Hanukkah Ideas for Families from PJ Library — with a new original picture book!

 PJ Library offers a wealth of ideas and free resources for families at their updated Hanukkah Hub, including kid-friendly information about the holiday, interfaith celebration ideas, 10 easy kid-approved Hanukkah recipes, free printables (menorah, dreidel and other activity ideas).It’s all available at: https://pjlibrary.org/hanukkah.

 

The newly published and exclusive-to-PJ Publishing picture book Hanukkah at Monica's is now available on the PJ Library Amazon store at https://www.amazon.com/pjlibrary. The colorful 32-page paperback book is written and illustrated by Varda Livney.  

Here's the story: No one loves Hanukkah more than Monica. And celebrating the Festival of Lights — lighting candles, singing blessings, eating delicious fried foods and playing dreidel — is even more fun with friends. Luckily, Monica has lots of friends, including a robot, a pirate, even a jellyfish! Who’s going to arrive at her party next?

 

PJ Library also offers several other great holiday book suggestions; please visit the Ultimate Children's Book List. (These are books mailed for free to subscribers; some are available for purchase elsewhere.)

 

PJ Library Presents launches season 2 of their NAPPA Award-winning podcasts this season. A new Afternoons with Mimi podcast episode is coming on Nov. 22: "Kiddo Lights the Hanukkah Candles.” Hanukkah is here and it's time for the whole family to get together. Kiddo isn't sure how to light the candles or where each one goes in the menorah. Miraculous Mimi to the rescue!

 

Other Amazon store gift ideas: Choose easy and meaningful Hanukkah gifts, including a Jewish perpetual calendar, PJ Library aprons, and carefully curated books (like Hanukkah at Monica’s) for children: https://www.amazon.com/pjlibrary

For the first time ever this fall, the Yoto App includes Jewish stories for children starting November 8th. PJ Library is providing podcast episodes for this screen-free audio listening device for young children: https://us.yotoplay.com/.

 

 

About PJ Library

PJ Library is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, an internationally recognized, $40M global cultural literacy venture that partners with philanthropists and Jewish communities around the world to provide families raising Jewish children with the gift of free, high-quality children's books and other resources that foster a deeper connection with Jewish life. Each month, PJ Library and PJ Our way mails out nearly 670,000 books to families worldwide. To date, PJ Library has gifted 50 million books to children. To find out more or sign up kids age 0-12, visit www.pjlibrary.org.

Celebrate Easter with Candlewick Press!

Spring is here!

…and with it comes warmer weather and melting snow.  It’s a great time to get little ones out and about, whether they’re romping around in the backyard, taking a trip to the playground, or participating in an Easter egg hunt!

These Candlewick titles for kiddos under 5 are perfect for getting you and your family in the mood for the new season.  Featuring a variety of adorable, furry friends (and a familiar one-haired baby covered in Easter egg paint), they’ll work at playtime and bedtime alike—and they’ll look great in an Easter basket with some chocolate eggs, too.

Peep and Ducky Rainy Day

By David Martin, illustrated by David Walker

PB: 9780763668846 ∙ February 2014 ∙ $14.99 ∙ 32 pages ∙ Ages 0-3

Perfectly tuned to a toddler sensibility, this exuberant tale will enchant both listener and reader.

When Peep visits Ducky on a rainy day, the little pals have no trouble finding things to do. Inside, there is a tent to build and a pillow fight to be had. And outside, with the help of galoshes and umbrella, it’s fun to captain a boat—until a whoosh of wind and a clap of thunder sends them running back in!

« “Totally in tune with toddlers, this snappy read-aloud gets it right.” — Kirkus Review

Hop! Hop!

Written and illustrated by Leslie Patricelli

Board: 9780763663193 ∙ February 2015 ∙ $6.99 ∙ 26 pages ∙ Ages 0-3

The Easter Bunny is coming! It’s time to dye eggs. Did you know that red and blue make purple? That blue and yellow make green? That an art project may result in a multicolored Baby? There are bunny ears to wear (for the dog and cat, too) and an Easter basket to put out before bedtime. What will Baby find inside it the next morning?

“Preschoolers, parents, teachers, and librarians will be excited to ‘hop’ to Patricelli’s latest.” — School Library Journal

My Thoughts:

Hop! Hop! was an adorable book that goes over the fun things kids get do at Easter. Such as coloring eggs! While coloring the eggs, children will learn things such as red and yellow make orange.

The little boy in the book does arts and crafts after he dyes Easter eggs, followed by eating jelly beans and going on an Easter Egg hunt.

Kids will enjoy this book because they get to read about the things they are already doing, as well as some learning along the way. My daughter enjoyed the book. The illustrations are bright and eye catching, and sure to keep your child looking all over the pages as they follow along with the story.

Cutie Pie Looks for the Easter Bunny

Written and illustrated by Jannie Ho

Board: 9780763675998 ∙ February 2015 ∙ $5.99 ∙ 8 pages ∙ Ages 0-3

Little readers will love joining in with Cutie Pie's search.

Cutie Pie's friends all have Easter eggs but Cutie cannot find the Easter Bunny to get her egg. Wherever can he be?

“An upbeat, interactive offering sure to make an appearance in Easter baskets and storytimes come spring.” —Kirkus Reviews

A Lullaby For Little One

By Dawn Casey, illustrated by Charles Fuge

HC: 9780763676087 ∙ January 2015 ∙ $12.99 ∙ 32 pages ∙ Ages 2-5

At the end of a lovely day full of laughter and fun, little Bunny and Big Daddy Rabbit have time for one last game. All their woodland friends join in, too — woo-hoo! — but when little Bunny gets tired of all of the hullabaloo, Big Daddy Rabbit knows that a special lullaby is exactly what’s needed.

“Casey's rollicking rhyming text describes their romp, which draws the attention and enthusiastic participation of other woodland creatures. ... Fuge masterfully paints cheery bucolic scenes in watercolor. ... Young readers ... will relate to Little One's abrupt swing from rambunctious fun one moment and overwhelmed unhappiness at the unexpected result in the next. ... Sure to satisfy toddlers and preschoolers, this father-child tale will warm many hearts.” — Kirkus Reviews

Count with Maisy, Cheep, Cheep, Cheep!

Written and illustrated by Lucy Cousins

HC: 9780763676438 ∙ February 2015 ∙ $15.99 ∙ 32 pages ∙ Ages 2-5

Will all ten chicks be safe and accounted for by the last turn of the page?

It’s bedtime, but where have all of Mommy Hen’s chicks gone? Maisy is quickly on the case to find them, and little readers can help, too—by lifting the flaps to see who’s hiding in the stable, by the tractor, or up in the apple tree.

“The counting combined with the flaps, appealing barnyard animals and varied farm locations make this an ideal counting companion to better known stories and songs, such as "Old MacDonald." A book that doesn't take any "cheep" shots at the material.” – Kirkus Reviews

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My Thoughts:

Count with Maisy, Cheep, Cheep, Cheep! was an adorable book. In this book, we are helping the mama hen find her chicks before bed, and she has 10 of them to find. They are hidden in quite some funny places all around the farm.

A child will want to read this one multiple times and find the chicks under the hidden flaps. My daughter loved the interactiveness of this book, and she had fun counting the chicks along the way. We also were able to do some math as we had to figure out how many chicks were left to find.

Peanuts: A Scanimation Book

Good grief, the gang’s all here! Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, Sally, and, of course, Snoopy—these cherished characters from the most popular comic strip of all time meet the magic of Scanimation.

Ten memorable scenes—in clear and colorful Scanimations, with smooth-flowing, detailed images—are brought to life in the book, each accompanied by the inspiring words of wisdom from Charles M. Schulz that make PEANUTS so special. Charlie Brown runs to launch his kite, with the caption “Sometimes there are things you just can’t resist doing.” Snoopy does his happy dance: “To dance is to live.” Lucy skips rope: “Life is more than just lying around.” Plus Schroeder plays the piano, Snoopy battles the Red Baron, Sally dances with Linus, and Charlie Brown tries to kick—and of course, as he will for all eternity, misses—the football.

PEANUTS is one of the most beloved and best-known brands of all time. Every day over 45 million people read the strip; its animated specials have aired on television for the past fifty years (growing in popularity—A Charlie Brown Christmas was the highest-rated prime time special in 2012); it has millions of Facebook fans; and in 2015, to celebrate the 65th anniversary of PEANUTS, 20th Century Fox will release a 3D animated movie.

And now, Scanimation. It’s PEANUTS—funny and wise and beloved, forever a part of our lives—like you’ve never seen before.

My thoughts:

This is a cute book.  My three year old nephew has read through this book numerous times already.  If you are a Peanuts fan, you will like this book.  

I got a kick with the Scanimation of Lucy and Snoopy.  And also another of my favorites in this book was Linus.  This book isn't very long, but still enjoyable to go through.  A great gift for any small kid.

Celebrate the Holiday Season with a Collection of New Amazon Indie Children’s Books!

The Christmas Witchling, an enchanting chapter book by D. Byron Patterson featuring the brave 8-year-old Witchling Tulie Flue, who struggles to set everything right after it all goes wrong in a heartwarming tale about courage, friendship and the wonder of the holiday season. Before deciding to indie publish his books, Byron had been telling his tales for years, holding the kids of friends and family spellbound

My thoughts:

My ten year old daughter and I read this book together.  We could not stop until we finished it. It's about a young witch "Tulie".  Tulie can't seem to do anything right.   But that doesn't stop her.  A well written book with beautiful illustrations. 

Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis, a charming winter’s tale and the newest addition to the award-winning Captain No Beard book series by Carole P. Roman, finds the daring pirate Captain No Beard and his loyal crew heaving anchor for adventure as they steer a course due north for the icy waters of the Arctic.

My thoughts:

Cute book.  My seven year old really enjoyed reading this book to me.  And the imagination of the characters in this book had you believing they were real pirates.  The author did a great job with her writing.  And the lesson was quite clear, that you should never take anything that doesn't belong to you.  This is a book that we will definitely read again.  Great illustrations!

Calling All Grammies – A Christmas Tale of Friendship

an inventive story by Flo Barnet features an intrepid grandma and her friends from around the world, who band together to save the day when Santa’s sleigh breaks down and can’t be fixed in time to take to the skies for Christmas.  

My thoughts:

My ten and seven year loved this book.  They thought it was funny reading about grammies who helped Santa.  They even had to call their grandmom after reading this book to ask her if Santa called her if she would recruit her grammie friends to help out.  Loved all the illustrations of the grammies and santa in this book.

Christmas on the Farm, an engaging rhyming picture book by Beau Blackwell, featuring a whole barnyard of adorably illustrated animals, reinforces that the true meaning of Christmas is about the spirit of friendship and giving to others.

My thoughts:

Another cute book.  Especially during the holidays.  All the animals are getting along, and the rhyming in this book was fun to read.  We have read this book quite a few times already at bed time, and I am sure will be read again.  The illustrations were cute also in this book.  

Book Review : And Then Comes Christmas

From icicles clinging to roofs and houses strung with colorful lights to visiting Santa and hunting for the perfect tree, this classic-in-the-making celebrates all of the holiday’s excitement. Evoking both winter’s changes to the world outside and well-loved traditions taking place within, here is a story to encourage readers to curl up with their loved ones and bask in the magic of the Christmas season.

My Thoughts:


My seven year old loved reading this book to me. The colorful pages kept his attention all the through to the last page.  The book takes you through the anticipation and decorating till Christmas.  It is written in great detail, so much as you can almost feel the icy grass crunching underfoot.  It is great to read through a children's book where on almost every colorful detailed page the children are included in the activities.  You even get a glimpse of the family dog though out the story.  

I would recommend this book to all families.  It has a great story and shows through the pages how families spend and do many things together through the holiday season. A great book for teachers and day cares to read along with young readers. 

Santa's (Zany, Wacky, Just Not Right!) Night Before Christmas

Product was received for free in exchange for an honest review.

"One Christmas Eve it was a cold stormy night; and nothing at the north pole was going quite right..." Santa's (Zany, Wacky, Just Not Right!)Night Before Christmas is a whimsical tale of Santa's journey through a Christmas Eve that doesn't go as he expects. One small event leads to a series of surprises that change Santa and Christmas as we know it. It's a story to spark the imagination, make kids giggle, and bring a smile even to a grownup's face.


My Thoughts:

 I read this book with my seven year old son.  Oh no, Mrs. Claus can't be sick!  Santa had to wash his own suit. Which ended up Purple.  And could it really be snowing Bright Pink? How can an elf be a seven foot Troll? So many Wacky things have been happening to Santa the night before Christmas. Santa thought he had ruined Christmas. Some things can end up just to be a dream.

This is really a cute book.  Every page is vibrant in color.  As you read page by page, your child/children can easily understand what each page is about by looking at the illustrations.  This is definitely a cute must have Holiday book for all ages.  I thought it was good, and will read  it again and again.