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Entries in baby books (5)

Sat, July 18
6:00AM

Please, Please, Just One More Story

An online children’s reading library

Sometimes reading that same book for the hundred-and-oneth time makes me want to just go bang my head against a wall. But instead I decided to be smart and signed up for One more Story.  It’s an online library devoted exclusively to children’s books – and really high quality ones at that. Think award-winning, classic and contemporary children’s literature. Once you drag their desktop icon to your browser, kids can easily click on it and navigate to the “bookshelves”. Once there, they can select and then hear and see the book. As the narrator reads, the words are individually high-lighted. Children who are learning to read can mute the sound and read it themselves, just clicking on the words that they need help with. And the best part? They can just do this over and over and over again, without you having to go damage a wall.

I wouldn’t look at this as a replacement for our bedtime reading routine, but just another way of getting stories read to them when you really need a break. I signed up for a 3 month summer reading special(Offer ends Sep 7th) and the kids really seem to enjoy it. My son actually asked if he could listen to a book on the computer instead of playing computer games! Now isn’t that just what every mum wants to hear?

Due to the popularity of the Summer Reading special, the offer of a 3 month subscription for $15 has been extened until September 7th. Indian credit cards accepted. A one-year subscription to One More Story is $44.00.

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AuthorNisha | CommentPost a Comment | | |
Mon, June 22
6:00AM

Leisurely lifestyle - to be read to in the bath!

Plastic books for bath time fun


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our baby cannot skip to the loo without a book ever. Loo and bath time require reading rituals. In fact if we seem less inclined to read to him on the couch, he sometimes makes up excuses to head to the restroom, knowing fully well that an adult will accompany him there and he will say ‘which book you want to read?’ A true-blue two year old learning the techniques of problem solving!

There are brands like Parragon, Disney, Baby Einstein and Fisher Price who make fabulous books meant just for bath time. These tiny square, colourful plastic books sometimes even have squeezies that squeak, as in the Parragon range. Themes range from Finding Nemo by Disney and Water by Baby Einstein to Look What I see All Around by Fisher Price.

The ones that have generated the greatest interest and have helped build our baby’s vocabulary are the Fisher Price Bubble Book series. All these seem to come with a ‘made in China’ tag but the colours have never smudged or come off and I would say start with these once your tot is out of the ‘taste everything in sight’ stage.

So in addition to the floating ducks the plastic foam books that just need to be wiped dry are great bath / loo pals.

Bath time books. Available at all leading bookstores. Price ranges from Rs. 50/- to Rs. 150/-

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AuthorPriya | CommentPost a Comment | | |
Sat, June 13
1:00PM

Touchy-Feely

Usborne Touchy Feely Books

Books! Books! Books! I can’t get enough of them. I started reading to my son since he was two months old and I have not stopped. Though now sometimes I can’t help thinking, “Jeez, I’ve created a monster!”.

I honestly believe though, that you can never start too young and that books open up a whole new world for everyone.

I have the fondest memories of the first set of books I bought, which were the ‘Usborne Touchy-feely Book’ series. They are extremely well made board books and chunky, in just the right proportions. The illustrations are simple (babies need that) yet very creative, colourful and catchy. Each page has a part with a special texture which you can get your little one to touch- the ‘touchy-feely’ part. A mouse is the common character in all these books and it searches for it’s car or dinosaur or bunny. There is velvet, corrugated board, shiny paper, plastic, wool and velcro to name a few textures. My son loved them and his favorite was ‘That’s Not My Dinosaur’ which would calm him down from any crying fit.

I bought mine for around Rs.200 a piece from the Strand bookstore (can order online from them, http://www.strandbookstall.com) and I must admit that I have not seen them anywhere else. You could also order them online from Amazon which ships books and CD’s to India.

 


 

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AuthorSwathi | CommentPost a Comment | | |
Sat, June 6
12:12PM

Board Books from Baby Einstein

I am an avid bookworm. I love the written word, the printed word and words in general. This really meant that I was never ever bored while growing up, because I always had my books for company.

 And I so want to pass on this love to my boys. And to achieve this noble mission of mine, I started early. And by early, I mean six months.

 What does a six-month-old baby understand about books, you may ask incredulously. Well, plenty actually. The bright, colourful pictures grab their eyeballs; the sound of your voice repeating words will eventually go a long way in vocabulary building; and the books themselves will prompt the baby to reach out and try to grab hold of them, promoting motor development. Don’t worry, the strong sturdiness of the books will withstand that tight, baby grasp.

There are some excellent ones available in all leading bookstores. My personal favourite, and of course my two-year old’s favourite, is the selection from Baby Einstein. The illustrations are delightful and colourful, and the titles are many. So while the absolute babes drink in the sight, toddlers learn about Mommy Animals and Baby Animals, Colours and Shapes and a whole host of other interesting topics.

 Your kids will love them so much, they’ll want to sleep with them at night. My little one still does!

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AuthorBaisali | CommentPost a Comment | | |
Mon, June 1
5:06PM

A Bear-y, Bear-y Good Read

Is story-time a must in your household? Well it is over at my place and my boys refuse to go to sleep without their nightly quota of hugs, cuddles, lullabies and stories.

Being a bookworm myself, inculcating the love for books in my kids was always a priority for me. And I started them off really young. And boy, do I mean young! From the time they were about five or six months old, I introduced them to the wonderful world of literature. A series very popular in my house is the ‘Bruno Bear’ set of books.

The stories are simple, the plots easy to relate to and the dialogues minimal but effective. The books revolve around the world of a little bear named Bruno and his world. Often, Mummy Bear and big brother Bernie make an appearance too, as do other colourful, animated creatures from the animal kingdom. And the best thing about these little tales is that they teach the young tykes a lesson without being too over-bearing (Hahaha! Get it?!?) or preachy!

The series consists of six books and the titles are,
1. Bruno Put Your Toys Away
2. Bruno Learns to Share
3. Bruno Tells the Truth
4. Bruno the Artist
5. Bruno Gets Lost
6. Bruno Finds a Ball

A friendly warning though: your kids will fall in love with the books so much that they will want to hear the stories a hundred times a day, and you will have read them out to them so much, that you will by-heart them after the fourth read. So get ready to have Bruno pouring out of your ears! Ask me…I know!

Published by Early Childhood Publications. Available in major bookstores that stock children’s books. 

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AuthorBaisali | CommentPost a Comment | | |