Sponsored by Sounds True | Opinions Are Our Own The Children's Book Review | October 17, 2019 There is nothing more apparent to me as a mother than the importance of having a routine for school mornings. They say kids thrive on routines, but the truth is that routine (and plenty of sleep) provides sanity for parents and caregivers, too. When everyone knows what needs to be done and who needs to do it and by what time shoes and socks should be on, mornings become a whole lot more bearable. Of course, there are always morning meltdown moments and days when routines have to be tossed out the window—sick days, snow days, and no-coffee-in-the-pantry days (ha!)—but knowing that there's a routine to fall back upon makes these days easier to handle. We all want to start school mornings off on the right foot—feeling content, mindful, and ready to take on the world. With this in mind, here's a sample routine that you can tweak and make your own, along with some books you can use to help create it and enable your kids to own it and enjoy their personalized routine. The biggest tip is to try and have as much ready as

Jessika von Innerebner, author-illustrator of Kevin the Unicorn: It’s Not All Rainbows, teaches us how to draw the fabulous Kevin—a unicorn who now knows that not every day has to be perfect.

Great for reading in October and beyond, the books on this list span all ages and range from fun to freaky. You'll find stories about monsters, pumpkins, skeletons, pirates, witches, ghosts, and more, for toddlers through teens and everyone in between.

See Xindi Yan's sketches and the process of creating the artwork for The Itty-Bitty Witch.

This month the best selling picture book from our affiliate store is a book from our list 11 Kids’ Books on Dealing with Loss, Grief, Illness and Trauma, A Terrible Thing Happened.

Whether your kids have a fascination with ocean animals or coral reefs or simply the salty water, these books are sure to enthrall all and inspire promising marine biologists and environmentalists.

The Best Family Friendly Podcasts for Kids: One way to keep readers interested and boost various aspects of literacy is by listening to podcasts.

Here are 10 glorious books that celebrate grandparents and their grandkids, too!

This month the best selling picture book from our affiliate store is the very charming The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield Martin.

The following picture books, all in their own unique way, provide reassurance.

A House That Once Was is timeless and has a magical feel to it that can be felt by both child and adult.

This month the best selling picture book from our affiliate store is a moving book from our list 34 of the Best Picture Books of 2019, so Far: Because by Mo Willems.

Comforting and sweet, LITTLE BLUE CHAIR reminds children that everything we love comes back to us in one way or another.

5 Mindfulness and Meditation Books for Kids: If you're looking for books with child-friendly visualizations or methods for helping kids discover how they can slow down, breathe, become aware of their bodies both mentally and physically, and fall asleep and stay asleep easier, then this list of books is exactly what you're looking for.

If you are looking for something unexpected and fun to add to your summer reading list, The Pesky Fly is a catchy little story that would go down well pool-side with some sliced watermelon, while snuggled upon a soft towel.

ABCmouse.com® Early Learning Academy is a great educational app and learning resource for children ages 2–8. Read our review.

This month the best selling picture book from our affiliate store (well

The Hug Me series of books, in particular Little Bunny and Little Bear, from the Chronicle Books series offer a fun, comforting reading time experience for young board book lovers.

Award-winning picture book author Jackie Azúa Kramer shares 5 children's books loved by her family!

From familiar nursery rhymes to learning social skills, here are 5 sweet board books that are wonderful for busy toddlers!