I See Me Sponsored Post

personalized books, personalized children's books

This post contains sponsored links from I See Me.  Looking for a personalized book or other gift for a child? Check out I See Me, they specialize in personalized gifts for children. I was so excited when I reviewed their site and saw the diverse items they offered. My initial response was wow. I love giving unique gifts. If I have to choose between a big box store versus a specialized on-line store, I choose the latter.   


The adorable ballet place mat above caught my eye. I immediately thought about my granddaughter. She loves to dance and wants to take ballet lessons. I know she would love to eat her meals with these beautiful ballerinas. I don’t think they’re powerful enough to get her to eat peas, but they sure are cute. I wish I had found this site before the holidays, but this place mat will definitely go on my gift list for her. They also have princesses and fairies that you can choose from. Every little girl’s dream. 


Not only does I See Me have a large selection of personalized items to choose from, their themes are great. In addition to the ballet, princesses, and fairies you can find things that go, garden, and farm animals. This isn’t half of the themes that are offered, there are many more. This company understands children, and they have created products that will appeal to their little minds. You’re not limited to personalized books either. They have lunch boxes, puzzles, and growth charts to name a few.     

  

I remember my grandson spending hours playing with dinosaurs. His favorite was T-Rex, so these little dinosaurs have a place in my heart. This site is perfect for bundling items in the same theme. You can purchase the lunch box and place mat or a book and puzzle. Wouldn’t this lunch box be great for a backyard picnic or day at the park with mom or dad? What about a Back To School lunch box like the one below. I See Me offers designs that you won’t find on the shelf at your neighborhood store. What are the chances of another child having this lunch box at school and if they do there won’t be a mix-up because they’re personalized.  

  

personalized books, personalized children gifts

My grandson has started playing organized football and basketball, so I added this book to my list of gift ideas for him. The book can be made for a boy or girl. I had a personalized book made for him when he was born, The Three Little Pigs, and he loved for me to read it to him when he got older. Kids love reading about themselves. There are also books on pirates, knights, and outer space. What makes these personalized books different from what I purchased previously is I See Me focuses solely on one child. You don’t have to add other names to the story. Your child is the star, score! 


personalized book, personalized children's gifts

The gift ideas are endless on this site. They have been endorsed by Town and Country Magazine, Entertainment Weekly and Parents.com. The site also has hundreds of reviews from parents. Whatever the occasion, you will be able to find a special and unique gift here.  Head over to I See Me and check out their personalized gift ideas for children.  


I received compensation for this post; however, all opinions are my own.  

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

Mother 2 Mother would like to pay tribute to 109 years of Dr. Suess.  Yep, 109 years.  I remember my first Dr. Suess book, Green Eggs and Ham.  It still remains one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books.  I read it to my daughter and now I’m reading to my grandchildren.  

We hope Dr. Suess’ legacy will live on and on.  What’s your and your children’s favorite Dr. Suess book? 

A Flower in the Snow Book Give Away

I love reading, and I’ve tried to instill reading into my daughter’s and grandchildren’s life.  Reading aloud to children helps with vocabulary, literacy and gets them to use their imagination as they’re listening to the story and looking at the pictures.  Thirty four years later, my daughter is still an avid reader and my 5 year old grandson still loves MaMa to read bedtime stories.  We love reading on cold and snowy days too. 

When asked to review the children’s book, A Flower in the Snow, by Sourcebooks, I was thrilled.  In essence, the book is about friendship. Luna and her polar bear friend, Bear, discover a beautiful gold flower growing in the snow.  But when the flower fades, Bear goes on a search around the world for another to bring to Luna.  It’s only when he returns home that the true strength of their friendship is revealed. 

The book is hardback and beautifully illustrated with vivid colors.  It is appropriate for ages 4 – 8 and has 32 pages.  The story teaches children that friendship is more important than things.  It also teaches children that it’s okay to miss someone and feel sad when they’re away.  To check out this book and others visit, A Flower in the Snow on the Sourcebooks site.  The book is available for $16.99. 

Mother 2 Mother is giving away a copy of A Flower in the Snow.  Here’s how you can win.  Leave us a comment on this post telling us who you will giving this adorable book to.

Want extra entries? Do one or all of the following:
  • Follow Our Blog (left sidebar; 5 entries)
  • Tweet this give away (3 entries)
  • Follow @sugarkisses on Twitter (2 entries)
  • Comment on another post (3 entries)
  • Follow one of my boards on Pinterest (2 entries)

Give away is open to both US and Canada residents 18 or older.  Give away will end December 21, 2012 at mid-night.  A copy of the book will be sent directly by the sponsor.  Participants with invalid email addresses will be disqualified.  Winner will be announced on Mother 2 Mother and contacted for a mailing address.

*Give away is sponsored by Sourcebooks, but the review of A Flower in the Snow is my own. 

Kristi Yamaguchi Book Give Away – It’s a Big World Little Pig

It’s been awhile since Mother 2 Mother has sponsored a blog give away, so we’re going to give away a copy of Kristi Yamaguchi’s adorable book,  It’s a Big World, Little Pig.   Dream Big is the message that Kristi Yamaguchi sends in her new book.  Poppy the pig is an ice skater, and has been invited to skate at the World Games ice skating championship in Paris.   Poppy is nervous about heading to Paris.   She lives in New York, and becomes anxious about heading to France. It’s so far away. She is encouraged by her friend, Emma, who tells her to “Dream Big, Pig!” Poppy’s grandparents said, “You go girl!” and her parents give her comfort by letting her know that they would be with her every step of the way.

Emma gives Poppy a good luck charm, and Poppy heads to Paris. Once she arrives at the World Athlete Village, she is nervous and bumps into a snowboarder from China named Li. Li and Poppy become friends and walk the village together to find the athlete check-in. Poppy becomes hungry and decides to head to the dining hall. The dining hall is full and she scans the room for a seat. A skier from Italy waved to Poppy and offers her a seat at her table. They too become friends.
Poppy leaves the dining hall and heads to the practice rink. There she meets another skater from Japan. They admire each other’s costumes and become friends. Poppy skated from her heart during the competition and remembered all the friends and discoveries that she had made during the trip. Her parents were there to support her and decided they would stay for the remainder of the week so they could visit the Eiffel Tower, museums and eat French food. It turned out to be a beautiful trip, one that Poppy would always remember.
We would love for you to have a copy of this beautifully illustrated book.  It will make a great bedtime story or gift.  Here’s how you can win:
  • Leave us a comment on why you would like to have Kristi’s book and who you will be giving it to – 1 Entry 
  • Tweet about this give away – 2 Entries  (Retweet lower left corner of this post.  Leave your Twitter name in your comments and that you retweeted the give away  ) 
  • Follow Mother 2 Mother – 2 Entries  (On the left)
  • Follow @sugarkisses on Twitter – 2 Entries  (Leave your comments with your Twitter name and I’ll follow you back)

This give away is open to US Residents only 18+ only.  The give away will end April 6 at mid-night.  Winner will be selected randomly and notified by email.  Please ensure your email address is valid; otherwise, you will be disqualified and another winner selected. 

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It’s a Big World, Little Pig Book Review

Dream Big!  That’s the message that Kristi Yamaguchi sends in her new book It’s A Big World, Little Pig.  Isn’t she adorable.  Her name is Poppy.  Poppy is an ice skater, and has been invited to skate at the World Games ice skating championship in Paris.  Poppy is nervous about heading to Paris.  She lives in New York, and becomes anxious about heading to France.  It’s so far away.  She is encouraged by her friend, Emma, who tells her to “Dream Big, Pig!” Poppy’s grandparents said, “You go girl!” and her parents give her comfort by letting her know that they would be with her every step of the way.

Emma gives Poppy a good luck charm, and Poppy heads to Paris.  Once she arrives at the World Athlete Village, she is nervous and bumps into a snowboarder from China named Li.  Li and Poppy become friends and walk the village together to find the athlete check-in. Poppy becomes hungry and decides to head to the dining hall.  The dining hall is full and she scans the room for a seat.  A skier from Italy waved to Poppy and offers her a seat at her table.  They too become friends. 

Poppy leaves the dining hall and heads to the practice rink.  There she meets another skater from Japan.  They admire each other’s costumes and become friends.  Poppy skated from her heart during the competition and remembered all the friends and discoveries that she had made during the trip.  Her parents were there to support her and decided they would stay for the remainder of the week so they could visit the Eiffel Tower, museums and eat French food.  It turned out to be a beautiful trip, one that Poppy would always remember. 

Personally, I think the book is adorable and highly recommend it.  My daughter and I were big fans of Kristi’s and followed her during the Olympics and on Season 6 of Dancing With The Stars.  The lesson in her book is clear.  It teaches children to work through their fears and follow their dreams.  It also teaches them to experience new things and meet new people.  The world is a big place and should be experienced.  It also teaches children about being kind and helping another person. 

The illustrations in the book are colorful and fun and the book has a hardback cover that will help withstand little hands.  I’m sure it will become a favorite bedtime story for many children.  I’m looking forward to reading it to my granddaughter.  The only thing missing in Kristi Yamaguchi’s book is her autograph.  Now if I could just figure out how to get this book signed, lol.  

Kristi adorable book is due out March 6, 2012.  The book will sell for $16.99 in the US.  All proceeds will benefit childhood literacy programs supported by Kriti’s Always Dream Foundation.

Don’t miss what’s happening on Mother 2 Mother.  Be sure to connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Flickr or Linkedin by clicking one or more of the Social Media buttons in the upper right hand corner and subcribe to Mother 2 Mother for future posts and give aways.  

Fearless Five Super Hero Review

Fearless Five books

I received the Fearless Five Super Hero books.  They were beautifully packaged and wrapped with a pretty orange ribbon.  There are five books in the series, I ordered the complete set.  I’ll start with the first book entitled Genesis of the Fearless Five.  The book is beautifully illustrated.  The characters are adorable and the colors in the book bright.  This book is about the creation of the Fearless Five.  It teaches children to use their imagination, which is exactly what they do.  They work together to come up with the names Phenom, Tank, Element, Blaze and Bender.  Thus we have the creation of the Fearless Five.  During the creation of the Fearless Five the children make remarks about each other’s looks and abilities.  The lesson in this book is self-esteem and having a positive image of yourself and what you can do in spite of what others think about you.  Another lesson is to get outside and away from the computer games and explore mother nature.  I agree, our children are losing the value of being outside and exploring nature, exercising and being able to entertain themselves.  

The second book is The Missing Baby Birds.  Again, this book encourages the children to go outside and create their own fun instead of playing video games.  They discover a bird’s nest, but the baby birds are missing.  They go on a mission to find the baby birds and return them to their mommies.  They discover that the baby birds are lured out of the nest and “birdnapped” by the wicked Cyren.  When the Fearless Five first encounter Cyren, they are frightened of her.  They overcome their fears and set the baby birds free so they can return to their mommies.  The lesson in this book is to be aware of Strangers and to run to a safe adult if the stranger tries to lure them or makes them feel uncomfortable.

The third book is The Really Hot Day.  The lesson in this book is to conserve water.  The Fearless Five are unable to enjoy a dip in the pool because Mr. Dome wants to cause a drought, and corner the market on the water in the city.  The Fearless Five capture Mr. Dome and the villains flee.  The water is returned to normal and the Fearless Five enjoy popsicles and a dip in the pool for their reward. 

The fourth book is The Total Blackout.  The lesson in this book is to conserve energy.  Dr. Dome sends one of his villians to consumer all the wasted energy in the city.  The more wasted energy the villains consumes, the stronger Dr. Dome gets.  The Fearless Five will have none of it.  They cause the villains to blow a circuit and power is restored. 

The fifth book in the series is The Big Mess.  The lesson in this book is about bullying.   Phenom is captured by Dr. Dome who is mean to her.  He ties her up and bullies her.  To the rescue the Fearless Five go

Each book has a lesson plan in the back, which will help with teaching the lesson to your child.  Again, the book is beautifully illustrated and the colors bright.  The series is appropriate for ages Pre-K and up.   

All and all, I’m pleased with the purchase.  I see myself reading this series of books over and over to my grandson.  Head over to the Fearless Five website and make a purchase today. 

New Book Series: Fearless Five Super Heroes

I love discovering fabulous products for my grandchildren and readers.  I was notified this morning about a book series about five African American Super Heroes.  The super heroes are called the Fearless Five.  What a great concept.  As an African American, I have a difficult time finding toys and other items that focus on African American children.   It’s so disappointing, especially in 2012.  I’m sure my African American readers can relate, so I thought I would share this find. 

My grandson is a big fan of Super Heroes.  He loves Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk,  so I jumped at the opportunity to purchase this series of books.  The series is about five characters:  Bender, Blaze, Tank, Element and Phenom.  They are all adorable.  The concept is to raise the self-esteem of African American children.  According to experts, a child’s self image is developed by the age of seven.  As with any parent, I want my grandchildren to grow up with a positive self-image.  I want them to believe they can accomplish anything with hard work. 

The books send messages to the children on self esteem, team work, education, and morals to name a few.  Since I just ordered the books, I can’t give an honest opinion on the messages, but I am looking forward to doing a review and hopefully a give away.    

The books can only be ordered on the Fearless Five site at this time.  I love the fact that you can check out through Paypal, it’s quick and easy.   I’m hoping this series will be a huge hit for our African American children.  I would love to see this concept come out on DVD too. 

This series would make a great birthday or Christmas gift. Please go to the Fearless Five site and order a set today!  

Don’t miss what’s happening on Mother 2 Mother.  Be sure to connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Flickr or Linkedin by clicking one or more of the Social Media buttons in the upper right hand corner and subcribe to Mother 2 Mother for future posts and give aways. 

God Is With Me – Children’s Book Give Away

I had the opportunity to review two wonderful books, God Is With Me Through The Night and God Is With Me Through The Day. These books were written by Julie Cantrell, a certified speech-language pathologist, with years of experience helping children develop communication skills. Julie currently writes for Princeton Health Care System and FNC, Inc.

I loved both of the books, they contain beautiful stock photos and the wording is simple. The books are very similar, but I really appreciated God Is With Me Through The Night. I’m partial to deer, so I was drawn to the cover. Also, because I think it is in line with the author’s goal. The author wrote the book for her daughter, who was afraid of the dark and suffered from nightmares. Ms. Cantrell’s intention was to not publish the book initially, but to create a story that would let her daughter know she was safe and she wasn’t alone at night. Ms. Cantrell stated, “When her friends would sleep over, they all enjoyed the book and wanted me to print copies for them. Then the neighborhood kids asked for copies.”


The story lines in the books are simple. She’s used beautiful photos of baby animals expressing their fears and loving pictures of baby animals with their mommy assuring them they are safe at night and during the day to engage the child’s attention. The books are useful in building the child’s faith in God as well. Ms. Cantrell conducted research and with data to support the design of the books, and a gut instinct that families would enjoy reading the book again and again, she decided to move forward with publishing. The books are receiving positive feed back from parents and children.

My 2 year old grandson gets excited when he sees the books. I’ve read them every day since I’ve received them. He’s partial to the God Is With Me Through The Day book. I believe he finds the color of the cover stimulating and likes the puppy on the cover. I love that the author expanded her idea to include the fact that children face fears during the day as well. I believe we will get a lot of mileage out of these books. Another plus is that they have a hard back cover. I found one with little sticky finger prints. My grandson loves pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast, so guess who was the culprit. A damp cloth easily removed the breakfast remnants.
Ms. Cantrell wanted our readers to experience these beautiful book too, so we’re offering a set to one of our readers. They will help guide your child through their fears and let them know they are not alone and they will be protected and loved. Here’s how you could win: Leave us a comment on one of your child’s fears or visit Ms. Cantrell’s blog and read her tips on how to help your child with their fears. Leave a comment on how you think Ms. Cantrell’s tips could help you.You can also find activities to go along with the books on Ms. Cantrell’s blog, Julie’s Journal. Want extra entries:Follow our blog (1 entry)
Subscribe to our blog (1 entry)
Vote for us on Top Baby Blogs (1 entry)
Follow us on Twitter (1 entry)
Post our button on your sidebar (3 entries)
Comment on one of our post (5 entries)
This give away will end December 14 at mid-night. Give away is open to US Resident 18+ only.

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Poingo Give Away

It’s amazing how far technology has come with children’s books. We had the opportunity to review Poingo, the latest in interactive books for children 3 – 7, and we were pleased with the results. This review was a great way to promote Giggles & Sugar Kisses goal to promote reading in 2009. Our starter package contained: two books, Nemo and The World Of Cars, and the Poingo stick. Poingo is the pointer used to make the story come alive on various pages in the books.

I put the book to test with my nieces ages 3 and 7. The set is very easy to use. Poingo has a switch that you can move to the on and off positions and was ready to use immediately. The children were able to figure out the positions easily and loved moving Poingo across the pages. The 3 year old choose Nemo, which left the 7 year old with The World of Cars. Both books were entertaining, but The World Of Cars seemed to be the favorite. They enjoyed playing the games found on various pages as well.

One of the things that I liked about the games is that it allowed the children an opportunity to try again if they missed an answer. There was a response to tell them if they were right or wrong. The questions asked were easy to difficult depending on where you placed Poingo on the page. I felt the questions challenging. There was lots of sounds while moving the Poingo around the pages too.

My 16 month old grandson wanted in on the action. He loved the noises while moving Poingo. I wouldn’t recommending a child his age playing with the books alone, the pages can be torn easily.

Overall, I give Poingo 3 snaps and a booty shake. It definitely goes into Grandma’s bag. It’s a great entertainment activity for the kids and it would make a great birthday gift. I will be purchasing Hanna Montana and Cinderella to round out the set for my nieces when they visit.

Did I mention that these books would be great while you’re traveling with your child or on visits to Grandma’s. In addition to Nemo and The World Of Cars, Cinderella, The Lion King, Pooh’s Wishful Thinking and Sleeping Beauty are available. High School Musical and Hanna Montana will be available shortly.

One of our readers will be the winner of a Poingo starter kit. That’s right, you could be the lucky winner. Here’s how: Visit My Poingo and check out their site. Let us know which books interest you. We will randomly select a winner from the posts. For extra entries:
  • Follow our blog (top left)
  • Subscribe to our blog
  • Subscribe to our Giggles & Sugar Kisses newsletter
  • Follow me on Twitter (to the right) and Tweet about our give away
This give away is open to US and Canada residents 18+ only, and will end February 20, 2009 at mid-night. Posts with invalid email addresses will be disqualified. Winner will have 3 days to claim their prize. Good luck!

Winnie The Pooh Returns

Are you a Winnie The Pooh lover?  I am and I’m thrilled to hear that a new Winnie The Pooh book will be published in 2009.  The anticipated date is October, almost 80 years after the original book. 

I decorated my daughter’s nursery in a Pooh Bear theme.  That was almost 30 years ago.  I still call her Pooh Bear.  I have a 15 month old grandson now, and I love to dress him in Pooh clothing and read Pooh books to him.  He too is becoming a Pooh Bear lover. 

Return to the Hundred Acre Wood is the new book.  They’re keeping the details under wraps, but I’ve added the book to my list of Christmas gifts for Xavier.  I’m sure it will thrill the young and young at heart