Too. Cute. More photos of work by Kit Lane are on Flickr. [Via Neatorama] - Jennifer

Modeled on a Bohemian folk tale about how a blacksmith tricks the Devil out of collecting him to take him to Hell, I wrote "The Baker and the Monsters" to provide a less ominous, yet still plenty spooky, story for our nearly five-year-old daughter Z. I turned the Devil into a host of monsters, Hell into a dark cave, and the blacksmith into a baker who has decided to set up shop in an unlikely spot.

What emerged in the process was a protagonist with an absurdly sunny disposition he used to disarm as well as press forward toward his goals. Our audio producer, Joshua McNichols, took the theme and ran with it - the musical selections (from the many talents of snapstream.com) and their nearly complete dissolution by the cheery words of the baker had me laughing throughout this story, even as Z sat stock still to find out what monster was coming next.

Z asserted that this story wasn't too scary for her, and I believe her.



Enjoy, and let us know what you (or your kids) think of it! - Jeremiah

Wendy Pfeffer's A Log's Life is a really, really lovely book. Her illustrations blend three-dimensional papercraft with natural textures that reach towards the hyper-real, and assist in evoking a never-explicit ecological/philosophical point from a "long view" of the myriad purposes to be found in the life, death, and decay of a tree. It's lyrical, epic, and naturalistic, all in the same breath, and is a pleasure to read to young children, who will be captivated both by the many uses nature finds for a single plant and the long-tail fecundity of a thing that has died.

Wood-boring beetles burrow under the bark,
chewing wood and
leaving tunnels.
Water and air seep into the tunnels.

Toadstools and other fungi
such as mildew, molds,
and mushrooms
sprout in these damp places.

Slugs and snails crawl
up the tree trunk
into the tunnels
and eat the fungi

There really isn't a more beautiful introduction to life cycles, food webs, and ecological niches than this lovely book. At under $7, it's a ridiculous bargain, and one of those books we're likely to keep on hand in multiples for last-minute gifts. - Jeremiah

Scaredy Squirrel at Night is a silly book about a serious subject: Being afraid to go to sleep. It's notable because it is well-suited for older children who might be facing down their sleep demons, those who are ready to chuckle at their fears as shared by a squirrel who will go to any lengths to combat the dark forces of the night - dragons, ghosts, fairies, unicorns, vampire bats, and polka-dot monsters among them. Every page of this goofy book, which jumps from informational charts of "side effects of sleepless nights" to supply lists and maps of Scaredy Squirrel's Rube Goldberg-like traps, settling finally on the fact that all of Scaredy Squirrel's friends want to see him well-rested and happy.

There's nothing that keeps this book from being suitable for younger children who might be afraid of the dark, but its harmless tone, the visual jokes throughout, and the language level will make it most savory for older children (six-, seven-, or eight-year-olds) needing to shake off their fears. Scaredy Squirrel is also featured in a whole series of adventures by Melanie Watt, although we haven't seen any of them.

You can pick up Scaredy Squirrel at Night from Amazon for under $12 - 32% off of the $16.95 hardcover price. - Jennifer

We had been thinking that Pixar's recent release "Up" would be a good early movie for our nearly five-year-old, Z. The PG rating, according to the Internet Movie Database, is for "some peril and action," which doesn't really faze us. But then we heard from multiple adults who had seen the movie that while they had enjoyed it, they wouldn't take their young child to it. Some even called it "kind of depressing." Fortunately for most of Disney's direct-to-DVD sequels, MPAA includes "depressing" in its rating criteria!



So, I'm asking... Have you seen "Up"? Did you, or would you take your kids to it? Why or why not?

There's a broader question here, which I'll pose soon. But first, I'm really curious to hear any parent's thoughts about this particular movie.

And incidentally, whoever the folks are at Disney who thought that disabling embedding of "official" trailers was a good idea... - Jeremiah

Jenni and I both got iPhone 3GSses a week ago and naturally we are letting Z use them a bit. We'll be sharing nice apps for young kids as we find them.

First up is Learning Touch's FirstWords series. Jenni downloaded the FirstWords Vehicles app and Z played happily through the less-entertaining stretches of a very nice meal we had in Houston before taking her to see Swan Lake.


(Hmm... If I turn my iPhone sideways will it shoot horizontal video?)

I just wish they offered (a) more words per app - at 26 vocabulary words repeats come up fast - and/or (b) levels of play - why not allow a child to progress to the point where they have to put the letters in order without the aid of shadow text?

To anyone who wouldn't let their child touch a new gadget with a ten-foot pole, I say to you: First, why are you letting them play with a ten-foot pole? And second, how else will we train the next generation of digerati? I find it endearing and heartening for her to have already mastered not only the screen swipe but the zoom in/zoom out movements used in the GPS/mapping program. We control the environment she uses them in quite closely, and also make sure she knows we are letting her play with our toys, i.e. ownership is not shared. That said, I can't wait to introduce her to the iPhone Oregon Trail... I've beaten it twice now solo, and don't have many more challenges to throw its way, but helping Z drive her way to Manifest Destiny? Any day now!

Any iPhone users out there with kid-friendly apps to recommend? - Jeremiah