Month: December 2009

Manners, manners, manners. The oh-so important skill: manners! We need them all year round but somehow they seem extra important during the holiday season. Here are a couple of books that have a encouragingly humorous take on sociallyacceptable behavior . I have read each one and give my complete seal of approval. I’ve included the publisher’s synopsis for your benefit, thank you!

Two of the simplest ways to encourage children to read—the fundamental skill behind all learning—is to let your children see you reading and to keep books around the house where they are visible. Coffee table books are perfect for both scenarios.

I think all parents have a moment when we wonder what happened to the little baby we used to cradle in our arms? I know I’ve had many of these and my kids are still preschoolers. Yet, time flies and those little defenseless babies now have minds of their own, with their own wants and needs–and boy do they let me know exactly what it is they want/need. But not all kids are the same and sometimes it takes work to figure them out and to reconnect with them. Two new books give us just such a chance–one book does so in form and the other in function.

Based on a true family adventure full of mystery and imagination, The Man Who Could Be Santa is the story of three children vacationing with their grandparents in Vermont who suspect that their neighbor might be Santa Claus.