Parenting Squad

Black Barbie Markdown Smackdown

Lela Davidson — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:30:33 +0000

This week Walmart received criticism for selling a “black” Barbie for less than a “white” Barbie. Barbies with brown skin and dark hair, which were supposedly clearance priced at $3.00, hung side by side with their white counterparts — identical but for plastic skin tone — priced at $5.93.

All About the Numbers

We all know that Walmart is in the business of selling cheap stuff cheap. Everyday low prices. Sound familiar? Critics say that in this instance, by selling the brown Barbie for less, Walmart was devaluing the doll because of its “skin” color.

Or maybe the product just didn’t sell. Walmart spokeswoman Melissa O'Brien explained the decision in an email to ABC News:

"To prepare for spring inventory, a number of items are marked for clearance. Both are great dolls. The red price sticker indicates that this particular doll was on clearance when the photo was taken, and though both dolls were priced the same to start, one was marked down due to its lower sales to hopefully increase purchase from customers. Pricing like items differently is a part of inventory management in retailing."

It’s all about the numbers. Barbie maker Mattel and Walmart overestimated the number of this particular Barbie that would sell and therefore marked the dolls down to move inventory. End of story.

Black or White, What Does Barbie Represent?

Maybe the reason the dolls didn’t sell as expected — and this is what I’d like to believe — the black Barbies aren’t selling is because black mamas are smarter than their white mama counterparts about the body image messages they send with their anatomically incorrect doll purchases. If it’s the mothers of little black girls devaluing the black Barbie, that is admirable, isn’t it?

Mattel came out with a new line of African American dolls last year. The “So In Style” dolls feature wider cheeks, broader noses, and fuller lips.

"I wanted to make sure that the makeup and face and skin tone was true to girls in my community," doll designer Stacey McBride-Irby said in a video on the So In Style Web site.

Barbies of all skin colors and facial attributes still share the same stick-thin legs, impossibly tiny waists, and non-existent hips. Thankfully, they’ve all got perky, ample breasts.

Retail’s Role in Race Relations

The critics say that Walmart should have been more sensitive in its pricing decision. But that’s not what Walmart does. It manages by the numbers. According to the report:

"The implication of the lowering of the price is that's devaluing the black doll," said Thelma Dye, the executive director of the Northside Center for Child Development, a Harlem, N.Y. organization founded by pioneering psychologists and segregation researchers Kenneth B. Clark and Marnie Phipps Clark. "While it's clear that's not what was intended, sometimes these things have collateral damage," Dye said.

Other experts agreed that Walmart could have chosen not to send a message that blackness is valued less than whiteness.

"Black children develop perceptions about their race very early. They are not oblivious to this. There's still that residue. There's still the problem, the overcoming years, decades of racial and economic subordination," Harvard University professor William Julius Wilson told "Good Morning America."

I would argue that all girls develop perceptions about their bodies very early. Barbie’s not helping. Take it from this short, red-headed, freckly, once-pudgy woman. And as for race relations, is this really the best fight to pick? Let’s choose our battles wisely. A $3 doll may not be worth the energy.

Permalink | Comments | Lela Davidson's blog | Channel: Culture

Similar entries:

Maybe, Baby: How Old Is Too Old?

Lain Ehmann — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:47:24 +0000

By Lain Ehmann

So, hubby and me… we've been talking about having another baby.

No big deal, but a HUGE deal. I mean, people do it every day -- but for any one family, it's about as massive a change as you can imagine. We're all for another child. We love kids, and we have a great, stable home life. With three other little ones in the stable, we've pretty much got a handle on this parenting thing (at least as much as you CAN have a handle on it. Unlike dogs, they're never fully trained!).

So what's the problem?

I'm afraid we're too old.

How old, you ask?

Well, put it this way -- many of my peers are beginning to experience hot flashes, and NOT the kind from standing too close to a photo of Hugh Jackman.

And hubby... How to put this politely… he's hanging on to middle age with every last hair on his head.

That makes us sound really old. We're not really old. But we're pretty darned old for having a new baby. I know, I know… plenty of women have babies in their 40s. And plenty of men father new children well after that. But I'm not sure it's fair -- to the child.

I keep thinking that if I got pregnant now, I'd be 46 when he or she started kindergarten (I was 32 when my first child started school).

I'd be 57 when that child started driving (Oy! I hope my old heart could take it!).

I'd be almost 60 when that child graduated from high school.

I'd be nearly 70 by the time the grandkids started to come along.

And that child of mine, the one I will love with all my heart, will only be in his or her late 30s when I kick the bucket.

And the view is worse for my husband, who's 14 years older than I am.

Is it fair to give birth to a child who will likely lose their father before their 30th birthday? Whose dad probably won't be able to play tackle football with him in high school because his hip replacement won't be able to stand it? Whose parents may be too tired to give them the attention and vitality they deserve?

I think of all this baby could add to our lives. The snuggliness, the love, the growth opportunities, and oh, let's make sure I mention that downy-headed new baby smell! I look around the table at dinner and can't help but feel that someone is missing. And then I look at my other three gorgeous children and think I am being way, way too greedy to want more than I already have.

Every day, I ponder this question. And every day I think I've made the decision -- I'm too old. We'd have to get a new car. It's too expensive. It's not practical. I'd have to lose the baby weight all over again. No, we're not doing it.

And every day, I wake up and start that wondering all over again… Should I? Should we?

I'm still not 100 percent sure. But I do know this: We're not getting any younger.

What do you think? How old is "too old?"

Permalink | 3 comments | Lain Ehmann's blog | Channel: Planning

Similar entries:

R-Rated Movies Harmful to Kids

Fred Lee — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:31:32 +0000

By Fred Lee

While it may seem like just a bunch of images moving across the big screen, R-rated movies should be a cause for concern for parents of adolescents. Researchers have determined that there may be a link between watching these movies and unhealthy behavior, including experimenting with alcohol and smoking cigarettes at a young age.

One study, funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, followed over 6200 children between the ages of 10 and 14 years over the course of two years. The goal was to determine the relationship between watching age-inappropriate movies and the desire to seek out risky experiences, a quality known as “sensation seeking,” which includes experimenting with alcohol.

What researchers found was that when adolescents under the age of 17 watched R-rated movies, they were more likely to engage in risky behavior. This increased level of sensation seeking may be influenced by the imagery in these movies, including scenes of drinking, smoking, and sexual promiscuity.

While the effect was not as significant for children who are already high-sensation seekers (those already at high risk for certain behaviors), the influence of R-rated moves was the most pronounced in low-sensation seekers. As a result of their viewing habits, the low-sensation seekers were more likely to drink like high-sensation seekers. Researchers believe that this difference is due to the fact that high-sensation seekers already have greater access to these experiences, so the impact of movies is smaller.

The take-home message of the findings, which were published in the journal Prevention Science, is for parents to take movie ratings seriously. Moms and dads: Don’t allow your adolescent children to watch R-rated movies.

In a related study, researchers have found that kids who watch R-rated movies are more likely to believe that cigarettes are easily attainable, an attitude that may predispose them to actually take up smoking and become regular smokers. The cause of this result is not clear, but researchers believe it may be tied to a permissive home environment that allows kids to watch these movies. This same environment may make cigarettes more acceptable and attainable.

In fact, scientists have determined that when a parent permits a young child (10-14 years old) to watch R-rated movies, it was one of the most significant predictors that of whether a child believed that cigarettes were readily available, almost as strong an indicator as having a friend who smoked. The findings, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, were obtained during the course of a 4-year study that followed over 1200 sixth-grade students. Through a series of interview questions, researchers were able to construct a profile that described a child’s perception of cigarettes and the ease with which they could be obtained.

The implications of the preceding studies seem pretty clear: Parents really need to be careful about what their children are watching because the research suggest that there is a relationship between what they view and how they behave. This behavior has the potential to lead to unhealthy habits that can have adverse health consequences over the course of their entire lives.

Permalink | 1 comment | Fred Lee's blog | Channel: Health, Entertainment

Similar entries:

Sleepy Teens May Have Biological Excuse

Fred Lee — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:34:37 +0000

By Fred Lee

The challenge of adjusting our routines and adapting to new sleep schedules because of Daylight Savings, may be particularly difficult for teenagers. After all, at times it seems as if all they want to do is get some shut-eye (well, maybe not all they want to do!). Sleep experts, however, recognize that some of this love for sleep is based on a biological phenomenon known as "delayed sleep phase syndrome," where the body's natural daily rhythms are disrupted and the internal biological clock actually extends beyond the regular 24 hour cycle. Because of this delay, people tend to want to go to sleep and wake up at a later hour.

The problem can have varying degrees of severity and is more common than most people realize, especially in children who, in the throes of puberty, are experiencing biological changes that also affect their sleeping patterns. While there are no definite numbers, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine estimates that as many as 16% of adolescents are affected, and that as many as 10% of the people who visit sleep clinics suffer from it.

Unfortunately, sleep problems can lead to many adverse consequences, especially in growing kids. Sleep is important, and when a person begins to stay up later and later, he or she may not be able to get enough sleep because practical, everyday demands like school or work require that they wake up early. These sleep deficits can lead to hyperactivity and may end up compromising their performance, not to mention their moods, in numerous areas, including work, social interactions, and academic performance. The problem can become especially acute with the onset of Daylight Savings Time.

Fortunately, there are solutions, and most of them involve the modification of aberrant sleep patterns through lifestyle changes and exposure to light:

Practice healthy sleep habits — kids should go to sleep at a regular time each night.
Avoid excessive stimulation — stimulating activities like music or video games can interfere with a child’s sleeping process.
Maintain a comfortable sleep environment — a kid's room, or wherever they sleep, should be as comfortable and familiar as possible.
Ban caffeine — including chocolate and soft drinks.

If these tactics are not effective, there are more involved means of intervention such as artificial light therapy and medication. Artificial light therapy involves daily exposure to a light box that enables a person to reset their internal clock and correct their biological rhythm, i.e., circadian rhythm. In certain instances, medication can be employed, but should only be used under the strict guidance of your doctor.

If you have concerns about your teenager’s sleep pattern, speak with your pediatrician. To learn more about delayed sleep phase syndrome, visit the website for the American Sleep Association. For more information about the importance of sleep (something every parent knows all about), visit the homepage of the National Sleep Foundation. If you're interested in some tips for better sleep, check out this article from Healthy Theory.

Permalink | Comments | Fred Lee's blog | Channel: Home Life, Health

Similar entries:

Brown Recluse Spider Bites Linked to Anemia in Kids

Fred Lee — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:20:12 +0000

By Fred Lee

With winter slowly receding, the first signs of spring are emerging from the frost. For many people, this means more time spent outside in a t-shirt and shorts. However, this increased activity outdoors comes with some concerns.

Now experts are recommending that people be on the lookout for the brown recluse spider because of its bite, which can lead to sudden and inexplicable anemia. The native range of the brown recluse spider is from southeastern Nebraska through Iowa and Indiana, and into southwestern Ohio. It is also common in Texas, western Georgia, and into northern Virginia.

Recently doctors reported that healthy adolescents were admitted to the hospital with symptoms of anemia, which were linked to red blood cell destruction, or hemolytic anemia. The cases were traced back to bites from the brown recluse spiders. All of the patients made full recoveries, but three had to be admitted to the intensive care unit, and four of them needed blood transfusions.

One of the problems with these spider bites is that they are painless and often go unnoticed. In the current study, in three of the six cases, the bites were only discovered after full-body skin checks were conducted. It is important to keep in mind that medical attention may be necessary in about 30% of children bitten by the brown recluse. In rare instances, kidney failure and clotting problems can result.

Doctors stress that most people should not be overly worried about brown recluse spiders, but that the purpose of the information is more as a reference for doctors in order to determine the cause of acute anemia in their patients. The reasoning: Different causes of anemia call for different methods of treatment. So while some forms of anemia will respond to steroid therapy, that is not necessarily the case for spider bites, where standard care includes supportive treatment and attending to the wound. Currently, the efficacy of steroid therapy for spider bites is unproven.

Brown recluse spiders can be identified by the violin-shaped mark on its head and a penchant for seclusion under rocks or in dark corners. The spider keeps to itself and has no interest in mingling with humans. Any bites it inflicts are purely accidental and results when it feels threatened or through accidental contact.

If you have questions or concerns about anemia, or if you suspect that your child has been bitten by a spider, contact your pediatrician. For more information about brown recluse spiders, visit the website for brownreclusespider.org.

Permalink | 1 comment | Fred Lee's blog | Channel: Safety, Home Life, Health, Diseases & Disorders

Similar entries:

School Districts Are Using Technology To Get Feedback

Rhonda Franz — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:34:18 +0000

By Rhonda Franz

In many cities, rating the effectiveness of public schools is as easy as texting on a Blackberry.

School districts have used technology in ways to benefit students: laptops in homes, updates with electronic newsletters, and communication with teachers via email. Now, capitalizing on ever-present public opinion, many districts are turning to the technology of the internet to get an idea of how parents feel about their child’s education.

Districts are using the surveys — often available on paper as well as online — as a tool to get input from parents on everything from homework policies, to teacher effectiveness, to opinions on student uniforms.

A school district in Oregon is using an online survey to give parents and families the opportunity to speak out about next year’s school calendar.

The Syracuse, New York school district has a list of specific questions including thoughts on the district’s finances (spending), busing, and student transfers between schools. The survey also gives participants a place to include comments.

And the questionnaires aren’t just for parents. A recent Pennsylvania district got feedback from the community on school consolidation, though not without controversy. And one in Montana encouraged residents to participate so the district could find out citizen opinions abo of the public schools in the area.

According to New York City Department of Education, their 2009 annual survey had the highest participation response (over a quarter of a million more responders than two years before), with over 850,000 parents, students, and teachers assessing how well the school district is meeting their needs.

Surveys are also being used for accreditation. No Child Left Behind requires schools to track progress, and make improvements accordingly. Last fall, the U.S. Department of Education recognized the efforts of the Mesa, Arizona school district to improve upon educational programs in all of their schools. Part of the recognition addressed the district’s reliance upon, and respect for, parent and student input — via survey — as to how the district was progressing.

Regular parent and student surveys make the parent feedback a formal, quantitative element of the data book used to guide planning. During the spring of each year, the district sends a survey home with every student and collects survey information from selected fifth-graders and secondary school students. Five-year trend data on these measures show both areas of progress and areas for improvement. — U.S. Department of Education, Innovations in Education: Creating Strong District School Choice Programs

If these surveys are used to effectively improve education, it sounds as though participation is a win-win for everyone. And with the ability to participate from home, the park, or the subway, these districts have discovered—in this very modern society — how to capture the voice of the people.

Permalink | 1 comment | Rhonda Franz's blog | Channel: Education, Learning Tools, K-8, High School, Parent-Teacher

Similar entries:

Great (Teacher) Expectations May Be More Fiction than Fact

Lela Davidson — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:23:17 +0000

By Lela Davidson

A new study finds that American teachers may not be setting expectations high enough for their students. This research from the MetLife Survey of the American Teacher series, reported two conclusions.

First, there was a gap between educators’ expressed level of expectation and the application of those expectations in practice.
Second, there is a gap between teacher and student perceptions about academic success, especially in schools serving high proportions of low-income students, in secondary schools, and between girls and boys.

Talk Is Cheap

The report, Part 2: Student Achievement, second in a series from the new MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Collaborating for Student Success, presents views collected from teachers, principals, and students. Some of the results reported:

Most teachers (86%) believe high expectations for all students would have a major impact on achievement.
Most educators (64% of teachers; 69% of principals) strongly agree that all students need education beyond high school to be prepared for work or a career.
Most teachers (84%) believe they can enable all of their students to succeed academically, but only 36% of teachers say that all of their students have the ability to succeed.
Half of teachers (51%), including most secondary teachers (71%), say students in their school only do enough work to get by.
Over one-third of students (36%), including more boys (41%) than girls (31%), say they only do enough work to get by in school.
Almost half (45%) of students say students in their school are promoted to the next grade level without being ready.
Most students (79%) plan to attend college, but only half of students (55%) feel very confident they will achieve their goals for the future.
More girls than boys have aspirations to attend college (85% vs. 73%) and believe they will achieve their goals (59% vs. 50%).

When I think back on the teachers that made an impression on the person I am today, they were those who either expressed an unfounded confidence in my abilities, or who pushed me so far beyond my own expectations that the result surprised both of us.

Those kinds of teachers are the gold of the education system.

Supporting the Teaching Profession

The third and final report, Part 3: Teaching as a Career, is scheduled for release March 24, 2010. It is focused on the concept of collaboration in the context of professional growth and career path. Part 1: Effective Teaching and Leadership looks at if, how, and to what extent collaboration is currently practiced in schools to improve student achievement. According to a MetLife press release:

"The annual MetLife Survey of the American Teacher is not just about asking, but also about listening," said Dennis White, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation. "In this survey, 69% of teachers do not believe their voices are being adequately heard in the current debate on education. We can learn much from those closest to the classroom about working together to increase student success."

The reports for the entire series are now available online at www.metlife.com/teachersurvey with links to the ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) website: http://eric.ed.gov.

Permalink | 2 comments | Lela Davidson's blog | Channel: Education

Similar entries:

Sleepy Teens? Light Deficiency May Be the Cause

Fred Lee — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:05:44 +0000

By Fred Lee

For parents of teenagers who are continually trying to get their kids out of bed, an interesting new study supported by the National Institutes of Health may shed some light on why it seems your child’s “get-up-and-go” seems to have got up and left.

The findings indicate that a shortage of exposure to a specific type of light in the morning may disrupt a teenager’s ability to reset their natural biological rhythm, thereby making it difficult to function at their best. The deficiencies of this light, known as “blue light,” seem to stem from the change in sleep patterns that are commonplace once a person reaches adolescence, and are rooted in hormonal changes as well as the demands of school, work, and social life.

Researchers arrived at their findings by observing students who attended a regular school that was especially built to help conserve energy. Due to efficiency considerations, large amounts of natural light are employed, reducing the need for electricity. Student volunteers were asked to wear special goggles that blocked out the blue light but allowed for proper vision.

What they found was that the students who wore the goggles, and were thus denied their daily dose of blue light, experienced disruptions in their internal clocks as evident by a delay in their evening surge in melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the body that helps induce sleep.

The authors of the study, published in the journal Neuroendocrinology Letters, indicated that the blockage of blue light as experienced with the goggles may in fact be analogous to what many students experience in their daily routines, where going to school before the sun rises and then spending a majority of their day in windowless school rooms would deny them the proper exposure to natural light, which happens to be the best source of light in short wavelength spectrum and includes blue light.

Furthermore, the authors indicate that what can compound the problem of a lack of natural morning light is an abundance of evening light in the form of computers and TVs. These artificial sources of light at certain times of the evening can also contribute to sleep problems, but the study is currently ongoing.

It is important to point out that the study did not actually track the total amount of sleep each student achieved, but the preliminary results are nonetheless intriguing and are the basis for further inquiry.

The need for more study is especially true in light (no pun intended) of what we know about how light affects our psychological and emotional state, and by extension, our overall health. Light therapy is commonly prescribed for people experiencing seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and depression. These occur in people who are adversely affected by a lack of natural light, usually when the days get shorter. By exposing themselves to a bright light source that mimics the sun, they can often overcome these natural light deficits.

The reason for this is because bright lights are thought to influence the natural circadian rhythms of your body, something many of us experience during the winter months. Exposure to the bright lights is believed to inhibit the premature release of melatonin in our body, thereby correcting our sleep patterns.

Interestingly, light therapy has not been officially approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a way to treat SAD, but it is nonetheless frequently used by mental health providers.

If you have questions or concerns about the sleep patterns of your teenager, speak with your pediatrician. For more information about light therapy and SAD, visit the website for the Mayo Clinic.

Permalink | 2 comments | Fred Lee's blog | Channel: Health

Similar entries:

Which Came First, the Book or the Movie?

Lain Ehmann — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:55:16 +0000

By Lain Ehmann

The title question is pretty easy to answer: 99 percent of the time, the book comes first. And with the plethora of book-based movies recently released and coming out this spring for kids (A Christmas Carol, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Coraline, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, and Alice in Wonderland, to name just a few), the question becomes, do you make your kids read the book before they see the movie?

Some purists argue that the book always, without fail, is superior to the movie. And while this adage may often be true, in other cases, the book far outshines the film (case in point: Shrek. You did know it was a picture book by William Steig first, didn't you?).

In still other cases, the movie bears such little resemblance to the book (The Cat in the Hat is a prime example) that requiring the text to be read first is like making someone watch Jon & Kate Plus Eight before having kids.

Questions of superiority (which is, most often, a matter of taste) aside, there are several factors to consider before making the decision about whether your kid reads the book before going to see the movie:

1. Age and reading level. My youngest child is too little to read Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox, but she enjoyed the movie nonetheless. She sat through all our family pre-movie readings of the Harry Potter books, but I'm not sure she picked up enough to qualify as having "read" it. By the same token, it wouldn't make sense to require my older kids sit down with a copy of The Cat in the Hat in order to see the Mike Myers version (of course, we read this particular title approximately one zillion times when they were little, so reading it again would be unnecessary).

2. Interest. If one child in the family is into horses, will I ask all of my kids read Black Beauty before we rent the movie? Probably not. And I'm definitely not reading the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy before I FINALLY watch the movies. (All I want to see is Viggo, and I don't need to know much about J.R.R. Tolkien to enjoy that.)

3. Convenience. I would have loved to read Coraline before seeing the movie, but I didn't find out about that it was based on a short story until right before we headed out to the theaters. And in the case of A Christmas Carol, the last thing I wanted to do -- or ask my kids to do -- during the harried holiday season was plop down with a volume of Dickens. There are times when you just want to take the kids to see the darned movie without making it into a homework assignment first -- not everything has to be "educational."

4. Comprehension. If the book will help the viewer understand the movie, it's worth investing the time to read. Reading beforehand may also help parents suss out whether the film will be too advanced or scary for their child (if they're already having nightmares over the book version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, seeing Voldemort's face on the back of Prof. Quirrell's head isn't going to help matters).

In sum, it's a lofty ideal to read each and every book before you take in the cinematic version, but it's not always necessary -- or possible. At the same time, falling in love with a movie can help turn your child into a more devoted reader, especially when you tell them that the book was even BETTER than the movie. But that means you'll have to read it first.

Permalink | 2 comments | Lain Ehmann's blog | Channel: Entertainment

Similar entries:

Best of Parenting Weekly Round-Up: Kids and Reading Edition

Lain Ehmann — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:07:23 +0000

By Lain Ehmann

Even the youngest kids gravitate naturally towards books -- especially if they're widely available in their home space. This week, we cover a variety of ways to encourage kids of all ages to crack a book every now and then -- just for fun!

Trust that Your Child Will Make It Through that Reading Phase. Is your kid stuck in graphic-novel land? Is she convinced she can't read a book longer than 78 pages? Does he avoid books without pictures? Don't worry, says this seasoned teacher/blogger, it's only a phase, and fourth grade is right about when reading tastes start to change, evolve, and expand. A Year of Reading

Getting Active Kids Reading. If your kid won't sit in a chair to eat dinner, how are you going to get her to sit still to read? Well, you don't have to! Try playing active games, reading outside, or any of the other fun tips in this post. GKReading

A Plea - A Rant - A Rally Cry - A Call to Action. Kids' book illustrator and mom Kelly LIght shares her thoughts on the importance of reading, the need to guide your kids' choices, and a list of some of her favorite kids' books. Pretty Good for a Girl

Kids and Reading: Four Tips for Helping Your Children Develop a Love of Reading. Whether you're a book lover or a one-book-a-year reader, this blog post provides some easy tips for helping your kids love reading. Chocolate Kids

Raising Great Kids - Reading. From their earliest days, kids love books! This blog post -- with adorable pictures -- gives parents simple strategies for the hows and whys of reading with even the tiniest child. Raising Great Kids

Good Comics for Kids. Graphic novels (or 'comics,' as they were called in my day) are here to stay. From Diary of a Wimpy Kid to Naruto, children love these image-heavy books. Instead of fighting the tide, why not embrace it and look for books that still can count as "good?" This post includes suggestions for kids ages 4 and up. Library Journal

Do you have favorite books or suggestions for getting your kids reading? Share with us in the comments, or send us a tweet on Twitter!

Permalink | Comments | Lain Ehmann's blog | Channel: Learning Tools

Similar entries: