Congratulations to the following winners.  These families all won prizes from San Diego Family during the month of May.

Mother's Day Brunch at the Hotel Del Coronado

• The Shammas Family from Kearney Mesa

Tickets to the Natural History Museum: Whales

• The Raney Family from El Cajon
• The Yanagihara Family from San Diego
• The Brown Family from Oceanside
  

Have a blast with your family at some of SoCal's favorite theme parks! Find out what's new for summer 2014 below.

Aquatica

Chula Vista
800-257-4268

Ready for a splashing good time? Aquatica SeaWorld’s Waterpark debuts a new high-speed racing water slide: Taumata Racer. Adventure-seekers zoom down a 375-ft. slide, around a 180-degree swooping turn and through tunnels before racing across a finish line. The newest of seven slide rides at Aquatica, Taumata River is sure to get your heart pumping. If you prefer a slower, more relaxed pace (or have small children), grab a tube and float along the lazy river, Loggerhead Lane. Keep your eyes open for Caribbean flamingos on display throughout the river ride. Toddlers can splash and play safely in the children’s free-swim area, Kata’s Kookaburra Cove, and experience kid-size slides at Slippity Dippity.

Belmont Park

Mission Beach
858-488-1549

Belmont Park, a San Diego icon, has made several updates to celebrate the 100th year anniversary of Mission Beach. Already open is the new two-seater NASCAR-style ride, Speedway. Cars zip around a flashy oval track with whip-like action for fun-loving kids and their parents. The Belmont Park arcade is back and better than ever! The recently expanded arcade features the latest games and classic favorites like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Frogger. Laser Tag now has three levels of Tron-themed adventure and non-stop action! Look for the Adrenaline Zone coming to Belmont Park this summer, too. Be sure to check out free kids crafts and activities at the Summer Kids Series every Wednesday and Thursday from 6 to 8 pm.

Legoland
Carlsbad
760-918-5346

Legoland added a second water park just in time for summer fun. The central feature of the new Legends of Chima Water Park is the Lion Temple Wave Pool designed for families with young kids. Towering 40-ft. above the wave pool is Mt. Cavora, the floating mountain, which releases 400 gallons of water every minute for kids of all ages to splash and enjoy. Cragger’s Swamp is an interactive water play area with three slides and interactive water features, including blast water cannons and jets. You can even slide through the head of a massive crocodile, and parents of the youngest adventurers appreciate the 12” deep water. What would a Legoland adventure be without building a Lego creation? Eglor’s Build-A-Boat allows children to use their creativity by building a boat to race against friends. To experience the land of Chima, purchase admission to Legoland and the water park. You can slide and splash at both the original water park and the new Legends of Chima Water Park in the same day.

Knott’s Berry Farm
Buena Park
714-220-5200
This summer Camp Snoopy celebrates 30 years at Knott’s Berry Farm with three all-new attractions, remodeled dining locations and all-new interactive experiences for families, especially those with younger children. The Linus Launcher propels adventurers 10 ft. in the air to enjoy a view of Camp Snoopy. At Charlie Brown's Kite Flyer, a swing-type ride, campers soar above the land waiting for the kite-eating tree to show Charlie Brown hung upside down, tangled in kite string. Pig Pen's Mud Buggies take families for an adventurous ride around the High Sierras in all-terrain vehicles that spin, bounce and bump.

The legendary Calico Mine Ride, originally opened in 1960, carries riders aboard ore cars through dimly lit tunnels of a working gold mine. Exciting new effects were added to this class ride for its summer reopening. Look for over 50 new state-of-the-art animatronic figures, all-new audio and special effects that will capture the imagination.

San Diego Zoo

Balboa Park
619-231-1515

The World-Famous San Diego Zoo brings back a summertime favorite with Nighttime Zoo from June 28 to September 1. Koalafornia, this year’s theme, brings the Australian Outback to the California shore. Experience Australia through new shows Australiana II, Return to the Outback where Aussie lore comes to life through acrobatic and aerial acts and Roo’s Crew performing kangaroo-style skills during a trampoline act. Dr. Zoolittle is back exploring Australia’s fascinating and bizarre inhabitants with audiences. The Front Street Stage welcomes guests with animal encounters by day and a variety of performances by night. Join “The Walkabout” grand finale in the evening, featuring Nighttime Zoo performers in a procession festival along Front Street.

San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Escondido
760-747-8702

If your summer bucket list includes visiting an exotic location and seeing animals in their natural habitat, then be sure to visit The San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Tiger Trail, the new 5.2-acre Sumatran tiger habitat, features three separate yards where tigers can climb rocks, swim in ponds, use deadwood trees as scratching posts, and take catnaps in the grass. But tigers aren’t the only ones having fun here. Use your cat-like reflexes to maneuver across The Log Walk on the way to a large viewing window with an up-close view of these big cats. There’s also a Tiger Cam so you can watch tiger antics all summer long. The Summer Safari Asian Celebration features furry, feathered or scaly animal encounters and professional acrobats performing amazing feats throughout the day.

SeaWorld
Mission Bay
800-257-4268

Explorer Reef welcomes guests to SeaWorld through an immense wave sculpture nearly 30 feet tall and 100 feet long. Connect immediately with the sea through four touch pools featuring shark pups, rays and more. New shows celebrate summer and SeaWorld’s 50th year. That’s right, the first SeaWorld park opened March 1964 right here in San Diego! Shamu’s Celebration: Light Up the Night is this year’s summer nighttime Shamu show, a must-see for San Diego visitors and locals. The 18-month Sea of Surprises 50th Celebration includes a Surprise Squad that roams the park giving away prizes and special gifts. Entertainment throughout the day features the high-energy, traveling Sea Street Band, a whimsical Bubble Blowout vehicle, and the Splash Dance landscaping crew that loses control of their hoses for a soaking good time. Fun-seekers of all ages can dance the night away Thursdays through Sundays at SeaWorld’s Club Atlantis. Hang around for SeaWorld’s new fireworks display, Celebrate the Wonder.

Updated: June 2014

The Baby Nurse Bible
Carole Kramer Arsenault, RN, IBCLC
$15.95; 2011, The Experiment

Baby nurse tips, Q&A topics, safety tips, guidance on choosing the best products, sample routines and much more pack the pages of this simple reference guide. There’s something for everyone here, whether you choose to breast or bottle feed, use cloth or disposable diapers, have a surgical birth or opt for natural birth. The short sections and illustrations make it easy to quickly get the information you need. Dads and pregnancy coaches will learn a lot, too.

The Naked Mom
Brooke Burke
$25.95; 2011, New American Library

“Dancing with the Stars” winner and co-host, audacious TV personality Burke offers a surprisingly candid look at her life. Packed with insight into parenting, Burke details how she balances family, career and romance, including sharing custody with her ex. Her advice? “You always have three choices in a difficult conversation—deflect, engage or escalate.”

“Naked Truth” blurbs offer nuggets of wisdom, and Burke’s friendly tone provides support and reassurance, reminding readers to “Learn when ‘okay is good enough.’”

Got MILF?
Sarah Maizes
$14; 2011, Penguin

“A MILF knows who she is, what she wants and how to get it,” says writer/comedian Maizes. “If you don’t make time for your own happiness—to nurture your individuality, your brain and your sexuality—you will wake up one day, look in the mirror and say ‘Mom?! What are you doing here?”

This fresh, witty take on parenting with style offers a “MILF quotient” test, along with plenty of do-able tips for maximizing your fashion style, energy levels and making the most of marriage or single motherhood.

Exploiting My Baby
Teresa Strasser
$15.95, 2011, New American Library

Award-winning writer, radio personality (the Adam Carolla Show) and television host Strasser delivers her trademark sass when addressing every aspect (from the joyous to the cringe-worthy) of her pregnancy, c-section birth and postpartum discomforts. Strasser’s wacky and insightful ruminations will resonate with moms-to-be.

“If purgatory is a temporary state of suffering, pregatory is a three-month no-man’s-land during which your soul lurks between being an expectant mom and being who you were before … the same, but you’re utterly changed,” says Strasser.

The Pregnant Body Book
$40; 2011
DK Publishing

Wow! This amazing book provides in-depth exploration of a woman’s body in all stages of pregnancy. Colorful, clean artwork and photographs illuminate the mysteries of life from conception to birth and beyond. Focusing on anatomy, genetics, labor, postpartum development and more, it’s an invaluable, comprehensive guide for anyone having a baby. Includes an interactive DVD. A must for parents-to-be and those intrigued by the human body.

Banana-Grams for Kids!
2010, Workman, $34.95
Workman.com

Stop summer setback! Just because kids are out of school doesn’t mean they should stop learning. Based on the award-winning game, Banana-Grams is packed with 130 brain-boosting word workouts. Kids can solve word scrambles, crossword puzzles, fill-in-the-blank, anagrams and more. Cute graphics and fun facts add—you guessed it —appeal. Answer key and difficulty ratings included.

Storychimes
$0.99 each
StoryChimes.com

Take your child’s library with you! Storychimes turn your iPhone or iPod Touch into an interactive storyteller. Kids can read favorite fairy tales, some with wacky twists, like “Goldy Bear and the Three Locks.” Animated stories have music, page turning cues and sound effects. Readers can follow text in English or Spanish. Download stories online or at the iTunes store. An iPad app is coming soon!

Little Ditties for Itty Bitties
Michele Valeri
$12.00
MicheleValeri.com

Created just for infants and toddlers, Little Ditties features a mix of string instruments and percussion. Valeri accompanies these silly songs and call and response tunes with animal sounds. Simple melodies, fun words and bouncy rhythms make this a perfect sing-along CD for your home or classroom. PDF of lyrics and activities included.

Handy Dad
Todd Davis
2010, Chronicle Books, $24.95

Choose from 25 Easy, Afternoon or Weekend projects for dads and kids. Build a Bombproof Bomber paper airplane or back yard zip lines. Construct a bike ramp, go-kart, dollhouse or treasure chest to protect your child’s favorite keepsakes. Athlete, designer and author Todd Davis, host of HGTV’s “Over Your Head,” offers projects to spark creativity while step-by-step directions and how-to photos make the work easy for dads (and moms).

P.S. I Hate It Here!
Diane Falanga
2010, Abrams Image, $12.95
AbramsImage.com

This collection of kids’ actual letters home brings back all the hilarity and homesickness of sleepaway camp. Each image displays children’s creative spelling, their pleading to be picked up or for permission to stay “just two more weeks.”
  Parents and seasoned campers will enjoy reading this collection and laughing at (or commiserating with) these familiar dilemmas: “I hate it here! The letter before this about me starting to have fun was not true…”

Manga Doodles
2010, Buster Books, $12.99
MomBooks.com/buster

This unique coloring book puts your child in the animator’s seat. Manga fans and developing artists can add their own images to big coloring pages or complete the illustrations. Fun prompts (“A spectacular underwater palace,” “Lost in toyland”) suggest creative themes and ideas. A bevy of other doodle books (pages of pictures to complete) are also available.

The Pregnancy Bible
Joanne Stone, MD & Keith Eddleman, MD
2009, Firefly Books, $34.95
Track your pregnancy week by week. Life-size, full color photos, ultrasound images and step-by-step illustrations, checklists, check-up calendars and more guide moms- and dads-to-be through the stages of pregnancy, birth and early infancy.

Jenny raves, “I have four pregnancy books but this is the only one I keep coming back to for info. It’s been my partner from day one of my pregnancy. My husband loves to read it, too!”

Iyengar Yoga for Motherhood
Geeta S. Iyengar, Rita Keller & Kerstin Khattab
2010, Getty Publications, $35.00
Yoga is touted as one of the best forms of exercise available.  

Pregnant women can safely increase flexibility and endurance with this guide, which includes more than 400 pages of pregnancy preparation yoga, safety recommendations for each trimester, contra-indications, delivery and postnatal yoga. Breathing, stretches, sequences for moms-to-be with common problems like diabetes and hypertension, asanas (poses) for beginner to advanced students. 

Loaded with full color illustrations that show correct placement of limbs and props.

Make Room for Daddy The Journey from Waiting Room to Birthing Room
Judith Walzer Leavitt
2009, The University of North Carolina Press, $22.95
This fascinating history explores men’s changing roles in the birth of their children from the 1940s to now. Examining the experiences of fathers, mothers, hospital staff and childbirth educators, it offers a powerful message of purposeful change.
Leavitt says that as men “banded together in hospital waiting rooms, in person and through fathers’ [shared journals], men collectively found the courage to challenge hospital exclusion policies and ultimately came to share both labor and delivery with birthing women.”

Mom: A Mother’s Journal
2010, Journals Unlimited, $18.95
JournalsUnlimited.com
Hectic days and sleepless nights can take a toll on your memory. Luckily, you don’t have to lose any more precious moments. Use The Mother’s Journal to keep track of current events, your feelings, hopes and frustration and life with little ones. Sturdy, spiral- bound journal offers a page a day to preserve your life on paper. Just fill in the lines (such as “Today I feel…” or “Special magical moments”) and use the next page to write about whatever you please. Whether you are a habitual diarist or new to journaling, you’ll create a keepsake to cherish.

A Mother’s Song
Janet Lawler
2010, Sterling, $14.95
A mother and daughter walk through a year of seasons and discover nature’s wonders together: “Bend by the garden and sniff, one by one, the blossoms that burst in the warmth of the sun.”

Sweet, cheerful illustrations will bring back special memories of spring, summer, autumn and winter play.

Bedtime for Mommy
Amy Krouse Rosenthal
2010, Bloomsbury, $16.99
This hilarious switcheroo will leave little readers giggling. Watch as Mommy gets put to bed by her young daughter, including story time, a glass of water and several all-too-familiar “getting settled” moments.

Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars
Sharon Lovejoy
2010, Workman Publishing, $14.95
Have a blast exploring 130 activities created especially for grandparents and kids to do together. Children can curate their own tabletop nature museums, and make mud pies, pinecone bird feeders, “stained glass” windows, a firefly lantern or a worm hotel. Recipes for edible garden-themed goodies are included, too: No-Bake Marshmallow Nests, Critter Cakes and Slippery Spider Smoothies. Workman.com

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Good Growing: A Kid’s Guide to Green Gardening
By the editors at Klutz
2010, Klutz, $16.95
Follow these “easy instructions for growing your own delicious and nutritious food” and kids will surely love eating their veggies. Learn garden basics like planting seeds and identifying garden pests or helpful visitors. Includes two “super sprouter” pots and seed packets for windowsill gardens.
Ages 8 & up.
Klutz.com

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Grow It, Cook It with Kids 
Amanda Grant
2009, Ryland Peters, $19.95
Use this handy guide to teach junior gardeners how to Plant It, Grow It and Pick It. It’s loaded with step-by-step instructions, gorgeous full-color photographs and tasty, super-simple recipes, like sweet strawberry ice cubes and chocolate zucchini cake.
RylandPeters.com

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Succulent Container Gardens
Debra Lee Baldwin
2009, Timber Press, $29.95
San Diego’s climate is just right for cacti and succulents. Beautiful photos of 350 easy and eye-catching arrangements will spark your creativity and help you create perfect container gardens. Baldwin combines textures and colors with natural elements like stone, gravel and ceramic to craft stunning, hardy displays. 
TimberPress.com

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Rock and Roll Garden
The Bari Koral Family Rock Band
Loopytunes, $10.99
Folk and pop singer/songwriter Koral delivers cheerful, upbeat tunes that parents will like listening to. A children’s music and movement teacher, Koral has been deemed  the “Sheryl Crow for kids.” Her catchy melodies will inspire kiddos to get up, dance and sing along.
For ages 2 - 7.
BariKoral.com

This month’s hodgepodge of titles begins with Allison Stewart-Guinee’s Fairy Tale Knits (2009, Wiley, $24.99), a collection of 32 handmade projects inspired by children’s stories. The patterns are designed for infants to 8-year-olds and can be made by beginning to advanced knitters. Little Red Riding Hood’s crimson cape and the traditional European folk clothing of Hansel and Gretel are among the patterns featured in this hardback book with captivating color photographs. Includes basic and special techniques to assist knitters in completing the projects with flair. 

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Megan Nicolay’s Generation T: Beyond Fashion (2009, Workman Publishing, $19.95) is packed with 120 different do-it-yourself projects made from T-shirts and includes a special “Kid Rock” section tailored for parents and their children. It’s hard to believe that one of Daddy’s extra large T-shirts can be transformed into a poufy, empire-waist dress with nothing more than scissors, needle and thread. Other projects range from baby gifts to pet accessories and gifts from the home and car, with more than 30 of these works involve no sewing at all. Talk about creative? This will give you a reason to do something with those old tees.

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Oobleck, Slime and Dancing Spaghetti (2009, Bright Sky Press, $14.95) puts a twist on reading and learning with 20 at-home science experiments inspired by children’s books. This is a unique approach to sparking an interest in science with easy-to-follow experiments and age-appropriate projects for pre-kindergartners through fourth-graders and beyond. Author Jennifer Williams makes science fun with experiments like Sector 7, which teaches children about weather and condensation by making a cloud in a two-liter bottle. For most of these experiments, no special trips to the store are required as needed materials are generally found in kitchens and homes.

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Looking for some happy tunes for your youngster, then consider popping A Great Day by the kids’ rock band Milkshake into the CD player. This upbeat music CD (37 minutes, $14.99) contains 12 songs covering topics from self-esteem to friendship that challenges children to do and be their best. The song “Statue of Me” shares the uniqueness of children by questioning what makes each special. “If there were a statue of me, I wonder what the reason would be. Maybe just for making you smile with my happy little melodies.” Available from www.milkshakemusic.com and other online music retailers.

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Switching gears and focus, Too Close for Comfort? (2009, Berkeley Publishing, $15) questions the intimacy of today’s mothers and daughters. Some relationships between moms and their daughters are unhealthy because the bond is too tight and the lines are blurred, the authors contend. The book contains mother-daughter interviews and explores the idea that mothers and daughters cannot and should not be best friends. Authors Linda Perlman Gordon and Susan Morris Shaffer state that even when mothers and daughters are not best friends, they still offer each other “valuable companionship, trust and pleasure.”

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Finally, fitness guru Tracey Mallett provides new moms with activities and advice on how to get their bodies back after baby with a new DVD, Lose the Belly Flab, and book, Super Fit Mama (2009, Lifelong Books, $17.95). The DVD, which retails for $14.95, includes easy-to-follow exercises termed butt buster, ab conditioning and bonus hardcore abs. In conjunction with the DVD, Mallett’s book is complete with photos demonstrating exercise techniques for pregnant and nursing mothers, healthy snacks to nourish a postpartum body and a strengthening plan for back and pelvic floor. The Super Fit Mama’s eating plan includes having prepared snacks such as and drinking between eight and 12 glasses of water daily. Learn more at www.traceymallett.com/super-fit-mama.html.

Freelance writer Eileen Cornish lives in Santee with her husband Steve and three sons.

Call me biased, but if you’ve got a redhead in your family, consider picking up the pictorial, fun fact-filled book Little Redheads Across America (2009, Redhead Publishing, $29.99). With a redheaded hubby and a ginger-haired, firstborn son, my eye tends to zero in on others with this standout trait. This book contains color photos of more than 400 redheaded children from all 50 states, including 80 little ones from our great state of California. In addition to adorable photos, there’s a wealth of “red” info like why redheads have more freckles and how to care for their extra-sensitive skin. This is a perfect book for those youngsters feeling singled out for being delightfully different than their brunette- or blonde-haired friends.

Field Trips with Recess Monkey (2009, Monkey Mama, $20). Recess Monkey, a three-man independent recording group, writes, sings and acts out their songs while taking young travelers on school bus trips. Originally kindergarten teachers, the band members have broad appeal to youngsters from 3 to 10 with songs such as “Marshmallow Farm” and “Rainbow Road.” This DVD is one of four episodes containing 15 songs narrated by Mayor Monkey, a hand puppet who serves as manager of the group. RecessMonkeyTown.com.

Sometimes in your harried day of parenting young ones reading seems to be a luxury that you can’t afford. Consider the audio CD of the award-winning book Common Sense Parenting of Toddlers and Preschoolers (2009, Boys Town Press, $19.95). This three-CD package runs just under four hours and is designed to tackle tough parenting issues faced by moms and dads of 2- to 5-year-olds. Tantrums and whining are commonplace, so how do you handle it without losing your cool? Avoid using “don’t” statements, the authors contend, and model the correct behavior rather than telling but not showing them. “Be a consistent and positive role model… and praise behaviors that meet your behavior expectations,” the authors write. Topics covered include handling time-outs, toilet training, bedtimes, meals and traveling with your toddler.

Honey, I Wrecked the Kids (2009, Wiley, $16.95) offers a democratic approach to parenting without being permissive. When yelling, time-outs, sticker charts and threats don’t work, there are tips for shaping your child’s behavior. Author Alyson Schafer notes that every person (even children) need to feel the four Cs—connected, capable, counted and courageous. When children have a deficiency in any of these Cs, their behavior suffers and has adverse affects on their parents. For example, by learning the “delicate art of ignoring” children’s negative behaviors can be curbed and eliminated. If your child is throwing a tantrum, “simply go about your business as if you didn’t hear it.” Easier said than done but definitely effective.

Mojo Mom by Amy Tiemann (2009, Gotham Books, $16) is described as a book for any mom who needs a friend. It addresses a variety of ways to nurture yourself while raising your family. Mommy Mojo is a number of things, Tiemann says, including being on top of your game by managing life and family. The book discusses self-care and creativity to fulfill life’s goals. Each chapter offers Mojo Activities to put words into action. One suggestion is letting the housework wait while taking a guilt-free moment for yourself. “A Mojo Mom knows that sometimes a messy house means that you are busy doing something more important,” Tiemann adds.

Finally, a funny memoir by former child actor Quinn Cummings tackles parenting Hollywood style in Notes from the Underwire: Adventures from my Awkward and Lovely Life (2009, Hyperion, $14.99). Through a collection of vignettes, Cummings’ book embraces motherhood with an open heart and sense of humor. In the chapter about getting her daughter to eat vegetables, Cummings ultimately loses the healthy eating battle and realizes that she is not the “strong, resolute figure leading my daughter through the primeval forest of childhood.” Her realization that she is not the perfect mom is one that resounds with mothers everywhere.

Freelance writer Eileen Cornish lives with redheads, vows to maintain her mojo and has yet to wreck her kids.   

Flat Belly Diet! Family Cookbook
Liz Vaccariello
$26.99; Rodale

Touting the benefits of monounsaturated fats (MUFA) in supporting healthier cholesterol and blood sugar levels, this lifestyle cookbook shares tips on meal planning, shopping with kids and maintaining a healthy weight. 150 recipes include Seared Salmon BLT, Lemon Shrimp with Roasted Peppers Pasta, Thai Basil Coconut Chicken and a plethora of sides, salads, snacks and desserts.

Eat! Move! Play!
Weight Watchers
$19.95; Wiley

Follow five simple rules to help break the cycle of obesity-related health problems. Take the Parenting Style quiz, learn not just what to feed kids, but how and why, and how to incorporate daily activity. Includes 75 kid-friendly recipes such as Pumpkin Pie Muffins, funny face Hummus Heads, Turkey and Rice “Mice” and Spaghetti Pie.

Bean Appétit
Shannon Payette Seip, Kelly Parthen & Carisa Dixon
$14.99; Andrews Mc Meel

These super-cute and simple meals will please even finicky eaters. Colorful pages offer a bounty of fun and information, such as Table Talk conversation starters, Recycling Tips, and food-related trivia and games. Recipes include a Hungry Caterpillar spring roll, Campfire Crunch, fruity Fla-Mango Soup and chocolatey Lollipop Cakes.

Fix-It and Forget-It Kids’ Cookbook
Phyllis Pellman Good
$19.99; Good Books

Kids will love taking over dinner duty with these simple slow cooker recipes. Features 50 sides, desserts and main dishes, each using just a few ingredients and simple steps. Enjoy easy morning prep, and come home to a hot, delicious dinner of family favorites like Chocolate Pudding Cake, Broccoli Corn Bread, Meat Loaf and Cheesy Green Beans.

Christmas Cooking with Kids
Annie Rigg
$19.95; Ryland Peters & Small

Baker and food stylist Rigg offers up a delectable sampling of more than 60 gorgeous goodies. These fanciful holiday sweets and savories look fancy but are deceptively easy to make. Four sections include Treats and Gifts, including Peppermint Creams, Coconut Ice and Frosted Fruit; Edible Decorations—Advent Cookies, Popcorn Garlands and Candy Trees; Party Food—Pesto Palmiers and Ham & Cheese Scones; and Cakes & Desserts—Buche de Noel and Mini Baked Alaskas.

Sewing School
Amie Petronis Plumley & Andria Lisle
$16.95; Storey Publishing

With a few basic stitches, kids can make their own clothes, bags and toys—whatever they like! Pattern pieces, clear instruction and how-to photos will guide newbies every step of the way. There’s also a Vet Clinic, with repair tips for stuffed animals, and a Recycle and Repair section that details basic mending techniques and ideas for repurposing old or worn-out clothes. Lastly, a resource guide for tools, fabric and supplies, along with sewing blogs for kids, is included.

Paper Scissors Glue
Catherine Woram
$19.95; Ryland Peters & Small

Paper is the perfect medium to experiment with print-making, painting, sculpture, découpage, collage and molding along with providing practice for skills such as cutting, tracing and folding. Featuring 45 crafts for kids ages 3-10, there are cool and colorful projects for all skill levels. Templates and bright photos of cute kids and their creations make this a fun addition to your family library.

10-Minute Puppets
Noel MacNeal
$10.95; Workman

Using socks, boxes, sticks, paper fabric scraps and other easy-to-find items, master puppeteer MacNeal, a 20-year performer on Sesame Street, lets kids’ creativity abound.
The book provides simple step-by-step direction and templates for sock, finger and shadow puppets, along with theater how-to’s and storytelling tips. It’s a quick and zany way to encourage whimsical playtime and spur imagination.

Art with Anything
MaryAnn Kohl
$19.95; Gryphon House, Inc.

Recycled materials and everyday items become sand art, magnet crafts, glitter pix, robot tubes, jar crafts and much more. Teachers, Scout leaders and homeschooling parents will appreciate the wide range of art projects in this book. There’s one for every day of the year!

Papertoy Monsters
Brian Castleforte
$16.95; Workman

Assemble one of 50 die-cut paper templates and bring a quirky monster to life. Using just a glue stick and a toothpick, kids can build an army of beasts, zombies, aliens and other fantastic creatures. It’s loads of fun to see the finished product but this book is best for older kids, or those with advanced motor skills. Little ones may become frustrated by the tiny details, or tear small assembly tabs.