June 12, 2015

12 beautiful board books, for baby showers, newborn gifts, or simply for love

June 12, 2015/ Kim Fulcher

Baby Oliver has arrived! My fourth grandchild.

He’s number three in his family, after Savannah and William, so when I visited I took a board book version of The Boss Baby. It's sturdy enough to stand up to three little ones playing with it and amusing for parents who know just how much a baby is the boss!

In celebration of Oliver’s arrival here are a few board books that are great for baby showers or newborn gifts or simply because you love a baby or the parents of a baby.

June 10, 2015

KING BIDGOOD'S IN THE BATHTUB :: this is crazy stuff, full of the absurd - a ton of fun to read!

June 10, 2015/ Kim Fulcher

Ages baby to 8 years
Do you read to kids in the bath? When ours were small, a couple of them simply couldn't see the value of a bath. But they could see the value of a story. So I would read while they soaked away a day of grime.

King Bidgood's in the Bathtub is one that’s a ton of fun to read – anytime really, but especially in the tub. There's trouble: ‘King Bidgood’s in the bathtub, and he won't get out!’

A poor young Page has the job of alerting all and sundry to the problem – and he does a terrific job. First the Knight, then the Queen, then the Duke, and finally the whole Court try to entice King Bidgood out of the tub. It’s all to no avail and the King just conducts the business of the day in the enormous tub. (In the end it’s the Page who saves the day.)

June 08, 2015

hooray for a decent prince and a woman with a bit of spunk!

June 08, 2015/ Kim Fulcher

ages 2 to 12 years
A brilliant gift book. We have quite a collection of princess-and-the-pea stories, mainly because Alec (our second son) was called Princess for quite a few years after a camp where he slept on a whole pile of mattresses. This one is great. Prince Henrik needs to find a proper princess to be his wife - and he does!

June 05, 2015

WILLY & MAX :: about perspective and the preciousness of friendship

June 05, 2015/ Kim Fulcher

Age guide: 4 to 8. Subtitled A Holocaust Story, this is really more about friendship and promise than the Holocaust itself.

Historically, the background is Denmark during the second World War. Willy's father owns a shop selling odds and ends - everything from an enormous bronze angel to a haunting painting of The Lady. Max's father is a Jewish professor who buys The Lady.

June 03, 2015

empathy, responsibility and trust can change the world

June 03, 2015/ Kim Fulcher

ages 4 years to grownup
It is not always in our most shining moments that our hearts are changed—sometimes it is in moments of despair or desperation. A young girl's heart is changed in this beautiful story. It's stunning and perfect!

June 01, 2015

the perfect book for aspiring guinea pig owners!

June 01, 2015/ Kim Fulcher

Written by Dick King-Smith (Babe, The Water Horse, the Sophie series), I Love Guinea Pigs is part personal reminiscing, part how-to, part general information, and completely captivating for young guinea-pig owners or aspiring owners.
ages baby to about 12 years

May 29, 2015

there's joy and work and love happening everywhere; all around the world

May 29, 2015/ Kim Fulcher

Ages 2 to 12 years. One of my children spent a considerable amount of time planning an around-the-world trip – a great way to while away the hours. It sparked a lot of conversation, which led to lots of research and plenty of fantasy play as an offshoot.

I wish we'd had At the Same Moment, Around the World at the time.

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