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By Mom Unplugged, August 24, 2007 7:47 pm

I found this hardcover picture book at Tuesday Morning for $2.99. Even at Amazon, this hardcover is only $7.95 (and part of their 4-for-3 Promotion)! I don’t know why it is in everybody’s bargain bin, because I think it is totally cute!

This is the simple, classic story of Snow White recounted with no literary embelishments. The characters however, are dogs.

The photos are very cute and of good quality. The dogs are dressed up in costumes and are acting out the story (I know dogs can be cooperative animals, but I still suspect that a certain amount of photo manipulation is involved here).

I love the choice of the “cast.” Snow White is a lovable and innocent Golden Retriever, the wicked and vain Queen is a Poodle, and the Huntsman is played by a Rottweiler! The Seven Dwarfs are beyond cute (all small breeds of course).

Perhaps this is vaguely reminiscent in an odd way of that bizarre old painting of the dogs playing poker. Is that why no one wants to buy this one? I don’t know. But I do know that my kids and I read it again and again. I see this as a hidden treasure for any animal loving family!

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By Mom Unplugged, August 15, 2007 7:53 pm

I have to review this one since it is the current absolute all-time favorite of my 19 month-old. She wants it over and over and over again.

The book consists of a series of photos of babies and their Moms (and one Dad) doing the things that babies do: look at Mom, wave to Dad, eat, etc. Not exactly at the top of my list of fascinating books, but when you are 19 months-old, this is all pretty exciting.

Each baby/parent section is displayed on a background and with accessories of a different color, so I suppose that might become a topic of conversation eventually too.

This is a large-format book, so the photos are large too. They are clear and interesting.

There are some complaints on Amazon as to the rather stilted nature of the text, for example:

Hey, baby!
Look at you, looking at me,
looking at you, looking at me.

No, this is not how I talk to my little one. It is not “natural” speech, but it is very repetitive and rhythmic and my baby seems to love it, probably for that reason. Personally, I have no problem with the flow of the text.

My only comment would be that I wish this book could come in a board book format. It has been so loved at our house that I am just waiting for the pages to be torn to shreds with enthusiasm since my little girl even loves “reading” it by herself!

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By Mom Unplugged, August 2, 2007 9:48 pm

What exhausted parent hasn’t had a sinking heart when their wide-awake little darling’s bedtime request is a story whose length rivals that of War and Peace! Who hasn’t skipped a few words here and there, or had a few pages “accidently” stick together? If you recognize this scenario, then this is the bedtime book for you.

Classic fairy tales and stories are amusingly trimmed to the bare minimum and end somehow with a “sleep” theme. The extremely short stories are embedded within a familiar narrative of a tired Dad trying to get his child to sleep. You can either read this whole book, or if you really want to keep it brief, just pick out one or two of the individual stories.

The kids really get the humor here, and grownups laugh too. By the way, the illustrations are just as entertaining as the text. Thanks again to my friend Wishy for another stellar book recommendation!

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By Mom Unplugged, July 15, 2007 10:36 am

This is a book that can be read on many different levels.

You could take the tale literally and say that it is about the life-cycle of an acorn. Or you could take a more metaphysical view and say that the book teaches how we are all part of one another, all made up of the same “stuff”…we are all one with nature and each other. Maybe this is a tale of letting go of fears and realizing how far you can go. You could even say the story is a life and death metaphor.

Whatever you choose to see in this lovely book, your kids will see a beautiful, comforting story, vividly illustrated, of a single little acorn and all it becomes…even after death.

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By Mom Unplugged, July 14, 2007 8:22 am

A dog? A deer? A rabbit? An ostrich? An ostrich!!! Yes! that’s what it is!!!

A dog? A deer? A crocodile? Our dog Belle? Hmmm……….

I was recently reminded of the fun ancient “unplugged activity” of casting hand shadows on the wall. My kids had never seen this before, but REALLY enjoyed it. I made these up myself, but if you really want to get into it, here are some web and book resources!

Internet Links:Shadow-Puppets.com

Shadow Puppets: Designing, Building, and Performing

Hand Shadows to be Thrown Upon the Wall (Henry Bursill), a free, public domain downloadable e-book from the 19th century (from Project Gutenberg) - or buy it in real book form below from Amazon

Exploring Shadow Puppets

Make a Shadow Puppet Theatre

What Changes a Shadow’s Size (science experiments from NASA’s Kids’ Science News Network)

Books: