Banana-Grams for Kids!
2010, Workman, $34.95
Workman.com
Stop summer setback! Just because kids are out of school doesn’t mean they should stop learning. Based on the award-winning game, Banana-Grams is packed with 130 brain-boosting word workouts. Kids can solve word scrambles, crossword puzzles, fill-in-the-blank, anagrams and more. Cute graphics and fun facts add—you guessed it —appeal. Answer key and difficulty ratings included.
Storychimes
$0.99 each
StoryChimes.com
Take your child’s library with you! Storychimes turn your iPhone or iPod Touch into an interactive storyteller. Kids can read favorite fairy tales, some with wacky twists, like “Goldy Bear and the Three Locks.” Animated stories have music, page turning cues and sound effects. Readers can follow text in English or Spanish. Download stories online or at the iTunes store. An iPad app is coming soon!
Little Ditties for Itty Bitties
Michele Valeri
$12.00
MicheleValeri.com
Created just for infants and toddlers, Little Ditties features a mix of string instruments and percussion. Valeri accompanies these silly songs and call and response tunes with animal sounds. Simple melodies, fun words and bouncy rhythms make this a perfect sing-along CD for your home or classroom. PDF of lyrics and activities included.
Handy Dad
Todd Davis
2010, Chronicle Books, $24.95
Choose from 25 Easy, Afternoon or Weekend projects for dads and kids. Build a Bombproof Bomber paper airplane or back yard zip lines. Construct a bike ramp, go-kart, dollhouse or treasure chest to protect your child’s favorite keepsakes. Athlete, designer and author Todd Davis, host of HGTV’s “Over Your Head,” offers projects to spark creativity while step-by-step directions and how-to photos make the work easy for dads (and moms).
P.S. I Hate It Here!
Diane Falanga
2010, Abrams Image, $12.95
AbramsImage.com
This collection of kids’ actual letters home brings back all the hilarity and homesickness of sleepaway camp. Each image displays children’s creative spelling, their pleading to be picked up or for permission to stay “just two more weeks.”
Parents and seasoned campers will enjoy reading this collection and laughing at (or commiserating with) these familiar dilemmas: “I hate it here! The letter before this about me starting to have fun was not true…”
Manga Doodles
2010, Buster Books, $12.99
MomBooks.com/buster
This unique coloring book puts your child in the animator’s seat. Manga fans and developing artists can add their own images to big coloring pages or complete the illustrations. Fun prompts (“A spectacular underwater palace,” “Lost in toyland”) suggest creative themes and ideas. A bevy of other doodle books (pages of pictures to complete) are also available.
