Great Books

I recently mentioned how much I love the new parenting book NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. NutureShock challenges many of our pre-conceived notions of parenting and looks at recent science to show what's really going on with our kids. It covers topics like talking about race, lying, praise and one of the chapters talks focuses on gifted and talented testing for kindergarteners, questioning the our ability to measure true giftedness at that age.

Even if you're a crackerjack story reader (silly voices, accents and all), most kids appreciate a new face behind even the most familiar books now and then, which is why story times are a swell way to spend an hour or two. Most storytimes are free (or cheap) and some venues also offer other activities or tempting kids' book-browsing, so the fun can continue after reading time ends. 

Luckily, Brooklyn has plenty of regular story time opportunities for kids, but if you're looking for more, check out our earlier post on NYC Story Times (mostly Manhattan). Or add yours to the list in the comments section below.

I’ve read a lot of books, but some of the best were in a series. That way, when you’re done, there’s more! A few of my favorites were The Mysterious Benedict Society books by Trenton Lee Stewart, Percy Jackson and The Olympians by Rick Riodan and Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery.

Nothing suits this season's cold nights and family togetherness more perfectly than snuggling up all cozy together to marvel at beautiful illustrations, funny tales, and holiday magic on the pages of a favorite book. We've picked out some of our favorite books celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas. Share yours in the comments.

Jay Bushara writes a blog called One Potato where he shares his passion for off the beaten track children's books. Below he illuminates us with his recommendations for some beautiful children's books on the theme of snow, perfect for curling up with on a cold winter's night, whether it's snowing outside or not.

Last year i was surprised when I heard some some of my kids' friends were going to see the movie, Coraline. Really? Even though it's animated, it looked like a horror movie to me. Sure enough, I later heard that many of the kids were having nightmares for weeks after seeing it. But how do parents really know what a movie is going to be like before they see it? Or a book, website, music or video game, for that matter? There is one website that I turn to for media reviews whenever I'm in doubt.

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You’re pregnant, nauseous, working on a deadline, and oh-yeah, trying to cut back on food costs in the middle of a recession. You know that you’re supposed to be eating really healthy right now, but lack of time and energy, and the need to save cash have been pushing you towards some not-so-healthy food sources lately. Plus, hangover food seems to be the only thing that calms your morning sickness. All is not lost! Our guest poster, Frances Largeman-Roth, and author of the  new book, Feed the Belly: The Pregnant Mom's Healthy Eating Guide, will show you how you can actually eat on the run without breaking too many nutrition rules. Hey, these are tips that we can all use, whether we're pregnant or not. Thanks, Frances!

It’s always healthiest to make your own food. That way you’re in charge of how much fat, sodium, and preservatives are involved. But there are some healthier picks at the chain restaurants. Here's the skinny on avoiding the fat (and other bad stuff) at the top fast food chains, what to order and what to avoid, for a healthier diet during pregnancy:

We have a guest post today from Jay Bushara who has started a new website dedicated to discovering and celebrating the very best children's books, ones that ar hard to find at big box bookstores. Find out about his site and some of his picks for the best children's books this summer. Thanks, Jay!

Children’s picture books are often useful, sometimes glorious, and they are everywhere, the stuff left over from growing up and moving on, proverbial needles in the hay.

Too often we settle for the hay. This is understandable. Still, new parents in particular are likely to be become disenchanted if they go looking for the magic of children’s literature amid the piles and glittery profiles of Hannah Montana biographies and Dora & Diego tie-ins and those books by Madonna where none of the characters have noses - what the heck happened to their noses? Consider, also, books deriving from major motion pictures. What is it these books are meant to accomplish, except, of course, Encourage Reading? Why would anyone choose to look at a photograph of Darth Vader if they can listen to James Earl Jones and that creepy respirator whenever they want with a monthly subscription to Netflix?

The New York Public Library has put out a list of recommended children's books for Women's History Month. I guess that would be March.  I love books that feature clever, brave heroines any time of year.

Check out their list and here are some of my all time favorite books about cool girls:

There are some topics that you just don't ever want to have to discuss with your child. But Jill Starishevsky knows from experience the danger of hiding your head in the sand. As a New York City child abuse and sex crimes prosecutor, Jill has seen too many sad stories of children who were being sexually abused and just didn't know what to do about it.

But it was one girl's story that made her realize she could do something about it. This little 9 year old girl said that she was being abused by her stepfather for years when she saw a segment on Oprah about child abuse that told her to tell an adult. The next day she went in to school and told her teacher. Jill put that bad guy in jail, but realized that sometimes with kids it really is as simple as that.