UrbanBaby Reads

Snowy Valentine by David Petersen

Meet Jasper, he’s a little bunny on a mission to surprise his wife for Valentine’s Day. He wants the perfect present, so trudges out in the snow looking for inspiration from his neighbors. When no gift seems just right for Lilly, he is surprised by what his being willing to make the journey shows her about his feelings.

Author David Petersen is the the Eisner Award–winning creator of Mouse Guard, and his first work in tells a delightful tale that becomes the perfect way to say “I love you.”

Available at Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers

Kids will also love: Plant a Kiss by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

New York Times best-selling authors Karen Tack and Alan Richardson of Hello, Cupcake! and What’s New, Cupcake? are back and this time, it’s not just cupcakes. Cupcakes, Cookies & Pie, Oh, My! includes some surprising and spectacular projects that turn pound cakes, cookies, pies, cheesecake, and Jell-O, into entertaining desserts.

As you’re busy planning Valentine’s Day treats for your loved ones, you might be inspired to prepare something a bit more unique this year with chapters that include: build a pet, make ‘em laugh, animal planet, guys and dolls, life of the party, and holidazed.

If you’d love to meet the authors and watch them work their magic with high heeled cupcakes and more, join them for an event in at Sur La Table, NYC on Feb. 15th (click here for more information).

Available at Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers

Is your household a bit too reminiscent of a “Nanny 911″ episode that you’d like? If you could all use a refresher course in how to talk to each other calmly and reach solutions, you might want to reach for a reliable source, now updated for this generation.

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish is now available in the 30th Anniversary edition with new insights as well as paperback and e-book format.

It has been hailed as the “parenting bible” with over 3 million copies in print across 30 countries worldwide. If you haven’t read it yet, there is no excuse (there are even cartoons). It will help you build a solid foundation with your child as you solve everyday problems together. Learn how to:

* Cope with your child’s negative feelings.
* Express your strong feelings without being harmful.
* Set firm limits and maintain goodwill
* Use alternatives to punishment that promote self-discipline.
* Resolve family conflicts peacefully.

It’s still January after all - the season of making resolutions for the New Year. Maybe the skills and practices in this book are just what you need for creating a more peaceful year for the whole family.

If you never imagined that your little baby could leap over tall buildings, soar across the sky in a hot air balloon, or surf a gnarly wave…you haven’t met Adele Enerson. When her newborn Mila was asleep, she would take a few minutes and create a whimsical “scene” around the baby and snap a picture. She created the blog milasdaydreams.blogspot.com to share the enchanting pictures and it has since attracted millions of viewers worldwide.

Like many unique and creative forces online, her blog has been turned into a book, When My Baby Dreams, available this month. With a new baby on the way, we can’t wait to see what Adele might have in store for us next.

Available at Amazon.com

* Mila’s Daydreams on YouTube

* Adele shares her story and book publication on the Today show on January 17th.

* Follow Mila’s Daydreams on Facebook

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett and Illustrated by Jon Klassen

From the author of Mustache! comes an enchanting winter tale of what appears to be an ordinary box of yarn but is instead rather exceptional. Readers might recognize the soft and stunning style and recurring characters from illustrator John Klassen who also gave us I Want My Hat Back.

In a dark, drab, and cold little town, Annabelle finds an endless box of yarn in gorgeous colors. She spins sweaters, hats, and covers for friends, townspeople, animals, and homesteads. Everyone is transformed and things began to change in the little town.

We wholeheartedly agree with the fantastic Lane Smith when he says of this new book, “There’s only one thing to say: ‘perfect.’ “

Available at Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers

About the Author
Mac Barnett is the author of several picture books, including Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem, Guess Again!, and Oh No!: Or How My Science Project Destroyed the World. He also writes the Brixton Brothers series of mysteries. Mac is the founder of the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for time travelers, and serves on the board of 826LA, a nonprofit writing and tutoring center.

Inspired to Knit?
We recommend: Cool Knits for Kids by Kate Gunn
Available at Amazon.com

It is not new or even shocking news that our young girls today are inundated with messages from media and society that can have a negative and lasting effect on their development and future. It sounds serious, and unfortunately it is. Consider this alarming information Dr. Jennifer L. Harstein PsyD shares in the introduction to her new book Princess Recovery: A How-to Guide to Raising Strong, Empowered Girls Who Can Create Their Own Happily Ever After :

“One recent study from the National Institute on Media and the Family showed that at age thirteen, 53 percent of American girls are “unhappy with their bodies.”

“According to Medical News Today, a December 2010 study showed that the number of eating disorders in children under the age of twelve has risen 119 percent over the past few years, and children as young as four are being treated in hospitals and outpatient treatment centers for these issues.”

Dr. Jen offers parents a way to regain control over the things that influence their children and raise strong daughters who can:

* pursue their passions with industry and intelligence;
* establish high but realistic expectations of themselves and their future;
* provide context for problematic influences - from the media to prissy peers; and
* build a mutual trust that will withstand adolescent growing pains.

Princess Recovery encourages parents to work with their daughters on building important skills, such as: questioning the media, dressing appropriately, finding her voice, and learning that conformity is not required.

The world will most likely not make it an easy battle with its padded bikini tops for children, but our daughters are smart and we can arm them to rise above the ditzy-diva trap.

Available on Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers

More Resources

Dr. Jen on “Combating Princess Syndrome”

“Do We Need a Princess Recover System?” by Soraya Chemaly at Huffington Post

Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture” by Peggy Orenstein

Enjoy some classic snow stories with your children this holiday season with newly released anniversary editions.

The Snowy Day: 50th Anniversary Edition by Ezra Jack Keats

In his 1962 Caldecott Medal winning book, Ezra Jack Keats introduced us to a little boy named Peter who would forever change the face of children’s literature. Fifty years have passed and the snow day adventure with bold color and imagery continue to capture the imagination of children today. It is a beautiful oversized edition with eight pages of bonus material.

Available at Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers

Henry the Explorer by Mark Taylor and Illustrations by Graham Booth

Mark Taylor wrote many books for young people and those following the adventures of a boy Henry and his dog Angus are remembered childhood favorites. First published in 1967, Henry the Explorer shows us a boy inspired by an exciting book as he traipses out in the world the day after a blizzard. It is hard work, but boy and dog have come prepared.

Available at Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers

Let it snow.

Chances are, you’ve just about had it with the constant dinging of holiday music that seems to come from every conceivable speaker this time of year. Your kids, however, are probably bouncing right along with Rudolph and Bing, loving the familiar tunes. Children seem to have that internal music gene where they are naturally drawn to it.

Start a new family tradition in the New Year by bringing more music into your home. If you’re not exactly musical, All Together Singing in the Kitchen: Creative Ways to Make and Listen to Music as a Family is a great place to start. The authors, Katryna and Nerissa Nields, are sisters and folk singers who provide a CD of 30 songs, popular lyrics, games, and much more in their new book.

As Dan Zanes points out in the foreward, “The music that we make with our young people will have a positive impact on their lives and shape their world forever. Music making is proven to be a tremendous help in the socialization process; it provides a way for people of different cultural vantage points to find common ground; it stimulates the brain and helps establish the pathways that are crucial for learning during all stages of life; and, let’s not forget, music is wildly enjoyable.”

Works for us, pass the tamborine.

Available at Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers

As we wrap up 2011 we reflect on many things, but first - the best books. Reading with our children this year was never more of a pleasure with new treasures from Dr. Seuss, Tomie dePaola, Oliver Jeffers, and Shel Silverstein (to name a few). But we choose Lane Smith’s Grandpa Green as our 2011 top favorite.

It would be impossible to sort through all of the parenting book selections and choose just one as a 2011 favorite, but there are plenty on our bookshelf that we love and refer to often: The Art of Roughhousing by Anthony T. DeBenedet, M.D. & Lawrence J. Cohen, Ph.D., 50 Dangerous Things (you should let your children do) by Gever Tulley and Julie Spiegler, Torn: True Stories of Kids, Careers & the Conflict of Modern Motherhood edited by Ed. By Samantha Parent Walravens, and Welcome to Your Child’s Brain by Sandra Aamonth, Ph.D. and Sam Wang, Ph.D.

Here are some helpful and interesting lists to help you sort through what might be left to read before 2012:

Library Journal Best Books of 2011: Parenting

Library Journal Best Books of 2011: Top Ten

Library Journal Best Books of 2011: YA Lit for Adults
Famous Authors share their favorite book gifted to them – USA Today

So many great new titles to share with you this year to help your family celebrate the holiday season. Remarkable illustrations grace these thoughtful tales - some new and others treasured classics worthy of these unique renditions. Enjoy the story of the first Rockefeller Center tree, a “Captain Santa” who delivered Christmas trees across Lake Michigan, intricately-cut paper illustrations of the traditional nativity story, new characters from Olivier Dunrea, and much more.

Lighthouse Christmas by Toni Buzzeo and Illustrations by Nancy Carpenter (Ages 5-8)

Available at Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers

A Christmas Tree for Pyn by Olivier Dunrea (Ages 3-8)

Available at Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers

The Carpenter’s Gift: A Christmas Tale about the Rockefeller Center Tree by David Rubel and Illustrated by Jim LaMarche (Ages 5-8)

Available at Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers

The Twelve Days of Christmas by Laurel Long (Ages 3-5)

Available at Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers

The Christmas Tree Ship by Carol Crane and Illustrated by Chris Ellison (Ages 6-10)

Available at Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers

Mary Engelbreit’s Nutcracker (All Ages)

Available at Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers

The Story of Christmas from the King James Bible and Illustrations by Pamela Dalton

Available at Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers

Chanukah Lights by Michael J. Rosen and Illustrated by Robert Sabuda (Ages 5 and up)

Available at Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers

Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah by Olga Ivanov and Illustrated by Aleksey Ivanov

Available at Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers