While the title could potentially lead you to believe that the inside pages will be selling you product after product, this book actually is a quality resource for parents looking for some basic guidance on simple ways that they can have a very positive effect on their young children's overall development. The Mosimans cite several studies to support the advice that they provide, and they tackle such areas such as language development, the importance of play, and guidance on the usage of electronics for young children, among others. From my perspective as an early childhood educator and a parent, I was happiest to read the chapter that described the many day-to-day ways in which parents can involve their children in the everyday routines at home that have 'hidden' developmental benefits- such as sorting laundry to helping with cooking projects, both tasks that support the learning of basic mathematical concepts.

While the vast majority of this book speaks to activities, interactions and opportunities for learning that parents can provide for their children at home, the final chapter of the book differs in that it addresses a parent's potential choice to place their child in preschool. I found myself disappointed in a few aspects of this particular chapter, and this is most definitely a result of my own experience with early childhood education. Making no real distinction between child care and preschool programs is a mistake too often made by the general public, and without a description of what a quality preschool education program should be, and in many cases already is, an unfair generalization is made about 'preschool' that doesn't fully address all the available options. Ironically, I spent my career at a university based preschool program that embodies the very picture that the book paints of quality early childhood experiences that most effectively benefit young children. The authors address reasons that parents may opt to place their children in preschool, but do not include the fact that for many parents it is simply not a choice, but a necessity due to work obligations. I felt this chapter was not the best resource for parents looking for information about preschool in general or the options that may be available to them.

Overall, I would recommend The Smarter Preschooler: Unlocking Your Child's Intellectual Potential for parents who are looking for solid and basic advice on how they can support their children's development in simple and effective ways. Best of all, this book encourages parents to take an active role in providing opportunities for learning and engaging their children in conversation and involvement in the world around them, and no purchased product could be better than that.

Dawn has lived in the world of preschool aged children for a good chunk of her life, and the glory of her own little ones is frequent fodder for her blog, my thoughts exactly.

Eccentric Racing Network: RV the Racer Aardvark is a new book written for all kids in the 8-12 age range, but it is one that I believe will appeal especially to some of those difficult to reach boys. The story centers around RV the Racer Aardvark, a creature born without feet, who lives in outer space. RV rolls around on one wheel, and he is quite talented and fast. As the story unfolds, the reader is introduced to Major Tom, a selfish character who wants to defeat RV at all costs, and RV's other unique friends and enemies. Through some exciting adventures, RV and the other characters learn about friendship, love, honesty, and integrity.

Many of the original sports in the story mirror extreme sports like skateboarding and surfing, and the terminology and excitement provide an excellent hook for grabbing the attention of young, reluctant readers. As an additional bonus, readers can visit the Eccentric Racing Network website, which provides supplemental material. Although I am not part of the target audience, I think kids will find both the book and website to be cool. The Dove Foundation also awarded this book with its "Family-Approved Seal" and recommends it as a good read. If you have a reader in this age range, be sure to look for Eccentric Racing Network: RV the Racer Aardvark.

Lauren is a wife, a mother of two, and an avid reader. She blogs at Baseballs and Bows. Lauren thanks L.M. Ruttkay, the author, for providing the review copy of this book.

We are proud to feature this book in honor of veterans. Click through and read my full review on 5 Minutes for Mom and enter a comment there to enter to win one of three copies from Sleeping Bear Press. We invite you to honor the veterans you know and love in your comment.

We've closed comments here to remind you to comment and enter on the post at 5 Minutes Mom.

Dawn's own father, Grant Courchaine, and grandfather, William Dery, were proud members of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army respectively. Family and books are common themes on her blog, my thoughts exactly.

Subscribe to our feed. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter. Enter our other giveaways.

The list of children’s classics is endless and not so long ago I read them all over again. I ‘inherited’ an African foster child from a disadvantaged background. This little girl came to me at age eleven, practically illiterate, scoring only 19% for English at school. Opening the doors into the wonderful world of books seemed insurmountable because she simply did not understand the connection between the written and spoken word. What to do? Begin at the beginning seemed a good idea.

I started off with my old favorites and Mabel loved them. Suddenly, the words were not frightening because she was hearing about places and people she’d never imagined. She’d lean over my shoulder, breathing down my neck as I read, my finger tracing the words as I sounded them out. The pages began to surrender the magical words, and she found them enchanting! Fired with success, we moved onto the rest of the library, slowly devouring my children’s classic book collection in very tiny bite-sized pieces. I was still doing most of the reading.

One day, Mabel decided she’d help out with the books, and began reading to me. It was still incredibly slow but I began to see the glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. We got movies of books, watched them, and then read the books, just in case the movie makers had left out some important bits. We expanded our repertoire book by book. I found other ways to sneak words into her day, not just when we were doing ‘serious’ reading. She read recipes with me when we baked; she read the instructions on the packaging to me while we prepared dinner; she read advertisements to me when we shopped. Suddenly words were a constant part of her life.

Mabel also began to show her imaginative side at school. Her poems and creative writing pieces began to change, reflecting more color, bigger words, more complex themes and emotions. What a breakthrough! The final moment of success came when just recently she turned to my mother and said, “Gran, will you buy me a book?”

My mother nearly fell off her chair and replied, “You can have as many as you like, darling.”

Mabel grinned. “Oh, then can you buy me all the Twilight books please?” Thank you Stephanie Meyer for being the first author Mabel ‘owns.’ (Apparently vampires rock.)

Her latest ‘own’ books? Inkheart, and The Golden Compass.

Her latest marks for English? A magnificent 75%.

“I can do much better,” she said, frowning. “I’m going to have to improve on this if I want to be a writer.”

I have now adopted Mabel, not having my own children, and I can say the greatest compliment is that she has decided to become a journalist or a novelist (just like me).

Recently I called her and, hearing her voice coming from her bedroom, asked, “What are you doing?”

Reply: “I’m reading!”

Music to any parent’s ears!

Fiona Ingram was born and educated in South Africa, and has worked as a full-time journalist and editor. Her interest in ancient history, mystery, and legends, and her enjoyment of travel has resulted in The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, the first in her exciting children’s adventure series (linked to Dawn's review). Her first book in the series was inspired by a real trip to Egypt with her two young nephews and her mother.

Oceanology follows the adventures of sixteen year old Zoticus de Lesseps on the "true voyage of the Nautilus." What would it have been like if there was a survivor to Captain Nemo's voyage? What if you could read that survivor's diary of the expedition? Well, now you can!

This book is cool and ridiculously awesome! Just like Spyology had codes, letters for the readers and plenty of lift-the-flap explorations, so does Oceanology. We get a description of the Nautilus with diagrams and pictures of the underwater diving suits (illustrated, not photographed, of course!). There is talk of ocean life and a fold out travel map of the globe,depicting the route that the Nautilus took. Plus you get to enjoy the adventures experienced by this fictional character aboard this seacraft. For example, when out in the open ocean, young Zoticus describes feeling a jolt and peering out the portals to discover a herd of sperm whale circling the craft. He also discusses what it was like to explore the Antarctic Ice Shelf and on the same page there is a little pocket inside which you will find a dice game. The dice, of course, is carved out of a whale's tooth in a technique they call "scrimshaw." The reader of this book can fold the dice, making it functional so that they can roll it around and play with it themselves. Lastly, of course, the readers are introduced to the Lost City of Atlantis!

Have I said how awesome this book is? I love the creativity involved, the imagination and the intrigue. This is definitely one to add to wish lists. It is purely amazing!

Carrie comes by her book obsession honestly, having descended from a long line of bibliophiles. She blogs about books regularly at Reading to Know and Reading My Library.

In Delivering Hope, author Pamela MacPhee documents and details the journey she went on after agreeing to be a surrogate mother for her cousin and his wife. After cancer, her cousin's wife was unable to have children of her own. However, before undergoing treatment for this ravage disease, she had her eggs harvested in hopes that someday a surrogate mother would step forth and help the couple to build their family. They just never expected that volunteer womb to be someone in their own family!

Pamela MacPhee shares the joys, the fears, the struggles, the love and trust and awkward moments that she went through as she volunteered her body for pregnancy. From late night phone calls, gifts of maternity clothes, doctor visits, etc., this book shows you the anxiety involved in making such a huge decision. It shows the amazing love and appreciation felt by the couple who longed for a baby but were unable to have one. It is, as the book title would suggest, a moment of tender hope for the future. Hopeful expectations.

I did not agree with all of MacPhee's philosophies but as an adoptive parent myself, I do find her story amazing. Her mindset and sacrifice is, to me, mind boggling. I know the gratefulness that her cousin and his wife felt when their baby, a girl, was placed into their arms. Love radiates throughout this book but I thought MacPhee also did a good job of sharing the pitfalls involved in such a journey.

An intriguing book to be sure if you are remotely curious about surrogate motherhood.

As a special nod towards one of our readers, MacPhee is offered to give away one copy of her book. If you would like to win a copy, please leave a comment below. We'll announce the winner on November 18 in our Wednesday giveaway post.

To learn more about Delivering Hope you can visit Pamela MacPhee's website.

Carrie comes by her book obsession honestly, having descended from a long line of bibliophiles. She blogs about books regularly at Reading to Know and Reading My Library.

I love that this book talks about different time periods, likes and dislikes and also includes information on various individual artists as well, including Friedenstrich Hundertwasser (say that 10x fast!) to Grant Wood (a little easier to say). The book highlights individual art pieces, from the Head of Nefertiti to totem poles! This book is thorough for an introductory book and absolutely awesome! I've glanced through "intro to art" books in the past but nothing quite holds a candle to Children's Book of Art. Even the cover of the book is cool, with the cutout of a golden picture frame from which you get to take a look inside the book. This book is very well designed to provide a great deal of information but not so much detail that it is overwhelming to a younger reader.

This book covers architecture, the history of sculpting, the wacky interesting art in today's society and has full-color, high-quality photographs to go alongside explanations and descriptions. Really, if you have a young artist or are teaching a group of youngsters art, you'll want to add this book to your collection. It is fascinating to me to just browse through it and glean bits and pieces of information. Uh, for example, I hadn't ever seen Jeff Koons' Balloon Dog but this book includes it (and I found a picture for your education). Take a look:

Because who would NOT want something like this gracing their lawn or office building?

I don't get this piece of art, alongside a few others. However, it is really fascinating to take a look at what other people consider to be fine art, to understand societies and cultures and to examine world views. Fascinating, fun stuff and I can't recommend this book more highly. This is my new "5 Star Read." I think it's top notch and an excellent educational resource book.

Carrie comes by her book obsession honestly, having descended from a long line of bibliophiles. She blogs about books regularly at Reading to Know and Reading My Library.

A Separate Country begins at the end of General Hood's life, as he is dying of yellow fever. Mr. Hicks takes the reader back in time through the journals of General Hood and his wife Anna Marie. The journals begin with Hood moving to New Orleans to begin his post-war life; but the battle of Franklin, the defining battle of Hood's career, is never far from his mind, and it continues to impact his relationships until his death.

Because my father is a Civil War buff (and I also live near the author), I was excited dig into this book. As I began reading, however, I found myself in a dark and sometimes coarse story, and I had to push myself to continue through the first chapters. As the story unfolded, my interest increased, and I was fascinated with the development of the characters. Although there is no way of knowing what went through the mind of General Hood, Mr. Hicks's research led to a story of transformation: a general most often thought of as a tragic figure was able to change in the years following the defining public moments of his life.

The characters in this story are the primary focus, but the city of New Orleans plays a major role. The heat, stickiness, greed, and paranoia are palpable throughout the novel. I can think of no better place for the characters in this book to come together: a priest, a dwarf, former soldiers, society folk. All of their lives are intertwined and defined by their roles in the city.

A Separate Country is not a light, easy read, but it is a well-written and researched story that will interest fans of historical fiction, particularly those who are students of the Civil War and Reconstruction periods. Unlike many of the books I read, this story has aspects that appeal to both men and women.

If you haven't read Mr. Hicks's first novel, I recommend The Widow of the South. It centers around the Battle of Franklin, and some of the minor characters in this story take a more interesting and prominent role in A Separate Country. Of the two novels, I prefer The Widow of the South, probably because the protagonist is female (and it is not quite as sinister and dark). If you are a fan of historical fiction, be sure to check out these books. Robert Hicks is a masterful storyteller, and I am always grateful when I finish a historical novel and want to learn more.

Lauren is a wife, a mother of two, and an avid reader. She blogs at Baseballs and Bows.

The Singleton family is beginning a five-day stay at a seaside resort at the onset of the novel– Jack and Ruth, married seventeen years yet not living in an emotionally or physically intimate relationship for quite some time; Helen, their sixteen year old daughter who longs for her adult future to start as soon as possible; and Beth, their seven year old daughter whose health issues have cornered her into a sheltered and spiritless childhood at the hands of her concerned mother. The threads of their familial relationships are certainly wearing thin, and the story is narrated in such a way that each of the four family members get their own time in the limelight, as unflattering as that may sometimes be. While each characters' flaws are front and center, the pain and desires behind their failings are apparent as well, causing this reader to feel pangs of empathy for their individual plights.

I was most taken by the author's set-up of chapter introductions taken from Beth's I-Spy activity book that she is obsessively intent on completing during their visit to the shore. Drawing parallels between beachcombing for hidden secrets and viewing shipwrecks coming ashore to the current of events and status of relationships among the family members comes across as clever and intelligent.

While the setting of The Palace of Strange Girls wasn't familiar to me personally, so many features of a seaside resort town remain the same through time and place. In addition, the complexities of the relationships are portrayed with honesty and grit, causing the characters to be multi-dimensional, showing their pains, their fears, their failings and their attempts at doing right. This novel definitely made for an engaging read, and seems perfect for book club reading and discussion.

Dawn enjoys a book filled with imperfect characters, since this is a concept with which she is very much familiar. Her own imperfect life is chronicled on her blog, my thoughts exactly.

After reading the book, I found out that there was a television movie loosely based on the novel. Loosely is quite an accurate description. The movie takes liberties with the setting (19th century America), the characters (one missing, and one in the movie who was deceased in the novel), and the events. I think the movie made for a sweeter, more plausible story, and kept my attention more than the novel itself. Tom Conti plays Mr. Hamilton (dead in the novel), and I found his character delightful. Meredith Baxter portrays Mrs. Hamilton, who is much softer (and more likable) in the movie. Edith (Cari Shayne) isn't nearly as mysterious and haunted as in the novel, but she's a heroine to champion. Only the characters of Ida and James were consistent with what I'd expected based on the book. Still, I have to say I enjoyed the movie more than the novel.

If you're a purist, you may want to skip this movie. If not, I'd recommend The Inheritance as a great way to spend an evening.

Melissa has been captivated by books for as long as she can remember. She resides in Virginia and blogs at Breath of Life.

We would always see the results of deer presence in our yard, but until this last year or so, never actually saw the deer, which I thought was unfair.

I love to see deer. There is something so graceful and strong and beautiful about them. As I said, last year we started to see them more frequently, eating the evergreens on our property during the snowy winter.

In The Hidden Life of Deer Elizabeth Marshall Thomas writes about her observations of the deer population on her property that she was able to monitor specifically as a result of putting out corn for them in a season when the acorns, their usual winter diet, were scarce.

I found this book to be completely readable and fascinating. She takes a balanced look at wildlife, noting how humans effect wildlife and the effect that wildlife has on humans as well. Reading this book answered many questions that I had, such as "With a 40 pound barking dog in my yard, why do the deer come at all?" The answer is that they do not feel threatened by a barking dog. She is the enemy they know, and in fact serves to alert them of the stealthier, more potentially dangerous enemies (other dogs and people). The couple of times I've seen deer in the yard at daylight, I've always looked for the dog, and I've usually found her up on the back deck, watching them and staying very still, or waiting to be let in the house. She is no threat to them, and they obviously figured that out accurately.

In Marshall's effort to understand deer, she even goes out with a hunter. She understands that hunting is a part of the life of deer, with humans being natural predators, and she is not necessarily firmly against it as one might suppose.

For that reason, this book might make a great gift for a hunter or nature-lover.

We have a copy to give away to one of you (U.S. or Canadian shipping addresses). Just leave a comment here, and we'll announce the winner on November 11.

The winners of the Waiting for the Owl's Call giveaway are #6 Jen @ Happy Little Homemaker, #12 Penny Hull, and #22 Nicole C. The winners of The Swiss Courier are #1 Katy, #4 Stacy, #8 Jenny, #39 Anita, and #46 Nancy.

Seeing deer and other wildlife (foxes, pheasants, wild turkeys) is one of the things that Jennifer Donovan loves about living in Connecticut. She blogs about her life at Snapshot.

The fast and suspenseful tone fits well for older elementary school readers, and Ingram weaves history lessons into the narrative, comfortably conveying information and context as the story unfolds. As an adult reader, I was intrigued by the story, even as I questioned certain plot points, so I had to remind myself of the intended audience. I tried to read this from the perspective of my own nine year old son, and I know that both the sinister bad guys and the courageous young protagonists will captivate his action-loving literary needs. With lush descriptions of the amazing setting, Egypt herself becomes a central character, rich with a culture and history on full display.

Readers will be transported as they follow Justin and Adam on an adventure marked by danger, beauty, mythology, history, and discovery. The Secret of the Sacred Scarab begins their journey, and as the novel comes to an end, many questions still remain unanswered and ready to be addressed as the series, and Justin and Adam's adventure, continues.

For more information about the book and some fantastic resources about Egypt, head over to the book's official site. While you're there, be sure to check out the giveaway for a T-shirt and copy of the book for your child's school or local library!

As her oldest child grows, so do Dawn's reading habits. Her life with a toddler, preschooler and big kid is regularly chronicled on her blog, my thoughts exactly.

This month for our Classics Bookclub, we invited you to read any work by Louisa May Alcott.

I've been very excited about this because I found a few short stories that I wanted to read by Alcott, and I like the flexibility of being able to choose any title I'd like from a given author. This is definitely my cup of tea so I'm anxious to share with you what I read.

This past summer I was browsing at our local Goodwill and stumbled across a copy of the book Kate's Choice. Having never heard of it before, I snatched it up and intended to keep it for reading this holiday season. I was delighted to dive on in. Kate's Choice is the title story within this book, but it also includes two other stories, both revolving around the Christmas holiday. Kate's Choice itself is about a young girl (betcha can't guess her name!) who is orphaned. Born in England, she is sent to live with her family in America. It was her father's desire that she spend time living in each of her four uncle's homes before making her final decision as to where she would live.

Kate is an all together agreeable girl and everyone loves her. So it is with some mixture of sadness when she decides not to live with any of her uncles, but goes to live with her grandmother instead. The grandmother, on the other hand, couldn't feel more blessed. This is definitely a heart-warming, feel-good type of story and I enjoyed it for that. The other two short stories in this particular book are entitled What Love Can Do and Gwen's Adventures in the Snow. Both read as short magazine stories and are charming and delightful each in their own way. Of the three, I probably enjoyed What Love Can Do the most because it focuses on having a spirit of giving rather than receiving. That said, having never read any of Alcott's short stories before this, it was fun to relax for a few minutes and breeze through these works.

I highly recommend them for a fun Christmas read.

Now on to some other Bookclub news….

We had already announced that we were going to take December 1 and January 5 off from Classics Bookclub because of the busy holiday months.

After the first of the year, we are going to switch to a quarterly bookclub, taking place on the 5th Tuesday of each month, meaning our next bookclub will take place March 30. We are hoping that by having it only four times a year that those of you with a strong desire to participate will be able to.

We love the uniqueness of Classics Bookclub and want to keep it going strong.

We've gotten so many good ideas from you, so please leave your ideas for future titles in the comments. If you'd like to see the books we've already covered, click HERE.

Now it's your turn. Add in the link to your blog post about Louisa May Alcott in the linky below (or feel free to share in the comment section).

Carman does write from the perspective of being a business woman who finds her mission and purpose and life in working outside of her home. Her desire is to inspire women to fulfill their calling, whatever that might be, but she does tend to assume that callings are outside of the home whereas I find mine within my home. That made it a little harder for me to connect with her message, personally, but others might find this to be a breath of fresh air and you might connect with this perspective extraordinarily well. The aspect of the book that every woman can identify with is the fact that we were created with emotions. Carman acknowledges these emotions and would say that they are good things. She addresses emotions that are more destructive to our health and well-being, such as those of loneliness, rejection and fear.

Certainly we should face our emotions head on and examine them in light of God's Word and His vision for us. Carman's mother committed suicide when she was but 17 years old and she struggled through the upheaval which followed. Determining God's purpose for her, and being able to accomplish that purpose (in eventually founding this ministry, Inspire Women) despite her life difficulties is what she is writing about. No matter where any woman is at in life, no matter how they feel about things or what they struggle with, there is a means of transforming a broken life into a beautiful one. That is the crux of Carman's message and it is an inspiring one to read about.

To learn more about Inspire Women, visit their website. You can also learn more about this book by visiting the Moody Press website.

Carrie comes by her book obsession honestly, having descended from a long line of bibliophiles. She blogs about books regularly at Reading to Know and Reading My Library.

With a subtitle of "Rhymes, Songs and Touch-Play Activities to Stay Connected," parents know exactly what they're getting when they pick up this book. With some simple illustrations in the background, the bulk of this book is in the text. There are sections with rhymes, games, songs and stories to share with your little ones, and alongside each of those passages are italicized directions detailing massage techniques and simple touch activities for the adult to act out while singing or reading. Much of the content of this book was new to me, from the rhymes to the resources, and I found it to be a lot of fun to try out with my 1 and 3 year olds.

Emphasizing the importance of touch in our relationships with our children, Groeneveld shares research on the benefits of touch to young children, as well as a comprehensive list of resource articles, books and organizations that support these findings. This is a book that I'm happy to find a place for on one of our many picture book OR parenting resource book shelves! For caregivers of babies, toddlers and preschoolers, Mommy, Draw Stars on My Tummy is a wonderful resource and go-to book for shared moments of happiness with their little ones.

Books, kids and giggles are all shared in copious amounts on Dawn's blog, my thoughts exactly.