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Please bear with us for the time being until we are done.

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GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

A couple of months back, a few of our Parent Reviewers did a review of the Sleepy Wrap baby carrier and it was given the two thumbs up! If you are a new mother or a mom who supports babywearing, the Sleepy Wrap is definitely THE only baby carrier you will ever need. Check out the testimonials from our reviewers here.

WIN IT : Thanks to Sleepy Wrap, ONE lucky reader will win a Sleepy Wrap carrier worth $38.95 with your choice of colour. To enter for this giveaway, here’s what you need to do:

• Visit www.sleepywrap.com and tell us in our comment section, your preferred choice of colour for the baby carrier.
• 3 additional entries – If you subscribe to Parent Reviewers
• 3 additional entries – If you stumbleupon this post.
• Giveaway is open to any location that the USPS is able to ship to.
• Giveaway closes on 15th October 2008 and a winner will be randomly drawn using the Random.org number generator.

• Author : Jill Osborne
• Illustrator : Kevin Collier
• ISBN-10: 1932690603
• ISBN-13: 978-1932690606

Sam Feels Better Now! is a soft cover book catered to children, ideally of age group 4-10, who has gone through a traumatic situation. The interative story book is meant to help this group of readers manage their own feelings and overcome  their trauma or grief.

In Sam Feels Better Now!, the main character Sam saw something awful and scary! Ms. Carol is the special therapist who will show Sam how to feel better. The author has incorporated activities such as drawings and play within the storyline so that it will be easier for the the child who reads the book to open up and identify himself/herself to the story. Personally, I felt that the book would work best as a tool for therapists or caregivers who may be working with children who have experienced a variety of traumatic events. Parents on the other hand, may find this as a good guide book to work with their traumatized children at home.

When I interviewed author Jill Osborne recently, I asked her ”In your opinion, what makes your book stand out from other trauma books catered for children?“

Here’s what she had to say:

Sam Feels Better Now stands out from other trauma books for several reasons. It is a fully illustrated picture book with activities woven throughout. Many of the activities are written from the main character, Sam’s perspective in order to create some distance between the child and his or her experience. It is meant to be used as a metaphor for the child’s experience. This is helpful because there are many children who may not be ready to tell their experience directly, either because of their stage of development, or other reasons. The book is set up so that it can prepare a child to at the end begin to tell his or her own story by teaching coping techniques, such as relaxation and feelings identification. The idea is to allow the child to feel like they are helping the main character, Sam to feel better, but at the same time learn how to cope themselves.

About Jill Osborne - Jill Osborne graduated from Toccoa Falls College in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science in Counseling Skills and Psychology. After that, she went to work for the state of Georgia in a psychosocial rehabilitation and peer support program. During that time she completed a Master of Science (M.S.) in professional counseling in 2006 and a Specialist in Education (Ed.S) in professional counseling in 2007 from Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. There she specialized in play therapy, traumatology, and child and adolescent therapy.

BUY IT : Sam Feels Better Now! is available for purchase at Amazon.

Here are excerpts from the reviews posted on the blogs of our Parent Reviewers. Just click on the respective link to access to the full reviews:

Momma Findings – In summary, Sam Feels Better Now can be described as a “Mini-Session” of therapy for your child without leaving the house. In fact, my son asked me before bed, “Mom, can we buy 20 of those books for every time I get scared?” As his Mother, I realized that the activities, the storyline, and the relaxation techniques he learned helped him dramatically and will be a path we return to when the next fearful event unfolds.

Mott’s Island – Overall, it is an excellent resource book that incorporates play therapy and expressive techniques that are easy for children to understand and relate to. Definitely will be re-read again and again!

All Because Two People Fell In Love – I feel that “Sam Feels Better Now!” would be an excellent resource for therapists who work with children. This book allows the child to hear the story of another child who has had a bad experience and the child to feel like they are not alone in their situtation. As the child participates in the activities, the therapist will be able to gain more information about the incident that the child has expereinced because it provides the child with a comfortable environment that they are more likely to open up and discuss their problems in. The book also includes a helpful guide for therapists to assist them while using this book. It also includes a helpful list of references and resources. This book is a totally awesome resource!

Rambling Moo – I find that this book is quite good as it gives parents or guardians some basic guides to deal with their kids’ feelings. Every kid has different feelings and the different ways to deal with them so it is only appropriate that we, as the parents find the appropriate solutions to help them, to cope in many instances.

Atomic Mama – I recommend the book to anyone dealing with children and scary situations. I’m going to tell my husband’s command Chaplain about this book also; I think it’s an excellent resource.

3 P’s Mama Says – I really like they way the book is written, laid out and presented. The graphics are friendly and inviting and the language in the text is understandable to the age group she wrote it for. The story has pages included that allow the reader to draw their interpretation of how Sam is feeling or doing. The questions that Ms. Carol, the Play Therapist in the story, asks are questions for the readers to answer as well. I can easily see this drawing feelings and thoughts out of children that they did not know how to express.

Amanda – Samantha had a nice time coloring the pages and talking about why she was scared of the Bees. After going through the book, and following it step by step, Sam feels much better, and is not scared of the Bees.

Maria’s Space – I believe this is a great book for ages 4-14 even though the book is geared toward 4-7. The characters are sweet, colorful, non-threatening with big caring eyes.

The purpose of the book is to help children who have experienced traumatic events to be able to learn how to cope, and reduce the effects of traumatic stress.

Great book for a child about to enter therapy or for a parent trying to find out more about their child. Also, a great resource for therapists.

The Pond – Sam Feels Better Now is a wonderful tool that therapists can use to help children retrieve their innocence and enjoy their lives.

It’s All About Play – Now, Karl feels much better. He told me he is not afraid of the “monkey in the window” anymore. After going through the activities in the book with him, he sort of found a way to forget the scary monkey by replacing that image with something friendlier – the monkey in Kung Fu Panda! Phew, am I relieved!

Chanel’s Journal – After going through the book, Mummy was very impressed on how great the book was written interactively just for children to help them to overcome all these negative feelings in a gentle and loving way but effective. The structure of the whole process was very systematic from helping the kids to express their feelings, to understand their feelings and to help them to overcome their feelings. All these were done in different activities which includes drawings, play and story telling.

Yenjai – As the book has quite a few pages, in my own opinion, you will take multiple sessions to finish the book. My seven-year-old son like the colouring part the most. He had a good time doing the exercise.

For obvious reason, there are multiple parts in the book which he fail to comprehend. This is where the caregiver comes in. We need to put in intense effort to explain to him the wording and the logic of the exercise.

Shake The Salt – This interactive story / picture book makes a wonderful guide for children working with a therapist to find a positive outlook that may have been overshadowed by a traumatic experience and to help them work through and past feelings of fear and uneasiness.

Value Book Shop’s Reading Notes - this is not a book you would cuddle up and read with your child. It is a resource book to help children deal with traumatic stress. Ideally, it should be used by a professional therapist as part of a trauma therapy but regular parents like me could benefit from learning what it’s all about too.

Life From My Laptop – It is a very useful resource for anyone who has a child who has gone through a traumatic experience.  Giving them a way to work through their feelings that they will enjoy and understand as they draw the things they witnessed, depictions of their emotions and other things and talk them through with their parent or their parent and a therapist. This book can be used alone with your child or through your relationship with a trained professional.  Either way it will definitely be a useful tool in dealing with your child’s feelings.

Mom of 2 Dancers – The interactive exercises involve have the child draw pictures that relate to the story. Sam also gets to talk about his emotions. The story continues with the child helping Sam by listing their own personal resources that he can utilize. These involve identifying people and places that he can go to help get him through the scary times. There are also exercises to help the child identify their emotions and to help them get started with telling their own story. Through the pictures and exercises, kids can start to learn to cope with their own trauma. Really an excellent book.

Right Reads - Having counselled teenagers who come from troubled homes, I would have found “Sam Feels Better” useful even in my discussions with these tensed, withdrawn teens. Because children tend to clam up after a traumatic event, drawing and colouring offer them a more comfortable and less threatening way to express their feelings.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I was when I discovered it was possible for me to teach my daughter to play the piano despite the fact that I have never had the opportunity to learn it myself. I’m sure this sounds unbelievable but it’s true! *Still doing happy dance*

Piano For Preschoolers is the brainchild of mommy Angie Crellin, who studied classical piano for more than 30 years and wanted to share the benefits of music with her children. Angie developed this program through hundreds of hours of research and saw the amazing result it had on her son. 

Early this year, I had tried to enrol my 4 year old for piano lessons but was told that she should wait another year. I was quite sure that my girl was ready for it, so it was a blessing that we found Piano For PreSchoolers. We have both proven the teacher wrong as within the first 2 days of practice, my daughter was able to play the entire “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” song. She is so proud of her ahievement and so is this mommy! Since then, my little girl has been looking forward to her piano lessons with me each weekend. It’s really amazing that the step by step instructions in the song book are so easy to follow. Heck it’s so simple and fun, I am even fulfilling my own childhood dream of learning to play the piano!

BUY IT : Get this award-winning Piano For Preschoolers beginner piano lessons for less than the cost of one month of private lessons! Ideal for age 3-8, the Basic Course includes a 17-song music book, a 17-track CD, a 19-lesson parent/teacher handbook, and two keyboard color strip guides (one for full-sized piano, and one for mini-key keyboard). If you are still undecided, check out what other people are saying about this program!

WIN IT : For parents who are interested in an easy, fun, and affordable way to teach beginner piano lessons to your preschooler, this is definitely the program for you and your child. Two lucky readers will get a chance to win the Piano For Preschoolers Basic Course valued at $39.95.

• Visit www.pianoforpreschoolers.com and tell us one fact about Angie Crellin.
• Also tell us in our comment section below, why you want to win.  If you provide comments like “Count Me In” or “I’d love to win”, etc., the entry will be disqualified. 
• 3 additional entries if you Stumble Upon This Post. Please leave your StumbleUpon userid in the comment to let us know.
• Contest is open to readers with US and Canada shipping addresses only.
• Contest closes on 6th October 2008. Two winners who qualifies will be chosen : One winner selected based on the best “Want To Win” reason and another winner will be drawn using the Random.Org. number generator.

Congratulations to the following BeLight Bag Giveaway LUCKY Winner:

Millicent C. ~ We are sure many envy you.  Here’s what she said:

I like the brown/champagne bag. Thanks for the chance to win such a great gift!

Email will be sent out to the winner and we will be expecting a reply latest by 26th September 2008. We will be doing a second random draw if there is no reply by the deadline.

THANK YOU to everyone who participated.

Please remember to subscribe to Parent Reviewers or check back for our ongoing Blog Giveaways. There are lots of attractive prizes lined up for you to win!

How many of you parents out there have a first aid kit that is filled with all the necessities required for an unplanned injury? I’m the first to admit that I do have some first aid supplies available in a cabinet drawer in the house but not in a box or kit that is ready to grab and go in case of emergencies. I know, I heard the warning siren – NOT GOOD!  When an injury happens, any parent will want to minimize the pain when it happens to the time we can get proper medical care for our child. Thus, it is important to have a first aid kit readily available at home.

Since we got the Medibuddy from me4kidz, my 4 year old seemed to be getting more “Owees” than usual *slaps head*.  That’s because the Medibuddy is so kid friendly that my daughter regard it as her “toy buddy”. This kit contains 40 pieces of quality first aid items such as red, blue, yellow crayon bandages, knee and elbow bandage, sting relief pad, gauze pads, antiseptic wipes, burn relief cream, antibiotic ointments, stickers for the kids and a carrying case. I myself love  the Medibuddy as it is very convenient to carry around such as during outings, campings and even during a sports event.

About me4kidz:

Who else understand the needs of a family then another family? me4kidz (Medical Emergencies For Kids) is owned and operated by the Nassos Family comprising of Dad Pete, Mommy Richelle and Cody & Luke (the kids). The idea for kid friendly first aid products came about to Richelle after her eldest son Cody was stung by a bee and there was no emergency kit available to her at home.

me4kidz products are exclusively made in USA and each year, they donate products to educational fundraisers as well as children’s organizations that cannot afford first aid products. Being a responsible company, me4kidz also ensures that all the plastic used in their products are 100% recycled.

BUY IT : With Medibuddy, you can Clean It, Fix It and Get Back To Play in a jiffy. Visit me4kidz, enter your zip and find out where you can purchase their first aid kits. While you are there, why not check out the Medibag For Kidz and Medibag for Petz.

One of the biggest bonus of buying toys is being able to purchase those that works for both my kids and at the same time discover that they are eco friendly. With natural made toys, I can educate my children on the concept of Going Green as well as promote a safe, yet educational alternative to playtime. No more worrying about toxic toys or product recalls! Therefore, ImagiPLAY’s Toys With Integrity have always remain on the top of my shopping list when it comes to buying gifts for children of close friends and families. 

About ImagiPLAY (excerpt from Press Release):

ImagiPLAY products have been recognized for their outstanding quality, design and ability to inspire imagination by the media, children’s advocacy groups and parents’ organizations. It has received awards from Parenting Magazine, Creative Child Magazine, Dr.Toy, Parents’ Choice Foundation and many other well-respected groups. But most importantly ImagiPLAY’s products have helped thousands of children to discover themselves and their world as they navigate the waters of the human Age Of Exploration. 

If you are searching for toys that can stimulate your child’s mind and tantalize his/her imagination, check out the Rainforest Puzzle Play, one of ImagiPLAY’s environmentally themed product. Each puzzle measures at 7.75″ x 7.75″ x .75”, is beautifully crafted in earth friendly, chemically free rubberwood and hand painted in vibrant shades of child safe paint. The Rainforest Puzzle Play is a puzzle and playset in one and ideal for children above age 3.

BUY IT : You can purchase the Rainforest Puzzle Play via ImagiPLAY’s website and get 15% off any of their toys by using Promo Code “KIDSTUFF”, valid until 31st December 2008.

Our Parent Reviewers had the opportunity to try out the Rainforest Puzzle Play with their children recently. Check out how it fared with these parents:

Mommy Brain Reports – I think we have found a new favorite puzzle!!! Imagiplay sent us their Rainforest Puzzle, and it has been a huge hit in our house! We got our package just a day ago, and I think we’ve put this puzzle together nearly 10 times. At first I was worried about it being too difficult, but as we started to put the pieces together, it seemed like it was getting easier and easier. It was really neat to see their thought processes. One of my girls would get a little frustrated with not being able to piece the puzzle together, and she’d look at the picture on the label, and figure out where that particular piece belonged so she could continue on. My girls absolutely loved this puzzle!

Living In A Charmed Moment – My son is loving his new puzzle by ImagiPLAY called Rainforest. It combines wonderful vibrant colors and animals found in the rainforest. My son has almost learned all the colors and knows most of the animals associated with this puzzle. He has struggled with his words and communication not to mention his very short attention span. He likes me to put the puzzle together then he takes it apart piece by piece telling me the color or the animal. I am so excited for him to be learning & SPEAKING!! I think we found a mini breakthrough with this puzzle and we are definitely finding more like it at www.imagiplay.com.

Sassy Frazz - Each puzzle piece is a colorful animal found in a rainforest, and there is clouds, grass, and a branch. My kids like playing with the individual pieces, like having the tiger chase the monkey. They like making the animal sounds as they play with the pieces, too. The puzzle is a bit challenging, so it is good for kids to keep on working on it. It really keeps them busy. Nathaniel has no problems getting the pieces to fit together to make a puzzle, but Caleb is more challenged by it.

Chick N Monkey – Overall, as a mom, I like the puzzle set. It’s colorful, splinter-free hardwood, light weight, and the size of the pieces are just perfect for toddlers to handle. It’s easy to store, just put the pieces in zip lock bag and can bring it with us everywhere. The playset not only trains the toddlers’ patience, it also allows the toddlers to explore their imaginations. One suggestion, I hope they could include an enlarged picture of the finished puzzle, so it would be easier for the first timer.

A Wrestling Addicted Mommy’s Blog – Worried about Lead paint still on your toys? Don’t be. ImagiPLAY uses lead free paint on their puzzles so you don’t have to worry about any lead poisoning going on in your children. The puzzle doesn’t have to fit to one exact mold either, my girls found many fun ways to play with it and create a ‘puzzle of their own’ almost, it allows for a lot of creativity and imagination. This is great puzzle that will be played with for hours on end, and will last through the years with playful enjoyment by all. I can say, even I had fun with this helping the girls figure it out at first.

Lisa Reviews – One of the puzzles that we have in our house that the kids have the most fun with is the ImagiPlay RainForest Puzzle. It is for ages 3 and up. However, my 4 year old and 1 year old both love it. Mommy loves it too.  This puzzle is made from rubberwood which is an earth friendly hardwood.  The part I love the most is that it is painted with lead free paint.  It is clearly labeled that way, and I don’t have to worry about Will (the one year old) sticking it in his mouth (love it, love it, love it!). 

My Trendy Tykes – My 3 year old was the first to test it out. She took each animal out and played “house”. It was fun just to watch her imagination go WILD! I sat down in the floor and we stacked each animal on top of the scene and she got a little more intrigued.

Soon, all three kids were in the floor playing…..TOGETHER! (without fighting I might add). When they were done letting their imaginations run crazy. The two older kids started putting the puzzle together and at the end they would have lil sister apply the last “Puzzle” piece. Needless to say, they did it OVER and OVER again!

The Lille Punkin -  It not only was exactly the kind of toy my boys love the most (puzzles), but it captured the charm of a brightly-colored educational activity with the safest of methods. (All painted materials are tested to ensure they meet or exceed U.S. and European safety standards.)

Made from the earth-friendly rubberwood, this puzzle stimulates the brain! I was challenged trying to piece it together, but my kids were right on task, putting each piece in its place. I enjoyed watching them work together on this project, and as soon as it all came together — they tore it apart and built it again!

Crunchy Green Mom – I love wooden toys, I love the way they smell and feel, I love how sturdy they are and when they have colors on them, how vibrant it is. When I got the ImagiPlay Rainforest Puzzle I was in love!

Congratulations to the following 3 winners Of Pocket Snails Potty Adventure DVD Giveaway:

1. Tracy Byram who told us…

Boy, oh, boy, do I ever need this! I’m trying to potty train my grandson and it is not going well, to say the least. I need all the help I can get.

2. Phillip Fry who provided the following comments….

Pocket Snails Letter Adventure DVD is my fave!

3. Sharla who said….

I am DESPERATE for anything that will help my four year old have ANY desire to use the potty. The Pocket Snails® Letter Adventure DVD would be great for him too!

Emails will be sent out to winners and we will be expecting a reply latest by 22nd September 2008. If we do not receive a reply by the deadline, we will be doing a second random draw.

THANK YOU to everyone who participated.

Please remember to subscribe to Parent Reviewers or check back for our ongoing Blog Giveaways. There are lots of attractive prizes lined up for you to win!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

My interest was certainly piqued when I discovered there was a DVD series created just for babies to toddlers of age 3 that was produced by four-time Emmy award winning producer, Kathleen L. Johnson, President of Sky Angel Productions, LLC (www.skyangel.com) with child development guidance from Leslie S.Holland MSRC, LMHC, and child educator Leslie A. Nelson. Needless to say, I was ecstatic to be sent a copy of Halo DVD Series #1 Babies Love Animals for review.

In Babies Love Animals, videos of adorable animals, perky pets with lots of cute babies are featured along with puppets named Angel Gabey, Sammy the Sheepdog, Sarah the Sheep and the Angel Fish. Together with high tech animations, babies get to enjoy  a “babyfied” version of classical as well as orchestrated music by critically acclaimed composer and musician Paul Todd.

Christian families will certainly love this DVD as Halo Baby incorporates simple faith-based elements into the video. The video’s interactive fashion also educate children on animal basics and introduces simple educational elements like counting, shapes and colors. As Babies Love Animals is geared towards babies and toddlers who have a shorter attention span, parents can choose to let their babies watch the DVD in 5 minutes segments instead of the entire half hour program. I was very surprised when my 4 year old daughter sat through the whole video. It certainly proves that an older sibling may find this video equally captivating! Oh yes, there is also a bonus segment on hand signing for babies.

About Sky Angel (from excerpt of their press release):

Sky Angel ®   U.S. LLC is a Christian-owned multi-channel provider of faith-based and family-friendly television and radio programming. Using the latest technology, Sky Angel IPTV offers television viewers the widest variety of Christian-based channels available, plus family, sports and news programming through a high-speed Internet connection. Sky Angel IPTV also provides subscribers with value-added features including 48-hour playback on all faith-based TV channels plus an ever-growing Video-On- Demand library with free and fee-based selections. Founded by Robert Johnson Sr. more than 25 years ago, Sky Angel was created to provide a Christ-centered and family-friendly alternative to the standard television fare. Since then, his vision has grown into a service providing quality television and radio programming to all corners of the United States. Sky Angel’s mission is to build and operate a global communications system to assure the Gospel will penetrate every nation, culture and people. Sky Angel also carries the Parents Television Council’s® prestigious Entertainment Seal of Approval™, which recognizes excellence and social responsibility in programming.

BUY IT : Babies Love Animals DVDs are available for purchase via www.HaloBaby.tv and episodes are also broadcasted on Sky Angel’s own KTV network (Kids & Teen TV) which can be viewed by Sky Angel subscribers and DISH network subscribers.

WIN IT : Thanks to the kind people at Sky Angel, we are giving away two copies of Halo Baby DVDs to our readers. Two winners will get to choose their DVD from either Babies Love Animals OR Babies Love Water. Here are the rules of the giveaway:

• Visit Halo Baby and let us know in our comment below which DVD you want to win : Babies Love Animals OR Babies Love Water
• 3 additional entries – If you subscribe to Parent Reviewers
• Giveaway is open to any location that USPS is able to deliver.
• Giveaway closes on 30th September 2008.

***SPECIAL BUY : Due to the overwhelming participation by readers, Sky Angel is offering a special price of $10 (excluding Shipping & Handling) for each of the two DVDs to all our readers. Original price is $17.99! Just click on the link here to purchase!***

Sisters Elizabeth Sills and Elena Patrice created ee publishing & productions, the laugh friendly company with the ambition to change the world. They believe in making childhood special for every child and that adults should follow the lead of kids who do a lot of good out of the goodness of their hearts. The sisters also believe that we should be able to laugh at ourselves and celebrate the small, good things in everyday life. Inspired by love and laughter, Elizabeth and Elena developed the world of Nana Star, comprising of a picture book series and plush toys, based on magical character created by their grandmother years ago. How could you not love this team of wonderful ladies who are so full of positive vibes? And you know what? I have not even started on their products yet!

A group of our Parent Reviewers were given the opportunity to review two of ee publishing’s products:

• The Nana Star Hardcover Picture Book (comes with CD) which explore the magical world of a sweet girl called Nana Star; and
• The so-very-huggable Nana Star doll

In the book, Nana Star is the young heroine who befriends a lost baby star and endeavours to bring it home to where he belongs. What makes the Nana Star book unique is that it includes a mistake in the text for young readers to find. When a child spots the mistake and sends Nana Star a note correcting the mistake, they become honorary members of Nana Star’s Little Twinkles Club. Little Twinkles will receive an autographed photo of the real Nana Star with a personalized message and a certificate of membership. What a special way to reward a child!

The 18 inch Nana Star doll is a soft plush toy with embroidered features and comes dressed in a deep blue dress. If you looked closely, you will also notice that the doll carries the little star which she helps rescue.  

BUY IT : In a world which is currently deludged by computer games, these simple toys are a change which many parents welcome. Visit Nana Star and start your collection of Nana Star and friends today! If you have a little time, don’t forget to hop over to the Nana Star Foundation, which is dedicated to helping make life easier for children attending under-resourced, inner-city schools and for terminally ill children. A portion of all proceeds from Nana Star products goes to Nana Star Foundation.

Check out what our Parent Reviewers had to say about the book and toy:

Brain Foggles – I know she concentrated and remembered it because later on she told me the story and used the little branch and star attached to the doll’s arms by elastic to act it out. Charlotte enjoyed the small CD with the Nana Star song. She danced a bit with the doll.

Charlotte told me that the doll was “nice because she’s soft” and not like her “other dolls at home”. She liked to hug her and hold her close. The book was “fun” because “the star found his Nana”.

From Melissa’s Desk – The CD has the words of the story read in a gentle voice so that children can either follow along with the book or use it alone. It would be a wonderful story to listen to at bedtime. There is also a song about Nana Star included on the CD.

The plush toy is so cute. Little girls will love the small bendable body that’s just right for snuggling.

Just My Rambling – When we first received Nana Star a couple of weeks ago, Lil’ C was so excited to see her and since then, they have been inseparable. Nana Star is like her little shadow now. She has been all over the house, the town and even on our recent vacation!!

Why Are They Calling ME Mom – This book first of all blew me away. When we received the book I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The name of course threw me. Before I introduced it to L and J I flipped through the pages and the illustrations were so beautiful and the little girl was very pretty with her blue dress and curly ponytail with a blue ribbon, I actually couldn’t wait to read the book especially with L. L of course loved that the book came with a posable Nana Star doll (which was added to her bedtime collection).

Jojo’s Place – What’s really great about all the Nana Star books is that they all come with a cd that tells the story, so that your children can follow along. Kelsie loves listening to this in the car while following along in her book.

I really love books that keeps the child’s imagination going even after the book is finished. This is one of those books. We can’t wait to get next in the series, Nana Star and the Moonman!

What’s That Smell? – I went from skeptic to fan in one afternoon. Now I want to read the next book. And Abby must have a Moonman! I really can’t say enough good things about the Nana Star book and the accompanying CD and posable doll. They don’t scream “wow” at first glance, but after Jake’s reaction to it, I’m certainly left with a “WOW.”

Creative Writings 101 – I look forward to reading future installments in the adventures of Nana Star, and meeting her new friends too. Deja plans on taking her Nana Star book to school soon, so the teacher will be able to share the story of Nana Star with her classmates. After I read Deja the story of Nana Star, she fell sound asleep with her Nana Star doll by her side.

Ponderings From My Heart – My son enjoyed listening to this book on CD as well as being read the story by my husband or myself. The plush doll has been added to his collection of plush toys, proving that Nana Star, although absolutely perfect for any little girl, is also for little boys! The themes of friendship and imagination apply to both genders!

Cheeks To Cheeks – My little girl absolutely adores this book and every night (without fail) my girl makes a request of having Nana Star read to her before slipping into slumber land. My girl was able to relate to the carefree and independent Nana Star. Most importantly the story has taught her to be thoughtful and helpful.The doll that was sent along with the book made story-time vivid and fun. We were able to enact the scenes read from the book and guess what? We have many plush toys but she chose only 2 to be sleeping next to her. One is the Wonder Woman toy her Daddy won from an arcade game (ah, my girl is sentimental) and the other is no other than her Nana Star doll. Nana Star is now a constant companion for my little girl every time I tuck her into bed.

Walk With Me – The illustration is beautifully simple and colorful. My daughter loves to point out all the things she sees in the pictures as I read the book.

I love that fact that it comes in an audio cd that I can play as we read along with the book or play it in the car. It reminds me of the old read along books that came with cassette audio tapes to listen along.