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Great New Children’s Books from Independent Publishers

June 9, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Affiliate links included. I only promote what I love!

Looking for some new reading material this summer? I’ve got a few new books that were sent our way that we are reading over and over again!

From Lemniscaat USA mermaid's shoes

The Mermaid’s Shoes is gorgeously illustrated, and is about a little girls who brings her memories of the beach back home with her after vacation. She searches for the perfect spot in the city to be a mermaid, and she ultimately finds it! It’s on sale at Amazon now and is a book I would very highly recommend for any mermaid fans out there!

 From Floris Books

woodworking with children

While we aren’t reading this book constantly, it is a really cool find for those of you out there with any woodworking experience. It gives some very detailed tutorials for introducing young children to the trade. If you already have a few woodworking tools on hand, then you should definitely pick up a copy of Woodworking with Children.

From Gecko Press

toucan can

Tongue-twisters are always a fun treat, and Toucan Can! is certainly a good one! It isn’t too hard for a young child to attempt, though, and similar to Mermaid’s Shoes, it also has really beautiful illustrations. This is also a great choice for an early reader!

Other Notable Titles:

A few other books that I recommend you consider for purchase this summer are Pom and Pim (about the good and bad luck a child and his favorite lovey encounter throughout the day) and Watch Out for the Crocodile (about a girl and her father going hiking and camping, and all the things the little girl notices out in nature…very imaginative!).
What new titles are you reading this summer? I’d love to get some recommendations from you! 

Filed Under: My Favorite Finds · Tagged: books for kids, floris books, gecko press, lemniscaat usa, pom and pim, summer reading, the mermaid’s shoes, toucan can, watch out for the crocodile, woodworking with children

Independent International Children’s Publishers That Will Blow You Away (Review and GIVEAWAY!!!)

November 6, 2011 · by Tiffany Merritt · 93 Comments

If there’s one thing that I’m totally fine over-buying for Darah, it’s books. We try not to go too bananas on toys for her, but books….let’s just say she has as many as her father and I do, combined!

Books are a gateway to lands of adventure and imagination. They are filled with new words, interesting ideas and hilarious scenarios, all waiting to be enjoyed by young ones (and the young at heart!). Reading books with Darah is an absolute joy, and I have every intention of continuing to “spoil” her with reading material. I pray she will continue to enjoy it as much as she does now, and hopefully even more once she is reading on her own.

You may think that I don’t have any criteria for purchasing books and that I’ll buy anything and everything. Not so, my friends! I especially look out for work that is visually stunning, teaches lessons that will inspire conversation, and show people (or gendered animals) in roles outside of traditional stereotypes. Today I’m excited to introduce some international children’s publishing houses that have all of these options and more!

First up, Lemniscaat. This is a Dutch publishing house that is particularly known for its wordless picture books. Yes, I said wordless. A book doesn’t have to writing in it in order to get your imagination going! Our top pick: The Yellow Balloon. In this work, you watch a yellow balloon float all over the world, getting a bird’s (er, balloon’s) eye view of our gorgeous planet and its inhabitants. You will definitely see some interesting things on this adventure. When we read this wordless books, we spend 10-15 minutes with it, easily!

Next, we have Floris Books. This publishing company is from Scotland. They have a wonderful variety of traditional and new-to-you tales that you will love. Our top pick: Goldilocks and the Three Bears. This is Darah’s first copy of this beloved tale, and it is wonderfully told and beautifully illustrated!

We also got to review AMMO Books. This might well be my very favorite American publishing house! I’ve reviewed some of their books before (check out my review here) and I was every bit as impressed with what I saw from them this time around. We checked out this imaginary castle giant floor puzzle, and it was simply stunning. I can’t wait to put this puzzle together again and again with Darah over the next few years! It has 24 pieces, so it is appropriate for ages 2 and up.

Last, but certainly not least, we checked out some reading material all the way from New Zealand. Gecko Press is the publishing house, and it is FABULOUS!!! Their tagline is, “curiously good books,” and I’d say that’s exactly right. These books draw you in from cover to cover with funny, quirky tales that will make you laugh and also make you think. Our top pick: Odd Bird Out. This is about a raven who just doesn’t fit in with the typical flock. He loves to sing and to dress in colorful clothes. He eventually has to leave his home town because he isn’t accepted there. But the bird finds his bliss and his acceptance later in the story. I won’t spoil the end for you, but I will say that this book totally blew my mind with how many thought-provoking topics it uncovered and how many really good conversations it is going to inspire in my house about being different and why it is important to celebrate our differences, rather than try to hide them.  This might actually be my favorite book of all the books we reviewed, and that’s really saying something, because we were sent MANY treasures!

Win it!: I want you to have overflowing bookshelves in your home, so one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win an assortment of books from Gecko Press! AWESOME!!!!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Giveaways · Tagged: child book publishing, childrens book, childrens book publisher, childrens books, gecko press, giveaway, kids book publishing, popular childrens books, publishing companies, review, top childrens books

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Welcome!


Grab your beverage of choice (mine is iced coffee) and let's hang out for a spell! I'm Tiffany, and I've rambunctious little girls and a fierce desire to share any tip and trick I can find to make lives with little ones a bit less hectic and a lot more fun. [Read more...]

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