Category: books

How Children’s Adventure Books Encourage Active Lives!

Posted on | by KD Novelties

Reading children’s adventure books inspires creativity through imaginative adventures, and getting lost in a book doesn’t just happen in a child’s mind. Acting out a story lets children become part of a story…and interpret the adventure.

Role-playing and imaginative adventures based on plot lines from favorite books also help get kids up and outdoors to engage in a healthy dose of activity. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “children and adolescents should do 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of physical activity each day.”

Reading, of course,is also an integral part of a child’s growth and development. Reading aloud for 15 minutes each day greatly helps children learn phonics skills, boost their comprehension and help them develop a love of books. As kids grow older and learn to read silently to themselves, books introduce them to new worlds and ideas.

Inside the pages of children’s adventure books are adventures and discoveries. Mysteries unfold and creatures come to life. All this excitement can’t and shouldn’t be contained within the binding of the book. Let kids act out their favorite stories and characters and help them realize how they can bring their stories to life!

Pirate Adventures

Reading pirate themed children’s adventure books or maybe even Treasure Island with your kids? Round them up and go on a real treasure hunt! Grab a map (or make one!) and head outside. For this adventure, make up a list of interesting loot to find. Today ye be pirates!

Ahoy, mateys! If ye can’t think of a list o’ loot, here be some suggestions: a coin of each denomination, a flower, a four-leaf clover for luck (yes, they do exist!), a dragon’s foot print (a bird’s will do!), and some seeds that fly (helicopter seeds or dandelions).

Head to Hogwarts

Kids quickly become entranced by the Harry Potter series. Suddenly, they want to be sorted and live out the adventure!  Take them to be sorted on Pottermore—the official Harry Potter online site. Pottermore offers sorting for both Hogwarts and Ilvermory (the American school). You also can have your wand assigned and discover your Patronus. Once you and the kids get sorted, make up some wands and have some wizarding adventures. Look up local fan clubs and join in some Hogwarts fun. Or just let them play outside and pretend to act out the adventures. You can play the role of a teacher…or a student (we won’t judge).

Teaching Fairy Tale Fun with Children’s Adventure Books

Classic fairy tales in children’s adventure books can be the basis for many fun adventures. Use fairy tales to uncover real stories about princes, princesses and even the world around us.

Take kids on field trips to explore caves—like the one Aladdin explores—and lighthouses (like the tower that housed Rapunzel). Behind the fantasy, there are real lessons kids can learn from children’s adventure books, and you can use them as the starting point of some very educational outings. Though you could also just let the kids dress up as knights and go out in search of dragons!

With a little imagination, parents can take kids on fantastic journeys based on the stories they love. Reading with kids doesn’t just develop their growing minds. Books plant the seeds of adventure. Embrace their curiosity by planning storybook-themed activities and encouraging kids to recreate their favorite characters and stories. Imagination breathes life into the pages of print and turns an ordinary book into an exhilarating and joyful journey.

5 Reasons to Give a Personalized Baby Book as a Birthday Gift

Posted on | by KD Novelties

Parents often exist in what is certainly a survival mode—especially when the baby is still a newborn. Suddenly, though, that once new and helpless baby is rolling over, babbling, and eventually, running through the house…and before you know it, driving off to college. While babies seemingly turn into teens overnight, parents desperately try to lock those early moments into their minds and hearts. A little reminder, like a personalized baby book, can bring those memories and  nostalgia rushing back.

New parents cherish keepsake items that preserve pieces of their child’s infancy. Those early days go by in a flash, and it’s often so easy to take some of those little firsts for granted. But special items—personalized mementos—bring back the happy memories of those sweet baby days.

Personalized baby books that celebrate baby’s favorite characters, milestones or even, yes, sweet stories that encourage potty training, all make great gifts for baby’s first and later birthdays. With a personalized baby book, baby is written into the story. And even when the little one outgrows them, parents can keep the personalized book as a memento to pull out when they want those baby days back for just a few minutes.

While mom and dad will cherish the instant keepsake, baby will appreciate personalized books in other ways:

1.       Personalized Baby Books Help Build Name Recognition

According to Parenting, babies begin to recognize their name at around 5 or 6 months of age. Writing baby into the book means that baby’s name will be used throughout the story. Parents can use the book to help their little one begin to recognize their name—and the letters within their name.

2.       Achieve New Milestones

Hearing their name read in stories associated with milestone achievements, like going potty, helps build excitement about accomplishing a new skill. While baby may receive the book to celebrate turning one year old, personalized books may be aimed towards toddler-age feats.

3.       Personalized Baby Book Remembering all the ‘Firsts’

“Elmo’s Book of Firsts” commemorates and tracks all those milestones of childhood—including the first day of school. Even the smaller moments are celebrated…like a child’s first tricycle ride and their first playground experience. Children will enjoy flipping through their book throughout their lives and may one day find themselves sharing their book of firsts with their own children.

4.       Celebrating the Day of Birth

Every child likes to hear the story of the day they were born. Read the story of baby’s journey into the world with a special book honoring their day of birth.  Books about baby’s birth story include a cover page with a special message from mom and dad…or the gift giver.

5.       Becoming a Big Sibling!

Down the road, the first baby may become a Big Brother or Sister! Introduce older siblings to their special role in the family with a personalized book that puts their feelings into words and helps them understand the changes that are happening after the new baby arrives.

Personalized books preserve lasting memories for parents; yet, these books are more than just mementos. Reading personalized baby books to baby helps them work on name recognition, celebrate milestones and even prepare for new roles—like being a big sibling! When a child hears their name integrated into a story with their favorite characters, the book comes to life. Suddenly, the book becomes their story, too…and that book will be a gift that they (or you) will cherish for years!

7 Must-Have Baby Books for Girls

Posted on | by KD Novelties

baby books for girls

If there’s going to be a new little girl in your life, baby books for girls are the ideal gift! Reading to children should begin at birth to instill a love of books and to help infants and children develop vocabulary skills.

The books you read to baby will draw smiles, giggles, and maybe even a few claps, pats, and gleeful bounces. And the best baby books for girls encourage her natural exploratory instincts as well as allowing her to be introduced to new characters, words, shapes, and colors.

Books should engage her curiosity, delight her, and make mom and dad happy, too! But baby books for girls go beyond cute, cuddly, and colorful and expand into interactive masterpieces to help her utilize all her senses.

Looking for a few good baby books for girls? Check out these fantastic titles!

1.    Baby Faces by Amy Pixton and Kate Merritt.

She will love looking at all the fun faces of these cutely drawn babies! Parents can imitate the expressions and encourage baby to imitate them, too! The best part of this book, though, is that she can chew on it without worry—Baby Faces is one of the titles in the Indestructible book lines. The board books are durable and, yes, nontoxic and washable.

2.    Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt

This is a must-have book for all babies! Pat the Bunny encourages babies to touch and pet the cute white bunny. She will love exploring the furry textures and the adorable bunny found on every page!

3.    Touch and Feel Trucks by DK

Little girls shouldn’t be limited to pink and princesses, and this touch and feel book features awesome trucks that girls and boys might see every day. The textures are unique and encourage her to explore every page. She can even spin the cement mixer!

baby books for girls

4.    The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

This cute little caterpillar is also a baby book staple! Eric Carle’s illustrations are bright, bold, and oh so happy! She will love watching the little caterpillar eat through fruit, cake, and much more. Help her learn colors and numbers as you work through the book…and then watch as the little caterpillar turns into a bright beautiful butterfly!

5.    Any Personalized Books

A personalized book makes her a character in the story. She will love hearing her name and seeing her little face as you read through a personalized adventure. And with KD Novelties, they can go on adventures with characters from Sesame Street, Pocahontas, and even Scooby Doo and Garfield.

6.    Spots and Dots (Art Baby) by Chez Picthall

This book will draw her attention with high contrast images, as the book was created for babies aged 6 weeks to 6 months and is artistically designed to engage her visually. While wordless, the pictures have a way of speaking for themselves!

7.    Pop Art Baby by Mudpuppy and Keith Haring

Bold, colorful pop art designs are combined with words that are translated into four languages: English, French, Spanish, and German. Teach her about colors and other languages as she also explores all the bright and happy art.

Use books to help her explore the world and her senses. Baby books for girls should capture their imagination and provide a means to delight their natural curiosity. Introduce her mind to bold artwork, sweet images, interactive textures, and even personalized storylines. Books are a baby’s first glimpse at the wonder and possibilities all around them, so give the gift of a book today!