4 very cool first-words books for toddlers that are anything but basic
My tweens (gah!) grew up reading Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever, and I have to admit — it’s hard to argue with that title. It’s a classic! But a some new and very cool first-words books have caught my eye recently, and I just have to...
Screen-Free Fun is the remedy for “I’m bored.”
This week is National Screen-Free week, our kids’ favorite week of the year. Ha! We love hearing from our readers about the different ways you manage screen time at home, including some of the tricks you’ve picked up from Cool Mom Tech. Lots of you have...
4 must-read books about the environment to read with your kids on Earth Day, and any other day
Today is Earth Day, and my kids love the Earth Day challenge to turn off all electricity for one hour. So we’re planning to turn off the lights, cuddle up by our battery-powered lanterns — or the fireplace, if this cold weather doesn’t move on! For...
Why Little Guides to Great Lives is the next cool biography series to buy your kids
I’m nearly finished reading Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls to my kids at bedtime, and they’ve become so fascinated by these biographies that I’ve been trying to find even more more for them to read when we’re done. So when I received a copy...
8 books that teach kids about the Holocaust. Because we haven’t forgotten, and neither will they.
This week was Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day, and we were all shocked to see the results of a new survey about Holocaust awareness in the United States: The atrocities of the Holocaust are fading from the public’s memory, so much so that...
4 fantastic, creative journals to get kids drawing, reflecting, or plotting to save the world.
Wow, journals have come a long way since I was a kid and I had a choice between a plain lined composition book or some cutesy diary with an easily pickable lock. Now, journals are so creative, with so many different kinds of approaches and prompts, making them far...
A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo: Because love is love. Even for bunnies.
As we’re busy sharing all the traditionally cute bunny books and gifts for kids’ Easter baskets, here comes one that…well, it’s a long way off the beaten path of your typical bunny book. Presenting: A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, an equally...
5 terrific children’s books about activism to help raise activist kids
We have talked so much recently about raising activist kids and what we can do to help them and encourage them to get involved with whatever cause inspires them. And one of the first place we turn, are books. In this case, wonderful children’s books about...
Holi hai! This must-read book about Holi for kids is full of joy
Today marks the beginning of Holi, the Indian festival of color, love and springtime. You know, the one with the bright, colorful powder that’s tossed in celebration of good triumphing over evil, fertility and love. (Concepts we can totally get behind!) Every...
Why every child (and adult) should read The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
The Rabbit Listened, by Cori Doerrfeld, is hands down, my favorite kids’ book that’s come across my desk lately. It’s a simple story about how to respond with compassion when you see someone suffering and it couldn’t come along at a better...
Meet the new children’s book from Maisy author Lucy Cousins | Sponsored Message
This is a sponsored message from Candlewick Press It’s here, it’s here! Splish, Splash, Ducky has hit the stands, ready to mesmerize your little ones with interactive prose and friendly drawings from New York Times best-selling author Lucy Cousins. Fans of...Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz!
We started Cool Mom Picks in 2006 to help make life cooler, more meaningful, and more fun for parents of all kinds.
Trivia: It was called Cool Mom Sh*t for the first two days. (Yeah, we rethought that.)
We had no idea our site would grow to become a major lifestyle network, that we'd end up sharing our finds with the TODAY Show and Martha Stewart, that we'd be able to make a real difference for so many small businesses and women-run companies, or that we'd end up with an incredible community of the coolest readers on the planet. (If we do say so ourselves).
We still love what we do every single day. And we're so glad you're here.
Father’s Day Gifts!
Our Top Baby Gifts of the Year
Our Podcast. (It’s won awards and everything!)
Be a savvier digital parent
Our Ultimate Birthday Gift Guide
Follow us on Instagram
Doing Good: We’re supporting…
“I don’t even know what to do with all this basil!”
