BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!

Just a small announcement to let you all know...

I am now an Usborne Book Lady! :)

I've created a Facebook group for it, but if you'd like to find out WHY I've joined Usborne and a little more about it, read on!!

I swore to myself I would never become a salesperson, especially with companies like Avon, Mary Kay, LuLaRoe, etc that require hosting parties and nagging your friends. BUT I attended an online Usborne party a friend hosted and fell IN LOVE.

Anyone that knows me knows I LOVE to read and I love books and am passionate about getting kids to read.

And the Usborne books are great! There are wipe-clean books for practicing writing and interactive books beyond the basic flap, tab, and popup books. There are board books and chapter books. There are encyclopedias, story collections, book series and more. There are books that are great for children with special needs, sensory processing disorder, autism etc. There are over 2,000 titles with new releases every season (and I am very excited about some of this fall's expected releases!)

Beyond that, what really helped convince me to sign onto the team was that there are NO quotas. I didn't want the pressure of having to meet corporate goals; I have a 3-year-old and an almost 3-month-old, am in my last semester of graduate school and will soon be a full-time Librarian! And you don't have to keep an inventory or make a large initial investment.

So by being part of Usborne, I get to not only grow my own kids' libraries, I can help grow others' as well. I can earn free books and anyone that hosts a party with me earns free books. Of course there are all sorts of bonuses and perks for selling over certain amounts, but that is not what I'm in this for.

I just want to have fun, make a little extra money, and introduce families and kids to some wonderful books and hopefully, create some life-long readers. :)

So, if you would like to see what it's all about, would like to check out the collection, host a party, or join the team, join my Facebook group! 

Daily Life With A 3-Month-Old

Though I promised not to write solely about my day-to-day life and turn this blog into a diary, I have posted about what daily life is like with a 2-month-old, and intend to write a similar post each month as my boy ages.

So, here's what a standard day is like (for me) with a 3-month-old. It really isn't all that different from when he was 2-months-old... he's just awake a little bit more. We were on vacation for two weeks, which sort of threw of his schedule (not that he really had one). But, this is roughly what life was like with him for that month. These are all average times... perhaps in the future I will try and document one full day, if it's an interesting one.

Olivier Dunrea: Children's Book Author and Shelter Dog Rescuer

If you don't know who Olivier Dunrea is, then you should! He is the author/illustrator of one of my new favorite books - Gossie (and every other book in that series!) To read my review of Gossie, click here. He lives in upstate New York in a home/studio called Moel Eyris at Henwoodie. In addition to being the author and illustrator of more than 70 books, he is also a master map maker.

I was very pleased when I looked Olivier Dunrea up (after reading Gossie) and discovered that he supports some great causes. He is a huge supporter of dog adoption - he and his partner have 8 dogs, 6 of which were rescues.

He started a fundraising campaign called S.E.R.F, which stands for Sophie's Emergency Rescue Fund. Sophie is a dog that he rescued from a shelter in San Bernadino California, and he started the fund in her honor. Her rescue story is quite a tale, and you can read all about it on his site. "All donations to S.E.R.F. go directly to rescuing other deserving and desperate shelter dogs and helping hardworking rescue and transport teams who work tirelessly to get as many shelters dogs to safer havens, no-kill shelters, and hopefully into loving, welcoming homes."

For a $50 donation, Olivier will personally sign a copy of either Bear Noel (which is out of print) or Old Bear and His Cub available only through S.E.R.F.

He also sells artwork on his page - 100% of the proceeds go to helping shelter and deserving dogs. A lot of the artwork are sketches from many of his books before they made it to print, some are on-of-a-kind pieces (with a hefty price to boot), and then there are posters. If I had the funds, I'd buy an art piece because 1) I love his art, and 2) every penny I spent would go to helping dogs, which is one of my favorite causes. It's too bad the Gossie poster is sold out, or that's the one I would've gotten!

Julia Roberts apparently bought some of his original drawings too!

#JuliaRoberts You are brilliant in 'The Normal Heart'! And a much belated 'thank you' for purchasing several of my original illustrations
— Olivier Dunrea (@OlivierDunrea) May 26, 2014

In addition to all of that, he will be writing and illustrating a book that tells Sophie's story - 100% of the proceeds of which will also go to rescuing desperate shelter dogs. 

Though this post may not inspire you to donate to SERF or purchase some of his artwork, hopefully it will at least get you to read one of his fabulous children's books! 

Gossie by Olivier Dunrea Children's Book Review

While my husband was deployed, he managed to find a bunch of children's books from a program that had left them there in Afghanistan. He was able to send me a huge box full of stuff. I assumed (incorrectly) that I was going to get a box full of beat up books no one had ever heard of. Really, there were some wonderful books in there - classics I already knew, a couple that we already had, and a few gems that I'd never heard of before but fell in love with!

One of those such gems was Gossie by Olivier Dunrea. Surprisingly, even my mom, who is an Elementary School Librarian (sorry mom, I mean, Library Media Specialist and Reading Specialist), hadn't heard of it. It was one of the very first books we read to baby G after he was born and I immediately looked up the author and his other books (which I rarely do).

Gossie: A Review

Gossie is about a little gosling named Gossie.  The version I have is a little board book, but I believe it also comes in hardback (at least, Amazon says it does).

Gossie is "a small yellow gosling who likes to wear bright red boots every day." The book chronicles her little adventures - where she likes to wear her red boots - when suddenly, she loses them! Spoiler alert! She finds them in the end. :)

The artwork is adorable - also by Dunrea. I would love to just have blow-ups of the pages to hang on my wall! It's not too busy but makes use of bright colors and high contrast which is great for little eyes.

Possibly my favorite page in the book! I like pigs. :)

Gossie is part of a series of books about a bunch of goslings. Some of the other titles include: Gossie and Friends, Gossie and Gertie, Gideon, Ollie, and more. Dunrea just released a new couple of goslings: Jasper and Joop (and on his site, he shows a sketch of two more: Gemma and Gus). Each gosling has a special characteristic. For example, Gossie wears red boots, Gideon has a stuffed octopus, and Jasper and Joop are clean and messy, respectively. I'm very excited to read the newest books in this little series for young readers - I have a few books now and would love to collect them all!

A New Technique for Teaching Kids Colors

 
The names of colors are one of the first things that kids learn - but it is also one of the things that kids struggle with the most. 

My mom introduced me to a great article (called "Why Johnny Can't Name His Colors" by Melody Dye) about teaching kids the names of colors and why it can be so difficult. It describes a study in which 2 and 3 year olds were tested on their colors and many failed. Their parents were worried that they were colorblind!


Prenominal versus Postnominal 
The problem is in the way that English-speakers talk. You may already know that English is one of the more difficult languages to learn (we have many rules that often contradict each other - "i before e except after c"... but there are lots of weird words. Like that one). The English color names can be especially difficult to learn because we use color names prenominally - meaning "before nouns." (Look at the green grass, the black dog, the yellow banana, etc).

Without going into to much detail (if you're interested in all of the mechanics and the study itself, check out the original article - it's a good read!), children can learn their color names faster and more easily if you use the color names postnominally (after the noun).

"When you stick the noun before the color word, you can successfully narrow their focus to whatever it is you’re talking about before you hit them with the color. Say “the balloon is red,” for example, and you will have helped to narrow “red-ness” to being an attribute of the balloon, and not some general property of the world at large. This helps kids discern what about the balloon makes it red."

The researchers then took a group of kids and had them go through some postnominal color name training (they would show them something, like a crayon, and say, "this crayon is blue"). The kids that had that training improved significantly!


What You Can Do
To help your 2- or 3-year-old learn their color names, just change the way you talk about objects. After reading this article - before my son was even born - I started adjusting the way I talked. It was awkward at first, but I wanted to get in the habit of describing things in the best way to help my boy learn. When I read books to him, after reading the page the way it's written (orange tiger), I'll then say the color and object again, but change the structure to the new way ("that tiger is orange").


Books About Colors
Which brings me to a disappointing fact: most books use color names the traditional way (red apple, yellow sun, etc). Even some of my favorites! (Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, for example). But thanks to the blog Youth Lit Reviews, I was able to find a few titles that use color names in the new way ("the apple is red," "the sun is yellow")!

A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni

Lemons Are Not Red by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

If you know of any others, or find any others that use color names postnominally, please comment below to let me know! I love to collect books (to my husband's dismay - they're taking over our apartment!) and would love to get my hands on some books that use this new technique of teaching colors.

But for now, I will continue to read the books I already have, and will just start a conversation (yes, with my 3-month-old!) about the color on the page. "Red apple. See that, baby? The apple is red!"

UPDATE 01/16/2015

I have discovered a few more books that use color names postnominally (or, "the right way" as I usually refer to it with my family. Though there is really no right or wrong way, they've only just discovered that one way may be more effective than the other).

Baby Bear Sees Blue by Ashley Wolff

A beautiful picture book about a baby bear venturing out into the world and seeing lots of colors. "'Those are the strawberries,' Mama says. Baby bear sees red." "'That is a butterfly,' Mama says. Baby bear sees orange." Etc.

Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs by Sandra Boynton

This book is really cute - not specifically about colors, but it's a rhyming book about dinosaurs. In addition to dinosaurs being cute and spiny and mean, one page also says there are "Dinosaurs Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green."

Winnie-the-Pooh's Colors inspired by A.A. Milne

This board book has both prenominal and postnominal colors - one page says "Piglet wears a green sweater" and another page says "Tigger is orange."

UPDATE 01/20/2015

I found two more books! I'm quite excited that this list has grown, since I was a little dismayed by the choices I'd originally found (that use colors postnominally).


Another dinosaur book: How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague

Actually a book about counting to ten (duh), one page does use color names postnominally.

The toy trucks are painted blue, green, and red (they are not "blue, green, and red trucks").

I love Tad Hill's Duck & Goose books, and am really glad to see that the color book uses the colors the "right" way.

This entire book appears to be "correct." (I do not yet own it). The sample shows pages that say "The inchworm is green, like leaves." and, "Duck is yellow, like a field of buttercups."

Charities for Parents to be Passionate About

There are thousands upon thousands of different charities in the US. Many of them are focused on infants and children - causes close to my heart! :) I'm sure you're familiar with some of the more well-known: Make a Wish Foundation, March of Dimes, Locks of Love, Toys for Tots Ronald McDonald House Charities... But there are a lot of great ones that you may not have heard of.

Here's a brief list of charities that I think parents should get behind - and many of them are easy for kids to get involved with too!

Blessings in a Backpack provides a backpack full of nutritional, easy-to-prepare meals for the weekend for elementary school kids who are at risk of hunger. This non-profit organization currently feeds over  63,000 children in 583 schools in 45 U.S. states. These children are able to eat while they are at school, but once at home, may not always have a meal - especially a nutritious one. "Poor nutrition can result in a weaker immune system, increased hospitalization, lower IQ, shorter attention spans, and lower academic achievement." Just $80 will pay to feed a child for the entire school year.

Giving Diapers Giving Hope gives cloth diapers to low-income families to help alleviate the cost of diapering. (Disposable diapers are expensive!!) To help, you can donate money, donate cloth diapers or cloth diaper accessories, or sponsor a "box of hope" (you cover the shipping fee of $35 to send diapers to a family. They currently receive cloth diaper donations from Bummis, Moraki, Apple Cheeks, and Tiny Tush.

The Birthday Box is a relatively new non-profit that provides "children in need with an opportunity to blow out candles and make a birthday wish on his or her special day. An entire birthday celebration is assembled, packaged & then delivered in a recycled box. This party in a box, includes a birthday cake, candles, party plates, a birthday present and party decorations." To help, you can make a monetary donation, or donate a toy, gift card, party decorations (party hats, noise makers), birthday candles, wrapping paper, paper plates, etc. You can also sponsor a box, host a collection drive, or collect gifts at your own child's party to donate to The Birthday Box.

Newborns in Need provides kits that contain necessities for a newborn's first few weeks of life. Over 450,000 babies born are born prematurely (before 37 weeks gestation), 1,210 babies are born to teen moms each day, and 2660 babies are born into poverty each day. You can donate hand-made or store-bought items that will go to a poor or premature baby. They even have patterns you can use to crochet, knit, or sew blankets, diaper bags, hats, booties, bibs, and more. Of course you can always make a monetary donation or purchase an item from their online shop.





Reach Out and Read is a non-profit organization of medical providers that promotes literacy and school-readiness by providing books to children and advice to parents about the benefits of reading aloud. In addition to providing new books to children when they visit their offices, the pediatricians also strive to have a literacy-rich waiting room. You can donate books, bookshelves and children's furniture, story-time rugs, or children's or parenting magazines. You can also volunteer as a reader in a waiting room (in certain clinics and practices - not all) or, of course, donate funds. Reach Out and Read currently serves 4.2 million children annually in the US. Scholastic will be donating 500,000 books to the program soon.



Project Linus's mission is to "provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans..." They have chapters in every state and deliver blankets to children in hospitals, shelters, social service agencies, or "anywhere that a child might be in need of a big hug." You can donate a blanket (only handmade/homemade), fabric or materials, or make a financial contribution.






Canines for Disabled Kids is a non-profit organization that provides service dogs for autistic children, hearing impaired children, and other physically disabled children. You can donate funds directly to them, purchase products from a partnered company (though only a portion goes to the charity), or hold a fundraiser for the cause.







For more, Parents.com has a list of 10 great charities (some of my list is on there)

The Best Free Nook Books for Young Children

As I was preparing for our first vacation with our baby, I couldn't decide which books to bring. I couldn't take too many as we were trying to pack light - we were going to be away for 2 weeks and I needed to save room in my suitcase. Then I remembered I had a Nook and could download books to read to him on our trip! I just didn't want to have to spend a lot of money on more books (since we already have a ton!)

So I've compiled a list of some of the best free (and cheap) Nook books. Keep in mind, these may not all be free for forever. So if you see one you like, get it now! You can get the Nook app on your phone or computer if you don't have a Nook reader or tablet.

The books I'm listing are good for the under-6 crowd, most are great for even younger. (My boy is only 3-months-old). All of them are Nook Read-to-Me books, which give you the option of reading it yourself, having it read to you, or recording it as you read it. 

I've circled the 3 best books that are shown on this screenshot.

Jingle All the Way by Tom Shay-Zapien
This is the Hallmark book you may have seen commercials for at Christmas time. It goes with the stuffed dog, Jingle, that will bark when key words are read.

The Elephant Child: How the Elephant Got His Trunk by Rudyard Kipling
This is a really cute folklore type of story about a baby elephant who was very curious ("nosy").

The Jungle Book: A Baby Lit Animals Primer by Jennifer Adams
I love all of the Baby Lit books - and was thrilled when I found a couple of them for free. I like this one a lot - Each page shows you the name of an animal and a quote from The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. (Ex: "Wolf 'Akela... led all the pack by strength and cunning." Like all the Baby Lit books, it has bold, high contrast illustrations that are a lot of fun.

Wuthering Heights: A Baby Lit Weather Primer by Jennifer Adams
Currently the other free Baby Lit book. Like the Baby Lit Jungle Book, this book shows you a type of weather (ex: "Breezy") and then a quote from the actual Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (ex: "The weather was sweet and warm.")

Bell's Big Move by Tom Shay-Zapien
Another Hallmark book that features one of their stuffed animals. Bell the stuffed animal will respond when key phrases are read.

Sense & Sensibility: A Baby Lit Opposites Primer by Jennifer Adams ($0.99)
Another Baby Lit! (Clearly, I love them!) This is one of only 2 baby lit books that is under a dollar. Many of the others are $6 or more. Unlike The Jungle Book and Wuthering Heights baby lit books, this one does not include quotes from the original work, but just does opposites like "Over" and "Under" with cute accompanying illustrations (that are often "opposite" in color too).





Sally Goes to the Beach by Stephen Huneck ($0.99)
This humorous book gives a black lab named Sally's take on a trip to the beach. Some of Sally's musings include what she thinks the captain of the boat looks like (Spoiler! She thinks it's a dog) as well as what was packed in the suitcase (dog toys). I'm a big fan of the illustrations in this one as well - very vibrant and eye catching.






 Sally Goes to the Farm by Stephen Huneck ($0.99)
Another book featuring the black lab Sally. This time she goes to the farm where she meets and plays with a yellow lab named Molly. They have a blast playing with the farm animals - and it made me chuckle - there's a lot of play on words. (Example: they hang out with the pig and "eat like pigs" and play with the horse who likes to "horse around.")







Ruff Says the Dog by Kim Mitzo Thompson ($0.99)
This book is a great introduction to animal sounds for the very young reader. It stars the standard animals found in baby books: cat, pig, horse, duck, etc. The illustrations are high-contrast and quite cute. 







Edgar Gets Ready For Bed by Jennifer Adams ($2.99)
This take on Edgar Allen Poe's works is a Baby Lit First Steps book. A mother Raven instructs her young one through all the steps of getting ready for bed - to which he always replies "Nevermore." As always with the Baby Lit, it has great illustrations - this one all in black and white (with shades of grey).