kids books Archives - NAPPA Awards

November 15, 2024 by NAPPA Awards Team

We have a fun job at NAPPA Awards! We spend the year opening boxes, playing with toys and games and testing out family products like strollers and baby bottler warmers. Sharing our favorite finds with you is the highlight of our year. We know you’ll love these products as much as we do.

Our Jingle Holiday Gift Guide is filled with toys, games, books, music and much more. We have gifts for the creative kid and the one who loves STEAM and building. We have toys and games that promote the love of the world and different cultures, while our Sustainability Award celebrates products that are taking better care of our planet. We also have great finds for kids who love to be active and those who spend hours immersed in imaginative play.

Our Jingle Holiday Gift Guide is filled with NAPPA Award-winning toys, games, books, music and much more.

And our Bundle Gift Guide is all about Baby, Toddlers and New Moms. We have gifts for babies with sensitive skin and moms on the go. We have strollers, swings, monitors, bottles, highchairs and much more. These baby and toddler essentials are a must-have for new parents.

Our Bundle Baby, Toddler and New Mom Gift Guide is filled with NAPPA Award-winning gear, baby and toddler essentials, best for mom products, toys and much more.

For more award-winning products visit nappaawards.com

April 2, 2024 by

I Am Different, I am Great

Mei Mei loves school, but sometimes she feels a bit out of place. She speaks with an accent that makes her stand out from everyone else. When she tells Mommy her worries, Mei Mei finds that she’s more than just her voice. $14.99, ages 2-8, amazon.com

AU ZOO (At the Zoo)

Kids will love this musical introduction to French, as they dance and sing along to playful and diverse musical rhythms from reggae, merengue, and blues to African sounds. Invites kids to sing and dance along to lively rhythms as they learn about animals, the alphabet, greetings, parts of the body, places in the community, and much more. $14.99 (CD)/$9.99 (digital download), whistlefritz.com

South Asian Girl Doll, Tara

Introducing Tara. She embraces her cultural heritage by adorning herself in traditional Indian attire, complete with a bindi and matching bangles. Meticulously handcrafted by skilled women artisans in India. Crafted from 100% cotton. $49.99, ages birth-4 years, theculturorama.com

Yeti, My Friend

An AI-based interactive storytelling platform that brings next-generation competencies (critical thinking and character building) to children through stories. Based on real-world topics such as – citizenship, differentiating facts and opinions, diverse abilities, inclusiveness, care for the environment and more. Encourages mindfulness and screen breaks to ensure the children improve their learning stamina. FREE, ages 5-8 years, yetimyfriend.com

February 6, 2024 by NAPPA Awards Team

We’re celebrating Kindness and Inclusion with these recent NAPPA Award winners. Whether it’s through music, books, toys or games, we can show our kids that choosing kindness, celebrating differences and our own uniqueness is always a good idea.

Showing respect and compassion not only promotes belonging, but it actually creates a sense of well-being for our kids. Kindness also boosts happiness and more acts of kindness.

Congratulations to these recent NAPPA Award winners:

Share Your Love

The rhyming couplets and beautiful art in this charming book carry children through the thoughtful process of extending love and kindness to themselves and the world. $18.95, ages 3-7, shambhala.com

Asian Cultural Dolls Collection

Representing diverse Asian cultures, these 18″ dolls promote self-love, heritage pride and respect. The initial collection features 6 dolls, representing Chinese, Filipina, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean and Indian cultures. $55, ages 2+, joeydolls.com

The Yugo Game

Developed by a yoga therapist, this game features over 40 fun and engaging poses and movements for energy and relaxation. It can be played as one larger deck or split into two smaller decks for up to 10 players. Great for classrooms, camps or at home with friends. $24.95, theyugogame.com

Rubik’s Sensory Cube

Feel the colors. A unique 3×3 cube that has six distinguishable tactile markings for each color of the cube. Designed to enable the visually impaired and unsighted users or those who enjoy the challenge of solving the cube by feel alone. Launched in partnership with the National Federation of the Blind. $12.99, ages 8+, amazon.com

Ammu’s Treasures by Chandrika Tandon

A three-volume omnibus of 35 songs in different genres and languages and 21 Vedic chants with accompanying animation videos. A gift of intergenerational love and hugs, featuring 17 maestros. $35, ages 3-10, chandrikatandon.com

How Do You Know What You Know?

A charming story that celebrates tracing the origin of everything. Encourages curiosity and shows children that everywhere they look there is a story to be told if they ask. $18.95, ages 4-8, shambhala.com

Flipeez Stuffed Animals

Adorable plushies with big personalities and the cutest expressions. Squeeze their feet for a giggle. Watch their arms flap or their ears flip, depending on the character. Get a Dragon, Puppy, Panda or a Fennec Fox. $14.99, ages 3+, myflipeez.com

Social Skills Activities for Today’s Kids

Features 75+ colorful activities and hands-on projects to help prepare children for social situations such as making friends, being at school, going to new places and being online. Includes a removable social skills handbook and family discussion starters. $11.99, ages 4-11, evan-moor.com

For more award-winning products visit nappaawards.com.

March 15, 2023 by

Our NAPPA Awards team loves celebrating great reads. Check out our latest NAPPA Award winning books for all ages.

Babies & Toddlers

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

Farm Animals

Bond with baby and build emotional security through a cozy reading ritual. This board book with whimsical illustrations introduces kids to the fun world of barnyard friends. Includes interactive features. $17.95, ages 6 months – 3 years, lilbigworld.com

Messy Time

This book shows joyful, messy play in different environments: with art materials; with mud, sand, and water; in the kitchen; in the garden; in the bathtub. It is messy play that provides rich sensory experiences and unstructured play. At the back of the book, a section for parents and caregivers has tips for making the most of messy play, including clean-up time. $8.99, ages 1-5 years, freespirit.com

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

Try-Again Time

Helps young children develop a growth mindset, learn how to persevere and practice self-regulation skills. The back of the book provides active suggestions and tips for adults to manage try-again time together. $8.99, ages 2+, freespirit.com

Preschool & Early Elementary

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

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

Tweens & Teens

You Got a Phone! (Now Read This Book)

Features a humorous yet supportive tone and hilarious illustrations that draw readers in and keep them engaged. Provides important information on cyberbullying and the hazards of too much screen time. $10.99, tweens, freespirit.com

Slaying Digital Dragons

With a frank and humorous approach to a timely topic, this book pulls back the curtain on the hidden aspects of the digital world. It shares signs of how screen time can affect the lives of young adults and gives tips for protecting their privacy, safety, and reputation through social media. $24.99, ages 10-18 years, freespirit.com

My Little Pony: Virtual Magic

Ever wondered what it would be like to visit modern-day Equestria? This 18-chapter extended reality (XR) adventure will take you deep inside — with the exclusive prequel content of Izzy’s backstory. $39.99, ages 7-11, quantumstorey.com

Parents

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

This May Be Difficult to Read

Brings cognitive and developmental research to life for parents to help their child with reading and comprehension. Transform interactions at home so that learning becomes a byproduct of fun by thinking as a child thinks and learning as a child learns. $19.99, parents, amazon.com

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

May 6, 2020 by NAPPA Awards Team

We’re so excited for this! Welcome to Julie’s Library, where books bring us together. Every week, Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton will settle into the reading nook for a new story during their story time podcast. This is definitely one of our favorite things!

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.

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.