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In In the Tree Top, Candide Jones and Steve Emery have captured the essence of Rock-a-Bye Baby and have taken the lyrics even further with a retelling of their own.

Enter to win copies of Spot the Dinosaur on the Island and Spot the Monkey in the Jungle, written by Stella Maidment and Illustrated by Joelle Dreidemy. Giveaway begins April 9, 2015, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends May 8, 2015, at 11:59 P.M. PST.

December is a time for friendship, and what better way to demonstrate friendship to children, than through a picture book?  Here are a few of Sylvan Dell’s favorite books about friendship with fun and easy activities that you can do this holiday season.

Newton and Me – While at play with his dog, Newton, a young boy discovers the laws of force and motion in his everyday activities. Told in rhyme, Lynne Mayer’s Newton and Me follows these best friends on an adventure as they apply physics to throwing a ball, pulling a wagon, riding a bike, and much more. With the help of Sherry Rogers’ playful illustrations, children will learn that physics is a part of their world. They will realize that Newton’s Laws of Motion describe experiences they have every day, and they will recognize how forces affect the objects around them.

Activity: Help you child get to know their friends. Start a conversation and learn about their family pet or favorite toy. Encourage your child to ask questions.

Moose and Magpie – It isn’t easy being a moose. You’re a full-grown adult at the age of one, and it itches like crazy when your antlers come in! In Bettina Restrepo’s Moose and Magpie, young Moose is lucky to find a friend and guide in the wisecracking Magpie. “What do the liberty bell and moose have in common?” the Magpie asks as the seasons begin to change. Then, when fall comes: “Why did the moose cross the road?” Vivid illustrations by Sherry Rogers bring these characters to life. Laugh along with Moose and Magpie, and maybe-just maybe-Moose will make a joke of his own!

Activity: Comedy hour – give your child and friends a “microphone” and encourage them to tell jokes. Make sure they know not to tell jokes at their friend’s expense.

Home in the Cave – Baby Bat loves his cave home and never wants to leave it. While practicing flapping his wings one night, he falls, and Pluribus Packrat rescues him. They then explore the deepest, darkest corners of the cave where they meet amazing animals—animals that don’t need eyes to see or colors to hide from enemies. Baby Bat learns how important bats are to the cave habitat and how other cave-living critters rely on them for their food. Will Baby Bat finally venture out of the cave to help the other animals?

Activity: Prepare a winter scavenger hunt for your child and friends. They can go on an adventure together and the reward can be a cup of hot coco and talking about their fun adventures of the day.

Habitat Spy – Let’s spy on plants, insects, birds, and mammals in 13 different habitats. Told in rhyming narrative, Habitat Spy invites children to search for and find plants, invertebrates, birds, and mammals and more that live in 13 different habitats: backyard, beach, bog, cave, desert, forest, meadow, mountain, ocean, plains, pond, river, and cypress swamp. Children will spend hours looking for and counting all the different plants and animals while learning about what living things need to survive.

Activity: While running those busy errands this season turn off the radio and play “I Spy” in the car while driving around town.

The Giraffe Who was Afraid of Heights – Imagine if the one thing that keeps you safe is what you fear the most. This enchanting story tells of a giraffe who suffers from the fear of heights. His parents worry about his safety and send him to the village doctor for treatment. Along the way, he befriends a monkey who is afraid of climbing trees and a hippo that is afraid of water. A life-threatening event causes the three friends to face and overcome each of their fears. The “For Creative Minds” section includes fun facts and animal adaptation information, a match-the-feet game and a mix-n-match activity.

Activity: Sending out holiday cards? Help your child make a holiday card thanking their friends for their help and friendship throughout the year.

Champ’s Story: Dogs Get Cancer Too! – Children facing cancer—whether their own, a family member’s, a friend’s, or even a pet’s—will find help in understanding the disease through this book. A young boy discovers his dog’s lump, which is then diagnosed with those dreaded words: “It’s cancer.” The boy becomes a loving caretaker to his dog, who undergoes the same types of treatments and many of the same reactions as a human under similar circumstances (transference). Medical writer and award-winning children’s author, Sherry North artfully weaves the serious subject into an empathetic story that even young children can understand.

Activity: If a good friend is sick and children do not understand Champ’s Story is a great conversation starter. Give your child crayons and a piece of paper help them express their feelings through art.

These and many other fun books and lessons are available for the holidays at www.sylvandellpublishing.com.

By Luisa LaFleur, The Children’s Book Review
Published: August 14, 2012

September is just a few short weeks away and children going into kindergarten will enter a whole new realm that is really quite different from Pre-K or daycare settings. And because young children are highly observant, it’s important to prepare yourself so that you can face your child’s feelings. The following books will help explain the school setting and hopefully clear up any doubts or lingering fears in preparation for the first day of school.

Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!

By Nancy Carlson

Reading level: Ages 3-6

Hardcover: 28 pages

Publisher: VikingPublishing

What to expect: Preparing for the first day of kindergarten

Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! is a story about Henry’s first day of school. The book sets out the basics of the new routine: waking up in the morning, getting ready, having breakfast, packing supplies and walking to school. Henry is excited and asks what the day will be like—he’s ready for the new class, new friends and new activities but as he gets closer to school he starts to get anxious. And acknowledging fears is essential to preparing the little ones for the challenges ahead. The simple story gets to the heart of the matter and will reassure your young one that kindergarten will be loads of fun.

My School Trip

By Lynn Maslen Kertell

Reading level: Ages 4-7

Hardcover: 28 pages

Publisher: Scholastic

What to expect: Preparing for school

My School Trip is part of the BOB Books series for budding readers. They are intended to help children love learning how to read. This particular book tells of a trip to the zoo. It sets out the details of how school trips are conducted, establishes that school trips are educational and are also lots of fun. Budding readers can sound out words and will be able to decipher words based on the simple illustrations and story.

Bailey at the Museum

By Harry Bliss

Reading level: Ages 3 to 6

Hardcover: 30 pages

Publisher: Scholastic

What to expect: School trips, following the rules

In Bailey at the Museum, we meet adorable Bailey the dog who’s going on a class trip with his schoolmates to the Natural History Museum. Bailey embarks

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: November 21, 2011

Enter to win a signed copy of Walter Wick’s Can You See What I See? Toyland Express!

Walter Wick’s latest installment in the fantastic Can You See What I See? series is a nostalgic “I spy” treat perfect for keeping readers of all ages entertained. TCBR loves, loves, loves Walter Wick’s books! Giveaway begins November 21, 2011, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends December 19, 2011, at 11:59 P.M. PST.

Reading level: All Ages

Hardcover: 40 pages

Book overview: CAN YOU SEE WHAT I SEE? TOYLAND EXPRESS, the eighth title in the bestselling search-and-find series, follows the life of a toy train from the workshop to the attic, only to be rescued at a yard sale and brought to life once again in a new home. As readers search for more than 250 hidden objects, they will also notice how the train takes on various transformations along its journey.

About the author: Walter Wick has opened millions of eyes to a world of treasures big and small in his award-winning, bestselling I SPY and CAN YOU SEE WHAT I SEE? picture-puzzle books. Walter discovered his passion for building picture puzzles by accident. One day when cleaning out a drawer, he scattered odds and ends on a glass tabletop and photographed them. The photo appeared in a magazine and caught the eye of Jean Marzollo, editor of Scholastic’s Let’s Find Out. This photo inspired the first I SPY book, with riddles by Jean Marzollo, and led to their long collaboration.

In his more recent CAN YOU SEE WHAT I SEE? series, Walter’s detailed photographs convey subtle hidden stories. Walter meticulously constructs 3-D sets for CAN YOU SEE WHAT I SEE? in his Connecticut studio. For videos and more photos, visit www.walterwick.com or www.facebook.com/walterwick.

How to enter:

• Fill out the required fields below

• Maximum entries: Three (3)

Giveaway Rules:

• Shipping Guidelines: This book giveaway is open to all participants with a US mailing address.
• Giveaway begins November 21, 2011, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends December 19, 2011, at 11:59 P.M. PST, when all entries must be received. No purchase necessary. See
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The I Spy book series has provided many hours of entertainment for young children over the years. The A to Z collection is a representative set of some of the previous I Spy books. Here is a wonderful array of still life photographs jam-packed with kid-focused objects that will delight the young in all of us. The 46 treasure-hunting photos are accompanied by easy-to-learn rhyming couplets, each of which details specific items to find in the photographs. Of course, there are plenty of other items in the photos to spark conversation.

In the introduction, author Jean Marzollo provides coaching for parents and teachers on how the book helps develop pre-reading skills. Some of Walter Wick's photos picture scenes that are as carefully staged as any movie set while others are a fabulous montage of objects old and new. This book is sure to become one of the most loved in any child's library. Be sure to check out the official I Spy website!

Now for the Prize Giveaway!

One Grand Prize Package: ($86 value)

• Wii Video Game "Ultimate I SPY"
• Board Game - "I SPY Memory Game"
• I SPY A to Z: A Book of Picture Riddles
• I SPY Treasure Hunt - one more great book adventure!
  

While cookbook authors seduce with rapturous descriptions of sizzling butter and caramelized onions, children’s book authors and illustrators cook up things in a differently enticing way. Bound between hard or soft covers, stories to satisfy the appetite of hungry readers abound. But too many book choices can be as overwhelming as an abundant produce aisle or farmer’s market. Just what is that Samurai Shortstop all about? And what of The Arrival, First Daughter or Mismatch? Discovering new books and writers is as exciting as trying an unfamiliar new fruit.

Identifying quality children’s literature, multicultural literature in particular, can be a time consuming task. Luckily, we have many tried and true sources to help us recognize the special tastes of Paul Yee or Laurence Yep, Rachna Gilmore or Mitali Perkins.

For a feast of book and book-related offerings we hope you’ll turn to us, of course. We also recommend CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center), ALAN (Assembly of Literature for Adolescents), the Edge of the Forest, School Library Journal and the Horn Book. And the ever-growing garden of great Kidlit blogs such as Shen’s Blog and The Fire Escape, to name just two.

In the world of children’s literature pickings are never slim. Hungry readers are lucky to be so well fed.