Saturday, September 1, 2012

Book Review: Interactive Books/Stories for Kids; Hansel & Gretel, A Steve Light Storybox / Manga for the Beginner, Kawaii)

I love kid books. I always have, and I probably always will. There's something fun, and exciting about kid books, and I made it my mission to make sure my kids have a variety of books to read out of, learn from and play with. Today I've got two fabulous interactive books for kids. These books age in range from 4 yrs and up, and with the upcoming holiday season these will make some great stocking stuffers, and really gifts for any upcoming holiday occasion.


By: Steve Light
Published by: Guide Craft
Released on:
Ages: 4 yr old +
Source: book from publisher to review
5 Stars: We LOVED It
Purchase from: Guide Craft | Amazon

I grew up loving the beloved nursery rhythms that were shared/read to me, and I've really enjoyed sharing them with my kids. What can be more fun than reading with your kids? Acting out the story while sharing the story with them. This is exactly what Steve Light's Storybox books do. Not only do you get a small version of the story, but you get everything you see here to allow your child to have hours of fun in acting out the story of Hansel and Gretel. Sounds absolutely brilliant doesn't? YES it does, at least to me any way. Wooden pieces, a storage place for them, and book all in one. 


Here's the picture of our set all set up. Well it's a little cropped as I couldn't fit everything in the picture this way. When this lovely story box surprised arrived in the mail I don't know who was more excited about it, myself or my daughter. We immediately pulled open and started playing with the story. The fun thing with this story, is my daughter is able to set it up and play with it however she wants to. She can retell the story, make up her own story or come up with something on her own. As a parent, I love it when my kids spend any amount of time using their imaginations, and this is exactly what Steve's storyboxes do. They allow kids the freedom to imagine and play. This may also make a fabulous addition to any preschool/kindergarten teacher's reading time as well.

I will caution, as does the side of the box, that there are small pieces with this particular story, making this unsuitable for children 3 and under. Those 4 years and older will really enjoy the time they spend playing with this fabulous storybox. After playing with this story with my daughter I definitely want to add another story or two to our collection. You can check out the rest of Steve Light's Storybox collection here



By: Christopher Hart
Released on: August 7th, 2012
Ages: 7 & up
Source: book from publisher to review
5 stars: I Loved It
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble IndieBound


Kawaii—so cute it hurts!

You probably know this already, but the superpopular manga genre of Kawaii is everywhere! From Hello Kitty to Pokémon, these supercute Kawaii creatures are taking over. These characters are intensely cute, simple to draw, and colorfully graphic. The Kawaii genre puts its supercute stamp on a variety of well-known manga staples from adorable anthros to lovable monsters and animals to dark-but-still-cute Goths. Even the breathtaking and beautiful ladies of the Kawaii subgenre moe get their turn in the spotlight. The undisputed master of manga, Christopher Hart provides you with all the tools and techniques you will need to bring these beloved Kawaii characters to life. The supercute drawings and step-by-step directions provide you with everything you need to draw with Kawaii-style charm and personality.

From color contrasts to simplifying designs, Manga for the Beginner Kawaii provides the complete inside scoop on what it takes to make it as a Kawaii artist. This is the ultimate guide to bringing supercute characters from manga’s most adorable genre to life.

This book is AWESOME! If you're like me than you'd say this is a super cute book, and it's one you'd recommend to all my manga loving friends. 

Christopher Hart makes reading/looking through this book exciting. With step by step processes on drawing styles, details and much more, young artists will be able to understand the concepts Christopher is trying to teach. He does an amazing job at not only talking about his different drawing styles, he also gives examples of the proper way to draw and improper way to. I found this book to be extremely engaging and motivational to those who want to learn how to draw Kawaii. Ever since I was a kid I have loved to draw despite not having the talent to draw very well, and have loved manga. This book is the perfect combination of the two. This is one book I think both manga fans and young artists will want to have. I highly recommend picking this one up! It's even one I think parents, teachers, librarians would enjoy having on hand.

I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~ Anna Quindlen

Good children's literature appeals not only to
the child in the adult, but to the adult in the child.
~ Anonymous ~