Posts Tagged ‘reading’

Your entire household has memorized the contents of the bookshelf — time to restock.

One Potato was recently launched by a father of two whose love of children’s picture books turned into an online guide. The site advocates for the lesser-known quality kiddie literature that may not get shelf time at the bigger chain stores. With more than 500 titles currently listed, recommendations range from the foreign or fables and folklore to the familiar and familial. After filling your cart with formerly unknown titles, the site directs your order to Amazon — it couldn’t be easier.

It’s for those times when getting a great new book for bedtime reading feels like finding a needle in a haystack.

Visit onepotato.net.

With so many great children’s books out there, how do you pick one that’s engaging, educational and age-appropriate?

What to Read When: The Books and Stories to Read with Your Child — and All the Best Times to Read Them guides parents through the process of finding that perfect book for any child at any moment. Award-winning educator and literacy advocate Pam Allyn offers an annotated list of more than 300 titles, broken down by childhood themes (from friendship to divorce), age and stage, and type of book (pop-ups, tactile, books for the bath). Family-oriented tips, like how to create a comfortable reading place in the home, will help foster a lifetime love of reading.

Available at whattoreadwhen.com.

You love reading to your child, but once in awhile it would be nice to have someone (say, Kelly Ripa) do the work for you.

Speakaboos is a fun online children’s storybook video library for age-appropriate fairy tales, fables, nursery rhymes and lullabies. With more than 35 popular titles currently on the roster, the catalog includes celebrity-read books from the likes of, yes, Kelly Ripa, and Kevin Bacon. New releases this month, like Little Red Riding Hood read by Tim Daly and Anansi and the Wisdom of the World read by Nick Cannon (who also beat-boxes his way through Old McDonald), are sure to be virtual page-turners.

The animated, kid-friendly graphics and easy-to-navigate format will have you clicking your way through these classic tales. Plus it’s almost as inexpensive as a library card — watch for free on the website, or download a track for 99 cents (to view later on an iPod or DVD).

Now that’s reading ready.

Visit speakaboos.com.

Financial news got you feeling like hiding under the covers? Take the kids with you, curl up with a book and get lost in the world of make-believe.

Oscar and the Cricket (also Oscar and the Bat, Oscar and the Frog) by Geoff Waring
The series by a London-based graphic designer introduces young readers to core science concepts, with engaging illustrations.

Big Words for Little People by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell
The bestselling team returns with a vocab lesson, teaching kids life-important words like responsibility and respect.

The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman
The twosome behind The Runaway Dinner and Previously present the story of a pencil that draws a boy, and the adventure that follows.

Old Bear by Kevin Henkes
The newest title from this Caldecott winner tells the tale of a hibernating bear who dreams he is a cub again.

City or suburb? Any growing family will debate the merits of subway versus SUV (sorry, hybrid).

“The City Kid and the Suburban Kid” is a modern take on Aesop’s classic, “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse.” With two similar-but-different stories in one, the book tells the tale of two cousins who visit each other over the summer. Naturally, after the novelty of new ice-cream parlors, parks and panoramic views, each realizes that the grass isn’t always greener.

But you knew that.

Available at oliebollen.com.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

That’s why artist Suzy Lee decided to go sans speech in her new children’s book, Wave. Depicting a little girl’s day at the beach, the story’s simplicity underscores a joyful tale of sun, sand and surf. And the beachy watercolor tones make it a perfect summer day’s reading.

Rather, viewing.

Available online at amazon.com.