Giggity: Finding Fun Stuff for Kids

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review Published: July 31, 2009 Rickie The Raccoon Learns About Recycling Reading Level: 4+ Paperback: 36 pages Publisher: Tabby Cat Press (June 28, 2009) What to expect: Environmental Issues, Recycling, Raccoon, Cat So you’re looking for a book to help teach and encourage your children to recycle? Perhaps you’re looking for a couple of tips to help improve your own "green power"? Rickie The Raccoon Learns About Recycling is an independently published book dedicated "… to every parent and child out there who is

James May is building a new house in Dorking, Surrey, United Kingdom. This isn’t an ordinary house, though. This house will be made entirely out of LEGO bricks–bathroom included! May has received over 3 million LEGO bricks from the…

The Jellydots (AKA Doug Snyder) recently unveiled their latest hit, “Adventure Quest,” a ska-influenced, word-filled, witty ode to road trips. The tune will appear on their upcoming kids’ album Jelly Jukebox, presumably to be released on Pokey Pup Records. The Jellydots’ last CD, Changing Skies, was carried by Pokey Pup and was also named one of the

Photograph from Kyodo via APJapan may be invaded by giant jellyfish again this year. Nomura’s jellyfish can be bigger than humans (up to 440 pounds, or 200 kilograms), and they’re big trouble for people fishing on the coasts. Nomura’s jellyfish…

By Amanda Lynch, The Children’s Book Review Published: July 30, 2009 As I mentioned back in April, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Michael Spradlin’s The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail. The book seemed so well-done, so well-researched, I couldn’t put it down–or stop recommending it to anyone and everyone who I thought might have even a passing interest in it! Needless to say, I was extremely excited to interview Mr. Spradlin on the newest installment in Tristan’s journey, which comes out in September: The Youngest Templar: Trail of Fate. Amanda: The

By Mark Arens Published: July 30, 2009 Author Showcase: A place for authors and illustrators to gain visibility for their works.* Every word in the Thumbuddy book series is a delicious raindrop meant to grow your child’s self worth! Written to strengthen the parent-child bond, author, Mark Arens, asks readers to replace Thumbuddy’s name with their child’s name while reading. The books are then transformed as is your child’s self image as they are told they are lovable, special, huggable, etc. The endearing thumbprint character, Thumbuddy, conveys the message that just like your

One of the cooler tracks from the Tor Hyams-compiled (and recently re-released) A World of Happiness is the Perry Farrell-Deborah Harry duet “The Patience Bossa.” As with other kids’ songs, the potentially annoying fact that it’s a fairly overt message song (“patience = good,” natch) is very much ameliorated by the fact that it’s a pretty cool song. Farrell and Harry each do a good job with their roles in the song (Farrell, unsurprisingly, is anti-patience ’til the end) and the

The 48th-annual Philadelphia Folk Festival will take place over the weekend of August 14, 15, and 16 this year, and will feature kids’ music stars Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer (Banjo to Beatbox), Sara Hickman (Big Kid), and Ellis Paul (The