Welcome to Kirsten’s World – Susan Sinnott

After reading the book series that came with her American Girl Doll, our daughter has delighted in finding lots of other American Girl books at the library about her doll.  Her favorite has been this oversized picture book which gives the reader more in-depth information about the historical time period.  The pictures are beautiful and even Mom and Dad are learning a lot from reading it with her.

 

ZooZical – Judy Sierra

Our little one spotted this fun Judy Sierra picture book when her class visited the library last week.  When the weather turns cold and visitors to the zoo are few, the animals become bored and a bit grumpy.  ZooZical details how the animals decide to have some fun – putting on their own musical.  This book is a lot of fun and a great match for children who love animals and music.

Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds – David A. Adler

The Cam Jansen series has been a quick favorite for our daughter.  She instantly seemed to want to know more about the little girl with the photographic memory, and the stories have not disappointed.  This is a great early reader chapter book series which introduces the reader to the genre of mystery and the element of suspense.

American Girl Boxed Set ~ Kirsten – Janet Shaw

Our daughter received the Kirsten book set along with a mini American Girl Kirsten doll this Christmas, and it was love at first sight.  She has simply delighted in the fact that her doll has her very own stories and now playtime often includes re-creating Kirsten’s stories in our home.  As a parent I appreciate that the books not only introduce our daughter to a historical time period, but they also share stories of a little girl and her family and reinforce the values of hard work, determination, cooperation, and kindness.

 

The Library Gingerbread Man – Dotti Enderle

This was a fun find at the library!  The Library Gingerbread Man tells the traditional gingerbread man story with a twist.  This time he escapes his book and the running around occurs in the library which is detailed via the use of the Dewey Decimal system.  While running around the Gingerbread Man meets an interesting cast of characters as he travels thru the library.  Ultimately, the librarian is the heroine in the story and gets the Gingerbread Man back where he belongs.

 

Red Knit Cap Girl – Naoko Stoop

Red Knit Cap Girl is a little gem.  It a sweet, gentle story about a little girl who lives with her animal friends in a magical forest and wants to talk to the moon.  Imagination and the power and wonder of the natural world are presented beautifully to the reader in this tale of discovery.

The illustrations in Red Knit Cap Girl are really lovely and help tell the story.  I instantly fell in love with this one as the little girl reminded me of our little nature loving daughter. Although a good read at any time of day, Red Knit Cap Girl would make the perfect bedtime story.

Born to Read – Judy Sierra

Our family loves Judy Sierra’s previous book Wild About Books so we were excited about finding Born to Read on a recent visit to the library.   Born to Read is written in rhyming text and introduces the reader to Sam who was truly “born to read”.  He starts reading as soon as he opens his eyes, and he does not stop!  Ultimately, Sam is able to achieve amazing things as a result of being a reader.

This is a cute book with a strong pro-reading message which is enhanced by bright, colorful, fun illustrations.

Princess Posey and the First Grade Parade – Stephanie Greene

The Princess Posey series in a cute early reader chapter book series geared toward little girls.  Tutu wearing Posey is nervous about first grade.  With the help of a very special teacher, she makes the transition to “big kid school” with ease.

The Princess Posey books include pictures and minimal text which makes them highly accessible for early readers.  As a parent, the questions for further discussion at the end of the book were a nice discussion starter with our daughter.  Additionally, I appreciated that Posey was a sweet spirited little girl but also had a little spunk.

 

Motivated Moms Giveaway!

Click on the above banner to be taken directly to the Motivated Moms website in another tab

One of my very favorite organizational tools is the Motivated Moms Planner.  It is a chore planning system which allows you to stay organized and keep household tasks spread out through the week so you don’t have to contend with one major cleaning day.  It includes daily tasks to attend to as well as weekly items.  It also incorporates little tasks throughout the year that help you stay organized and keep your house nice and spiffy.  I have tried other popular systems, but I have found Motivated Moms to be the best by far.

When I first started using the Motivated Moms Planner it was only available via e-book.  This format allows one to purchase and then download and print the planner.  This format is still available and costs $8.  Now there is also an iPhone/iPad app version that is available for $7.99, and an Android version available for $5.99.  If you wish to try out the apps there is a “Lite” version that allows you to try the app for 2 weeks.  In my opinion, the app versions are even better than the original as they provide limitless opportunities for a user to customize task lists and include the option of delegating tasks to other family members via color coding.  I have included some screen shots below of the app in action for your review.

As a special New Year’s treat for Once Upon a Storyville readers, I am offering a FREE copy of the iPhone/iPad app version of the Motivated Moms Planner.  I know you will love it!

HOW TO ENTER:
1. For your main entry, Leave a comment ~ That’s it!

EXTRA ENTRIES:

You can earn one extra entry for each of the following (leave a separate comment for each):
2. Subscribe to Once Upon a Storyville via email or in a reader

3. Grab my button for your site and/or add me to your Blogroll

Giveaway ends at midnight (central time) on Sunday, January 6th, 2013!  Valid for US residents/addresses who are 18 years of age or older.. I’ll announce (and contact by email) the winner on this post and the winner will have 2 days to get back to me for delivery details.

(While this complimentary copy of Motivated Moms was provided for review, no other compensation was given.  All remarks are my personal and honest opinions.  Motivated Moms is providing the giveaway for the winner.  This post is an entry to a contest, where a prize will be awarded.)

iPhone App Screenshot showing tasks

iPhone App showing color coding for task assignment

iPhone App Screenshot showing color coding for assigned tasks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

iPad App Screenshot

iPad App Screenshot showing tasks assignment color coding