Christopher Burgess, today's Good Reads Guest Reviewer, and proud Dad, is an active duty member of the United States Air Force stationed at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nevada. When he is not at work he spends his time chasing his 22 month-old, Logan Atreyu, around their home. His interests include working out, reading, music, sports, volunteer work and spending as much time as he can with his lovely wife Chelcy. The first book I read with my son was Mommy Calls Me Monkeypants, a board book which became an instant favorite in the Burgess home. J.D. Lester’s clever writing…

Get Mixing Tonight! Kimberley Clayton Blaine, a national child development expert and internet's "Go-To Mom" is hosting a Mommy Mixer to celebrate the release of her new book, Mommy Confidence: 8 Easy Steps to Reclaiming Balance, Motivation and Your Inner Diva. You can find the Go-To Mom at www.laparent.com. I'm told this is the first in a series of Mommy Mixers aimed at helping moms build inner strength and self awareness. Attendees will be able to buy the book before and after the event, with a portion of the proceeds going to Children's Institute, Inc. and the Center for Non-Violent…

We're All In The Same Boat is written by Zachary Shapiro (read on for my interview with the author immediately following this review) and illustrated by Jack E. Davis. Today's Guest Reviewer is 8 year-old Allegra, from the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles. A second grader, Allegra loves playing soccer, swimming, spending time with her family and visiting her Arizona friends! The book, We’re All in the Same Boat, was about a bunch of animals on Noah’s Arc who were unhappy to be on a boat! They were naggy, bored and grumpy all of the time. They blamed Noah.…

One of several recurring questions in my home these days comes from my son, Coleman. Born in London while we were Ex-Pats living there, Coleman wonders if he can become President. I realize he's thinking big (see yesterday's blog about Little Ant, Big Thinker), but I certainly don't want to discourage him.  Can an American born on foreign soil became our nation's leader?  As parents, my husband and I spend a lot of time telling Coleman he can be anything he'd like to be, so when I saw Running Press just published a hardcover (featuring my son's favorite beagle, the…

Guest Reviewer Lynn McSheehy is a graphic designer and single mother from Ohio. When she is not helping her parents run the family business, she spends her free time playing with her two spectacularly cute little boys. Her interests include music, art and theology, and she hopes to some day write a children's book or two of her own! We'll certainly look forward to that, Lynn. When I first saw the title of this book, Little Ant, Big Thinker: Or Where Does The Ocean End?  it made me smile because it reminded me of my 3 1/2 year-old son, Jack!…

Charlesbridge out of Watertown, Massachusetts publishes some really awesome books for kids. A particular favorite of mine was their recent title, Bubble Homes and Fish Farts by Fiona Bayrock with full-color illustrations by Carolyn Conahan. While we all adore squishy, shimmery, floating bubbles, have you ever realized they make excellent homes for Water Spiders, are a fun place to hide for the Juniper Spittlebug (did you even know there was such a thing as a Juniper Spittlebug?) and make playtime fun for Bottlenose Dolphin? I especially enjoyed reading about Snapping Shrimp. Found in coral sneefs, these shrimp make a loud…

The Guest Reviewer today is none other than my soon-to-be 8 year-old son, Coleman. He devoured (and so did I) Robert Crowther's Pop-Up House of Inventions from Candlewick Press and then wrote a book report about it for his class homework assignment. When I saw what he wrote I knew I just had to include it here. Enjoy! I just read this great pop-up book filled with facts of things around the house. Want to hear some? Then I'll tell you some. The first brassiere was invented in Greece in 2500 B.C., the first DVD player was bought in 1996.…

Not only is TOTZ ONLY a fabulous toy store, it's really a one-stop shopping, playing and learning venue for families with a warm and welcoming staff. Located in Burbank, TOTZ ONLY was featured in our Best of 2008 issue so I wanted to shout out about a SPECIAL AUTHOR EVENT they'll be having tomorrow (immediately following Storytime with Jamey Hood). Make haste and head over to this fabulous shop at 3009 W. Magnolia, Burbank. Storytelling and Booksigning by author Zachary Shapiro, (Rabbi of Temple Akiba in Culver City) We're All In the Same Boat Thursday, March 19, 2009 11:00 a.m.…