Category: Board Books - BUSY NEST NEWS

Great Gifts for Nerdy Dads

2/6/2018

by Brianna & co

Do you have a dad in your life who is a proud nerd? Is he a science or literature buff? Does he dream of rolling nat 20s in battle? Does he spend as much time in other worlds as he does in this one? If you answered 'YES!' to one or more of these questions, we have the list for you! Use this guide to select the perfect Father's Day gift for your favorite nerd/father. Using our affiliate links helps keep Busy Nest News up and running. Thanks for your continued support!

Dads with hobbies are a breeze to shop for. When it comes to nerdy dads, you're truly spoiled for choice. It might not seem that way if you aren't in on the same nerdy passions, though. Or, perhaps you think you've already purchased every geeky gift the internet has to offer. That's why it's good that you came here. My husband and I are both HUGE nerds. Our interests overlap quite a bit, but we have some different ones, too.

Whether the dad you're shopping for is your own father, a friend, or your husband, we have a bunch of fresh ideas that are sure to thrill any nerd. I know Monkey's daddy would be excited to get anything on this list. Bonus: some of these gifts are meant to be shared with the daddy's littles, too! Share the love and help him share his imagination with the next generation.

The Runaway Bunny: Review & Craft

20/4/2018

By Ariel

In which Ariel discusses the classic The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown - a sweeping epic tale of the creatives ways our children will test our resolve and the lengths we will go to to love them. Pair this with a military-themed craft and you have an activity that opens up discussions around what being a military family means. This post contains affiliate links. By using them you help keep Busy Nest News up and running. Thank you for your continued support!

The Runaway Bunny
By Margaret Wise Brown

Since the military community comprises such a small percentage of our population, we can’t always easily find books that reflect the challenges our families face. We are forced to either create our own which is becoming a more realistic option as time goes by. Just take a look at My Daddy Sleeps Everywhere! Or we can make classic stories that address timeless dilemmas, like The Kissing Hand our own by adding our own twist. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd is one such classic that lends itself well to retellings.

No Matter What

2/4/2018

by Brianna

In which Brianna introduces the readers to one of her family's favorite books for dealing with a common childhood anxiety. This article contains affiliate links. By using them you're helping to keep Busy Nest News running. Thanks for your continued support!

No Matter What, Debi Gliori

April is the Month of the Military Child. As the mother of a military child, I’d like to share one of our favorite books that helps us thrive in this lifestyle. The best part is, it’s a great book for any kiddo, whether they have a military parent or not. Lots of kids have worries about big things, but all that is required to sooth them is often gentle, steady reassurance. Debi Gliori’s No Matter What contains the simple, but important message that a good parent loves their child, even on a bad day.

No Matter What on BusyNestNews.com

No Matter What features two kangaroos, known only as Small and Large. Large discovers Small throwing a fit and knocking over furniture. When Large asks what’s wrong, Small replies that they’re “grim and grumpy” and worry that Large does not love them at all. Over the next several pages, the two progress through dinner time, bath time, and bedtime while Small questions the steadfastness of Large’s love. “If I was a grumpy grizzly bear, would you still love, would you still care?” Each test is met with a calm “Of course...I’d always love you, no matter what.” When Small has calmed down and is accepting that Large’s love will survive any tantrum, they have more questions. Can you fix love? When they’re separated, does the love go with Large, or does it stay with Small?

BabyLit Primers: Classic Literature Re-imagined

9/3/2018

By Ariel

In which Ariel discusses the BabyLit Primers that feature famous female authors and strong female characters. Celebrate Women's History Month by bringing the classics alive with these board books! This post contains affiliate links. By using them you help keep Busy Nest News up and running. Thank you for your continued support!

BabyLit Primers written by Jennifer Adams and illustrated by Alison Oliver

Best of BabyLit: Classic Literature Re-imagined on Busy Nest News

I love the BabyLit series, written by Jennifer Adams and illustrated by Alison Oliver. The series brings together two of my greatest passions in life: literature and instilling a love of reading in my child through stellar children’s books. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the series, Jane Adams and Alison Oliver use famous works of literature as inspiration for board books, giving our children their first taste of the great works that have endured. Each book in the series is different. Some are counting primers. Some are emotions primers. Some are weather primers, but each is unique and each is beautiful in their own way. What better way to celebrate Women’s History Month than by highlighting famous female authors in a way little ears can hear?

Plant a Kiss

19/2/2018

By Brianna

In which Brianna reviews yet another book great for Valentine's Day. Or for teaching children about love and empathy generally. This article contains affiliate links, so you can help support Busy Nest News with your purchase of this and other great books. Thanks!

Plant a Kiss, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Peter H. Reynolds

I can’t let February slip by without one more sweet book about love. This one is Plant a Kiss, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds.

“It goes like this. Little Miss planted a kiss.” Those are the words on the first three pages. Rosenthal and Reynolds have interpreted this action in the most literal sense. The illustrations depict a girl literally planting a kiss in the ground. In the following pages she nurtures the kiss with love, water, and sunshine- just like a plant! At last her kiss grows into a glowing, sparkling vine, which kids from all around come to wonder at. Against their advice, she chooses to share her twinkling harvest with people everywhere, and learns that sharing love only produces more.

Read about Plant a Kiss on BusyNestNews.com

The Perfect Hug &The Biggest Kiss

3/2/2018

By Ariel

In which Ariel uses picture books to show Bean some physical affection. This post contains affiliate links. By using them you are helping to keep Busy Nest News busy! Thank you for your continued support!

The Perfect Hug & The Biggest Kiss by Joanna Walsh & Judi Abbot

The Perfect Hug & The Biggest Kiss by Joanna Walsh & Judi Abbot - BusyNestNews.com

I don’t usually celebrate Valentine’s Day. Not because I feel it is too commercial. This isn’t a political stand. I just never quite saw the appeal. I know what you are thinking, she must not be madly in love with her husband then. I assure you; I am. The day of love simply is not a day I celebrate. But I do love children’s books that talk about what love is and how we can show it. Give me a book that encourages physical affection to drive the story home and I am sold! The Perfect Hug and The Biggest Kiss by Joanna Walsh and Judi Abbot fit the bill.

Love Monster

29/1/2018

By Brianna

Or "Brianna loves the Love Monster and everything that goes with it!" Read why this series is a favorite, and meet the not-at-all scary monster that will steal your heart, too. This post contains affiliate links. If you use one of these links to buy the products mentioned, we get paid, and that helps keep Busy Nest News going. Thanks!

Love Monster, by Rachel Bright

Some books manage to be sweet, adorable, silly, and profound, all at once. It’s a lot to ask of 32 pages, but when you find a book like that, you find that you cherish it and want to share it with the world.

We love Love Monster on BusyNestNews.com

When Your Lion Needs a Bath & When Your Elephant has the Sniffles

24/1/2018

By Ariel

In which Ariel discusses When Your Lion Needs a Bath and When Your Elephant Has the Sniffles by Susanna Leonard Hill and Daniel Wiseman. This post contains affiliate links. If you use them you are helping to keep Busy Nest News running. Thanks!

When Your Lion Needs a Bath and When Your Elephant Has the Sniffles by Susanna Leonard Hill and Daniel Wiseman - BusyNestNews.com

I love an excuse to be silly with Bean. Now I don’t know if you’re like me but sometimes silliness comes easily to me. And sometimes? It does not. This usually occurs when my day has not been going according to plan. This is why I gravitate toward goofy children’s books. Reading a good book is the most effective and efficient way to put me in a better mood! So when you want to be silly but you need a push in the right direction reach for the What if… series written by Susanna Leonard Hill and illustrated by Daniel Wisemen.

It's Useful to Have a Duck

5/1/2018

By Ariel

In which Ariel gets you all hyped to read a book about a boy and his duck and then reveals that it is in fact out of print. Though it may be harder to get your hands on, you won't regret it! This post contains affiliate links. To those who use them a hearty thanks! You have helped to keep Busy Nest News going.

It's Useful to Have a Duck by Isol

Perhaps I shouldn’t highlight this favorite of ours. It is out of print which is a huge bummer. I know. But I just can’t help myself! That is how much Bean and I love this board book. It may be harder to get your hands on this hidden gem, but if you can - whether you purchase a used copy or borrow it through your library - you won’t regret it!

It’s Useful to Have a Duck comes beautifully packaged in a blue and yellow slipcase. Already you can tell that this book is different. When you slide it out of its case, the book accordions out into a series of panels. Each simple line drawing is accompanied by straightforward descriptions of the boy’s interactions with his rubber ducky. “I use him for a hat. He can be a whistle of a straw.” With each illustration the readers is convinced of how useful a duck can be!

The Twelve Days of Christmas

20/12/2017

By Ariel

In which Ariel makes a confession and then proceeds to make sure you never forget it. Hint: She really likes Christmas music. This post contains affiliate links. If you buy the featured products using our links, you're helping to keep Busy Nest News running. Thanks!

The Twelve Days of Christmas

So I have a confession to make. I unashamedly love Christmas music. I have been known to put it on during the “off season” as a means of cheering up a particularly dismal day. So when Bean fell in love with Elmo’s Twelve Days of Christmas last year I did not complain when she continued to pull it out all year long. I gladly sang it in the spring, in the summer and the fall. Anxiously anticipating when it would again be relevant! Now that I have the whole dang thing memorized, it’s relevant again!

In tribute to Bean’s all-time favorite book – yes all two glorious years of her life – I compiled a review of our favorite renditions of The Twelve Days of Christmas. Some are silly. Some are beautiful. One has monsters! But all are fun to sing. Come sing along with us!