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.
