Fashion & Gear - Books

OneMoreStory.com

One more story, please! How many times have you heard your little one say these words?

If you’ve heard it on more than one occasion, try OneMoreStory.com — a virtual bookshelf full of award-winning literature from authors such as Ezra Jack Keats, Donald Crews and more.

Aimed at ages 2-9, the site lets your child choose between having the book read to him/her or reading it alone. Under the narrator mode, the words are highlighted as the narrator reads the story. Plus, original music accompanies the reading.

If your tot is ready to read, pick the “I Can Read It” option which mutes the sound and lets them click on unfamiliar words for pronunciation tips.

Created by a former Sesame Street producer and his late sister (a former teacher) to help enrich a child’s love of literature, One More Story currently features 56 books. Click here to see the whole e-library (they’re currently adding a book a month). You can also check out how it works here.

A three month subscription is $15, a six month subscription is $27 and a year’s subscription is $44. It’s the perfect gift for mini book lovers!

–Nancy

Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas

Every kid (big or small) loves the holidays! And Fancy Nancy is no exception. On November 3rd, Harper Collins released Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas — the latest in the Fancy Nancy picture book series.

The merry story details Nancy’s efforts to make Christmas as “splendiferous” as possible.

Since the series launch in 2005, the Fancy Nancy brand has sold more than 8 million books, spent over 175 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and won countless literary and toy industry awards.

They’ve even expanded to dolls, dresses, tiaras, shoes, party goods, calendars, bedding, board games and much, much more!

If you live in the L.A. area, stop by the PEOPLE-hosted event at Every Picture Tells A Story… children’s gallery and book shop this Saturday (11/14) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Not only can you meet author Jane O’Connor and illustrator Robin Preiss Glasser, but signed copies of the book will be available for purchase. Guests will also take home a free PEOPLE gift bag (while supplies last).

Recently, CBB had the pleasure of chatting with Jane and Robin about their newest book, as well as all things Fancy Nancy.

Click below to read the interview.
Click to continue reading »

Scholastic, Scott Gries/PictureGroup

Proving that it’s never too late to make a dream come true, Joe Brown — dad to famed makeup artist Bobbi Brown — has just published his first children’s book, at the age of 74.

Having spent his entire adult life as an attorney, Joe might be new to the genre, but he’s been telling the tale of Marceau for decades. Now Marceau — a New York City cab driver who treats passengers to fun-filled tales of adventure — has come to life in The Flights of Marceau: Race to the Rescue ($9).

Published by Scholastic and illustrated by Stephen Marchesi, the book is familiar territory for Bobbi as well. “I grew up listening to these wonderful bedtime stories that my father had written,” she explains. “I am very proud of my father and his new book, and am so happy to celebrate him and his work.”

In The Flights of Marceau: Race to the Rescue, Marceau leaps into action when a collection of zoo animals are left stranded by a hurricane. Together, he and the animals work together to save the day. The book — first in a planned series — also contains rhyming text and a glossary. To purchase, click here.

– Missy

Travel Scavenger

Eric Carle, the author and illustrator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has illustrated a beautiful line of learning games called Kinder-Ready.

The clever Travel Scavenger set ($10) is a little paper pad that comes with a washable marker. Take this along to the grocery store and your little one can find the baked goods that match Carle’s cute illustration of cherry pie. It also has sections for in the car, at the zoo or at a restaurant. This is a brilliant idea for keeping my 4-year-old son, Finn busy while we wait for his food to come! I just wish it was reusable.The ink washes off of kids, but doesn’t wash off of the paper.

The Kinder-Ready Alphabet Clue Cards ($10) challenge kids to match the two halves of the illustration and put them together like puzzle pieces. Each piece has an upper case or lower case letter that the kids can join to complete the picture. We always bring puzzles for hotel-room entertainment and this one’s a hit.

Carle’s illustrations are artistic and timeless and the sets are great for beefing up skills like letter identification and matching when you’re on the go.

– Kristen, NJ mama to energetic 1 and 4 year old boys, loves hot designer goods (but appreciates a good bargain even more) and believes strollers should come with cup holders and toys should have volume controls

Claire Barrett

One thing is for sure, you don’t have to be pregnant to enjoy a “Preggatini.” Natalie Bovis-Nelsen’s liquor-free creations — including the Cosmo-Not, Merry Berry Basil Mojito and Sparkling Sangria Cooler — neither taste non-alcoholic, nor disappoint. And, now, the drinks, which have sated celebrity moms and their guests alike are catalogued in Preggatinis: Mixology for the Mom-to-Be so you too can host a sophisticated baby shower!

“When I was writing the book, Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani were pregnant. I created Preggatinis in their honor and those recipes are in the “Preggatini Party” (baby shower) chapter,” Natalie told us.

For the mom-to-be, this “bar book” contains 75 recipes made from 100% fresh or organic fruit juices, syrups and herbs. Not to mention the hard-to-tell-the-alcohol-was-removed Fre wines — a sampling of the Brut revealed it’s a dry and refreshing champagne alternative.

Recently the author fêted mom-to-twins Brooke Mueller Sheen, at a private baby shower in Los Angeles. The event was completely alcohol-free and even notorious party girl Paris Hilton and Brooke’s hubby Charlie Sheen enjoyed the drinks!

Next up for the mixologist is creating a signature Preggatini for the Bel Bambini store on L.A.’s Robertson Boulevard set to launch July 17.

– Kristin

Click for a recipe of a sample recipe that Kristin, who is not pregnant, loved!

Click to continue reading »

If your kids love to help you cook and long to travel, the Handstand Kids cookbook series is made for them. Three wonderful cookbooks — Italian, Chinese and Mexican ($28 each) — will inspire you and your children to try new foods and experiment with international flavors while teaching interesting facts about the countries that inspire them.

Though each book comes with a little something extra (the Chinese cookbook comes with chopsticks, for example), Handstand Kids also sells fun accessories, including fabulous multi-purpose mats ($8) that can be used as everything from cutting boards to place mats, plus hats and aprons to give your little Jamie Olivers a true feeling of kitchen authenticity.

– Stephanie

CBB Deal: Save 20% with coupon code CBB (expires 7/15/09).

“They’re the only books my oldest daughter makes me put on her bedside when she goes to sleep,” actress Brooke Shields has said of the Flippy and Friends trilogy of children’s board books about a magical tadpole and his critter friends. “She just loves her Flippy books.” (Other celeb moms who own the books include Tori Spelling.) And it’s easy to see why.

Written by L.A. actor John Mese (Sex and the City, The X-Files) and his teacher wife Dawn Kelsey, Flippy’s rhyme-filled adventures hold up wonderfully to repeat readings as kids are invited to discover the world around them with Flippy as their gentle but fun-loving guide. Illustrated by artist Chanler Holden, the Flippy board books — Flippy and Toadpole, On the Flippy Side and Through Flippy’s Eyes ($11 each) — are a visual delight, filled with humor and eye-diverting pleasures.

And for the older child, Mese and Kelsey have just published the more advanced Flippy Goes on a Road Trippy ($14), in which Flippy heads off on a cross-country trip with his friends Halimagator, Crawdaddy, Toadpole, Eartha and Duke. With more sophisticated rhyming and greater length, this adventure has as much appeal for the 7-year-old as for his or her younger sibling.  By all means, check Flippy and Friends out. You — and your child — will be glad you did.

– Champ

CBB Deal: Save 15% with coupon code 357791 at flippyandfriends.com (expires 8/31/09).

Salsa for Kittens and Puppies aka Salsa Para Gattitos Y Perritos ($16) is a board book with a music CD that introduces little ones to some great salsa-styled tunes.

The music CD has 16 tracks of salsa including renditions of the alphabet song and Old MacDonald and my kids both love listening to it in the car. I’m all about music that doesn’t make the driver go half mad, and my favorite track is “Aresenio Ruf Ruf,” about a Cuban guitar player. My 3 ½-year-old son Finn likes to read along in the book to the Story of Otis the Cat and His Special Sauce. We’re definitely playing the steering-wheel bongos to this one.

– Kristen

When my baby girl was first born I tracked every single feeding and poop in a little composition notebook for a good five weeks.

Something about being able to keep track of whatever entered or exited her body made me feel a little more in control.

Such is the premise of a new book, The Essential Breastfeeding Log, by Suzanne Schlosberg and Sarah Bowen Shea ($15).

Click to continue reading »

In 1904, Elizabeth Brantley’s great-grandmother dutifully filled in her copy of Mother Stork’s Baby Book ($135) not knowing that one hundred years later Elizabeth would re-issue it and mothers would once again create their own versions of the timeless classic. Click to continue reading »