Archive for September, 2011

Eric Carle certaintly needs no introduction to parents. He has spent his career creating one of the most colorful and appealing collections of books for young children. This week he adds an inspiring and unique new title. The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse tells the story of an artist who freely paints the world with unique eye - elephants are orange, polar bears black, and crocodiles a dramatic red. It is inspired by the work of the renowned Expressionist painter Franz Marc, who famously used abstract blue horses in his paintings.

Eric Carle will be signing copies of The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse in the New York City area on Saturday, October 1st at 11:00am-12:30pm at Books, Bytes and Beyond (ticketed signing) and Monday, October 3rd at 6pm - Barnes & Noble, Union Square.

Watch a video with Eric Carle discussing the book.

Available at Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers

Despite the decades that have passed since the making of Rankin-Bass Christmas classics like Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, no one has made anything better. And The Happy Elf, a 2005 effort from the Rankin-Bass team, doesn’t surpass the originals either.

Nonetheless, The Happy Elf is a nice, gentle way to while away 45 minutes, particularly if your child(ren) are itching for a taste of Christmas. The plot concerns a maniacally cheerful elf named Eubie, who’s convinced he can make the residents of Bluesville more cheerful if they’d just borrow a little of his Christmas cheer. Whatever. The voices, featuring faves like The Daily Show’s Lewis Black, Harry Connick, Jr., and Carol Kane, won’t get on your nerves, and there’s nothing scary or alarming to worry about. It’s gentle, non-threatening, funny enough, and you can get dinner on the table while the kids are watching. What else do you need?

The Happy Elf is available on DVD and Netflix Streaming.

Highlights from the boards for the week of Sept 22nd – Sept 28th:

Most Kids are Being Raised by… (34 Replies)
Okay, I saw these stats - roughly 6% of kids in the U.S. are raised by nannies..24% by a parent and 23% by another relative. The rest in day care. This is not my experience but I know that my little universe is not the norm.

Children Calling Adults by First Names… (59 Replies)
Do your dc’s call adults by their first or last names? Just moved from NY to CA and am surprised that nearly all the kids use first names. Feels a little weird.

C-Section Better and Gives More Control… (109 Replies)
I prefer C-Section to vaginal birth. Because I’m terrified with the idea of vaginal birth and believe a scheduled c-section is more controlled and reduces the risks of many things that can go wrong with a vaginal birth. If instead of nurses, DRs would be monitoring labors, from start to finish, then I would be comfortable with vaginal delivery. Is it just me thinking like this?

Good Reasons for Leaving NYC with Kids… (66 Replies)
Here is my spin on why I think we should move out of NYC. With both me and my husband working FT, we are too dead exhausted to really enjoy what Manhattan has to offer our children. Plus, I feel like we get horrible treatment in basic places because of density / supply and demand- I’m talking about things like pediatricians offices, supermarkets, parking garages, public transportation (well, crowded subways), school admissions (both public and private), waitstaff/hosts - unless you are connected, etc. etc. Sometimes I just want to be treated humanely walking down the street after a long day at work.

Miscellany

Little One with Night Terrors (26 Replies)

Should My Son be Youngest or Oldest in Class (37 Replies)

Parents All Have Favorite Kids (28 Replies)

Phooey on your Missoni for Target, which was raided by scalpers before shoppers ever got a chance at the goods. IKEA, which everyone knows has cool textiles and decorative objects for kids, has quietly rolled out its own designer lines, featuring work by such cool artists as Sirpa Cowell and Eva Lundgreen (you know their patterns, even if you don’t know the names).

The Torva line, featuring the groovy line art work of illustrator Charlotte Ramel, is the best IKEA collaboration yet. Ramel, best known for her The Cake Book, has a whimsical sensibility and a love of classic-fairytale composition and Mother Goose-ian colors. Thus her textiles, bed linens, and plush toys feature smiling carrots, thoughtful broccoli, pears picking other pears off a tree, on white backgrounds that look every bit like the pages of a book.

Pictured: Torva Tradgard fabric, $8 a yard; other Torva items, $5-35

Even kids who didn’t grow up with old-school robots like Robby the Robot and TOBOR won’t be able to keep their hands off the Wild Creations line of Retro Robots. These faithful reproductions of toys popular in the 50s and early 60s are just plain cool to touch. Tinny, heavy, and real, they work by means of knobs to pull and clockwork to wind rather than AAA batteries.

There are four robot toys in the line; my favorite is Mr. Machine, a golden oldie from 1960. Turn the big key in the top-hatted man’s back and he walks with swinging arms, ringing the bell on his chest, gears churning furiously (and beautifully) inside Mr. Machine’s clear plastic chassis. Bobby Draper from Mad Men might have unwrapped one of these on Christmas morning of 1960; and Don might have tripped on it on the steps a few months later.

Mr. Machine, $50

Fall is here. Family life trods along steadily to the pace of school, activities, and homework. If Mom is also inspired to learn this time of year, there are plenty of great choices just hitting the shelves:

Mom Energy: A Simple Plan to Live Fully Charged by Ashley Koff R.D. and Kathy Kaehler

Available at Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers

Welcome to Your Child’s Brain: How the Mind Grows from Conception to College by Sam Wang and Sandra Aamodt

Available at Amazon.com and Indepedent Booksellers

When Parents Text: So Much Said…So Little Understood by Sophia Fraioli and Lauren Kaelin

Available at Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers

Highlights from the boards for the week of Sept 15th – Sept 21st:

Why Implicitly Trust OBs?… (145 Replies)
Why do you implicitly trust OBs so much when OBs are surgeons that are trained in surgery first and normal birth second? I want a surgeon if something goes wrong, but if nothing goes wrong I do not want a surgeon, I want a trained professional who will assist me in labor and delivery. I am not trying to start a flame war. I just want to understand the logic behind the mistrust of midwives and the trust in doctors for normal uncomplicated birth.

My Unathletic 8 yo Notices His Lack of Skill… (21 Replies)
DS is very unathletic though he says he likes to play sports. problem is that he has started to notice he’s much less skilled than his friends. Anyone btdt? DH thinks we should get him a few one-on-one lessons so he won’t feel such a difference. Need advice.

Intimidated by Put-Together Moms… (16 Replies)
I am intimidated by fancy, skinny, put-together moms - working or not. I feel like I can’t compete. This whole school thing is scaring me. DH comes from money - but we aren’t anywhere near where he was when he was growing up, financially - and he is not phased whatsoever by the school app process.

School Journaling Too Personal… (28 Replies)
My 8 year old child’s English teacher is asking his class to keep a journal that poses very personal questions for my child to answer each day. Each day, it has gotten more personal, and today he was told to discuss a time when he was angry at his parents and give details. Each day, the kids have been asked to talk about negative experiences (talk about when you were embarrassed, talk about when you got in trouble). DH and I were not raised in the U.S. so we don’t know if this is a normal project for DCs this age. His teacher said students don’t have to show it to anyone but their teacher. DS has been left in an upset mood after writing these entries. What would you do?

NYC Kids Mean and Superior… (101 Replies)
Just because a kid looks you in the eye, shakes hand to say hello and picks up his toys at clean up time doesn’t make him a well behaved kid. I have seen many NYC kids having these good, basic manners and on the contrary being mean; tongue-in-cheek comments; having airs of superiority and a loss of innocence. Who is to blame?

Miscellany

No Organic Apple Orchards in NYC? (73 Replies)

Would You Leave DB with Babysitter at Nice Resort? (17 Replies)

What Can I Do to Gain DD’s Trust Back? (12 Replies)

Have you ever seen one of those backpack carriers meant to be taken on hiking trails? They’re the size of a lawn chair, they’re as heavy as a brick, and they’re super awkward to carry around. Plus, I happen to know a kid who got a broken leg from his dad setting the backpack down, which is downright creepy.

That’s why the Piggyback Rider caught my eye. This simple contraption looks more like a fanny pack than a carrier: when rolled up, it’s about the size of a beach towel. But once unrolled and strapped into place, the Piggyback Rider has a secure bar for kids to put their feet, and two straps to hold onto. And now we’ll ride Daddy into the forest!

The Piggyback obviously is only suitable for slightly older kids, old enough to balance and hang on, since they’re not really strapped in. They have to stay awake in there; they can’t nod off. But little climbing monkeys will go absolutely crazy over being allowed to climb up on their parents’ heads and walk around.

Piggyback Rider, $80

Neither kids nor parents in the States are very familiar with Princess Lillifee, but with the Lilliee movie on Netflix Streaming, that might change. Princess Lillifee was originally a stuffed doll created by Monika Finsterbusch, a German designer who turned her hand to toy-making in 1999. Her best-known doll, Lillifee, turned out to be so popular that there came to be a series of books about her. And then, in 2009, this full-length animated feature film.

Lillifee lives in Pinkovia, a happy land of pink skies and talking animals, with her pet pig Pupsi always at her side. But then a group of unhappy fairies invade her land, and began spreading strife and dischord wherever they go. It takes all of Lillibee’s patience and love (plus a whole lot of courage), to show those fairies that it’s way more fun to be happy.

Lillifee was originally in German; on Netflix it’s dubbed into English, but you will notice that Lillifee and most of her friends have accents. No matter. The animation and plotline will put you in mind of Angelina Ballerina, but Lillifee is blessedly free of that show’s whining mice. Instead, this is a gentle, easygoing little princess fable with a good message and no violence, good for kids aged 3-10.

Princess Lilliee is available on DVD and on Netflix Streaming.

Although apples usually come to mind in September, this year, it’s all about the peach – James and the Giant Peach . Roald Dahl’s beloved classic is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this month and classrooms, libraries, and bookstores across the country will be reading the exceptional tale to celebrate.

It’s the story of poor James Henry Trotter who loses both his parents in a hideous rhinoceros accident and is forced to live with two horrible aunts. But as most unforgettable adventures go, one magical day everything changes and a remarkable journey begins. This is a great selection for families to read-aloud together this fall.

“”Whoever they meet first, be it bug, insect, animal, or tree, that will be the one who gets the full power of their magic! So hold the bag tight! Don’t tear the paper! Off you go! Hurry up! Don’t wait! Now’s the time! Hurry!”

More Things Peach:

* Visit Penguin Young Readers Group and Puffin UK in a worldwide “Follow That Peach” campaign. Send a personalized virtual Peach-gram to a friend and then follow their peach as it travels from friend to friend around the world. The goal is for each peach to reach fifty people in honor of the fifty years James has been entertaining young readers.

* “Peachstakes” Win a trip for two to London!

* Brand new reissue illustrated by Lane Smith

* James and the Giant Peach the film