Archive for September, 2010

“Meet The SqueeGees”
A CD all about Embracing A Healthy Lifestyle
Target Audience: 0-to 7 years-old
Running Time: 41:29

CD Available Exclusively At Target Stores locally and online and at Target at iTunes for $9.99

The SqueeGees, a new to me children’s group has been a hit in my household among both the adults and kids since it arrived in my mail box about a week ago!

The sing-song music found on this CD is extremely catchy and definitely toe tapping, I find myself singing along from another room as it plays in the background when my two year old daughter is off playing in her own room with her toys. I always welcome Cd’s that feature excellent rich vocals, acoustic played guitars, and shaker percussion here and there!  We don’t always need to rock!

There are 14 tracks on this CD that are crammed packed full of rich lyrics that are not just fun but educational  teaching about all sorts of things like recycling, rules of the road, sustainable living, animals of all kinds, and more! I love everything this CD is promoting by bringing the vision and encouragement to it’s listeners to live a healthy green lifestyle.

My daughters favorite songs right now include “Tweet Tweet Tweet”, “Making Noise”, and Bubbles! Without a doubt kids will appreciate this CD as a great new musical treat and how fun is it that included with the CD is a poster to color with song lyrics on the reverse side!

For more information about The SqueeGees visit http://www.meetthesqueegees.com/

Win it!

One of my readers is going to win their very own Meet the Squeegees Cd! (Open to USA & Canada)

To Enter: Visit http://www.meetthesqueegees.com/ and let me know what song that sounds fun to you!

Extra Entries:

1. Blog this giveaway, link back to this post. (2 extra)

2. Follow on Twitter @erinlowmaster & Tweet (daily entries available)

3. Post this giveaway on a Giveaway Linky/Site and let me know where!

4. Email a friend(s) about this giveaway. (Leave name of friend)

5. Subscribe to my blog by RSS or E-mail (Feed Burner) and let me know!

6. Become a Facebook Fan of Connected2Christ and leave me a comment there letting me know you are coming from this giveaway.

Giveaway running till 10/18/10 . Winners will be notified shortly afterward by email. Please respond within 48 hours or you forfeit your prize to another participant.

Disclaimer: Thanks damorepr.com for providing a free copy of Meet the Squeegees for this review.

DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! …AND MORE STORIES BY MO WILLEMS

Format: DVD/Single
Run time: 49 mins. + extras
Geared Toward: Ages 2-8
Price: $14.95

THIS SEPTEMBER, LAUGH ALONG WITH MO WILLEMS’ CRAZY PIGEON IN THIS HILARIOUS COLLECTION FEATURING HIS MOST BELOVED STORIES!

One of the hottest new authors in children’s literature is Mo Willems. His best-selling books have won dozens of awards and honors, and The New York Times calls his Pigeon “one of this decade’s contributions to the pantheon of great picture book characters.” Now, children can laugh along as Pigeon, the befeathered star of the fast-selling book franchise, and other wry Willems’ characters come to life in colorfully and carefully animated video adaptations found on DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! …AND MORE STORIES BY MO WILLEMS.

In the title tale, winner of a 2010 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children’s Video, when a city bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place: a pigeon!  And, despite the bird’s impressive technical know-how, the bus driver doubts the pigeon can handle the bus.  So, as the bus driver heads out the door, he appeals to the audience: “Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus!”.  And when Pigeon’s relentless arguments in his favor eventually dissolve into a full-flown, feathers-flying tantrum, will he get his wish?  The award-winning production features the voice of Willems as the pigeon and noted author/illustrator John Scieszka (“The Stinky Cheese Man”, “Squids Will Be Squids”) as the bus driver, and a jazzy musical score.  As School Library Journal noted in its review of the original picture book, this is “a brilliantly simple story that is absolutely true to life, as anyone who interacts with an obdurate three-year-old can attest.”

The other two Mo Willems stories on the DVD include Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale (presented both in English and Spanish) and Leonardo, the Terrible Monster, plus the bonus live-action feature “Mo and Pigeon Visit a School,” in which the author reads his book before an audience of children.

Our Thoughts…

My two year old daughter enjoyed sitting and watching the variety of stories on this DVD.  She only budged when the credits of each story played which is pretty understandable for the attention spans toddlers usually have.  My daughter was literally laughing out during some of the stories and it was great to see her really enjoying and interacting right along with the stories on screen! This mom is giving this DVD two thumbs way up!

For more information visit: http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/westonwoods/

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of  DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! …AND MORE STORIES BY MO WILLEMS for this review from Beth Blenz-Clucas of Sugar Mountain PR.

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

and the book:

Jackson Jones: The Tale of a Boy, an Elf, and a Very Stinky Fish

Zonderkidz (August 6, 2010)

***Special thanks to Pam Mettler of Zonderkidz for sending me a review copy.***

Jenn Kelly lives in Ottawa, Canada, but her heart lives in Paris. Or Hawaii. She hasn’t decided yet. She is an undercover garden guru, painter, and chef, which has absolute nothing to do with this book. She won a writing award in grade 4, failed English Lit in university, spent many years writing bad poetry, and then decided to write a book. This is it. She is married to her best friend, Danny, and is mom to a five-year-old boy and a dog who worries too much. She embraces the ridiculousness and disorganization of life.

Visit the author’s website.

Ari has worked as a freelance illustrator for a variety of projects, mostly in children’s media. Her specialty is character design and she most enjoys illustrating humorous and wacky predicaments.

She studied editorial and children’s book illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and the DuCret School of Art in New Jersey. She uses a variety of media to create my images both traditional and digital.

Visit the illustrator’s website.

Product Details:

List Price: $12.99
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Zonderkidz (August 6, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310720796
ISBN-13: 978-0310720799

PLEASE CLICK THE BROWSE INSIDE BUTTON TO VIEW THE FIRST CHAPTER: