Easter on our doorstep, I thought an appropriate book would be Sterling Publishing‘s Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors (age 4-6) written and illustrated by Lisa McCue. I have to thank Katie at Sterling Publishing for my review copy.

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It’s springtime in the forest and Quiet Bunny loves all the colours. But looking at his own brown and white fur, Quiet Bunny feels more like a winter bunny. He wishes he was a spring colour instead. Then Quiet Bunny got an idea. Using elements from the forest he would change his colour: some honey and dandelion flowers and he’s yellow, some juice from a patch of blueberries and he’s blue. Quiet Bunny transforms himself into a variety of colours until they all are washed away and he’s left with his white and brown fur again. Its the words from a wise owl that remind Quiet Bunny that it’s all of the different colours in the forest, including Quiet Bunny’s brown and white fur, that makes the forest so beautiful in spring. ‘ We are all different colors, and we are all beautiful.’

Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors is a wonderful book for kids on so many different levels. Stories about bunnies make a nice idea for Easter but Quiet Bunny’s story extends past just the holiday season and into spring as a whole. Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors is a great way to reinforce colours with kids too. Each spread in the book talks about a different colour with illustrations emphasising the colour being talked about. With spring here or approaching soon, you’ll be seeing some of these colours outside yourself. Quiet Bunny is a great way to extend the conversation around spring colours that you and your child might see while out for a walk. Quiet Bunny’ Many Colors as has the subtle message about enjoying the beauty around you but also appreciating the beauty that you, yourself offer. A child may like their sister’s straight hair instead of their own curly hair or that their friend doesn’t wear glasses but they do. Quiet Bunny is a nice way to address the beautiful differences in the world without getting too preachy.

To add a copy of Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors to your own personal library, visit your nearest bookstore or Sterling Publishing. For other great books for kids, read through the past Write a Review Wednesday posts. What books are you enjoying with your kids?

Filed under: age 4-7, books, holidays, nature, review, seasons, Write a Review Wednesday Tagged: books about animals, Children's book review, holiday books, Spring books, Sterling Publishing, Write a Review Wednesday

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Write a Review Wednesday: Dream Big Little Pig

Thursday, April 7th, 2011

Welcome to another Write a Review Wednesday, a meme started by Tara Lazar as a way to show support to authors of kids literature. Last week we reviewed Banjo of Destiny. This week we read Sourcebooks‘ Dream Big Little Pig (age 4-8), written by Kristi Yamaguchi and illustrated by Tim Bowers. I have to thank Crystal at Raincoast Books for my review copy.

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Poppy is a pig who dreamed big. From a posh prima ballerina to a big-time splashy super model, Poppy had big dreams about what she wanted to be when she grew up. Even when she discovered she didn’t have a talent for singing on-key or that she wasn’t very graceful, Poppy always remembered the encouraging words from her family and kept trying. She kept trying new things that interested her until she discovered skating. Like her other career endeavours, she wasn’t very good at skating either but the more she tried the better she got; the better she got the more she liked it.

Kids are full of big dreams and I think that’s something that should be encouraged, even when things don’t turn out as planned. In Dream Big Little Pig, Poppy has great aspirations for her life and she takes a few risks following her dreams. Yes she’s disappointed when things don’t turn out but the encouraging words she remembers from her family and friends always keep her trying something new. Dream Big Little Pig gives kids a great example of having dreams and taking chances and sometimes failing and sometimes succeeding but always trying. It’s also a reminder to us as parents that our words, though we may think they aren’t being listened to, are being absorbed and referenced when the time is needed. Words of encouragement may be the difference from giving up to trying again or trying something new.

I like how near the end of Dream Big Little Pig, Poppy seems to have found her gift and made her dream come true, yet that doesn’t stop her from having new dreams and aspirations. That’s probably a lesson for some of us adults.

Kristi Yamaguchi,figure skating superstar, believes in and lives by the motto ‘Always Dream. This is seen in her Always Dream Foundation, founded in 1996, designed to support organizations that have a positive influence on children. The inspiration behind Dream Big LIttle Pig is to instill this motto and belief to ,always dream, in the hearts of children.

To add a copy of Dream Big Little Pig to your own library, visit your local bookstore or Raincoast Books. For other great book recommendations for kids, read through the past Write a Review Wednesday posts. What are you kids reading?

Filed under: age 4-7, books, children, lessons, review, the future, Write a Review Wednesday Tagged: lessons learned, Raincoast Books, raising girls, raising kids, Write a Review Wednesday

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The Wild World of Tim Burton - The TIFF Exhibition

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

This past weekend I took my daughter to the TIFF Lightbox to see the Tim Burton exhibit. The exhibit has actually been running since the end of November 2010 so I’m kind of late getting to it. Ever since it opened it was one of those things I’ve been meaning to do but just never got around to it. Then I received a Groupon notice about tickets on sale and didn’t hesitate. tim_burton_exhibit_tiff_5

I decided to take my 8-year old daughter in celebration of her impending 9th birthday in a few weeks. I’ve been a Tim Burton fan for a while and we’ve exposed our kids to a lot of his movie work, like Vincent and Corpse Bride and my ultimate favourite, The Nightmare Before Christmas. I love that movie so much that my husband surprised me with a trip on my birthday to Disneyland to see the Nightmare Before Christmas Haunted Mansion revamp (a must see attraction).

The exhibit will be at the TIFF Lightbox until April 17 but the free family exhibits with a Burton-esque theme ended this weekend and I really wanted to see that too. The nice thing about Groupon is that I could go right to the shorter Will Call line to pick-up my tickets. The not so nice thing about Groupon was I couldn’t pre-order my tickets. Since the gallery for the exhibit is small, the tickets were issues in half-hour time slots. When we arrived at 12:30 the earliest slot we could get was 2 p.m. And once you have your tickets you weren’t allowed to leave the building (which was sort of crazy).

In this situation it wasn’t a bad thing since my daughter and I wanted to checkout the family activities they had planned in the studios on the third floor. One room had a green screen, where kids could put themselves into scenes from some of their favourite movies, like Coraline and Nightmare Before Christmas. Another room gave kids (and adults) a chance to create their own Tim Burton themed creatures using plaster-cine and other craft items. With creatures created, you could take them into the third studio and sit in a booth (there were about 15) and create your own stop-motion animation using your new creature. You can see some of the clips people made as part of the various drop-ins during the Tim Burton exhibit.

My daughter and I decided to make our own creatures. It was great fun, even for me, to get back into creating something with plaster-cine. And I wasn’t the only adult doing it. My daughter would have loved to do her own stop animation but we ran out of time so we’re going to make our own at home.

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Finally off to the show. The room is quite small though it says it can hold up to 300 people. The staff at the TIFF Lightbox did a great job monitoring the number of people going in and out; it never really felt crowded except at the entrance which is also the exit. I think my daughter and I did the exhibit backwards but it worked just as well tracing Tim Burton’s roots back from his blockbuster films to his earlier art. The exhibit contained finish work and sketches as well as hand written notes and some models used in his films. I was surprised the only real video show was that of Vincent (which is a great short film if you haven’t seen it). My daughter loved the sketches but I loved the notes. Reading Tim Burton’s thoughts on the Edward Scissorhands character and his thoughts on the storyline for Beetlejuice. It really was a great show and I’m glad I was able to catch it before it left. The exhibit is recommended for kids 8 and up and I think my daughter would agree with this. Tim Burton’s wild imagination and creature creations can be a little scary to little ones. Even my daughter didn’t like the severed heads from Mars Attack.

There’s still time to see the exhibit. The Tim Burton exhibition will be at the TIFF Lightbox until April 17. For more information on the exhibition visit http://tiff.net/timburton/exhibition.

Posted in arts and crafts, children, crafts and hobbies, fun stuff, imagination, movies, oldest daughter, playing on the weekend, review | No Comments »

Write a Review Wednesday: Banjo of Destiny

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Welcome to another Write a Review Wednesday, a meme started by Tara Lazar as a way to show support to authors of kids literature. Last week we reviewed Me and Rolly Maloo. This week I look at Groundwood Books’ Banjo of Destiny (age 10-12), written by Cary Fagan. I have to thank Trisha at Groundwood Books for my review copy.

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Jeremiah Birnbaum is stinking rich. He lives in a house with nine bathrooms, a games room, an exercise room, an indoor pool, a hot tub, a movie theater, a bowling alley and a tennis court. His parents, a former hotdog vendor and window cleaner who made it big in dental floss, make sure Jeremiah goes to the very best private school, and that he takes lessons in all the things he will need to know how to do as an accomplished and impressive young man. Etiquette lessons, ballroom dancing, watercolor painting. And, of course, classical piano.

Jeremiah complies, because he wants to please his parents. But one day, by chance, he hears the captivating strains of a different kind of music — the strums, plucks and rhythms of a banjo. It’s music that stirs something in Jeremiah’s dutiful little soul, and he is suddenly obsessed. And when his parents forbid him to play one, he decides to learn anyway — even if he has to make the instrument himself.

I’ll admit, I was personally drawn to Banjo of Destiny because of my love of the ukulele. I realize they’re not the same instrument but they are viewed in the same way: strange, uncommon, lowbrow. But like Jeremiah, I was drawn to its sound.

You may think a book about a boy playing the banjo wouldn’t be that appealing to kids, but Banjo of Destiny is more than that. It deals with growing-up and finding your own voice. Jeremiah has let his parents have control over all his life: where he goes to school, what he wears, the classes he takes, even the music he listens too. But when the sound of the banjo strikes a chord with him (no pun intended), he doesn’t let his parents’ desires get in the way.

When his parents won’t let him learn the banjo, he decides to do it in secret, even going as far as building one in shop class to ensure he doesn’t break his parents’ rule about spending any money on the instrument. Jeremiah’s best friend Luella, who isn’t rich and has a wilder, more relaxed view on life, encourages his desire. Knowing how much playing the banjo means to Jeremiah, Luella even pushes him to let his parents know, to stop keeping it a secret.

Banjo of Destiny is a great story for kids about finding your passion and pursuing it, not letting others deter you. It’s also a wonderful story about friendship. I love Cary Fagan‘s writing too (Thing-Thing from Tundra Books is still one of my favourite pictures books to date).

To add a copy of Banjo of Destiny to your personal library, visit your local bookstore or Groundwood Books. For other great book ideas for kids, reach through the previous Write a Review Wednesday posts. What books are your kids enjoying?

Filed under: age 8-12, books, just me, memories, review, Uncategorized, Write a Review Wednesday Tagged: books about music, Groundwood Books, Write a Review Wednesday

Posted in Groundwood Books, Uncategorized, Write a Review Wednesday, age 8-12, books, books about music, just me, memories, review | No Comments »

Bear Paws and Toasty: Food for Thought

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Like most moms I want to give my kids the best I can, from great books to travel experiences to freedom to do nothing. Food of course also falls within this desire. Although I’m not the best cook, actually I’m not really a cook at all, I have been trying to make a better effort to make things fresh. I recently tried making Jamie Oliver’s minestrone soup recipe found within his iPhone app and it turned out pretty good. But making that soup took time and when the kids get home, need help with their homework and have to eat before heading out for their lessons that night, I need to be able to make something quick.

I was sent some samples of Tillman’s new Toasty products ($8.99-$9.99 Cdn for package of 8). The best way I can describe them is like a meat-like Pop-tart (though there is a vegetable variety along with pork and chicken). tillman_toasty_salad I’m not a fan of Pop-tarts or any of those toaster treats. I don’t buy them; we don’t eat them. But one night in a hurry I pulled a few chicken and pork ones and popped them in the toaster, sliced them up and tossed them on a salad.

It actually turned out pretty good. My kids will eat salad but it’s usually a side not a main dish. With the Toasty strips on they gobbled it up. The sodium level for one Toasty is kind of high (300 mg) so I wouldn’t eat these often but it did help in a pinch. You can visit tillmanstoasty.ca for more information on the product.

That same week I also received a sample of Bear Paws Crunchy Crackers ($2.49 Cdn) from Dare. If you have a kid in school or going to summer camp, you’re probably familiar with Bear Paws. bear_paws_crunchie_crackers_review We would see them often at camps as a peanut free treat or snack. My kids were never a fan of Bear Paws but we do eat crackers (it must be my bread weakness they’ve inherited). It’s getting harder and harder to find peanut-free snacks to send to school. Again, yes, I could probably find recipes of lots of ideas but being the cook I am (or lack of one actually), I still need other ideas, ones I can buy. I liked to send my kids to school with some variety too, like crackers and fruit, banana bread with cream cheese. Crackers are easy add-ons.

My kids were a little skeptical about the Bear Paws crackers, thinking they would just be a mini version of the original Bear Paws, but they tried them and loved them (though to be honest it would be hard to find a cracker they didn’t love). They come in Cheddar Cheese (my kids’ favourite flavour), Vegetable and Original. I like that they’re nice and puffy but not hollow-puffy; they’re not flat like other crackers. Silly thing to like I’m sure but it stands out to me. And knowing they’re made in a peanut-free facility is a nice bonus. You can find out more about Dare’s Bear Paws Crunchy Crackers by visiting darefoods.com.

Tags: fast food, food and kids
Posted in food, raising kids, review | No Comments »

Picture It Picture Books – Illustrated by Your Child

Sunday, March 27th, 2011

Books are big in our house as I’m sure you can guess from the Write a Review Wednesday posts every week. I love how books encourage learning, discovery and imagination. So when the folks at Mom Central Canada told me about Picture It Picture Books, I was interested to see these first hand how these would work.

The concept behind Picture It Picture Books is to tap into your child’s creative imagination. The stories are already written and your child adds the illustrations, sharing their interpretation of the story being told. There are currently 6 different titles available and the subject matter varies depending on your child’s interest. For younger kids there’s My Alphabet where kids illustrate something for each letter, something that might be more personal to them.

For older kids (and by older I mean maybe six or seven), there’s Captain Zane or The Moon Story. These are closer to stories to actual stories you might read and your child adds the illustrations.

The sample we were sent was Imagining Me, a story about your child. This isn’t really a story but rather a collection of pages about your child’s interests: their job when they grow-up, a wacky hairdo, playing with their best friend. I thought the Picture It Picture Books would be appealing to my 8-year old who has a current fascination with illustrating her own stories, but the sample didn’t appeal to her at all. She has a few books like this, books that she can customize based on her preferences and she had no interest in doing another one. This wouldn’t be one of the books I would have chosen either. For a book about your child, some of the pages are very specific and are of topics kids might have no interest in.

My 6-year old decided he liked a few of the pages, like developing a vehicle or designing a new toy (as his job) but that was the extent of his interest. I would love to see one of the more story oriented books to see if there would be more interest; the kids would actually be illustrating pictures of a story versus more of a workbook type activity (like the alphabet or Imagining Me).

The finished books do make great keepsakes for your kids as they grow-up or maybe even something to give to grandma (a story to read together when visiting and something grandma can enjoy because of the personal illustrations).