Kids

Shiny Happy Eco Toys

Shiny Happy Eco Toys

If there's one complaint I have about some eco-friendly toys it's that they tend to look pretty eco-friendly. That's great when you love ecru with a side of pale, but not so much when you're trying to engage your little one with bright fun colors.

The festive, vibrant soft toys from Organic By Nature are far from boring. These boldly colored animals, like my personal fave, the not-so-rubber duck (pictured), are created using ecologically friendly and non-toxic dyes by fairly-paid Sri Lankan artisans, then stuffed with a safe plant fiber called kapok.

In other words, you can feel comfortable with your baby sucking on his primary colored beak. -Kristen

Congratulations to super duper caterpillar winner, Leslie D!

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shannon hale princess in black book and author

Q&A with children’s book author Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale is the bestselling author behind The Princess in Black series. It's a favorite early chapter book series for kids ages 5–8 and boys love it as much as girls do. Her newest book, Princess in Black and the Trick or Treating Trouble, comes out just in time for Halloween. We talked with her about it as part of our Q&A author series and asked about a few of her favorite things too.

Explore Build-a-Bear

Some Not-So-Spooky Fun this Halloween

How can Build-A-Bear be used for Halloween costumes? Let kids create a spooky Build-A-Bear sidekick to incorporate into their costume, which can help the costume be enjoyed beyond Halloween.

Q&A with children's author Sophie Blackall

Q&A with children's author Sophie Blackall

Cool Mom Picks readers, we are so excited to launch a new series for you. We are obsessed book lovers over here at the CMP headquarters, and we have a particular soft spot for children's books (even though we're moving our kids into coll…