It's official, I am older than Barbie! Heard on NPR this morning that today was the day the Barbie doll was launched onto the toy scene in 1959. What are your memories of Barbie? I remember trading in my old Barbie every year at our local toy store Big Top on Long Island and paying a few dollars to upgrade to the latest model. One day my older cousin Shelley gave me her old dolls which I have saved to this day. That stash included the original Barbie with all separate fingers, pristine styled blond hairdo (now minus the cut bangs…

Do you have a child, like mine, who loves to draw, invent wild and wacky characters and create little hand made books? Then I have the ideal book for you. It's called Comics To Go! by Mike Herrod from Blue Apple Books, a wonderful publishing house with lots of unique books out of Maplewood, New Jersey. Here's a sample of what my son Coleman did when he discovered the book last week. This design is the last cell for a comic strip called Rodrigo The Magnificent. The book contains 19 stories for children (or adults if you are so inclined)…

Today's guest reviewer is my brother-in-law, Henry Grossman. Henry is a retired science teacher from New York who has been a lifelong Dodger fan from the early 50s. He remembers with great fondness the great L.A. championship teams of the 60s led by the immortal #32, Sandy Koufax. He writes enthusiastically about a book introducing a new generation of ballplayers to "the man with the golden arm." You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax by Jonah Winter is a beautifully written and illustrated biography of a great Dodger hero of mine. Narrated in a folksy "Brooklynese" vernacular, the young reader is…

Crafting Fun: 101 Things to Make and Do with Kids by Rae Grant is a hands-on, hands-down winner and the perfect book for National Craft Month. The binding makes holding your place as you prepare to craft a breeze. Projects are simple and straightforward, and will entertain your children for hours. Organized by season, crafts such as a Pumpkin-Seed Necklace, a Snow Globe, Glitter Pinecones, Sponge-Painted Eggs, Mother's Day Potato Print Cards and a Fourth of July Confetti Blower will keep your kids crafting through the months. The book's Animal Track Casting craft has me inspired for my next family…

How fortunate that my son's second grade teacher, Mrs. Carol Wawrychuk sent home a notice last week reminding parents that March 2 was America's Read to Kids Day and Dr. Seuss' birthday. Did you know that 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. Seuss' Happy Birthday to You! which has sold over 650,000 copies? Imagine my surprise when in the mail today two beautiful, shiny books arrived from Random House just in time for this special day. I cannot wait to read the limited edition Happy Birthday To You! and will also check out the new Happy Birthday, Baby! To…

Guest Reviewer, Jessica Smith from Dracut, MA is back, this time with her older daughter, Julia. “Ooh, a princess one!” squealed my 6-year-old daughter as she picked up Mary Balfaz’s Princess Emily and the Secret Library. Illustrated by Stan Gorman, the cute, clear drawings make a wonderful backdrop for this story about a pigtailed princess’s many adventures in her home, Castle Clarion. Ever the girly type, my daughter was delighted by Princess Emily’s brightly colored poufy dress, crown and her interaction with the castle mice. After all, what little girl doesn’t love an imaginative, magical fairy tale? After stumbling upon…

Editor Carolyn Graham's 8 year-old daughter, Kate, read Paul Feig's new book called Ignatius McFarland: Frequenaut! and had this to say about it: I like the fact that it is about aliens and one of the bullies is based on one that bothered the author in his childhood. To have that connection and feeling is both happy and sad. On top of that, it was really fun and exciting, too. I also liked a part in the beginning when one of the first female characters arrives on the scene and how she was described like this: "I saw a shadow…

Okay, so I'm on a cat bend right now, but for good reason. Cat, by Matthew Van Fleet with photography by Brian Stanton is fancatstic! The cover alone drew me in with its little grey cat pawing at an unsuspecting goldfish swimming contentedly in a bowl (push the arrow tab and watch what happens) and the in-your-face Siamese with the soft, touchable tail. And what's not to love about Mo, the Exotic Shorthair? I learned this big orange cat's name along with all the others from the back inside cover where all the felines featured are pictured in frames with…