Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile

Review and Give Away: Jumpstart.com in New York City

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 03:01:00 +0000

We have posted about Jumpstart.com a few times in the past. The Infant Bibliophile really enjoys the site. We were pleased to be offered the opportunity to take a sneak peek at some new New York City sites added to their Madagascar themed play area recently.

As if the arrival of the Central Park Zoo and the animal’s European Habitat were not enough to quench your kids thirst for all things Madagascar. Now, they can help us welcome Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman back to New York. With exciting new areas and games, there are so many more adventures for your kids to enjoy while in the JumpStart World. From the city skyscrapers and iconic yellow cabs to the arrival of Central Park, all the sights and sound of the city are just waiting to be discovered...

Pros:

Jumpstart is fun, and the Madagascar area is no exception. Website excerpt: "Some missions might have your Jumpee unscrambling riddles or mastering secret codes using the handy toolkit that the Penguins provided, while other missions might have you collecting clues by talking with confidential contacts or searching high and low for your next target. The Penguins will give clues and instructions along the way to help solve all the challenges your Jumpee is faced with. These trying missions will take your Jumpee to every corner of the JumpStart World and having them work incognito with the Penguins. Is your Jumpee ready to take on the challenge?"
Favorite, familiar Madagascar characters will delight little movie fans, and NYC sites like Coney Island, the Statue of Liberty, Center Park, etc. will please aficionados of the Big Apple.
Jumpstart is constantly changing, which keeps the site entertaining. Not only do they add large new areas, like the New York City sections, but they add many themed elements for each holiday (St. Patrick's Day, Easter, etc.), which our little guy tends to notice and love.
Fun for multiple ages. While our 5 year-old is our main player, our two year old also enjoyed flying in a makeshift aircraft over the NY city skyline and riding bumper cars in Coney Island.
You can add multiple children to the same Jumpstart account, each with their own login.

Cons:

We sometimes have problems getting Jumpstart set up the first time we use it. We have to fiddle with our cache, try some downloads, and sometimes switch browsers. But once it is running, then it keeps running fine every time we use it. They do have a responsive customer support team to help with this.
There is quite a bit of loading time in the game, both initially and as you enter new areas. This might be unique to my (well-loved) MacBook, but it frustrates the kids (and me).
It is not always clear to me what I am supposed to be doing within Jumpstart. Some areas are far more guided than others. This seems to bother me more than the children, and it encourages them to explore, but I sometimes feel like they are missing out on some of the fun that they could be having if they knew where to go. There are tours on a Jumpstart YouTube channel, but I think we'd prefer guided tours with commentary, like the Infant Bibliophile often finds on YouTube for Wii games he has recently acquired (or would like to acquire!)

Overall, we remain big fans of Jumpstart, despite some slow loading and connection issues here and there. These New York City areas might not be the most educational parts of Jumpstart, but we love how Jumpstart continues to mix fun and educational learning.

Give Away
Want to check out Jumpstart for yourself? Jumpstart.com has generously offered a three-month membership to one of our readers. To enter, please like Jumpstart on Facebook or Google +, and leave a comment letting me know. Give away will close at midnight on Sunday, March 24.

“Disclosure: I was provided with a JumpStart membership at no cost by Knowledge Adventure in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.”

Super Hero Early Readers

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 01:26:00 +0000

Do you have a reluctant reader on your hands? Trying character-based early readers can be a great way to (re)ignite their love of reading. We had a slight lull in the Bibliophile's interest in reading last year, and Star Wars early readers were a life saver. We moved onto graphic novels and character encyclopedias, and then were able to interest him in a variety of subject material again. Super heroes have never been our thing (they were deemed "too scary"), but we've recently started trying a few from the library, and they have been well received.

Wonder Woman Classic: I Am Wonder Woman (I Can Read Book 2) - nothing to be scared of here. Both of my children were really interested to learn about Wonder Woman, who apparently they hadn't been exposed to before.

Here is what my 5 year old son has to say about it:
"so, i think that it is sneaky. because she does not want to become queen, so she is a superhero on pages 10, 11 and 12. she has somthing like a wondercar on pages 18 and 19. (compared to the batmobile.)"

Superman Classic: I Am Superman (I Can Read Book 2) -- from the same series. Because my kids are not all that familiar with super heroes, these introductory "I am..." books are perfect for them.

Thanks to HarperCollins, we've also been sent a few more advanced super hero picture books recently, and the Infant Bibliophile has taken to them.

Superman Classic: Attack of the Toyman -- A toyman put out of business goes on a rampage, until Superman comes to the rescue (of course) and stops him. We giggle every time we read it at the fact that Lois Lane doesn't recognize Clark Kent as superman, just because he changed his clothes.

Batman Classic: Fowl Play - IB had been reluctant to read this one, thinking it seemed scary, but he just plowed through it by himself a few minutes ago and said he liked it. The Penguin has been training birds in an underground aviary and sending them out to commit strange crimes. Of course, Batman takes charge and saves the day.

Infant Bibliophile says:
"so, he looks funny. he has a clear colored eyepatch/monacle. ...he is like toyman, because he likes toys. and umbrella tricks... i can't think of any more..."

I love that character books like these tend to be inexpensive (less than $5), and really well received by little readers. I think it would be a mistake if this kind of literature was the only exposure given to children, but they can be a great tool to engage a children's interest in reading, particularly for "reluctant readers".

Disclosure: We were provided copies of the last two books in this post at no cost in order to review them. If you click on any links in this post and purchase anything, we will earn a small commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.

An Awesome Book of Love!

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 15:55:00 +0000

A few years ago, we read and enjoyed An Awesome Book!, by Dallas Clayton, so we were really excited to have the chance to review An Awesome Book of Love! this month. It is one of those rare books that pulls off sentimentality without (too much) sap. It is silly, fun, sweet, and a whole lot of fun to read. I find myself hoping the kids will choose it for me to read aloud to them.

And you know / I'm aglow / with a smile on my face / when I wonder / what magic / you'll make of this place / of this town / of this world / you'll transform your surrounding / that spirit inside you / is truly astounding.

Son (age 5)(in his own words/typing): I think that it is kinda funny, beacuse after this 1 part, it says:"i love you i love you". It makes it out of beeds, then paint, then leaves, then yarn, then wood, then blocks, then stitched from a sewing machine.

Daughter (age 2): she likes it too. No part stands out for her, but she pays attention throughout the book.

Overall, this is a fun book with a beautiful message. If you like this, you might also like:
An Awesome Book!
An Awesome Book of Thanks!
The I LOVE YOU Book
More on author Dallas Clayton

Companion Activity --
Spell "I Love You" out of toys and objects around your house (in keeping with some of the illustrations in the book):

Disclosure: we received a copy of this book from the publisher at no cost in order to review it. If you click on any of the links in this post and purchase anything,

Review: Little Sweet Potato

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 22:48:00 +0000

Little Sweet Potatois a charming story about a sweet potato who accidentally becomes separated from his home/garden patch, and struggles to find a place to belong. Along the way, he meets some not so welcoming strangers ("And the fact is, you are dumpy, bumpy, and kinda lumpy. What I'm trying to say, pal, is -- scram . . . He didn't know the world has such mean vegetation in it." At the end, he finally finds his way home, to a welcoming motley crew of veggies and flowers.

What we thought of it:

Mom: I thought it was cute, and fun to read aloud. I especially liked this passage: "'Some just like their own kind,' one of the pansies said sweetly. 'But we're the kind that like all kinds.'"

"Infant Bibliophile" (Age 5): i really like this page. it says:"you're so nice," said sweet potato."i met some flowers that looked just like you, but they weren't very nice."some are, some aren't,"said a friendly carrot. "we are." and i love this page that says "that's how it is, kid," said a gleaming eggplant. "it's not all mulch and sunshine out there."
"oh, i know, said little sweet potato." which is right next to it this way: --------->

Baby Sister (Age 2): She says she liked it. She rates it a 2. But that's only because she is 2, so she answers "2" to any numeric question.

Suggested Activities:
Eat some fresh sweet potato, of course! Bake it, mash it,or try sweet potato french fries, sweet potato chips, or some sweet potato muffins. You can also use sweet potatoes to make sweet potato stampers, or a homemade Mr. (Sweet) Potato Head!

Disclosure: We were provided a copy of this book by the publisher at no cost in order to review it. If you click on any of the links above and purchase anything, we may earn a small commission from Amazon.com.

We heart Fancy Nancy!

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 04:44:00 +0000

Every now and then, I pick up a book series that we haven't ever read, despite having heard it mentioned many times. We recently discovered Fancy Nancy. Love! Harper Collins (thank you!) has sent us a beginner reader (Too Many Tutus)
, a four-book paperback set called Fancy Nancy: The Wonderful World of Fancy Nancy (including Explorer Extraordinaire, Poet Extraordinaire, Aspiring Artist, and Ooh La la! It's Beauty Day) and a chapter book (Secret Admirer). Quick reviews appear below. Both of my children (ages two and five) will sit and read them with me, cuddled up on either side of the book. They have requested a few of these many times; luckily, the ones that they enjoy the most are also the most educational titles.

In case we are not the last family on the planet to have read a Fancy Nancy book, "Fancy Nancy" is a loveable, glamour-loving little girl who loves all things "fancy," including fancy words, which makes the Fancy Nancy books great for vocabulary-building.

Too Many Tutus-- our first Fancy Nancy book. A cute story about Nancy trading in some of her tutus at a school swap (for... more, but less, tutus!). Nice message about thoughtfulness, as two of the girls want the same, single tutu.

Fancy Nancy: The Wonderful World of Fancy Nancy-- Includes the next four titles:

Fancy Nancy: Explorer Extraordinaire!-- Nancy and her friends form a club and explore birds, flowers, butterflies, leaves, etc. Very educational and cute. We like this one very much.

Fancy Nancy: Poet Extraordinaire!-- Nancy explores different types of poetry, including trying to write her own, despite a case of writer's block. This is probably the kids' favorite, and I love how much they are learning every time they read it (again and again).

Fancy Nancy: Aspiring Artist-- Very educational, as Nancy learns about different types of art. My children loved seeing Nancy do some Jackson Pollock painting in the backyard. This might be my favorite (tied with Poet Extraordinaire).

Here are my little artists doing some Jackson Pollock painting of their own last year:

Fancy Nancy: Ooh La La! It's Beauty Day-- Nancy gives her mother a makeover. An entertaining read. Her mother handles Nancy's ministrations admirably. Not my favorite of the bunch, because it isn't as educational as some of the others, but still a fun read.

Fancy Nancy: Nancy Clancy, Secret Admirer-- We have only read the first chapter of this one so far (It is more difficult to read chapter books with my 2-year old around, and when I have 1-on-1 reading time with the 5 year old, he is opting for Star Wars books lately). But I am mentioning it here to highlight that chapter books exist. "Nancy Clancy and her best friend, Bree, have love on the brain -- after all, they're learning about the human heart in science class! But when the girls decide to play matchmaker, nothing works out as planned. So the big question is: Will love conquer all?"

Comment: Do you like Fancy Nancy books? What other undiscovered series should we check out?!

Disclosure: I was provided copies of all of the above books at no cost in order to write this review. If you click on any links in this post and purchase anything, I may earn a small commission through my affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.

Jumpstart Madagascar Review and Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 04:19:00 +0000

We were recently given the opportunity to try out Jumpstart.com's newest world, based on Dreamworks' Madagascar. There might have been some squealing involved when we first received the offer. We used Jumpstart.com last year for many months, and when we stopped our subscription, we had a very disappointed little boy on our hands. He has been thrilled to start playing there again.

"JumpStart®, an award-winning brand from Knowledge Adventure®, has set the standard in kids’ educational software for over 15 years. Today, the JumpStart experience is more engaging, interactive, and fun than ever! In 2009, we introduced JumpStart.com, an online adventure where 3 to 10-year-old kids master the skills needed to succeed in school and in life, through exploration, discovery, and learning. By blending interactive adventures and award-winning learning games into a safe, customizable online world, JumpStart inspires minds and JumpStarts self-confidence… the fun way."

The neatest thing about Jumpstart, and the reason that I am late in writing this review, is that it is full of different activities for many age levels and interest areas. The volume of activities on the site is really impressive. In the past, I have sometimes found the world a bit confusing to navigate. After the preschool-appropriate "Storyland," in which children are guided around on tasks by fun characters, the rest of Jumpstart can feel a bit dizzying. That, though, is also what keeps our boy's interest so raptly, and what makes him keep taking on a renewed interest in new areas (which continually update to reflect the season, upcoming holidays, etc.).

The first time the Infant Bibliphile tried out Jumpstart, he focused mainly on Storyland and Marineland. He was three years old then, and I played alongside him. It made it much easier to review. Now that he is 5, and VERY independent on the computer, it is a little more difficult for me to write a detailed review. Because, let's face it, I'm usually cooking dinner or checking email while he is playing it. But, I can say that he has enjoyed the game for many hours since we signed up, and will never turn down a chance to play. I remember from our past explorations that there are many areas throughout Jumpstart focusing on mathematics and other educational concepts (grammar, for instance) through fun games.

This time around, he has been spending most of his time on the new Madgascar world, which was an instant hit.

The new addition of Madagascar™ to the JumpStart world allows players to travel from the Central Park Zoo in New York City, all the way to Venice, Italy and through other parts of Europe. All of your kids’ favorite characters are there too! They’ll see Alex, Melman, Gloria, Marty and the Penguins!

JumpStart’s new interactive Madagascar™ area provides an engaging and interactive way to explore fun facts about the animals and historical figures from European landmarks. There is even a new game that allows your children to morph fellow players into their favorite zoo animals along with many other exciting and educational games to play along the way.

He immediately started running around through the Madagascar area like he owned the place, and particularly took to a game called "Hide and Seek with Mort," in which he tries to find Mort based on clues given to him. ("I like hide and seek with mort, but it does make me use my brain.").

Other favorite Jumpstart areas of his:
--The "charms" building in Windy Hollows - get ingredients and mix your magical potions
--Storyland - fun loveable animals guide you through preschool-appropriate tasks, including learning games on topics like colors, matching, number recognition, etc.
--Ridez - choose your wheels, from simple skateboards to much fancier rides
--Broomball (a quidditch-like game)

We have experienced a few minor issues. The game was extremely laggy/choppy at first, but we switched browsers, and it runs beautifully on firefox. If there are large crowds of users, it can feel awkward to run around a section. And sometimes there are areas where the directions are unclear. Some of this could be an age factor, since he is on the young-side for independent computer play. We would also love to be able to replay the whole sequence of character-led activities in Storyland, something which I don't think the site allows, or to have more character-led paths on the upper levels. On the whole, though, we are big fans of Jumpstart!

And, hey, look at this! Jumpstart just added a free worksheets and printables section to their website! "Free worksheets include grade based worksheets starting with Preschool Worksheets and Kindergarten Worksheets all the way up to Fifth Grade Worksheets. Along with the collection of grade based worksheets, a vast number of subjects including Math Worksheets, Science Worksheets and Reading Worksheets are available for free. Parents can choose from a variety of subjects, grades and learning styles to create the perfect learning companion for kids aged 4 to 12 and help their child excel in reading, math and other important skills and subjects. In addition to the free worksheets and printables JumpStart also has a variety of resources and activities for parents and kids including great holiday craft ideas, Thanksgiving decoration ideas for kids and plenty of Madagascar themed activities as well. All worksheets and activities are available for free at www.jumpstart.com and are updated daily with new worksheets, activities and crafts for parents and kids. Click here to explore all the free worksheets."

Let's hear it for "free" :)

Speaking of "free," want to win your own 3-month Jumpstart subscription? Leave a comment! Based on my previous give aways of computer site subscriptions, I'd say you have an excellent chance of winning...

Deadline is December 5, 2012 at Midnight.

Disclosure: We were provided a 3-month subscription to Jumpstart.com in order to write this review.

Review: Just Say Boo!

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 02:18:00 +0000

"Just Say Boo!" is the last of the three books we were sent for review by HarperCollins, and a huge hit with our little girl (for those keeping track, HarperCollins was 3 for 3 on the Halloween books this year!).

Beautiful illustrations depict a group of children out trick or treating, and fun rhyming language follows their route. A repetitive phrase asks children "What do you say?" every couple of pages, to which the answer is, "BOO!" or some cute variation ("Booooooooooooo!" or "Eww!").

The repetition is PERFECT for little readers, both for pure enjoyment and for pre-reading skills. My daughter loves calling out the words, which she has memorized. And, the rhyming text is *fun* to read, which makes this mom happy.

If a flickering grin
gets under your skin,
what do you say?
Boo!

I think the age range here is fairly wide, since my almost-two and almost-5 year olds both enjoy it.

Comment! What are your little ones wearing for Halloween this year?

Disclosure: We received a free copy of this book in order to write the review. If you click on any links in this post and purchase anything, we may earn a small commission based on our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.

Review and Give Away: Jumpstart Madagascar Preschool Surf N' Slide Mobile App

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 22:46:00 +0000

Thanks to Jumpstart, we had an opportunity to try out the new Jumpstart/DreamWorks Madagascar Preschool Surf N' Slide App on our iPad. We will also be reviewing Jumpstart's online world, including the new Madagascar area, in an upcoming post. While the almost-5-year-old has been checking out Jumpstart.com, his baby sister has been our Preschool Surf N' Slide reviewer...

The App is very straightforward. The user chooses a young Madagascar character to control on a moving ride of their choice (carpet, surfboard, etc.), down a water slide. As the character slides, he collects stars (there is no problem if you miss stars... you just keep riding and answering questions. Eventually, I think you are given stickers or new sticker scenes in exchange for having earned stars).

The character occasionally encounters a set of balloons, which triggers a round of questions about numbers, colors, shapes, letters, animals, and critical thinking. My almost-2-year-old loves the games, and tackles most of the questions easily. This earns her more stickers.

The only type of question that she hasn't been able to answer on her own is "which one doesn't belong?"

Big brother steps right in for those...

Overall, this is a bright, colorful, kid-friendly App. My son (almost 5) says about it:

i don't play it that much, but it is FUN!
also, there is baloons and my baby sister gets exited about them because they are: QUESTIONS!!!!!! i do want to note...i forgot what i wanted to say. mabye i'll say it in the next e-mail (hoping it's today!) . wait, I remember it. it is that i used caps lock because they are really fun to her!
now bye-bye

(He was super excited to type that review!).

Incidentally, my kids are not Madagascar movie fans (the littlest hasn't seen it and my older has seen scenes from it a few times awhile back, but generally is not a fan of movies), and the App is great fun regardless. I am thinking about revisiting the movie with them now that they have played the game.

Give Away:

Thanks to Jumpstart, one lucky user can win their own copy of Jumpstart/DreamWorks Madagascar Preschool Surf N' Slide App.
To enter:
1) comment on this post
2) subscribe, like, or otherwise befriend Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile and comment here saying so for an additional entry.
3) share on Facebook, twitter, or some other social media forum for a third entry.

The deadline to enter is Wednesday, October 31st, midnight.

Disclosure: We recieved a free copy of this app in order to review it.

Review: Mia: Time to Trick or Treat!

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 02:32:00 +0000

Mia (the cat) wants to dress like a ballerina for Halloween, and she'd like her two best school friends (a hippo and a giraffe) to be ballerinas too. They're all for it. There's just one problem. All three girls have different favorite colors, so they can't agree on a tutu color (oh, the tragedy). Ultimately, they tie-dye their tutus to have matching multicolor ensembles.

The critic in me thinks the lesson here could have been about individuality; could they not have each worn their own favorite color, celebrating their diverse tastes? But, I do remember wanting to dress like my best friends in middle school, and I suppose there is a message about compromise in here. It is a cute book, especially for any little ballet fans out there, at a very affordable price. It has grown on me as I have read it. And read it. And read it. (See below).

Also, there are stickers and a dress-up page - always a crowd pleaser.

Excerpt:

"The girls don't know what to do. They want to match, but they can't agree on a color. Before they can decide, the school bell rings. The three dancing friends glide into the classroom."

My almost 5 year old boy read it with me once and liked it, particularly the sticker page. I'd say he's the right age for it.

My 22 month old girl read it approximately 85 times. She's too young to understand it, but she sure enjoys it.

Thank you to HarperCollins for providing a review copy!

Disclosure: we were provided a copy of this book at no cost in order to write this review. If you click on any links in this post and purchase anything, we may earn a commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.

Fall/Halloween book review: It's Pumpkin Day, Mouse!

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 02:06:00 +0000

We were delighted to receive an adorable board book by Laura Numeroff for review recently (thank you, HarperCollins!). Ms. Numeroff is the author of the wildly successful If You Give a Mouse ... series, so I expected that we would enjoy it. It did not disappoint.

Mouse has seven pumpkins to decorate, which he does, except for the one snatched up by dog and playfully decorated to be "scary." This is not a long story, but it is great for the 2 and 3 year-old crowd as a fun introduction to pumpkin-decorating.

My 22-month old loves modeling the facial expressions on the pumpkins:

We have a backlog of books to review, so expect some catch-up posting this week! If I'm ever fully caught up, maybe I'll fill you in on how the infant bibliophile spent a good part of his summer in a body cast...but that's a story for another day. For now, we have a few pumpkin faces to imitate.

Disclosure: we received a free copy of this book in order to review it. If you click on any of the links in this post and purchase anything, we may earn a commission through our affiliate relationship with amazon.com.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Look who we met!

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 13:22:00 +0000

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Lego "Invention Box"

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 02:21:00 +0000

"Inventor box" at a local museum

We came across this "inventor box" inside the Learning Lab at a local museum today. The 4 1/2 year old loved it. First, you take a piece of paper from the box. Someone has written an invention on the piece of paper. You then create that invention out of cardboard, or using some colored blocks. And then you write a new invention on a piece of paper and slip it into the box for the next person. We first chose a piece of paper with "a machine to make ice cream out of clouds" on it.

Of course, we had to come home and make our own version (we called ours an "Invention Box"), with legos as our construction tools.

Some of our at-home creations included: toy picker-upper, a machine to shoot cookies into your mouth, a machine to cheer up cranky babies, a transporter to visit far away relatives, and a flying car.

I'm told that the best lego inventions are made while being spontaneously bear-hugged by little sisters.

We have enjoyed books about Leonardo Da Vinci in the past (just went looking for my post to link to -- can't believe I never blogged about our two-week study! oops).

I'm thinking about delving a little deeper into inventions in the next few weeks, using mainly See Inside Inventions, the Story of Inventions, and Story of Toilets, Telephones, and Other Useful Inventions.

Comment! What would you like to invent? Do you have any favorite invention/inventor books?

Disclosure: I'm an Usborne consultant and will receive a commission if you click on a link from this site and purchase anything.

Review and Give Away: Because Your Mommy Loves You

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Mon, 28 May 2012 03:34:00 +0000

Because Your Mommy Loves You

From the publisher:

About the Book

In this sweet companion book to Because Your Daddy Loves You, a little boy and his mom go on a hiking trip and camp out under the stars. Mommy is as calm and reassuring, but also goes far to foster her son's independence in an encouraging and loving way. As heartwarming as its predecessor, this read-aloud book is sure to become a family favorite.

About the author:

Andrew Clements is the author of many best-selling books, among them the middle grade novel Frindle. He lives in Westborough, Massachusetts, and can be found at www.andrewclements.com.

About the illustrator:

R. W. Alley is the illustrator of many beloved picture books, including the Paddington Bear series. He lives in Barrington, Rhode Island. Visit him at www.rwalley.com.

What we thought about it --

I like the camping theme, as did the Infant Bibliophile (now 4 1/2), and overall this is a sweet book. He enjoyed it, and he is fairly picky these days. The format of the book presents scenarios, in the style of: when X happens, "your mommy could..." do such and such (taking over for the child), "but she doesn't," instead choosing to show or guide the child to do it himself. Example:

When the pack on your back feels like a giant rock,

your mommy could say,
That looks awfully heavy
for you. Here, I'll carry it!
But she doesn't.

You both sit down a while
and share some water
and a handful of raisins.

Then she helps you strap on
your pack again,
and up the trail you go.

In general, I do not tend tend to foster early independence in my children. I still put my 4 1/2 year old's shoes on for him 90% of the time, and I fear that in the scenario above, I'd be not only carrying his pack and mine, but likely trying to give him a piggy back ride at the same time. So, some of the book scenarios were probably a little confusing for him. That probably makes this a very appropriate book for us. I'm hoping we can use Because Your Mommy Loves You to start some dialogue about independence.

Give Away!

Thanks to the generosity of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, one lucky reader will receive:

· 1 Copy of Because Your Mommy Loves You

· 1 Copy of Because Your Daddy Loves You

NOTE: This give away is now closed. The winners have been notified by email. Thank you!

To enter:

1) Comment here with a favorite (or bad!) camping memory.

For additional entries:

2) Follow or subscribe to Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile, and comment here letting me know.

3) Share this give away via FB, Twitter, Pinterest, or a phone call to your mom, and comment here letting me know.

Giveaway open to US residents only. The deadline is midnight (EST) on June 3, 2012.

Disclosure: We received a free copy of Because Your Mommy Loves You in order to write this review.

Free iPad Children's Book App

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Mon, 28 May 2012 02:48:00 +0000

Have an iPad? Usborne Books recently released a new (free) app called Demibooks Storytime. You can learn more about it here, but the basic idea is, you download the program, enter a consultant idea in the settings (mine is R3395), and get a free interactive book! I think you'll then get a free book monthly. Hoorah for free!

If you try it out, please let me know what you think, because I won't be getting my iPad until next month.

Disclosure: I am an independent educational consultant with Usborne Books.

Too Young for Harry Potter?

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Sun, 27 May 2012 01:46:00 +0000

The Infant Bibliophile (currently 4 1/2) discovered Harry Potter in, of all places, the library computer room (where I very rarely let him go... we get enough computer time at home!). I have the hardcover versions of all but the last volume on my bookshelf, but it was when he saw some older kids playing a computer version that he became curious about the books. The IB scares somewhat easily, so just describing a few parts of the Harry Potter books was enough to convince him he wasn't ready for them yet. (We did attempt to read bits of the Tales of Beedle the Bard together). I read excerpts of my HP copies with him here and there, and we let it go.

And then one day, I came across the Oliver Moon series.

Perfect! They are Harry-Potter-esque books, without any of the death/evil of HP. (Don't get me wrong... I am a huge fan of Harry Potter, but just not for my particular 4 year old.) There are nine Oliver Moon titles available, for $4.99 each, or you can buy the whole collection and save a few dollars. They can be read in any order. So far, we've read Oliver Moon and the Potion Commotion, Oliver Moon and the Spell-Off, and Oliver Moon and the Monster Mystery. We enjoyed the first one we read so much that we finished it in one morning, and then read it again that evening!

Good thing we happen to have a wand handy from our Magic Kit, because it has been getting some good role-playing use lately. :)

Comment! What is your favorite chapter series for young readers? We also LOVE the Magic Treehouse series.

Disclosure: If you click on links in this post and purchase anything, we will earn a commission based on our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com and our consultant relationship with Usborne Books & More.

Usborne Facebook Party!

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Tue, 22 May 2012 01:41:00 +0000

We participated in a fantastic local busy bag swap a few months back. Along with 25 bags full of activities to entertain my little girl, I also gained a new friend! And she's a blogger! We decided to team up forces tomorrow night to host a Facebook Usborne party. We designed some special discounted preschool packages, and planned give aways and little contests. You know that feeling when you clean your whole house for a party, cook a table full of food, and ... no one shows up?! Don't let that be Sarah and I tomorrow night! Come join us! The party starts at 7:30 Mountain Time, (9:30 Eastern Time).

I'm reposting Sarah's blog post here, to give you the scoop:

I am sooo excited to announce my newest sponsor,

I have a fabulous friend, Lynn, who is a blogger at infantbibliophile. She and her children love books so much she became an Usborne Books rep. She introduced me to their books and I am hooked. I'm not kidding. I have now amassed a huge quantity of Usborne books, all at great prices due to hosting shows!

When you go to the Usborne Books and More site, I have my own little e-show just for your perusal. This e-show will help me earn even more books for our homeschooling library. I wanted a chance to introduce you to Usborne books and build your own library too, so tomorrow we will be hosting an Usborne Kick Off Party!

This party is going to be happening on Facebook tomorrow night, so be sure to like my page now before you forget. We are going to be having lots of discounts, exclusive kits, giveaways, and more!

To go with the Walk Beside Me LDS Preschool Curiculum, Lynn and I have worked to come up with the perfect kit to compliment the curriculum. We call it the Perfect Preschool Package! Even better, purchasing this kit will get you the entire Walk Beside Me curriculum in one easy download, from A-Z! You'll have access to the entire curriculum before the remaining letters have been published on my blog! The package is only $57.95 with free shipping!

What's included in this kit?

ABC Sticker Book

123 Sticker Book
Shapes
Market Day Board Book Set
Big Book of Playtime Activities
Entertaining and Educating Young Children
and one easy download of the entire
Walk Beside Me LDS Preschool Curriculum!

We've also set up a fantastic activity book kit for you, great for practicing fine motor skills and writing skills!

The Pre-K Wipe Clean Kit includes

Wipe Clean 123

Wipe Clean ABC
Wipe Clean First Letters
Wipe Clean Ready for Writing

These books will be featured at these great prices tomorrow night at our Facebook party. If you order both sets, tomorrow night only we'll be throwing in a free copy of 50 Travel Games and Activities (a $9.99 value!). Together they make a well rounded preschool curriculum!

Don't worry if you're not looking for preschool books. We'll be having discounts and giveaways and so much more. We'll start our Usborne Kick Off Party at 7:30 pm Mountain Time and it will run through 9:00. Pop in anytime, as the discounts and giveaways will be running all night long!

What we've been up to...

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:29:00 +0000

Quick photo-heavy catch-up post!

We have been all about dinosaurs lately.

And, of course, books.

We swapped 25 "Busy bags" with other local moms:

We've attempted simple sensory bins ("don't eat that! Not for eating!"):

And nature observing (looking for signs of spring):

And generally trying to promote sibling harmony.

Also, lots of Usborne-related shows and activities. I am halfway to winning an iPad, which I have coveted for AGES. Not that my 4 year old will ever let me use it.

What have YOU been up to?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sugar tray

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:19:00 +0000

Apparently 1 1/2 is a little young for writing letters in sugar (an activity requested by the 4 year old Infant Bibliophile). Left the room and found this when I returned... Sugar in ears, up nose, coating eyelashes... Bath time!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

"That's Not My..." Craft Activity

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:31:00 +0000

Have you read any of the "That's Not My ..." line of books? We own That's Not My Dolly and That's Not My Puppy, and our one year-old really enjoys them. This week, the Infant Bibliophile decided to create one of his own!

"That's Not My [baby sister's name]." I blurred his cover to omit personal names, but you get the idea. We used an old box of "extra" photos, but just used a bit of tape to hold them down, so they can be returned once we are ready to dispose of the craft.

Here are a few of my favorite pages:

"His ears are too big"


"That's not a person"

I realized with horror that I don't have ONE printed photo of his baby sister for the final page. Everything is digital! I better hit Shutterfly soon. For now, we just printed a black and white on regular printer paper.

Easy and fun! This is making me want to search the shelves for other baby books to inspire us. Next, I think we'll make a local version of the "Goodnight, (city name)" books. It would also be fun to use different materials to make a touchy feely book. And we haven't made a flap book in awhile.

Comment: Do you make books with your kids?

Disclosure: As an Usborne Books consultant, I will earn a commission if you click on any of the links above and purchase anything.

The Scoop on Getting Started with Usborne Books

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 02:50:00 +0000

This is the story of how (and why) I decided to become an Usborne Book Consultant this month, and how much fun we have been having with it. First, a photo of my assistant:

My sidekick, before our first homeshow.

Next, I want to share a secret with you. Ok, it's not so secret. But it's a fantastic deal. Ready? Come in close... During February only, you can sign up to be an Usborne Consultant for $29. Why is that a great deal, you might ask? Because, this is what $29 will get you:

Titles: Conspiracy 365 - January, Counting Rhymes, Everyone Poops, First Encyclopedia of Science, How Big is a Million, My Sister's a Pop Star, Sticker Dolly Dressing Costumes & Parties, and That's Not My Puppy.

That's $150 worth of books! There were a lot of smiles in this house the day that the box arrived. For us, I would have spent full money on The First Encyclopedia of Science, That's Not My Puppy, The Poop Book, How Big is a Million, and The Sticker Dolly Dressing Book, and those alone cost $53. So I saved $24, and got an extra three books. Yahoo! I'm not much of a salesperson, but these books sell themselves.

PLUS, I recieved all of the business stuff I needed to get started earning more (free) books - order forms, website and online ordering system, catalogs, brochures, invitation postcards, and a network of warm, fun consultants who love books as much as we do! I debated whether to join Usborne for years (seriously, I'm like that. You should have seen me trying to decide which sippie cup to purchase), and it has been a great decision. But if it turned out not to be a good fit for me, I figured I would have just spent $29 on 8 books. Not to mention the "pretend book party store" my 4 year old set up with my supplies. A win-win purchase either way. :) If money is not an option, or if you are certain that this will be a good fit for you, there is also a larger kit available with 25 books.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a consultant, leave me a comment or send me an email, and I'm happy to answer any questions you have honestly and quickly. And if you'd like to know more about the books above, stay tuned to Mama Smiles, because she will be featuring a guest post from us this weekend with some reviews (and a give away!).

You can find the full catalog of Usborne books here. We also have a new Usborne facebook page set up; "like" it to learn about specials and give aways. The first give away will be happening shortly.

Disclosure: I will earn commissions on purchases made through our Usborne site, and possibly by helping other consultants get started.

Hello!

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:58:00 +0000

Pipe cleaners in a pasta strainer :)

Holy cow. October 20th was our last post?! My blog hiatus just somehow kept going and going. My little baby has turned into a toddler, and my four year old is a bundle of little boy energy. Ever in search of ways to make my life as a stay at home mom more entertaining, I've recently embarked on a new enterprise... I signed on an Usborne Books consultant. I feel really strongly about the importance of books in young children's lives (well, duh.), and I love putting quality books into little hands. Especially little hands that claim they don't like books... a challenge! Bring it on! As an Usborne consultant, I will earn some great books, a little spare change, and likely a few new friends. I'm gearing up to share some of our favorite Usborne books here, and at the sites of some of our blog buddies, who have agreed to join in our fun by hosting some fun "e-shows," complete with door prizes and customer specials. So stay tuned... I'll try not to make it four months again until my next post!

(If you have ever thought about becoming an Usborne book consultant, February's monthly special makes it a great time to do it. Email me if you want any more info!).

Disclosure: As an Usborne consultant, I'll earn a commission from sales placed through the Usborne site linked above.

This Week's "Row": One Tiny Turtle

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 02:42:00 +0000

One of the children in our weekly "Five in a Row" coop requested that we study sea turtles, so we jumped off of the FIAR curriculum this week and focused on One Tiny Turtle, by Nicola Davies. We did some activities at home, but we kept it light, since it was a four-day week.

What we did:

Books we used: One Tiny Turtle, Sea Turtles, and Owen and Mzee.

Did some turtle computer programming.
Made a quick paper turtle (IB's request).
Put toy turtles onto a world map by where they might live (just learning about coastal versus landlocked places and appropriate climates).
A few connect the dot turtles.
Visited the aquarium to see a sea turtle in person.
At our weekly coop, made an ocean in a bottle.

Learned the ASL sign for turtle.
Printed and colored these paper turtles, with the intention of racing them (didn't happen).
Made these paper bag turtle puppets.
Used the turtle number printable sheets at Confessions of a Homeschooler for a multiplication/addition/subtraction game (I called a problem out and he hopped onto the right answer).

We also did a lot of book reading outside of the weekly theme. Next week we are doing a book off of the Before Five in a Row curriculum: Caps for Sale.

Apparently I didn't take many photos this week, except for many at the State Fair that have nothing to do with sea turtles.

I will be linking this post up with Weekly Wrap-Up and Preschool Corner.

Disclosure: If you click on any of the links in this post and purchase anything, we may earn a small commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.

Review and Give-Away: Bailey

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 01:07:00 +0000

When we were offered the opportunity to review Bailey, I hesitated, because the Infant Bibliophile is homeschooled, and allergic to dogs. A book about a dog's first day of school didn't necessarily seem like the best fit for our family. I'm glad I gave it a try, because on the day that we received it, we read it five times, and acted the whole thing out about 10 times! So I can only imagine how a dog-loving child who has just started school would feel about Bailey.

From the publisher:

"Meet Bailey, a dog who surprises and charms his fellow human classmates with his irrepressible antics.

Follow Bailey the dog as he gets ready and goes to school. Should he wear the red or blue collar? Both are so fashionable! Will he be late? That squirrel is a distraction! And what about Bailey's homework? Would you believe he ate it? That is what dogs do, after all.

In this funny new book from the best-selling children's illustrator Harry Bliss, school proves to be an unexpected place for Bailey to do all sorts of things he loves: reading, fetching, painting, digging, singing — and making friends!"

Author Harry Bliss is a cartoonist and cover artist for The New Yorker magazine, and it shows; the illustrations in Bailey are playful and engaging.

Bibliophile's reaction: He loved it. He especially liked when Bailey fell asleep reading a book. It is a fun book to act out, as Bailey engages in funny dancing, howling while trying to sing, etc. Every reading (there were many) brought laughter.

Want to see more? Check out the book trailer here.

Give Away! Three Winners!

Thanks to the generosity of Scholastic:

One winner will receive a Bailey lunchbox AND a copy of Bailey.
Two additional winners will also receive a copy of Bailey.

To enter:
1) Leave a comment
2) Follow Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile and leave a comment letting me know.
3) Tweet, Blog, Facebook, or otherwise publicize this give away and leave a comment letting me know.

Three possible entries per person. Deadline is midnight on September 17th. Open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only. Please include your email address in your comment if it is not in your profile, so that I have a way to contact the winner.

This give away is now closed. The winners have been notified by email.

Disclosure: We received a publisher copy of Bailey at no cost in order to write this review. If you click on any links in this post and purchase anything, we will earn a small commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.

Five in a Row Week 2: Lentil

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:08:00 +0000

Some of you have noticed that we are "rowing" the Five in a Row Volume 1 books in order. We did start out that way, but plan to start mixing things up after this week.

This week's book was Lentil, a cute tale about a little boy who, unable to sing, takes up the harmonica instead. When one of the town's grumpy citizens threatens to derail a prominent benefactor's homecoming with his pucker-inducing lemon consumption, Lentil saves the day. Best (and last) line of the book: "You never can tell what will happen when you learn to play the harmonica."

These wrap up posts are taking me ages to write, so I'm going to experiment a little this week with just a bullet point list and some fun photo editing, courtesy of Picnik.

Generally, we focused on:
- the 5 senses (especially taste and hearing)
- harmonicas / music generally
- Ohio (just a little)
- making ice cream (the Bibliophile's request)
- learning North / South / East / West

Specifically, we:

Tasted a lemon. Practiced our silly sour faces.

Made lemonade. Both fresh and Del's frozen lemonade (it's a Rhode Island thing).
Read a couple of lemonade books: Lemonade for Sale (MathStart) and Pinkalicious and the Pink Drink.
Played a game with plastic Easter eggs, in which I filled them with various objects - pennies, rice, paper, toy car - and he had to figure out which was which. (Relevance: sense of sound).
Played a toy harmonica. Practiced singing the blues, like his grandpa. (Best line: "Mama won't give me no more skittles" *harmonica riff*).
Talked about sound waves, and why Lentil liked to play the harmonica in the bathroom. Tried it out.
Did our USA jigsaw puzzle.
Talked about North, South, East, West. Tried to make up silly songs to remember the directions. In the meantime, realized he had learned them.
Did an Ohio workbook page from a Target dollar section book.
Made homemade chocolate soymilk ice cream, using a Highlights magazine recipe, which required just chocolate soymilk, sugar, ice, salt, and a plastic bag. We did this at least twice. (In Lentil, the town celebrates with ice cream at the end).

Decorated a paper doll to be Lentil (Bibliophile's idea).
Acted out the book. I was the grumpy lemon-eater. The Bibliphile was Lentil (of course). And his baby sister was Colonal Carter.
No new sensory bin this week, but I did give him a bowl of raw rice one night while I cooked dinner. In it, I had hid the letters of harmonica, so he fished them all out and unscrambled it.
Cutting strips. I printed some simple strips of repeating lemons. He wasn't really into it, but did one strip.
Talked about what an architect does, and what a floor plan is. Drew a floor plan of our house, then used FloorPlanner to create floorplans for pretend houses. Printed the floor plans and arranged cardboard boxes to lay out rooms like his floorplans (which, incidentally, involved slides into playrooms). (The Five in a Row curriculum has a tie-in to architecture in the Lentil study, but the books I found looked too advanced, so we just simplified to something I knew he'd find fun, even if there was no clear Lentil connection.)
Built a pretend town like in Lentil out of blocks, making sure to include each building mentioned in the book. If we have more time in the next few days, we might do a paper bag town (from lunch bags).
Sang many verses of She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain (which Lentil plays at the end of the book).
Did some printables from Homeschool Share, including some math problems and an Ohio directions sheet.
Did instrument matching worksheets from this site.
Editing to add our coop plan, so I have the link if I need it. We will be making musical instruments - some kind of shakers for the youngest kids and this harmonica-like instrument (which works great!) for the older ones.

It was a fun week, and we both really enjoyed Lentil, but I am ready to move on. (Our coop meeting isn't for two days, and I'm already writing the summary blog post.) Next up: we are jumping outside of the FIAR curriculum to do One Tiny Turtle.

If I remember, I will be linking this post up with Weekly Wrap-Up and Preschool Corner.

Comment! Have you read Lentil? Do you play any musical instruments?

Disclosure: If you click on any links in this post and purchase anything, we may earn a small commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.

Introducing Factor Trees

noreply@blogger.com (Infant Bibliophile) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 04:38:00 +0000

We spotted You Can Count on Monsters at the library this week, and snatched it up because the Infant Bibliophile has been interested in both monsters and multiplication lately. If you are looking for a fun way to introduce the idea of a factor tree and prime numbers, hunt this down! (I don't recommend for the Bibliophile's age, although he has been enjoying leafing through it, but for older kids). I'm not feeling very articulate tonight, but you can click through to Amazon for the full book description and other reviews.

I'm linking this post up with Math Monday.