Waffles and Pancake aren’t your average kitty siblings. Even a trip to the science museum is an out-of-this-world, cat-tastic adventure. In Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM, two cool cats learn all about space as they navigate an unexpected journey within the museum…
Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM is the first book in a new early graphic novel series from Drew Brockington, the creator of CatStronauts. He takes readers back in time to when Waffles (everyone’s favorite CatStronaut!) was just a kitten. One special Saturday, Dad-Cat takes Waffles and his sister Pancake to the science museum where they see extraordinary things like 4D hairballs (cough, cough!) and the awe-inspiring planetarium. But while they’re busy learning about constellations and Neil Pawstrong, they get separated from Dad-Cat. How will they find their way through the big museum and back to their dad?
Young readers (ages 6-9) will enjoy following along on Waffles and Pancake’s adventures in this early graphic novel series, packed with educational facts about space. Purr-fect for new readers, books are short, engaging, and promote independent reading with an approachable comic-style format. Plus, this series brings a great balance of silliness and scientific information.
Fans of beloved duos like Narwhal and Jelly and Elephant & Piggie will soon be hooked on this fun, feline pair.
The best way to spread Christmas cheer is by…grabbing a pair of Hanna Andersson’s newest Elf pajamas! The apparel company has partnered with Warner Bros. to bring fans of all ages a limited-edition capsule collection for the holidays.
Hanna Andersson’s classic stripes and fair isle patterns are decked out with scenes and characters that include Buddy the Elf and Mr. Narwhal that both kids and adults will love. Shop styles that include long johns, flannel pants, sleepers, pet PJs, hats, a sweatshirt and dress starting today, Oct. 25.
Perhaps the greatest news is that the collection includes Hanna Andersson’s classic Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified cotton matching family pajamas in fair isle for adults, kids, babies, and dogs! The whole family can get in on the holiday fun, while watching Elf, of course.
Prices range from $30 to $50 and you can shop the entire new collection at hannaandersson.com while supplies last.
Beluga cam is back! If you’ve ever wanted to watch a live stream of migrating beluga whales, we’ve got the scoop for you. Explore.org and Polar Bears International will launch the Beluga Whale Live Cam on July 15, which broadcasts from Churchill River where it meets the Hudson Bay.
It’s quite the show, with approximately 57,000 whales migrating into Canada. Your family can participate in “Beluga Bits,” examining underwater photos of the whales to ID age, size and regular migrators.
As the ice breaks up during the summer months, about two-thirds of the world’s beluga population spend time in more southern Canadian waters. The whales rely on sea ice and shallow waters for protection from predators, like Orcas. However, global warming is causing a decline in sea ice, so belugas have to dive deeper and longer to find food.
“I’m bored!” The complaint echoes through the house as your child finds themselves in-between activities. What do you do? Do you find them an activity and try to distract them? Or do you let them wait? What happens when we wait? What might they find to play with, what might they start to do? What could boredom transform into if we let it be? When children are given the space to make their own choices, they gain valuable problem-solving skills. Being bored can also lead to enhanced creativity and increased imaginative play. Maybe they are “bored” with their old toys. But what new uses for those objects can they find if given the space? Maybe they want to do something interesting, what could be more interesting than finding something that sparks their own curiosity?
We can get into patterns as parents by trying to offer plenty of “stimulating activities” for our children, wanting to make sure they don’t miss out on developmental opportunities or social events. Research shows that when children are “overscheduled” they miss out on valuable time to engage in imaginative play and creative play, or sometimes free play altogether. There are many amazing activities we can engage our children in, but we don’t want to miss out on the most basic, and often the most important…free time. In sum: It’s okay to let your child be bored.
To give kids some credit, boredom often feels really uncomfortable to children. Do you remember that feeling? Some of us might remember that discomfort, and attempt to “save” our kids from it. Try to also remember what good things came out of that bored feeling. We can gain tolerance of distress when experiencing these tough emotions, and we can also learn to rely on our own internal world and imagination, and creativity when we have the time to think.
Here’s another thing to remember about boredom; it comes in different forms. There’s the “lonely” kind, the “I’ve watched too much TV” kind, or the “I just ended something fun and now I’m looking for something new to do” kind. All of these are just different variations of emotions that children can begin to seek their own answers to. Helping a child tune-in to what exactly their brains and bodies are seeking can help them learn to meet their own needs. This is a vital and empowering lesson kids can learn at this early age.
So what can we do in these moments, when our children complain they are bored? Simple answer: Nothing. Allow your child to experience that feeling, and see how they choose to solve it. Schedule in “free time” if you have to. Make sure your child has plenty of time to play on their own throughout the week without adult leadership. If your child is in a moment of really begging you to solve their boredom dilemma: Here’s an example script of how to “allow” boredom and encourage your child to solve it on their own:
Child: I’m bored (in distressed voice)
Caregiver: Hmm, that can be a hard feeling
Child: yeah- what should I do?
Caregiver: Ah, you’re hoping I have some ideas for you. That’s for you to decide right now.
Child: Noooo, I don’t want to! You tell me.
Caregiver: It feels hard to decide what you want to do right now. I wonder what your body is telling you? What kind of mood are you in?
Child: I don’t know.
Caregiver: It can be hard to know sometimes. Hmm. (modeling, thinking, and checking in)
Child: I still don’t know what I want to do
Caregiver: Hmm…How will you figure out what feels right to you?
Child: Maybe I could color…
Caregiver: Sure, that’s worth a try. Maybe try some things out and see how they feel…I believe you can figure it out.
Some can benefit from convos like these, and others don’t need this much support. Just try not to take the bait and try to solve their boredom for them. This can get you caught in a cycle of your kids always coming to you to solve this problem. The Slumberkins Narwhal can help little ones develop growth mindset by teaching them how to make a difference in the world around them through problem-solving and recognizing when to ask for help. Allowing your child to be bored and figure things out themselves is so important for their ability to self-regulate, learn to trust their bodies and cues, and find creative ways to learn and grow. Kids are amazing—we can trust them to figure these things out.
Kelly Oriard and Callie Christensen are co-founders of Slumberkins, a children's brand supporting social-emotional learning for children. Kelly has a dual master's degree in family therapy and school counseling, and Callie has a master's degree in teaching. Both are passionate about teaching children social-emotional skills to thrive in our modern world.
These animal facts for kids will help the whole family learn more about the wild side of things
Sharks don’t have bones. Sloths are great swimmers. Monkeys can go for several days without water! Yup, kids love learning and there’s nothing like a few fun and wacky facts to amuse them. From the three-toed sloth to the unicorn of the sea, we’ve gathered some fun facts about animals that kids will love.
1. Sharks have been around for over 400 million years.
2. There are more than 470 species of sharks.
3. Sharks do not actually hunt humans or consider humans food. Sharks incidents occur when sharks are hunting for seals, dolphins or other "human-sized" prey. It's a case of mistaken identity!
4. The goblin shark is considered the ugliest shark in the world.
5. The shape of a hammerhead shark's head actually improves their vision.
6. There are nine species of hammerhead sharks around the world.
7. The Great Hammerhead can weigh as much as 1000 lbs. and be as long as 20 feet
8. Most sharks live around 25 years but some can live as long as 100.
9. Sharks do not have bones. Their skeleton is made of cartilage.
1. There are three species of Manatee (Trichechus). They are the West African manatee (T. senegalensis), the Amazonian manatee (T. inunguis) and the West Indian manatee (T. manatus). The West Indian manatee is the species seen frequenting the Florida Coast.
2. The common nickname for the manatee is the sea cow.
3. Manatees are believed to account for at least some of the early-explorer’s mermaid sightings.
4. They can reach 13-feet long and weigh as much as 3,000 pounds.
5. But don’t be fooled by their size: they are gentle giants. They graze on water grasses, weeds and algae. They are the only aquatic herbivore.
6. In fact, an adult manatee can eat 1/10 of its weight in a day.
7. Manatees use their flippers to walk along the bottom of the body of water, feeling for food. When they find it, they scoop it up toward their mouths with their flipper.
8. Manatees are mammals, and they have one baby every two to five years. The babies are born underwater. Females are pregnant for about 1 year. The young nurse for 1-½-2 years.
9. Manatees live in the water but they need air to survive. They surface every few minutes when active and can stay under for as long as 20 minutes if still.
10. Babies need help getting up to the surface for their first breath. Shortly after birth they are able to swim on their own: usually within an hour.
11. Most mammals have seven neck vertebrae but the both the manatee and the sloth have just six. This means that manatees can’t turn their heads.
12. Besides the dugong, the manatee's closest living relative is the elephant.
13. Manatees can actually swim up to 20 MPH.
14. Manatees face a number of dangers in their native waters: boating accidents can harm or even kill manatees and things like plastics in the water can cause health problems. You can learn more about how to protect manatees even if you live thousands of miles away, by visiting Save the Manatee.
10 Things to Know About Narwhals
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1. Narwhals are basically whales that sport a spiraled horn, or tusk, that juts out of their head much like a unicorn horn. Some narwhals actually have two tusks.
2. The narwhal’s tusk is actually a long jutting tooth. It even has nerves.
3. The tusk can grow as long as 10 feet. A narwhal can be 17 feet in length (plus the tusk!).
4. Narwhals sometimes use their tusks to joust.
5. They live in the Arctic waters of Greenland, Norway, Canada and Russia.
6. Narwhals weigh as much as 4200 pounds.
7. They eat squid, shrimp, halibut and cod.
8. There are about 80,000 narwhals throughout the Arctic waters.
9. Historians actually think that the narwhals are what the unicorns myth is base on. During the Middle Ages, unicorn horns were so coveted that royalty would pay extraordinary prices for them, often the weight of the horn in gold. Hunters traveled to Northern Europe to try and capture the narwhals and bring back their horns (which they would tell the royals were from unicorns).
10. Narwhals are still hunted today for their tusks, and in addition face other environmental threats like pollution. You can help by adopting a narwhal (bonus: you get a plush narwhal as a keepsake!).
1.Rangifer tarandus is the scientific name for the animal we most commonly call reindeer. They are in the same family as deer, and there are more than a dozen sub-species.
2. In the wild, some reindeers travel more than 3000 miles in a single year.
3. In North America, reindeer are also known as caribou, although the current "taxonomic jury" is out on that all species of reindeer are caribou. Most people use the terms interchangeably.
4. Reindeer like it cold! They are native to Arctic and subarctic regions as well as tundra and boreal (read: snow, snow, snow!) to northern Europe, Siberia and North America.
5. The indigenous people of Finland, the Saami, have more than 400 words for the food, tools and other products taken from reindeer. Their word for reindeer, raingo, may be where the common name is derived.
6. Reindeer beards? In the winter time for reindeer grow their facial hair long enough to cover their mouths, which protects their muzzles when grazing in the snow.
7. Male reindeer have louder calls than females. Males use a small pouch under the skin of their throats which they inflate to blast out a loud bellow.
8. Reindeer grow new antlers every year.
9. For almost all kinds of reindeer, both male and female reindeer have antlers. Females shed their antlers when they give birth in the spring.
10. The Finnish Forest Reindeer, arguably the reindeer of Santa Claus fame, are the largest reindeer species. They are over 7 ½ feet long.
11. Finnish Forest Reindeer hooves have a special scoop that helps them forage through the snow for lichen and moss.
12. In warmer months, reindeer feast on grasses, mushrooms and plants. In the winter they feast mainly on moss and lichen.Reindeer have a strong sense of smell, which helps them sniff out food underneath layers of snow.
13. In many cultures, Reindeer are used pull sleds and sleigh. There's evidence of this dating back 7,000 years ago in Siberia!
1. Sloths really are slow. So slow, in fact, that in the humidity of their native climate an algae actually grows on their fur. This gives them a greenish hue, which acts as camouflage.
2. Sloths, moths and algae have a beneficial relationship: The pyralid moth is a species of moth that lives in the sloth’s fleece. There is also an algae species that grows in the grooved hair of the sloth. Scientists believe that the moth transports nutrient-rich waste from the sloth’s poop to fertilize the algae. In other words, the moths are algae farmers on the sloth’s back. And guess what else? The algae is a key source of food for the sloth!
3. Sloths have 10 upper teeth and 8 lower teeth.
4. They can weigh between 8-17 pounds and grow to be between 21–29 inches in length.
5. Two-toed sloths can live up to 20 years in the wild and 30-40 years in captivity!
6. Sloths cannot shiver to stay warm, and so have difficulty maintaining their body temperature on rainy days.
7. Sloths see better at night than in the day and they have very poor hearing. They rely on their sense of smell to locate food and other sloths.
8. Sloths come down from their canopy about once a week to pee and poo unless there is a danger or predator. If that’s the case they do it from the trees!
9. They are good swimmers, especially the backstroke.
10. While they are very quiet in general, if scared they will hiss or moan.
11. Sloths eat leaves, twigs, berries, fruits and the occasional insect or small animal.
12. Females sloths are pregnant for six months.
13. Sloths usually mate and give birth while hanging in trees. Mothers will birth their babies either on the ground upside down in a hanging position. After it is born the infant grabs onto the mother’s fur and makes its way to her chest to nurse.
14. Sloth mother’s milk is higher in fat (6.9 %) and protein (61%) than cow's milk.
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15. There are also four species of three-toed sloths including Bradypodidae pygmaeus, a pygmy species. The other three are B. torquatus, which has a mane; B. tridactylus also known as the pale-throated, three-toed sloth; and B. variegatus, the brown throated, three-toed sloth. They share many characteristics with their two-toed cousins, but a few things are different.
16. Three-toed sloths are better swimmers than their two-toed relatives.
17. They change trees up to four times a day.
18. The are diurnal, meaning they are awake either day or night. Two-toed sloths are nocturnal.
Want to learn more about these amazing animals and how you can help protect their habitat? Visit the WWF's sloth page.
1. The Black Howler Monkey (Alouatta caraya) are native to eastern Bolivia, northeastern Argentina, Paraguay and southern Brazil.
2. Black Howlers eat they eat leaves, fruit and vegetable matter.
3. They get their name because they have enlarged throats and extra large voice boxes which allows them to howls.
4. They also have a special bony pouch beneath their throat that acts as a resonator which helps project their howls at great distances, sometimes more than a kilometer! Click here to hear it.
5. Young howlers are cared for by several females who carry, groom and protect it. Males will also help out.
6. Black Howler Monkeys do not have opposable thumbs.
7. The Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri sciureus) native to the lowland rainforest of Panama, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil.
8. Squirrel Monkeys eat a varied diet of insects, spiders, bird’s eggs and nestlings, fruits, nuts, blossoms and other forest edibles.
9. Squirrel monkeys have the largest groups of any other New World monkey, with as many as 100 monkeys in a given band.
10. They are not only smaller in size, but they make chirps and peeps for contact and alarms, earning them their likeness to the squirrel.
11. Squirrel Monkey births coincide with the time of greatest rainfall.
Whitney Popa is a Communications Consultant and mom of two toddlers. She lives where the mountains meet the sea near Seattle. She has very strong opinions about baby books.
I’m not great at giving people proper reaction faces, so baby showers are uniquely stressful for me. When I was pregnant with our son four years ago, I made several requests to open gifts after the main event. My requests were swiftly rebuffed. So, I sat on my throne in front of my admiring guests, leaned over my massive belly, and tried to give them the ooohs and ahhhs and “SO cute!” they came to see. By the time it was over, I was sweaty, out of breath, and exhausted, especially because I received multiples of almost every classic board book on the market.
Look, I enjoy Little Blue Truck as much as the next mom. However! At my baby shower, I received four copies of it. Two I kept, storing one on each floor of our house. I gave the two others to grandparents to keep at their houses. It worked out fine, but I sure would have preferred more variety in the baby books I received that day (as grateful as I am that people cared to give us gifts at all!).
There are thousands of incredible books I could mention and we’ve read countless already (we even have a book box subscription from Amazon), so I thought I’d help out moms like me who want fun variety in their baby books and, quite honestly, don’t want to be annoyed by the stories their toddlers ask to read over and over. Anyone who has met a toddler knows they have their little fixations that can last months at a time.
This list includes books with beautiful messages, gorgeous illustrations, and in various styles (board books, picture books, a sneaky looks-like-it’s-for-the-kiddos-but-is-actually-for-mom book). I hope it helps you think beyond Pout Pout Fish and Brown Bear, Brown Bear—two other stories I love, and that live in multiple copies within our family.
Happy reading!
1
You Belong Here
If you take just one of my recs, make it this one.
$14.49
My husband can't read this book very often because it makes him cry. It's probably the most gorgeously-illustrated book we own and the message is poetic and pure: you and your child are bound together no matter where the world takes you.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Alexander is all of us.
$7.17
I grew up reading Alexander and was so excited to add it back to our library when we had kids. I love that the story is told just as Alexander would say it—with run on sentences and carpool and brothers and mischief and Australia. Alexander always helps put our bad days in perspective.
Another tear-jerker with glittery illustrations that make the story even more magical.
$9.99
This was one of the best baby shower books I was gifted. It's the perfect storm of a sweet story that will make parents weepy, animal illustrations, and glittery backgrounds. Prepare the tissues!
This sweet -You're perfect exactly as you are- book has an important message woven into the cutest illustrations and rhyming story. Our son gets sick of me asking if we can read it every night before bedtime—that's how much I love it.
A catchy little board book that doesn't get annoying after the 100th time reading it before bed.
$7.99
What's so cute and clever about this board book is that every animal in it is made out of multiple hearts. How can you not love a book like that? This was the first in our collection that our son was able to read with us (aka he memorized it and filled in much of the story when we would take a dramatic pause). Now that we have two kids, the ending that references a tired zookeeper feels particularly relevant.
A charming little board book about appreciating sweet moments in nature.
$6.99
Cute rhyming stories can very much have bigger messages. This charming tale teaches your littles how to count, about creatures they might see outside, and about kindness. Plus, it ends with a great, big hug!
A display-worthy book full of Scandinavian-inspired illustrations that will mesmerize any baby starting soon after they're born.
$12
My favorite thing about this book is that our three-year-old son flips through it with our one-year-old daughter. He points to the cow and she says Moooo! and it's the cutest thing in the world. This is a simple and beautiful book that grows with your kiddos, and it is so pretty you'll want to keep it around long after they've moved on to longer stories.
I am very much a sucker for stories about unlikely friendships.
$14
In the 10th anniversary edition of this classic, the author/illustrator included a section about the evolution of Otis's character and scene development. We always see the end product, and not necessarily the process, so as a big book nerd, I loved that addition. The story, too, is a charmer: a little tractor lulls a brown calf to sleep with the purr of his motor. They become best friends and help each other out of a pickle.
It may look like a board book for your baby, but it's also a board book for you, mama.
$5
The central message in this book is about a child who loves spending time with her mama, even when her mama isn't feeling herself because of postpartum depression/anxiety. It reminds moms that our children love us just as we are and shows children that mama putting her needs first is better for the whole family.
I can't keep myself from smiling every time we read this book. The message is an important one: that happiness is an inside job. Through a series of affirmations, the little pig in this story does a fabulous job relaying that it's important to be your own best friend. That's something we could all stand to hear more often.
As you begin to think about holiday gifts for the children in your life, we urge you to consider the gift of a book – selected from among your own childhood favorites or perhaps from ours, featured below.
There are few gifts that are more personal than books, which are always selected with the recipient in mind, and can convey the giver’s values. When you present a child with a book you once read yourself, the gift becomes a shared experience and connection. Books last a long time, especially for younger children as favorite stories are invariably reread, and passages sometimes memorized. Often, the objects we choose to save from our own childhoods are favorite books.
Books provide children with two equally important perspectives, often characterized as “mirrors and windows.” Stories that reflect readers’ own culture and experience are mirrors; stories that portray someone else’s experience are windows. Mirrors help children build their identities. Windows broaden readers’ perspective and understanding of lives and situations different from their own. The categories have fluid boundaries, and in fact, many superb stories are both mirrors and windows, featuring richly drawn characters with whom children can identify and from whom they can gain insight.
The books we are recommending as holiday gifts all have “mirror and window” features – the windows often opening onto magical worlds where larger truths are embedded in allegory. As important, all the books were first recommended to us by Stratford students or their parents. We love all these books, so this list is our holiday gift to you.
Our Favorite Books to Gift
Grades Kinder to Second:
Smart George written and illustrated by Jules Feiffer
Everyone’s favorite, fun-loving dog is back for more of his silly antics in this hilarious follow-up to Bark, George. George would rather do almost anything but practice math with his mother. He would rather eat, go for a walk, and take a nap. But it is not long before George finds himself in a colorful dream about…numbers! Can George count his way out?
The Barnabus Projectwritten by Terry Fan, Illustrated by Eric Fan, Terry Fan, and Devin Fan
This magical picture book has breathtaking illustrations and a meaningful plot. In a world deep below a store named “PerfectPets” lives a ridiculously cute half mouse, half elephant named Barnabus. He is one of many animals that are caged in a laboratory as a result of “failed projects.” All the misfits learn that they are going to be recycled. With his little trunk and a lot of cooperation and courage, Barnabus sets out to find freedom—and a place where he and his friends can finally be accepted for who they are.
Grades 3-4
Happy Narwhalidayswritten and Illustrated by Ben Clanton
In this fifth installment of an adorable graphic novel series, Narwhal and Jelly exchange gifts and enjoy undersea snows, all the while dropping facts about ocean life. A very funny read which includes messages on friendship, kindness, and the power of imagination. It’s winter and Narwhal is feeling festive. He is convinced that this is the season when the Merry Mermicorn comes. Jelly isn’t so sure, but they do enjoy a tale about a grouchy jellybean who finds a friend to sled with, exchange presents and sing festive songs like Jingle Shells and We Wish You a Merry Mermicorn.
Belly Rubbins for Bubbins: The Story of a Rescue Dog written by Jason Kraus, Illustrated by Connor DeHaan
Many parents consider the gift of a puppy for the holidays. This picture book is part of the mission of the Bubbins Book Series is to spread humane education to children and adults in a fun and entertaining manner. They also donate 51% of the profits to animal-related charities. What better way to teach compassion and kindness than with a story about a rescue dog named Bubbins. Lucky to escape his unloving owners, Bubbins was able to get a second chance at a happy life with his new forever family.
Grades 5-8
Winterhouse written by Ben Guterson, Illustrated by Chloe Bristol
This is the first book in the riveting new trilogy about a magical hotel full of secrets. Elizabeth Somers is an orphan raised by her unloving Aunt Purdy and Uncle Burlap, who were as stingy as they were unpleasant. One Christmas season, Elizabeth was surprised to be sent away for three weeks to an ominous mountainside hotel called Winterhouse. Here, she made her first real friends; Freddy, a young boy her own age, and Norbridge Falls, the proprietor of Winterhouse. Elizabeth becomes entangled in a mystery involving a long-missing member of the Falls family. Join Elizabeth as she unravels the sinister plot against Winterhouse in this magic-tinged winter holiday mind-boggler.
The Elementals: Ice Wolves written by Amie Kaufman, Illustrated by Levente Szabo
It is common knowledge in Vallen that ice wolves and scorch dragons are sworn enemies who live deeply separate lives. When twelve-year-old orphan Anders takes one elemental form and his twin sister, Rayna, takes another, he wonders whether they are even related. Family or not, Rayna is Anders’s only true friend. She’s nothing like the brutal, cruel dragons who claimed her as one of their own and stole her away. In order to rescue her, Anders must enlist at the foreboding Ulfar Academy, a school for young wolves that values loyalty to the pack above all else. For Anders, loyalty is more complicated than obedience, and friendship is the most powerful shapeshifting force of all.
Keira Pride is the Head Librarian at Stratford School, the leading independent private school founded with a vision of creating a unique, multi-dimensional, educational foundation for children. As Stratford's Head Librarian, she manages the library services department across campuses throughout Northern and Southern California.
There’s nothing quite as fun as dressing up your little one in their first Halloween costume and Carter’s has you covered with some adorable outfits for babies and toddlers.
Here are some of the cutest Halloween costumes you can find at Carter’s this year.
Little Narwhal
You can't get much more magically unique than this adorable unicorn of the sea. Available in sizes 3 to 24 months.
“If you want your kids to imagine a better world the books on your shelf should reflect that.” — Kwame Alexander
I am a serial book buyer. Book club selections, birthday gifts, impulse buys, you name it. Having two children, both developing readers, has given me a license to add even more books to our collection. It’s also provided an opportunity for me to talk about books with other parents, colleagues, and online communities (not to mention strangers in bookstores, grocery lines, and on airplanes).
Through these conversations, I’ve come to appreciate how children’s books are instrumental in not just promoting reading, but shaping family conversations. They allow us to understand childhood emotional growth, discuss current events, and explore other cultures, communities, experiences, and identities. I was able to tell a neighbor that “A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo” helped me explain voting to my 4-year-old daughter, and that “Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse” led to an important conversation about poverty and empathy with my 7-year-old son. I saw parents eagerly jot down these book recommendations for their own reading lists. With this in mind, I teamed up with writer Natalie d’Aubermont Thompson to develop the workshop, “Creating an Intentional Bookshelf: Children’s Books to Spark Family Discussions.” This workshop has provided a forum for parents, grandparents, caregivers, and educators to broaden their own collections and explore the wealth of diverse books currently available to us.
Here are some of the recommendations that have come out of these conversations.
Start by doing a scan of your current shelves. Knowing that we all have gaps, where could you add content that features a variety of ethnicities, explores other religious celebrations, or challenges traditional gender roles?
Set some buying, borrowing, and gifting goals. Personally, I aim to have 75% of the books I buy fill a gap on our current shelf or support #ownvoices authors.
Make an Amazon wish list for friends or relatives who may purchase books for your family’s upcoming birthday or holiday gifts. It’s helpful to give them some ideas for intentional selections!
Donate with purpose. Do you have the opportunity to donate books to classrooms, little free libraries, or adopt-a-family programs? Consider intentional selections when donating.
Sign up to be a guest reader and bring an intentional book to share. In my recent readings at my kids’ school, I chose to bring Grace for President, Ruby’s Worry, and Not Quite Narwhal—each one was loved by the students!
When reading a book with a child, ask questions such as: What do you think the characters were feeling? How is this book similar to your own experiences? How is it different?
Looking for book recommendations? Here are a few favorites in our house:
Being intentional in your selections is a great way to deepen your reading experiences. There is a wonderful world of diverse children’s books available- have fun exploring!
I am a fully grown adult who still gets excited over the Scholastic book catalog. Inspired by my own spirited children, I want to create and share children's books that excite curiosity, broaden our exposure to other cultures, and cultivate a love of reading.
The unicorn of the sea just got even more magical thanks to the addition of new Narwhal Fingerlings toys, swimming into stores—and our hearts—soon!
The newest members of the Fingerlings family are some of the best and cutest yet. The Fingerlings Narwhals have several new features unlike any of their predecessors, including a special mood horn that will light up different colors in reaction to interaction. The Narwhals will also flap their tails and blink their eyes to tell you how they’re feeling when you pet them.
Like the new Fingerlings Hugs that debuted over the 2018 holiday season, the Narwhals will also feature similar Magical Kisses. When you press your Narwhal’s face to your cheek, it will make a “mwuah” kissing sound that gets louder and louder the longer you press.
The new Narwhals comes in four different colors and names, including Nelly (Purple), Nikki (Turquoise), Nori (Blue) and Rachel (Pink). They will be available in stores in March for $14.99 each, just in time to fill those Easter baskets.
