Let’s get a million books to the kids who need them most

by Christina Refford | Doing Good

I’ve read to my kids since they were wee little things and have never felt like they were lacking in books. Especially since birthdays, holidays and frequent trips to the book store insure they always have new titles to enjoy.  But, then again, I’ve...

Dear diary

by Cool Mom Team | Books for Kids

Childhood diaries are always depicted as the tool of brooding, angry, angst-filled goth girls; more Heathers than Clueless. Personally, my own first journal was filled with a lot lighter fare. And a whole lot of bad rhyming poetry and original song lyrics....

Read, write, learn, wipe, repeat.

by Cool Mom Team | Books for Kids

I was absolutely blown away when my four year-old, in a single day, suddenly mastered lowercase letters. No thanks to me, of course. This time, all the credit goes to the new Brain Quest write and erase alphabet book. Filled with 40 pages of coated, wipe on/wipe off...

Cool kid travel guides they’ll actually read

by Mir | Books for Kids

When we moved to Georgia, I tried to pad the transition with various books about what a great place it was and the interesting things that have happened here. My efforts were met with a resounding “meh” from my children. Hmph. Of course, the brand new Cool...

One cure for the affliction known as stickermania

by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings

If my kids are any indication, Stickermania may in fact be an actual medical condition. It strikes kids between 2 and 3, can last as long as a decade, and side effects may include weak and broken nails–your own–after scraping stickers off the living room...

The perfect gift for bookworms with authority

by Christina Refford | Books for Kids

It was a red-letter day in our household when each child was old enough to get his or her own library card. They love picking out books, handing their card over to the librarian and then skipping out with their new reads. What they don’t love is listening to me...

A girls’ guide to middle school mojo

by Mir | Books for Kids

We’re heading into our second year of middle school, here, and it’s been… interesting. It’s definitely a whole different ballgame than elementary school, particularly for girls, who tend to morph into social piranhas pretty early.Is your little...

The secret is out on these princesses

by Christina Refford | Books for Kids

I’ve fought the princessification of my girls valiantly, as a mama who wants her girls to admire heroes who don’t wait around for some dumb prince to find their happiness. As you may guess, it didn’t work; they love princess everything, though I try...

Mommy, where do organics come from?

by Liz Gumbinner | Books for Kids

This here city mama is lucky that my children have grandparents in the country who grow tomatoes and kale and sweet peas and wild strawberries, so that they can learn that no, vegetables do not come from aisle 3. I’ve always thought that learning about food,...

Baby books for busy beavers

by Delilah S. Dawson | Baby, Toys + Playthings

Those board books start out so cute and shiny, don’t they? And then Baby Bookivore gets very interested in gnawing the corners, splitting the pages, and seeing what a slice of banana will look like sandwiched between B is for Broccoli and C is for Carrot. But...