Kids Go! Picture Book and DVD by They Might Be Giants
Simon & Schuster; Har/DVD edition (November 3, 2009)
Ages: 4+
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
We LOVE They Might Be Giants. Love. Love. Love. Not only have they promoted our deep and spiritual admiration for conifers, the letter E and aspiring to be mathletes, they now want us to get up off of the couch. And, you know what? Their song rocked us so hard that we can’t stop dancing. TMBG have a great way with lyrics and beats, and they are also smart enough to have an ace illustrator and a genius video producer. They are the total kid music package all wrapped up in a monkey barrel of fun.

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Winter Shadow (Tell Me a Story) by Richard John Knight and Richard Johnson
Ages 7+
Barefoot Books; 1 edition (November 1, 2009)
Cautions: None
Kiwi Magazine Review:
Ah, the classic dilemma of rescuing an injured baby animal or letting nature handle things. Because we humans personify animals, a baby wolf may be as cute as the plushies on our beds or the cuddly animals on a book’s page. Although Maria rescues the baby wolf and is at odds with neighbors about her choice, it is the wolf that decides whether he will be pet or independent. This story is beautifully written and illustrated, which we’ve come to expect from Barefoot Books.

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Earth Day Escapade (Part of Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew)
By Carolyn Keene
Illustrated by: Macky Pamintuan
Ages 6-9
Aladdin, 2009
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Nancy Drew is updated and getting involved in solving mysteries and saving the ozone. A childhood staple, Nancy Drew and her friends always deliver excitement, intrigue and the solution to the mystery.
Publisher’s Description:
Who rained on the parade?

River Heights Elementary School is putting on an Earth Day parade, and Nancy’s class has a special honor: They get to build the float! Nancy, Bess, George, and all the kids in Mrs. Ramirez’s class have worked hard to make the “greenest” float they can, collecting recycled materials to use for decoration.

But someone’s spoiled all the fun and sabotaged the float days before the parade. Who could’ve done something like this — and why? Sounds like another case for the Clue Crew!

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Abigail Iris: The One and Only by Lisa Glatt,
Suzanne Greenberg (Author), Joy Allen (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 160 pages
Walker Books for Young Readers - March 3, 2009
Cautions: There are themes of loss of a parent and a sibling with a grave illness

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Abigail Iris is not an Only.  She has one sister and two half brothers and has to share everything.  This is the classic tale of ‘the grass is always greener’ for a young girl who discovers Onlies can be Lonely and her budget-minded parents might just be short on cash but very long on love and affection.

Product Description:
Readers of all kinds will fall in love with the precocious, adorable Abigail Iris!
Abigail Iris is sick of being One-of-Many-brothers and sisters, that is. She’d rather be an Only, like all her best friends, and not have to compete with siblings for time or attention. So Abigail is thrilled when she joins her friend Genevieve’s family on a trip to San Francisco. She gets to stay in a fancy hotel, visit Chinatown, order room service-and she doesn’t have to share anything with her pesky older siblings! Amid all the fun, though, Abigail discovers that having a set of parents to yourself might be nice some of the time, it just isn’t right for Abigail all of the time. An adorable story for Onlies and One-of-Many alike starring a one-of-a-kind new character!

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Sprout Your Own Sweet Scents
Complete mini-garden kit with seeds, peat, and planters
Ages 4-12
Chronicle Books - March 2009
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
I believe it was snowing the day this kit arrived and it was a welcome sign of spring! Everything about this kit is well-planned and would make a perfect gift or even a science fair project. The plastic cups are biodegradable, the packaging is recyclable and the sweet-scented plants will be wonderful organic air filters for any home (through the magic of photosynthesis). This kit will brighten anyone’s window sill. The publisher also offers Leafy Wonders, which is a similar kit with 3 plants: Sensitive plant, Polka-Dot plant and Lamb’s Ear plant.

Product Description:
Sprout Your Own Sweet Scents — This clever kit has everything young gardeners need to grow three plants with sweet-as-candy scents. Easy-to-follow instructions make growing these fragrant plants simple, fun, and fast, as the plants will have scented leaves in as little as two weeks. The book features recipes and herb-drying instructions so kids can make use of their harvests.
Seed packets: Cinnamon Basil, Lemon Balm, and Spearmint

Kit includes:
3 see-through biodegradable planters, so kids can watch roots grow
3 seed packets
3 dried peat pellets (just soak in water to expand)
Stickers to decorate the planters
Book with growing instructions, plant science and history, science-fair experiments, recipes, and more!

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The Silver Horse Switch - Horse Crazy Book 1
By Alison Lester and Roland Harvey
Ages 5-8
Chronicle Books, 2009
$4.99
Cautions: Some mildly scary parts but a happy ending.

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Set in Australia, two horse-crazy girls spin a tale of a secret horse switch and their big coverup. It’s a sweet book which promises to be a much-loved series. This is a great early reader, although your child might start speaking in Aussie slang after reading this book!

Publisher’s Description:
The Silver Horse Switch — Bonnie and Sam are best friends who love horses. They befriend the ponies and horses in their Austrialian town-except for one, Drover, who used to be wild. All she dreams about is getting back to the mountains to be free. One evening, when a wild, mountain horse-who could be Drover’s twin-comes face to face with the cantankerous, corralled Drover, both horses get their chance at a new life. Illustrated with lively watercolor throughout, this endearing tale is a sure hit.

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