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About Children’s Book Reviews @ BeTwinned

Review by Sandra Horning

Punk Farm by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
image from Amazon.com

If you want to spice up the traditional version of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm,” then add , a rock-n-roll version of “Old MacDonald,” to your reading list.

Tired from working hard all day, Farmer Joe goes to bed, but Sheep, Pig, Goat, Chicken and Cow’s night has just begun as they get their band together to rehearse. After rehearsing, they perform a rock concert, featuring “Old MacDonald,” for the rest of the farm animals.

The illustrations start off with farmyard colors and become jazzy and bold as the story continues. The recommended age is 4-8, but my three-year-old sure loves this book. The fun illustrations with short and simple text easily keep the attention of preschool children. You can even listen to the song on the book’s website.

Ages 4-8

About Toy Reviews @ BeTwinned

by Jane Day Rasmussen

Name: Heritage Collection Hand Puppets
Manufacturer: Ganz
Category:Pretend Play
Manufacturer’s Suggested Age Range:none given
Our tested age range: 6 months and up
Learning Components: Motor Skills, Creative Play
Price Value/Honeys: (what are Honeys?)

These puppets are really lots of fun – we started playing with the dog when our son Jake was about a year old. Even now (at 3 ½ years old) he asks almost daily for us to “play doggie.” I loved the toy so much that I bought the pig and cow for my twin nieces when they were about 6 months old.

Puppets provide visual stimulation for infants and encourage parent/child interaction with your toddler. Jake loves to be surprised with whatever antic doggie comes up with next. And if you get bored playing the same thing over and over again, a game of puppets is always a creative venture into the unknown. The twins can also play with each other – or if you’re a really talented parent of multiples – put one on each hand and play away!

The Heritage Collection Puppets by Ganz come in lots of different animals: panda, tiger, pig, dog, cow, monkey, lion, horse, elephant, frog, St. Bernard, alligator and cat. Each one is cuter than the next. I particularly like them because they have the whole body and not just a head. I don’t know why, but it seems better that way.

The puppets are about 11” tall and have moveable arms and head. They are made of a very soft material and wear well. I’ve thrown doggie in the laundry many a time and he comes out looking new. The hand opening is very generous, so even my husband can take a turn (and give me a rest!).

I found these puppets at our local toy store and it seems like there are plenty of places to buy them online too. I don’t want to recommend a site, because I didn’t see any sites that I’ve previously ordered from. The company’s website doesn’t have a lot of information about the puppets, or a way to find out which retailers carry them, but here is the link anyway. They retail for about $10 each – a great bargain in my opinion, so I rated them four honey pots.

Of course if you can’t find these, there are lots of other great puppets out there too – so the main thing I recommend is make sure you have a stock of them in your house!

About Children’s Book Reviews @ BeTwinned

Review by Sandra Horning

Mop to the Rescue by Martine Schapp, illustrated by Alex de Wolf
image from Amazon.com

Fans of Ladybug magazine will be happy to learn that the comic strip stories of Mop the dog and his redheaded twin owners, Julie and Justin, can be checked out of your local library. Schapp and de Wolf, a husband-and-wife team, create silly and simple stories with cheery and fun watercolor illustrations, just right for young children.

The first cartoon begins with Mop joining the family. The cartoons that follow range from Julie and Justin performing a puppet show with Mop to Mop’s snores scaring Julie and Justin’s cousin. Cartoons can sometimes be hard to read aloud, but my children have always enjoyed hearing the adventures of Mop and the twins.

Ages 2-6

About Toy Reviews @ BeTwinned

by Jane Day Rasmussen

Photo from Toys to Grow On

Name: Spell-A-Word Alphabet Board
Manufacturer: Lakeshore (sold exclusively online at Toys to Grow On)
Category: Puzzles
Manufacturer’s Suggested Age Range: 4 – 8 years
Our tested age range: 3.5 years and up
Learning Components: Independent Play, Word Building
Price Value/Honeys: (what are Honeys?)

This is an awesome educational toy that is well-made and fun. The large, sturdy board has all the letters for puzzle action, or use it with the stand to slide on the color-coded letters for spelling fun!The cards are sold separately, making the toy a bit pricey, but overall it is worth the money. The cards are double-sided – one side has the picture and the word, and the other side has just the picture for a more advanced speller.

My son, Jake, loves finding objects he wants to spell and then goes to it all on his own (at 3 ½ he still uses the side with the color coded letters!). He feels a real sense of accomplishment by “spelling” the words without any help from mom or dad.

The alphabet board has helped Jake understand that the letters have a bigger meaning and aren’t just for singing the alphabet song. He now sees other words and asks what that spells.

This toy would be great for multiples – they can either work together to spell a word, or take turns with their own spelling bee.

It is sold exclusively online at Toys to Grow On, a family-owned company that strives to provide toys that have an “extraordinary play and educational value.”

With the Spell-A-Word Alphabet Board, they’ve done just that.

About Children’s Book Reviews @ BeTwinned

Review by Sandra Horning

Sweet Jasmine, Nice Jackson: What It’s Like To Be 2 – And To Be Twins! by Robie H. Harris, illustrated by Michael Emberley
image from Amazon.com

Sweet Jasmine, Nice Jackson (from the Growing Up Stories series) follows the energetic day-to-day activities of two-year-old African American twins, Jasmine and Jackson. They shout “No,” learn to get dressed by themselves, ask questions, throw tantrums and even pee on the potty as they grow up and experience life at the age of two.

Each spread includes a box of factual text providing interesting information about twins and explaining why two-year-olds do the things they do.

Emberley’s watercolor, pastel and ink drawings cheerfully portray the twins as they go about their life at this stage. The text is written for an older sibling or child, but some patient younger children may also enjoy listening. Parents and children will all learn something from Jasmine and Jackson.

Ages 4-7

About Toy Reviews @ BeTwinned

by Jane Day Rasmussen

Photo from Amazon.com

Name: Thomas & Friends Conductor’s Figure 8 Set
Manufacturer: Learning Curve
Category: Planes/Trains/Automobiles
Manufacturer’s Suggested Age Range: 3 years and up
Our tested age range: 1 year and up
Learning Components: Motor Skills, Independent Play
Price Value/Honeys: (what are Honeys?)

My best friend gave my son, Jake, this Thomas & Friends Conductor’s Figure 8 Set for his first birthday. Thinking Jake was a little young for the concept, I tucked the present away for a rainy day (hint: a practice I’ve continued so new presents miraculously appear throughout the year, and not just at birthdays and the holidays).

What can I say? When we opened the box several months later, it was love at first sight. My son hasn’t been seen without a train in his grip since. This set is a great introductory set for the soon-to-be Thomas enthusiast – or, all you will need to have a great set of trains for your non eat-drink-sleep train guy or gal. I have since given this gift many times over and was thrilled when my twin nieces loved this gift on their second birthday.

The set includes a stone bridge, conductor’s shed, tree, stop sign, signal, Sir Topham Hatt, wooden track, and wooden Thomas, boxcar and caboose. If you are buying this for multiples, I would recommend purchasing some extra trains for more fun – especially if your multiples will need to play with Thomas at the same time.

The quality of the toys is exceptional – the wooden track and trains are nearly indestructible. The track goes together (and stays together) easily, so even the littlest of engineers can maneuver and create their own railroad.

My son loved pushing the trains on the track when he was one year old and now loves to act out the storylines in the videos at the age of three. The twins take turns with the track design – one loves to make circles and the other loves more intricate layouts. Both must have Thomas in their sight, although they are content sharing twin trains Bill and Ben.

Of course, there are tons of accessories to go with the wooden Thomas railway system - visit www.learningcurve.com for the complete list. I will admit, the Thomas craze can get expensive; that is why I only gave it three honey pots out of four.

If you have an A.C. Moore in your area, they have great 20 percent off sales on Thomas stuff pretty regularly, and look out for videos that have a train inside – a great money saver. I’ve also gotten some cool trains and sheds on E-bay. PBS airs Thomas in our area every Sunday morning – so we can get a regular Thomas fix.

There are also other great Thomas products that are not compatible with the wooden railway system – Thomas Take Along (smaller, plastic track, and less expensive version of a great theme) and a battery-operated set that runs a blue plastic track made by Tomy. My son and twin nieces love these as well.

This set has won several parenting awards, and I’d be remiss not to mention them:
In 2003 - Scholastic Parent & Child Magazine, Teachers’ Picks “Top 10 Toys of the Last 10 Years”; and in 2002 it won the prestigious Parents’ Choice Award. A similar item, the Water Tower Figure 8 set won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Gold Seal in 2004.

Overall, an excellent toy choice and guaranteed to pay for itself with hours and hours of fun. All aboard!

About Children’s Book Reviews @ BeTwinned

Review by Sandra Horning

Love and Kisses by Sarah Wilson, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
image from Amazon.com

With love and kisses in the air for Valentine’s Day, this sweet little board book is good for sharing kisses with your little ones for the rest of the month and year. The rhyming text is complemented by the lovely watercolor illustrations beginning with a girl kissing her cat, who then kisses a cow, who kisses a goose and so on until the kiss returns back to the cat and the girl. Pucker up and be prepared to kiss and giggle with all of your children.

Ages 2-6