children's books Archives

February 14, 2023 by

Who said you always need technology to have? Check out these NAPPA Award Winners for loads of entertaining activities that don’t require a screen.

DISO Podcast

Share magical stories with your kids in the spirit of the golden days of radio. Available in English, Spanish and French. Narrated by professional actors. $3.99, ages 3+, podcasts.apple.com

Go Fish US History

Takes everyone’s favorite childhood card game and combines it with US History. No longer do you ask, “Any 4’s?” Now you ask, “any presidents?” Not do you have any kings but rather, “Do you have any Scientists, Authors, Sports Legends, Women in History? 11.99. ages 7+, KosoGames.com

Make-A-Fort Explorer Kit

You can make 5 of our Creations including forts, mazes, houses, and more. Let your imagination run wild and design your own. $94.99, ages 4+, makeafort.fun

Story Time Chess

Teaches chess to young children using silly stories, vibrant illustrations, custom chess pieces and a unique chessboard. No chess experience is required for parents or children. Makes learning to play simple and fun. $39.99, ages 3+, storytimechess.com

Dino Super Dome

Transform your little one’s playroom into a prehistoric playground. Dinosaurs roam all four walls of this play tent and they come to life with the lifelike roar button. Also includes 6 dino toys and LED lights with remote control. $44.99, ages 4-7, amazon.com

Scenties

Colorful accessories with a fun twist. The hair ties, headbands, scrunchies and face mask ear loops and mask bands are fragranced with playful scents like Cotton Candy and Vanilla Cupcake. Stretch ’em, sniff ’em, wear ’em, and share ’em. $8, ages 4-12, scenties.com

Freshwater Tank

Have you ever dreamed of making your freshwater aquarium? Now you can with this fun and educational board game. With 155 different freshwater fish and 100 incidents, see for yourself what fish you would want to have and how to take care of them. The goal of the game is to become the first person to create a compatible fish tank with 10 fish. $39.99, ages 6+, amazon.com

Bedtime Defenderz

Vigilant and fierce plush heroes that battle villains hiding in the dark. Help kids overcome bedtime fears. Comes with a comic book, a power band slap bracelet, and a glow-in-the-dark belt buckle to help kiddos feel safe and secure at night. $29.99, ages 3-7, bedtimedefenderz.com

February 9, 2023 by By Elena Epstein, Director of the National Parenting Product Awards

We’re so excited to bring you our latest NAPPA Award winners that are full of Kindness and Positivity!

Sing A Song of Kindness

Rediscover your favorite nursery rhymes, adapted to celebrate kindness, friendship and compassion. This beautifully illustrated collection comes with a touching message that a little kindness makes the world a better place. $9.99, ages birth+, silverdolphinbooks.com

The Hero of Compassion: How Lokeshvara Got One Thousand Arms

A retelling of a classic Asian Buddhist tale of compassion and resilience that teaches that even when we feel overwhelmed by the suffering we see in the world, we can still find creative ways to help those around us. $18.95, ages 4-8, shambhala.com

Work, Parent, Thrive

Ditch guilt and manage overwhelm with these science-backed strategies. The friendly and supportive tips and anecdotes are designed to give working parents the tools they need to better manage the daily challenges and focus more on the joy. $19.95, shambhala.com

“I’m a Great Recycler”

Sing along with your little one on how you can help save the earth by recycling, composting and donating. Catchy tune with a positive message. 99 cents, ages birth+, debiderryberry.com

Baby Ballers: Venus and Serena Williams

Before they were serving up grand slam victories, Venus and Serena Williams were just two sisters growing up in Compton. Follow along this inspiring story as they go from learning tennis with their dad to winning Wimbledon. $7.99, ages birth-2 years, silverdolphinbooks.com

More Than Affirmations: Inspiring Affirmation Cards, Reflection Prompts and Activities for Kids

Features 30 positive affirmation cards for kids with different and unique reflection prompts, mindful activities and exercises. Promotes confidence, positivity and self-reflection. $19.99, ages 4-11, meditationfairy.com

‘The Moon is Broken’

A lyrical bedtime story that explores the power of imagination and friendship while teaching children about the phases of the moon. $9.99, ages 2-5, amazon.com

We Listen to Our Bodies

Gives children a vocabulary to understand and communicate their feelings, develop personal boundaries, and build their social and emotional skills. $15.99, ages 3-5, freespirit.com

Be Bright Lulu Doll

Help your child discover their strength and courage with this unique doll whose lilac hair has a UV activated blonde streak that turns pink in the sun. Kids can join five animal guardians and use their spirit to be confident, dream big and change the world. $49.99, ages 3+, adora.com

Care Bears Dare to Care Bear

A new friend whose all about kindness, compassion and acceptance to all around her. This multicolored plush wants everyone to know that “it’s cool to be kind!” $14.99, ages 4+, basicfun.com

NAPPA Awards has been celebrating the best in family products for 33 years. For more product reviews and gift ideas visit nappaawards.com

February 11, 2021 by

While every day is a great day to show your love and appreciation for your kids, Valentine’s Day gives all of us a wonderful opportunity to express our feelings — and nothing says love more than kindness. At NAPPA Awards, we are celebrating kindness and positivity all year long by showcasing books, music and other great products that will bring joy and connection to your family and remind us that we need to be kind to ourselves, to each other, to our community and to our world.

Best for Mom

Let’s start with all the moms who always put everyone else first. We know this past year has not been easy, parenting through a pandemic, that’s why we love KindNotes. These beautiful jars of 31 handcrafted messages, enclosed in mini decorative envelopes, combine the charm of handwritten notes with positive affirmations perfect for a little pick-me up. Comes in a variety of designs and themes and can be customized. Starting at $34.95, kindnotes.com

And we think every mom deserves some quiet time to reflect and recharge. MamaZen Mindful Parenting App provides the perfect space to relieve stress, fatigue and anxiety using a combination of meditation, hypnotherapy and mindfulness . The 150 brief audio sessions (5-15 min) cover common topics among moms. 30-day free trial, then $14.99/month, mamazen.com

Spread Kindness Through Music

We know you’re going to love these recent NAPPA Award winners as much as we do. Music is such a wonderful source of well-being and the messages of kindness in these songs are universal and great for all ages.

Make it Happen!

Cheery, charming and energetic songs celebrate the simple joys of life, while also delivering positive messages of empowerment, courage and strength. Packed with lyrical wisdom centering on creating meaningful relationships and experiences. $9.99, staceypeasley.com

Thank You, Mister Rogers – Music & Memories

A heartfelt tribute album featuring classic songs performed by award winning artists. Highlights include the spirited Latin rhythms on Jaci Velasquez’s playful take of “You Can Never Go Down The Drain,” Jon Secada’s Spanish interpretation of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” and actress/singer Rita Wilson, whose husband Tom Hanks wonderfully portrayed Fred Rogers in the movie, provides a tender rendition of “Sometimes People Are Good.” $10.95, thankyoumisterrogers.com

A Mind of Your Own

Featuring Nashville-based songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, a Brooklyn-based, fiddle-playing child psychiatrist and an array of acclaimed Americana performers in a captivating and upbeat debut album filled with songs and skits touching on a variety of topics—making new friends, coping with failure, learning a new language, dealing with emotions and bullying. Invites listeners to think deeply on feelings and emotions that come with growing up, while focusing on resilience. $14.98, folkways.si.edu

Words to Inspire

Find a cozy nook and start reading together. Beautiful illustrations and words will inspire you to be in awe of nature and all the creatures around us. There is so much to be thankful for if we just take a look around and really notice.

Good Morning, Good Morning

The lyrical wordplay encourages children to explore their surroundings and notice the subtle sensations within their bodies, all while helping them develop their daily mindfulness practice. Written and illustrated by women of color and featuring diverse characters. $12, ages birth-4, bounlesblooms.com

The Mighty River

Celebrates the community we share through nature and the diverse animals and plants that call the river home. Includes beautiful illustrations, a wide array of information, ideas on how to protect our waterways and space to draw and describe river animals and scenes. $15, ages 2-8, years, beautifulworldbooks.com

Kindness Tales

A curated collection of children’s stories celebrating the timeless power of kindness to make the world a gentler, safer and even more loving place by author and highly-respected folklorist, Margaret Read MacDonald. $16.95, ages 6-10, augusthouse.com

The Book of Cultures

A 120-page picture book for young readers to discover the world, embrace its diversity and go on adventures near and far, all from the comfort of their home. Featuring 30 stories with buddies from different countries, followed by a 2-page activity snapshot on each culture. $35, ages 4-9, worldwidebuddies.com

Be Together

To teach our kids about their big feelings is a true gift. Sit together, talk and use these creative and colorful cards to enhance your child’s social emotional learning.

The Little Yogi Deck: Simple Yoga Practices to Help Kids Move Through Big Emotions

A colorful card deck featuring 48 simple yoga and mindfulness practices to help kids work through big emotions on and off the mat. Eight color-coded categories include anger, worry, excitement, sadness, joy, jealousy, shame and peace. Includes a practice booklet. $19.95, ages 5+, Shambhala.com

Mindful Moments: Guided Exercises and Mantras for Kids

Easy-to-follow guided exercises blending mindfulness meditation and empowering affirmations to build emotional intelligence and encourage kids to tap into the present moment and their unique strengths. Includes mindful tips booklet. $30, ages 2+, boundlessblooms.world

Imagine That

It is through play that kids learn about life. Give them a world filled with imagination, kindness, love and generosity.

Poppy the Kindness Unicorn & Pawley Bear

Join Poppy and Pawley on their journey filled with friendship, kindness, and lots of fun as they spread kindness through Sharewood Forest. $34.99, ages 3+, plushible.com

Care Bears: Love-A-Lot Bear

A group of huggable BFFs living that sweet caring life. Perfect for unlimited bear hugs and ready for you to take on your adventures of sharing and caring. Comes with a collectible Care Coin to spark on conversation and action on everyday acts of kindness. $14.99, ages 4+, Walmart.com

Sharewood Forest Friends

Enter a magical world filled with friendship and sharing. Each friend comes with an adorable outfit, pajama set and reusable packaging that unfolds into a unique playscape, where kindness grows as large as the mighty oak and spreads like wildflowers. $34.99, ages 2-4, sharewoodfriends.com

For more product reviews visit nappaawards.com

December 16, 2020 by

One of our favorite childhood memories is looking through toy catalogs and circling the ones we loved and hoped would arrive wrapped with a big bow. Flipping through the pages and dreaming about each item was a big part of the whole holiday experience – the anticipation of something wonderful. We want to give you that feeling again with our Jingle Holiday Gift Guide. We have been busy all year testing and evaluating to bring you this wonderful collection featuring more than 250 award-winning toys, games, books, family music and other unique finds. NAPPA Awards has been celebrating the best in family products for 30 years. This year’s selection includes products with positive messages of kindness, inclusion and community – products that celebrate diversity and uniqueness. This year, watching those smiles on our kids’ faces when they rip open their holiday gifts will be even more special. Happy Gifting!

Here’s what you’ll find inside:

Gifts with a Positive Message
Unique finds, including items perfect for those who love cozy and warm
Toys to spark imagination
Products that are all about creativity
Outdoor Fun
Book, music and games

April 15, 2020 by NAPPA Awards Team

One of our favorite things to do with our kids is READ! We can’t get enough books and we’re so excited to share these latest NAPPA Award winners!

A Celebration of the Shy, Introverted Kid in Us All

A Way with Wild Things by Larissa Theule and illustrated by Sara Palacios is a sweet story that celebrates the shy and introverted kids among us, as well as the other small creatures to be found if we look closely enough. Poppy loves nature and can be found playing with bugs, but around people she’s more comfortable blending into her surroundings. At a party, Poppy stays out of sight until a special bug lands on the cake and draws her into the spotlight. Soon, the rest of the guests notice the beautiful dragonfly and Poppy, too. Maybe she’s not a wallflower after all, but a wildflower.

All About Our Big Feelings

Ravi’s Roar by Tom Percival is the newest book in the Big Bright Feelings series, picture books providing kid-friendly entry points into emotional intelligence. Ravi never minded being the smallest in the family, until one day he runs into a lot of frustrations. Ravi gets so furious that he can’t control his temper anymore and he becomes a ferocious TIGER! Being a tiger is great, but when no one wants to play with him, Ravi discovers something very important about voicing his feelings.

A Hilarious Book About Potty Training and Independence

Sloth Went by Adam Lehrhaupt and illustrated by Benson Shum is a hilarious picture book about a sloth on the go. A sloth who is very slowly making his way to a major milestone: potty training! Today is Sloth’s big day. He’s excited. But he’s also nervous.What if something happens? What if NOTHING happens? More than a book about poop, this is an adventure story about facing your fears, gaining independence, and learning to do what you have to.

An Adventure of Limitless Imagination

The Girl and the Dinosaur is an evocative, enchanting picture book that celebrates one girl’s limitless imagination and takes readers on a magical journey far beyond the page, perfect for fans of the Fan Brothers. In a seaside town, Marianne often digs for buried treasure on the beach and one day finds a dinosaur skeleton! That night, Marianne wishes upon a star with all her heart that her dinosaur will come to life. When her wish comes true, Marianne’s adventures with her new friend are limited only by their imagination.

Strive & Grow with Exuberant Spirit

I Got the School Spirit is an exuberant celebration of the first day of school illustrated by award-winning Frank Morrison. This book will have every kid cheering for school to begin! Summer is over, and this little girl has got the school spirit. She hears the school spirit in the bus driving up the street–VROOM, VROOM!–and in the bell sounding in the halls–RING-A-DING! She sings the school spirit in class with her friends–ABC, 123! The school spirit helps us all strive and grow. What will you learn today?

Filled with Charm, Spunk and Kindness

From Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Award winner Renée Watson comes the first book in a young middle grade series about Ryan Hart, a girl who is pure spirit, kindness and sunshine. Acclaimed author Renée Watson writes her own version of Ramona Quimby, one starring a Black girl and her family, in this start to a charming new series — Ways to Make Sunshine.

A Delightful Story of Friendship and Kindness

Lily to the Rescue is an irresistible chapter book series from the New York Times bestselling author of A Dog’s Purpose Puppy Tales featuring Lily, a rescue dog who rescues other animals!

A Witty Book to Get Things Done

Flush! And 37 Essential House Rules is the family operating manual for the next decade – a witty book of research-backed rules to help you raise calmer, happier children. By drawing upon neuroscience, academic research and focus groups around everyday family life, Flush! brings essential house rules to life with Mrs. Wordsmith’s acclaimed hilarious illustrations and witty words of wisdom that kids and parents alike won’t stop repeating.

For more award-winning books and products, visit nappaawards.com

January 29, 2020 by

Our latest NAPPA Award winners bring fun and learning together.

Bookful

A mobile app for kids that uses augmented reality to bring books to life. Choosing from an extensive library of AR books that features the best publishers such as Penguin Random House and DK, the child can learn, read and have fun at the same time. The books range from classics such as Peter Rabbit to Hasbro’s Transformers. Ages 3-8, $59.99, bookful.app

Cooking class Global Feast!

Provides a wonderful opportunity for kids to gain practical kitchen skills through preparing food from around the world. Step-by-step photography feature children from a wide range of backgrounds preparing dishes that reflect their unique food traditions. A pop-out food passport, world language flash cards, and flag stickers provide additional fun on their global food journey. Ages 8+, $18.95, www.storey.com

Heartsongs of the Rainbow

Created by a pediatric speech pathologist with the goal of uplifting, inspiring, nurturing and supporting those in the Special Needs Community. This album can also be enjoyed by all children. Each song allows children the opportunity to learn and demonstrate simple physical and gestural movements as well as to vocalize with repetitive, easy-to-make sounds. Ages 2-10, $15, theadrienneprocess.com

Busy Kid

Start the important conversations about money early with this educational app. Kids will learn about money management, including saving, spending, investing and helping others through the app. Ages 6-16, $7.99/year, Busykid.com

Be Kind: You Can Make the World a Happier Place! 125 Kind Things to Say & Do

With joyful illustrations and kid-friendly writing, this idea book serves as a delightful, easy-to-read collection of 125 concrete activities kids and their families can pick and choose from and act out in their daily lives — no special occasion required. Ages 5+, $12.95, storey.com

Kid Activists

Every activist started out as a kid—and in some cases they were kids when their activism began! But even the world’s greatest champions of civil liberties had relatable interests and problems–often in the middle of extraordinary circumstances. Features kid-friendly texts and full-color cartoon illustrations on nearly every page. Ages 9-12, $13.95, quirkbooks.com

For more book and app reviews, visit NAPPA Awards. #playlearnconnect

August 6, 2019 by Elena Epstein

Silver Dolphin Books has two new series that are perfect for your little ones. Wild Bios and the Story of Rock and Rap are filled with colorful illustrations and witty writing that will delight parents along with their kids.

The Wild Bios series introduce four iconic historical figures with a fun animal twist.

Wild Bios: Frida Catlo

Famous Meowxican painter Frida Catlo was a pioneer for female artists. She always painted from the heart, even in the face of health problems and personal struggles. $7.99.

Wild Bios: William Sheepspeare

Dive into the life of the eloquent Baa-rd of Avon and the plays that shaped our language today. William Sheepspeare’s human themes have resonated with every generation. $7.99

Wild Bios: Amelia Harehart

Learn about the extraordinary life of the brave pilot Amelia Harehart, and the glass ceilings she flew through. Breaking records and always setting new goals to achieve, Amelia Harehart was an inspiration. $7.99.

Wild Bios: Neil Armswan

With wings to the future and beak held high, Neil Armswan was a model astronaut and pioneer in space travel, leaving webbed footprints on the moon. $7.99.

The History of Rock and Rap bring to life the greatest musicians of our time.

The Story of Rap

From Grandmaster Flash to Kendrick Lamar, rap has shaped generations and brought a voice to the voiceless. Bop along with the greats in The Story of Rap, an adorable baby book that introduces little ones to the rappers that started it all. $8.99.

The Story of Rock

From Elvis Presley to Beatlemania, from Janis Joplin to David Bowie—rock has transformed through generations while ringing true with passionate sound. Rock along with the greats in The Story of Rock, a delightful baby book that introduces little ones to the rockers that started it all!

For more book and product reviews, visit nappaawards.com.

April 10, 2019 by Elena Epstein

We all want to do fun things with our kids, but sometimes coming up with the ideas is the hardest part. With these recent NAPPA Award-winners, you’ll have tons of inspiration for creative fun.

101 Kids Activities That Are the Ooey, Gooey-est Ever!

From the bestselling authors of 101 Kids Activities, 101 Coolest Simple Science Experiments and Adorkable Bubble Bath Crafts, 101 Kids Activities That Are the Ooey, Gooey-est Ever! is full of exciting and fantastical recipes that include tips on the science behind the goo, so you can learn too. Whether it’s a slime, a dough or some other moldable creation, you’ll be able to create and become whatever your imagination dreams up. $21.99, ages 6 to 12.

Awesome Edible Kids Crafts

Never before has it been more fun to play with your food! Arena Blake, founder of the blog The Nerd’s Wife, shares exciting crafts that are made out of your favorite things to eat. Awesome Edible Kids Crafts features a variety of projects, each with a difficulty rating that lets you know if you’l need a grownup’s help. All projects use safe, nontoxic ingredients to spark creativity. $21.99, ages 6 to 11 years.

Express Yourself: A Hand Lettering Workbook for Kids

Decorate your life with fun fonts and beautiful quotes made your way. In Express Yourself: A Hand Lettering Workbook for Kids, Amy Latta will show you the basics of hand lettering and beyond. Learn fancy cursive and watercolor lettering. Add adorable details like flowers and animals. In the craft bonus section, you’ll find ideas on how to turn your finished work into fabulous DIY projects. Embellish pillows, notebooks and wall art with your own unique writing. It’s easy to share your art online, and make one-of-a-kind cards and invitations for friends and family. $19.99, ages 10+

March 13, 2019 by Elena Epstein

NAPPA Awards Q & A with Mary Amato, author of News from Me, Lucy McGee

We are thrilled to introduce you to our latest NAPPA Award winning author, Mary Amato — sharing childhood memories and how she created Lucy McGee.

Mary Amato at Friendship Charter

Please share one fun memory from your childhood.

My father loved to sing and whenever we would get in the car, we would all sing together. Show tunes, pop songs, folk songs, commercials, TV theme songs . . . anything and everything. I loved it most when we were driving and singing at night. There was something magical about the idea of this car filled with music traveling along a road with darkness on either side. As I was joining my voice with my sisters and parents, I would sometimes be overcome with a joy so big and deep I would start to cry.

Tell us a little about Lucy and why you created her?

Lucy is a fourth grader with a huge heart, lots of energy, and a tendency to make mistakes. Her zest for life gets in the way of her ability to know when she is being manipulated by mean girl Scarlett Tandy. I wanted to explore a character who struggles with her desire to fit in with the “popular” crowd and her desire to be true to herself. Lucy is also a budding songwriter and ukulele player, and I wanted to offer a role model of a child who takes the risk to write and share her own music with her friends and family.

What do you hope young readers will gain most from the Lucy McGee series?

To me, the series packs a three-fold punch. It’s about friendship, family, and the joy of music.

Regarding friendship, I’m hoping that my readers will see that you have to learn how to be a good friend, how to own up to your mistakes when you hurt a friend’s feelings, and how to stand up for yourself when a friend hurts yours.
Regarding family, I’m hoping that my readers see that loving and close, relationships between family members can be strengthened with humor and honesty. Often, in order to have drama or tension in a book, authors create a negative or challenging home life for their characters: parents who don’t understand or who are absent, or siblings who are antagonists. I wanted to create a model of a healthy, happy family—one in which everybody makes mistakes, but always works together to learn and forgive.
Regarding music, I’m hoping my readers will be inspired to play and sing and write their own songs.

These books are special in that the songs that Lucy writes are available to hear and sing along. I want to encourage families to sing together. Parents can find all the songs and the karaoke versions of the songs on a special page on my site. https://www.maryamato.com/lucy-songs/

Our readers are all parents. What’s the best way for parents to encourage their kids to read and write more?

My favorite suggestion is to encourage diary writing. Instead of buying a fancy blank book, start with a very small, thin book that your child can feel good about filling up. Encourage your child to write anything and not worry about mistakes. Do your own at the same time. Once a month have a special reading where you each share a page from your diaries.

February 26, 2019 by Elena Epstein

We’re excited to share two of our newest NAPPA Awards book winners.

DITTY BIRD MUSICAL BOOKS

Meet Ditty Bird, an adorable bird who loves to sing and will take your little one on a musical journey of playful learning. This charming musical book collection is educational, interactive and fun for inquisitive babies and toddlers. Promotes early language and fine motor skills, auditory development, music appreciation and bonding. Each board book has a “music” button on each page, which triggers one of six captivating tunes, sung by children. $16.49, ages: 1 – 3.

Knights Club: The Bands of Bravery

Knights Club: The Bands of Bravery is a middle-grade graphic novel series that makes your child the valiant hero of a fantasy quest—pick your panel, find items, gain abilities, solve puzzles and play through new storylines again and again. This book combines two loved genres: graphic novels and stories that allow readers to choose their own adventures. $9.99, ages: 8 – 12.