Archives for January 2015

Age Range: 4-8 years

Grade Level: Kindergarten-3^rd

Sofia and Maddi live in the same neighborhood, play in the same park, and go to the same school. But while Sofia’s fridge at home is full, Maddi’s fridge is empty – white empty – with just a small container of milk.

“Why doesn’t your mom go to the store?” Sofia asks.

“We don’t have enough money.”

“But what if you get hungry?”

“We have some bread,” Maddi says.

“Please don’t tell anyone.”

Sofia promises Maddi she won’t tell, but is determined to help her best friend. She sneaks food for Maddi in her bag and discovers that, while fish and eggs are good for kids, they aren’t very good for backpacks. Despite Sofia’s very best efforts, Maddi’s fridge is still empty.

Sofia promised not to tell. Now what can she do?

I received a copy of this book and love how it addresses such an important topic.  I highly recommend for children ages 4+.

You can find the book on Amazon.com.

** 10% of profits donated to help fight childhood hunger.

About the Author:

Lois Brandt is a children’s fiction writer whose new book Maddi’s Fridge, is the first picture book to address child hunger in the United States. It was inspired by Brandt’s childhood memory of opening her friend’s refrigerator and finding only condiments and a lunch milk carton her friend had saved from school for her little brother. Brandt, who holds an MFA from Northwest Institute of Literary Arts, served as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa.

Self Disclosure: I received a free book to facilitate this post.

Preschoolers will enter a whimsical world of spellbinding adventures when Little Charmers, a brand-new animated preschool series that celebrates the magic of friendship, debuts Monday, Jan. 12, at 12:00 p.m.(ET/PT) on Nickelodeon and 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nick Jr.  A production of Nelvana Enterprises and Spin Master Entertainment, the half-hour series (40 eps/80x11mins) follows best friends and Charmers-in-Training Hazel, Posie and Lavender as they attempt to solve everyday problems and in the process, find themselves in the middle of funny situations.  Together, the three Charmers learn that with a little imagination, friendship and teamwork, they can overcome just about any magical mishap they encounter.
Following its launch, Little Charmers will regularly air weekdays at 12:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon and8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nick Jr.  The series will roll out on Nickelodeon channels internationally in spring 2015.

In the series premiere, “Prince Not So Charming/A Charming Outfit,” Hazel and her friends turn a frog prince into a real prince and must teach him to be charming before time runs out and he reverts back into a frog.  In the second story, Hazel discovers that the plain dress she is wearing is not so plain after all once she unlocks the magic, making it the perfect dress – just in time for school picture day!

Meet the Little Charmers:

• Hazel – a big-hearted, driven and curious girl with a leap-before-you-look nature, who puts the finishing touches on all the spells
• Posie – a sweet and quirky “Spellerina” who can come up with spells for any occasion with a song and dance in perfect tune
• Lavender – a bright and feisty “Potionista” who knows how to get to the point, stir up potions and put together hip fashions

Kids can check out an exclusive first look of the series premiere episode on www.nickjr.com and the Nick Jr. App, plus play the Little Charmers Sticker Pictures game on the site.  Beginning Jan. 13, the full series premiere episode will be available on the site and the Nick Jr. App.

About Nelvana

Nelvana is a world-leading international producer and distributor of children’s animated and live-action content. Nelvana is comprised of Nelvana Studio and its distribution arm Nelvana Enterprises and owned by Corus Entertainment Inc. Nelvana Studio produces a stable of award-winning and globally renowned brands that focus on comedies, preschool and boys action series and ancillary consumer products programs. Nelvana’s content airs on Corus Entertainment’s kids channels in Canada and in over 160 countries around the world. The Nelvana library has well over 4,000 episodes of programming and has received over 70 major international program awards including Emmys^® and Geminis. Visit the Nelvana website at nelvana.com.

About Spin Master Ltd.

A multi-category children’s entertainment company, Spin Master has been designing, developing, manufacturing, and marketing consumer products for children around the world since 1994 and is recognized as a global growth leader within the toy industry. Spin Master is best known for such popular brands as boy’s action phenomena and 2009-2010 Boy’s Toy of the Year winner Bakugan Battle Brawlers^™, and award-winning brands Air Hogs^®, Aquadoodle^™, Flutterbye^™, Spin Master Games^™ including 2014 Game of the Year, Boom Boom Balloon^™ and the popular Hedbanz^™, Spy Gear^™, Tech Deck^™, and the 2014 Innovative Toy of the Year Zoomer^™. The company has also marked an entry into children’s media with the launch of Spin Master Entertainment, a subsidiary focusing on the design, development and production of television and other media properties, including the hit animated preschool series, PAW Patrol^™. Spin Master employs over 900 people with offices in Toronto, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Hong Kong, Mexico City, Munich, and Milan. For additional information please visit: www.spinmaster.com.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 35^th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 20 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B).

In the summer of 2013, Milwaukee resident Tom Ryan walked into his six-year-old son’s bedroom, pointed at the clothes, toys and books on the floor and said, “That is my pet peeve.”

Ryan’s son looked perplexed as he walked around his room, looking for the pet his father was pointing to.

Based on that amusing conversation, Ryan wrote Peeve, My Parents’ Pet. In the humorous exquisitely illustrated color picture book, a young boy is determined to hunt down Peeve, the mysterious and mischievous pet his parents talk about so often.

The book, featuring Milwaukee, WI illustrator Kenny Durkin’s bright, funny illustrations, is geared toward children ages three through nine.

We received a copy of this book and although my son is older than 9, we both found it quite funny! It’s refreshing and something that parents will surely be able to relate to!  We give it a thumbs up for children ages 3-9!  The illustrations also do a great job of bringing this story to life!

Available through Amazon, Barnes & Nobles and bookstores everywhere.

For more information about the book and the author, visit www.ThomasPatrickRyan.com.

Self Disclosure: I received a free book to facilitate this post.