One of Miles’ favorite stories is the one about the monkeys jumping off the bed. We have one that’s 8 little monkeys jumping off the bed but I think the original story is called Five Little Monkeys. He knows the book and can recite it over and over again. I even heard him singing the song to himself as he was getting ready for bed tonight. He’s my silly little monkey you know!

I recently received The Family Storybook Treasury and I was looking through it this evening and saw Five little Monkeys and of course I thought of him. Now my daughter, she just loves any story. She loves to have us read to her and has since she was a baby. So I know she’s going to love this book when she sees it.

 Now what was unexpected was my husband’s reaction to the book.

As I was looking through it he recognized one of the stories in it. He recognized the story Mike Mulligan. He said he can’t remember why he remembers it but he does and he’s going to enjoy reading it to the kids. That’s what The Family Storybook Treasure is all about sharing it and passing it on from generation to generation.

Here is the Full Family Storybook Treasury Synopsis

Family, friends, your favorite characters…bring them all together at story time! Share the book that is sure to entertain, delight, and make the whole gang laugh. The Family Storybook Treasury is a collection of your most well-loved picture books and poetry, now available in one beautiful keepsake volume with bonus audio CD!

Includes eight complete picture books:

•          Curious George and the Firefighters by Margret and H. A. Rey
•          Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh
•          Lyle Walks the Dogs by Bernard Waber, illustrated by Paulis WaberSheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw, illustrated by Margo Apple
•          Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger
•          Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
•          The Great Doughnut Parade by Rebecca Bond
•          Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton

A beautiful treasure to give, receive, and pass down and enjoy with your children or grandchildren.

All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

We received samples.

By Reviewer Emily:

My 5 year old daughter has informed me that she has a job. I am not sure who is responsible for the paycheck, but she now considers herself an animal scientist. Her “work bag” consists of her field journal, colored pencils, binoculars and camera which she keeps handy to record any new animal she finds. To help support her budding career, we’ve made frequent trips to the library and our local book store so she can read up on her favorite subjects. We’ve now acquired a pretty decent animal book collection in our home and one of our favorites is the recently published Curious Critters by David FitzSimmons. This book is brilliant!

Award-winning author and photographer David Fitzsimmons has created a book that is not only fun to read, but equally fun to look at. The striking animal photography is the main feature of Curious Critters. Each of these animals (many found in your own backyard) is photographed against a plain, white background which brings out the animals’ colors, textures and shapes.

There are twenty-one fascinating critters in all, and each animal tells a story about itself to give young readers an understanding of the animals’ character in real life. For older readers, there is plenty of educational information that features natural history information for each animal, a two-page spread of life-size silhouettes and a glossary.

To my surprise, our little animal scientist enjoyed the bat and spider pages best. She told me these are two scary critters she would not want to find in real life so being able to see them up close in the pages of the book was pretty cool. Since many of these animals and insects are quite common, my two year old daughter liked trying to name each animal on the page and mimic their sounds.

We browsed through the book rather quickly the first time because we couldn’t wait to see what photographed on the next page. With each reading afterwards, my girls continued to become mesmerized with each page, studying all the captivating details the photos reveal.

Curious Critters is a great book to enjoy over and over. It’s a children’s book not just for the young, but for the nature lover of any age and would make the perfect gift for that person.

Curious Critters is the 2011 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards silver medalist among Non-Fiction – Picture Books.

For more information and resources including puzzles, coloring pages, e-cards, teacher aids and stories about the making of Curious Critters. For more information about the author and his photography check out David FitzSimmons.

Samples were received.

About Emily:

Emily is also very active in the local MOMS CLUB. She raises chickens and has 2 shih tzus. Her daughter Caitlyn attends Montessori school and she hates housecleaning, loves wine and enjoys dining out. She would love to find a cure for the depression and anxiety she has dealt with on and off over the past 10 years, just like me. She is an amazing mom and friend.

Zoe loves to read and can sit for house looking at books, reading the ones she knows and looking at the pictures of the rest. So it’s quite a bit of fun when we find a book that is really interactive. Meet Razzle Dazzle Ruby by By Masha D’yans perfect for children ages 4 – 8.

Razzle-Dazzle Ruby is a fantastic book where the kids can not only imagine themselves in a world of snow, they get to play with the pages. Each page is interactive as they can help build an evil snowman, spin him around while making a narrow escape, and sled down the hill.

About the book:

Ruby can make the ordinary extraordinary! Come skate on a shimmering pond, roll a giant snowball, sled down a snowy hill, and create soaring snow angels with her as she becomes a snow queen and transforms a typical winter day into a gleaming-beaming fairy tale.

Combining glorious watercolors, elegant paper engineering, and whimsical storytelling, this joyful novelty picture book is sure to enchant children and adults.

Watch the Razzle Dazzle Ruby book trailer:

Meet the author:

Masha D’yans is an award-winning artist. Her line of greeting cards, clothing, and home décor, featuring her alluring artwork, are sold at Target, Macy’s, Urban Outfitters, Nordstrom, as well as other major retailers and smaller specialty shops. Originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, and classically trained at the St. Petersburg Academy of Art Lyceum and subsequently at Cooper Union in New York City, she now lives and works in Manhattan. Razzle-Dazzle Ruby is her first book. 

All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

We received samples.

Reviewed by Emily:

I have two little girls who are complete opposites when it comes to socializing. My oldest who is five, is an extrovert, a little social butterfly who adapts wonderfully and gets excited for play dates, preschool and now, kindergarten. My two year old on the other hand is the introvert and has clung to my side since day she was born. She plays wonderfully alone at home, but won’t explore in a group setting. As we begin to think about preschool for my youngest, I am a bit anxious for her since I’m afraid the transition will not be an easy one. In the meantime, I am trying my best to expose her to other kids at play dates and local activities. I am also trying to find reading material on the subject of separation at this age; not just for me, but with story books she understands as well. One book we’ve recently read, Cooper and Me, relates well to the fear and anxiety little kids experience with separation.

Through rhythmic verses, Cooper and Me tells the story of a young girl who is nervous as her first day of school approaches.  She is frightened about leaving home and doesn’t want to go without her best friend, her dog Cooper. Fortunately her mother finds the perfect solution to help the little girl overcome her fears – a small replica of her beloved pet she can take to school with her.  In Cooper and Me, the story of a child’s worries about starting school has evolved into a timeless tale about overcoming separation anxiety and trying new things – basic emotions all people experience throughout their lives – but this time, written by a child, for children.

Cooper and Me was illustrated by 11-year-old Alexa Peters and co-written with her mother, Monique Peters.  The idea was inspired by Alexa’s own experiences on her first day of school.  A talented young artist and writer, Alexa wanted to give back to others in a meaningful way through her art.  Starting at a very young age, Alexa created illustrated stories about her daily experiences, and from the pages of her sketchbooks came the idea for her first book, Cooper and Me. Cooper and Me, is the first in a series of books that invite children to explore life the lovable Labrador Retriever, Cooper.

My older daughter thought it was pretty amazing that a young girl had created this book. She assumed all books were written by grown-ups and this opened up a nice bedtime discussion about all the things she can do even as a kid. Cooper and Me also includes some discussion tools at the end of the book to help relate the story with real life situations.

What I thought was great about the book was that in addition to helping young children gain emotional resilience and confidence through their books, Alexa and mom Monique wanted to go beyond that to help less fortunate kids.  Their search for an organization to which they could donate a portion of the proceeds from the Cooper and Me book led to a charitable alliance with the Happy Hearts Fund. Happy Hearts improves children’s lives through education and sustainable programs in areas devastated by natural disasters.

My only negative review about the book is that the rhyming of the words didn’t quite flow smoothly. Each page had a different rhyme scheme which made it difficult for me to read the story aloud. But I don’t think my kids noticed at all, they both liked the story and the pictures even if Mom couldn’t make the rhymes flow correctly.

Cooper and Me is available for purchase at www.cooperandme.com. The book sells for $12.99 and includes a free download of the Cooper and Me theme song, which extends the fun and learning. For more information about the Cooper and Me brand, please visit the website at www.cooperandme.com.

Disclosure – A product was provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the writing of this review; however, opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

About Emily:

Emily is also very active in the local MOMS CLUB. She raises chickens and has 2 shih tzus. Her daughter Caitlyn attends Montessori school and she hates housecleaning, loves wine and enjoys dining out. She would love to find a cure for the depression and anxiety she has dealt with on and off over the past 10 years, just like me. She is an amazing mom and friend.

Ladybug Girl is the perfect little series for little girls like Zoe. They are geared to ages 3+ and are all about adventure, imagining and being a good friend. Both books are by By Jacky Davis and David Soman. I read both of them to Zoe and enjoyed reading them. They were quick and easy to read, made me smile and had some very good moral lessons in them.

ABOUT THE SERIES:

Ladybug Girl is Lulu, a little girl who loves to dress up in her ladybug costume and use her imagination to turn every moment into an adventure.

LADYBUG GIRL AT THE BEACH:

Lulu loves the beach. Well, she’s never been there before, but she knows she will love it. And then she sees the ocean and it is big and loud and rough. That’s okay – Lulu wanted to build sand castles and fly her kite with Bingo anyway. But while they are building their sand castle, the sneaky ocean comes in and tries to steal Lulu’s favorite pail. This is a job for Ladybug Girl!

Lulu conquers her fear of the ocean when she remembers that Ladybug Girl can do anything, in this gorgeously illustrated companion to the popular series.

LADYBUG GIRL AND THE BUG SQUAD:

Lulu is so excited for the Bug Squad to come over for a playdate, and she has all kinds of things planned for them to do – right down to eating cupcakes. The cupcakes are special because each one has a candle that Lulu thinks everyone should blow out at exactly the same time.

But when things don’t go just the way Lulu planned, feelings are hurt and apologies are necessary. Sounds like a job for Ladybug Girl, who knows how to be brave and say she’s sorry, even when it isn’t easy.

All rules can be found under giveaway rules. We received free samples.

Scholastic new release BAILEY by New York Times bestselling author Harry Bliss is a cute little story about a dog named Bailey that goes to school. It’s a great story to get children laughing and relaxed about going back to school. For ages 4 – 8 Bailey is a dog who surprises and charms his fellow human classmates with his irrepressible antics. We laughed and smiled as we read the book together.

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!

All rules can be found under giveaway rules. We received free samples.

Astro is a Steller Sea Lion who lost his momma when he was only a few days old. His luck of being found by volunteers from the Sausalito Marine Mammal Center makes him a ‘people sea lion’ forever. At 10 month of age, he was attempted to be released back into the wild over and over just to return to the same place, the Marine Mammal Center every time. After failed attempts, Astro’s caretakers understand that this friendly sea lion has been around people for his whole life and living in the wild will never be a happy option for him. Steller sea lions are a threatened species so through Astro, scientist were given the opportunity to learn about these unique animals and prepare him for his final home, to become a beloved character of the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut.

Astro the Steller Sea Lion is a lovely and educational read. I love new stories, especially stories that teach us, raise questions and intrigue us in many ways. My daughter is five now and her understanding of complex concepts has been developing rapidly. What does it mean to be an endangered species? How does Astro feel about going back to the wild? Why is this story so touching on many levels? At a young age, children get so attached to emotions and while this story provides many avenues for learning, Astro’s happiness is what touched my children the most. For older children, this book is just loaded with useful information about sea lions, what it takes to care for them, how to train them and the moral responsibilities that we have as humans to protect and care for animals. The book is beautifully illustrated with very realistic pictures, capturing emotions perfectly and fully embracing diversity.

Being a teacher, I was itching to design a lesson plan around this book …. Just to find out that the Sylvan Dell Publishing Company had 30 pages worth of online resources to put this book into the spotlight of any classroom. I might just have to do it next year …. I am so sure it will be an amazing touch to our science curriculum.

First time author, Jeanne Walker Harvey, perfectly captures her readers with this book with the help of her award-winning illustrator, Shenne Bersani.

Sample received to facilitate this review.

About Orshi:

Orshi is a teacher at UCIC where she works daily with children. She shows a great love for children as she has three of her own. She also loves Facebook, gardening and baking. She was born and grew up in Hungary and now lives across the street.

My FAVORITE Father’s Day gifts are ones my children and husband can use together. I’ve bought books in the past for my husband to share with our children. A book is a great gift for both parties, and is usually a surprise for both parties as daddy doesn’t know, and as younger children the kids would forget we purchased the book together (so my 4YO now remembers but my 22MO forgets). On of this year’s gifts is also a book, My Dad, My Hero by Ethan Long.

This is a super cute book about dad not being a super hero, but still being his child’s hero. The pictures depict the dad not being able to do superhero stunts, but he can and does spend time with his child and that is super!

Ethan Long’s art in My Dad, My Hero is dot-art like; bringing a very unique look to this new book. Eathan Long is known for his animations Farm Force and ZeFronk. Farm Force‘s pilot won the Nextoons: 2005 Nicktoons Film Festival Viewer’s Choice Award and is currently in development with Porchlight Entertainment. ZeFronk was one of my 4YO’s favorite Playhouse Disney shorts, which is a kid’s cooking show starring a wiener dog.

You can get your own My Dad, My Hero book by Ethan Long just in time for Father’s Day for only $12.99 or less.

You can find Sourcebooks on their website. To keep up with recent releases, Like Sourebooks on Facebook and track them on Twitter @Sourcebooks.

Other Sourcebooks reviewed by Mom Start include: Rocket Town by Bob Logan, Horrid Henry by Francesca Simon, and Dream Big Little Pig by Kristi Yamaguchi

Disclosure – A product was provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the writing of this review; however, opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation

About Summer:

Summer is the President of our Local MOMS Club chapter, she is the mother of two adorable active boys, and is always thinking of ways to help others. She is a friend, a wife, and always busy as all mommies are. She is very active on Facebook, addicted to Geocaching and very interested in organic and green living.

Spring Break passed and now Summer is on it’s way bringing thoughts of traveling. I love to just get in the car and drive long distances. I think I’m the only one in the family that likes it, most of my family would just prefer picking a destination and getting on an air plane. Well Ike, Mrs. LaRue’s dog would prefer to take his vacation on a boat in LaRue Across America: Postcards From the Vacation (LaRue Books) . Ike and Mrs LaRue had made plans to take a cruise when her neighbor Mrs Hibbins falls ill. Then Mrs. LaRue offers to take care of Mrs. Hibbins cats while she’s in the hospital but the captain of the boat will not allow cats on his boat so, they decide to take their vacation across the U.S. by car. It’s a ROAD TRIP. Ike is devestated and quickly starts writing letters and sending them at every stop begging Mrs. Hibbins to rectify the situation.

Join award-winner Mark Teague on this romping road trip across America. Readers can follow along on the maps of the U.S. that span the endpapers. Teague drives us to the story’s satisfying conclusion, and we are left with one profound question: Can cats and dogs really be friends?

As soon as we got this book Zoe got her dad to read it, now he looked at the pages and said this may take us a few days to read, but as he got to reading it he realized that it was an easy read for the kids to sit through. Both of them enjoyed it and I even heard daddy laughing as he read it. LaRue Across America is great for kids and adults alike.

WATCH THE BOOK TRAILER

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Two (2) winners from your site receive:

• Copies of LaRue Across America
• And a LaRue branded backpack

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Leave a comment telling me where you want to go on vacation

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This giveaway ends May 9th. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Disclosure – A product was provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the writing of this review; however, opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

We love to read. My sons both enjoy books, though my older son loves to read more than my younger son. Rocket Town by Bob Logan showing up on our doorstep was a hit for both of my boys. My youngest (20MO) needs board books and he is captivated by the pictures for the color contrasts; my oldest (4YO) just loves to read and is captivated by the pictures because THEY’RE ROCKETS!

In addition to early reading, Rocket Town offers education in opposites and numbers. They compare big and small, up and down, fast and slow, and count down for BLAST OFF! In fact, with a couple of readings to my 4YO he can now read it to my 20MO who is demanding to have Rocket Town read to him several times … in a row!

So now with my 4YO armed, he can “read” (okay, actually recall) the entire book when mommy is not available. But I really like Rocket Town too. I have looked through the book on my own several times, not just because I have to review it, but because I want take in the colors and pictures myself. Bob Logan has worked as a story artist on feature animations such as Madagascar, Open Season, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Look at the eye-catching pictures of Bob Logan’s Rocket Town:

I would highly recommend Rocket Town as a baby shower gift, birthday present, new reading selection for you library, etc. The book follows an astronaut and his puppy pal in their yellow pick-up truck rocket. (Can you spy them in the picture above?) Your kids will love this book!

Rocket Town is a new board book and was just released to the public this month! This new board book cost $7.99 (USD) and is offered through Sourcebooks, the publisher, and other retailers. Sourcebooks and Bob Logan also offer The Sea of Bath if you’re interested in other books from the duo.

You can find Sourcebooks on Facebook and Twitter @Sourcebooks to stay up-to-date on new Sourcebooks releases and events.

Disclosure – A product was provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the writing of this review; however, opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation

About Summer:

Summer is the President of our Local MOMS Club chapter, she is the mother of two adorable active boys, and is always thinking of ways to help others. She is a friend, a wife, and always busy as all mommies are. She is very active on Facebook, addicted to Geocaching and very interested in organic and green living.