It is based on the premise of the author inheriting a house and garden from her grandmother and the many magical adventures that take place in the garden. Upon her morning walk one day, she sees what she thinks is a moth trapped in a spider web, however, upon closer inspection she finds it to be a tiny winged horse.

Not your typical children’s book, there are sections devoted to several different foals, telling a bit about the foal and always ending with a poem. This book is not only about the fairy foals, but about friendship, adventure and the magical things that can happen if you just look for them.

My 9 year old loved this book. She sat down to start reading it and didn’t close it until she was done. Then she looked at me and with a satisfied sigh, said, “I wish that wasn’t the end. I loved this book.” High praise indeed.

Written by Perri, a homeschooling mom of 6 kids - 2 that are grown and out of the house and 4 younger ones who help wreck and clean the house. Perri also has two precious grandchildren. She spends a lot of time doing ministries with her church, volunteering in the community and baking a mean cheesecake. She blogs about her family’s life at My Life in Bits & Pieces.

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Audible Kids is a site that provides digital spoken audio information and entertainment, and specializes in the spoken experience by providing digital audio editions of children’s books.

They have a dizzying array of books for all ages, even for a former teacher. There are books that have been awarded various medals like the Caldecott and Newbery, favorites (Where the Wild Things Are, Arthur stories by Marc Brown, Beverly Cleary books) and classics (Make Way for Ducklings, Charlotte’s Web, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

Anyone can create an account to search for a book in the vast library of audio books. Various ways of searching include typing the title or author into the search field, clicking on criteria (age, grade, running time, price, publication date, and award winning books) on the left hand side of the browser, or locating books narrated by a certain person or from a specific publisher through an advanced search.

I spent forever browsing the various children’s books available through Audible Kids. The site was extremely easy to use and I really fell in love with the Wish List feature that allowed me to browse for titles, listen to audio, and then save titles of books I wanted to purchase in the future. All of the books that I saved in my Wish List were stored in my Profile at the top right of the screen.

I found the audio previews to be very helpful. They are available for each book on the Audible Kids site. The previews are helpful since they are long enough to give a user a good idea of the reader’s tone and the pace of the story. Audible Kids also tells you the listening time of every story on their site.

Audible Kids audio downloads range in price, but tend to be very affordable. Prices begin at $0.99 for single children’s picture books. Chapter books, such as Ramona Quimby, Age 8 is $12.95. Collections are priced higher. I love the idea of collections written by the same author or including the same characters. To view the stories included in collections such as Frog and Toad ($12.95) and The Cat in the Hat and other Dr. Seuss Favorites ($13.95), users click on the “more” button located. Other collections, like the Jan Brett Trio ($1.95) and Robert McCloskey for Young Children ($9.95), includes thumbnail pictures of the titles included with the download.

Some audio downloads are even free due to Audible Kids partnership with Reading is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF). RIF provides free audio downloads to ensure that all children can access books to help them discover the pleasure of reading. There are currently nine titles available for free and include: Brothers Grimm’s Rapunzel, Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart, Rudyard Kipling’s Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Hans Christian Anderson’s The Emperor’s New Clothes, and more!

The super simple checkout process makes this site even more of a dream to use. Add books to your cart, click check out, bill purchases to your credit card, and go to the My Downloads to download each title you just purchased. If you use a Mac, your Audible Kids books will download directly to iTunes where you can listen to your audiobooks and transfer them to an iPod. PC users have to install the download software. Audiobooks you purchase from Audible Kids are always available on your “My Downloads” page.

I’ve made several purchases of single children’s books (Make Way for Ducklings and Corduroy), collections including Frog and Toad Audio Selection and The Cat in the Hat and other Dr. Seuss Favorites, while also taking advantage of 2 RIF free downloads (Rikki Tikki Tavi and The Emperor’s New Clothes) and have been incredibly pleased.

My two children (4 and almost 2) love listening to stories in the car. They never complain about not having a hard copy of the book since they enjoy visualizing pictures as they listen to the stories being read. I enjoy listening to our downloads from Audible Kids since they are a nice departure from having to listen to the same songs over and over again. Some of my favorite stories are those from the The Cat in the Hat and other Dr. Seuss Favorites collection where the stories are read by stars like Kelsey Grammar, John Cleese, Billy Crystal and Dustin Hoffman. I see myself downloading many more stories from Audible Kids to put on our iPods for summer car trips and long plane flights.

Huge props to Audible Kids for providing fabulous content through an easy to use interface!

Written by Leticia, a part time working multitasking mama who loves spending time with her husband and two children, exotic vacations, and cooking great meals. Leticia writes about technology products and technology issues affecting children through her blog, Tech Savvy Mama.

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Enter to win by visiting The Fairy Chronicles and telling us which book would interest you or the young lady in your family the most. Leave a comment HERE by Monday, May 19, 2008.

You can receive a second entry by blogging about the contest (linking to it) or adding us to your blogroll. Just e-mail us with a live link or let us know you have it posted on your site. You do not need a blog to enter, just leave us your e-mail address so that we may contact you. As always, it is Props & Pans policy NOT to distribute any information you give us (including your e-mail). Thanks for entering!

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Carly was the lucky recipient of The Fairy Chronicles for her reading enjoyment. And enjoy them she did. Each of these delightful books is around 120 pages and she read them all in 3 days. The girls of The Fairy Chronicles go on dangerous adventures to protect nature and solve problems. Each fairy has a special magical power that help them help Mother Nature. Carly said as she read the books, she imagined herself “in fairy mode” and could just imagine herself in the story working along side the fairies.

Carly was not frightened by anything in the books and she thoroughly enjoyed them. The author is extremely descriptive in her writing and Carly was able to recall all the small details about things she had read. As I showed her the website and we looked through the Fairy Handbook section, I was amazed at how much she had retained from her reading. I could ask her about anything in the handbook and she could tell me all I wanted to know and more.

This series of books are quite reasonably priced and to date there are 8 of them available for young child to read. I think they would be quite suitable for young girls ages 7 - 12. The newest adventure Cinnabar and the Island of Shadows, continues the tradition of the previous 7 Fairy Chronicles, which tells stories about wonderful 9 year old girls who are secretly fairies themselves.

Written by Perri, a homeschooling mom of 6 kids - 2 that are grown and out of the house and 4 younger ones who help wreck and clean the house. Perri also has two precious grandchildren. She spends a lot of time doing ministries with her church, volunteering in the community and baking a mean cheesecake. She blogs about her family’s life at My Life in Bits & Pieces.

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In the first chapter Diane discusses the questions we should be asking ourselves as mothers, that will help us decide whether or not to return to work. Chapter three includes practice interview questions, while chapter six deals with the emotional side of returning to work. Each chapter holds great information as well as important tools to help a working mother not only cope, but make the transition back to a work environment a bit easier for everyone.

If you are a mother trying to decide if returning to work is right for you, give this book a try. I think you will be as pleasantly surprised. Read the excerpt below and then pick up a copy for yourself or someone you know.

Why do you want to go back to work? It seems like a simple question, but there a lot of things to consider. Is it out of financial necessity? Divorce? Empty nest? Do you want a career or a job?

Take a closer look at your motivation by answering the following questions. Be honest as you write your answers and add any thoughts or comments you may have along the way. It’s natural to have a mix of feelings and emotions as you consider a change this encompassing. Writing will help you sort through your thoughts to make a better decision.

Written by Laura, chauffeur to five beautiful children ages 9-18, freelance writer, amateur photographer, wife of 14 years and so not politically correct. Come visit her at Work At Home Mom to Five.

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I have the photos, the albums and the creativity. What I don’t have is the time, energy or financial resources to buy all the cutters, grommets, mattes, embellishments, tools and papers needed to create the beautiful scrapbooks I dream about. Even if I had the boat loads of cash where would I store all the supplies and projects so that I could devote all of my spare time to bettering my kids memories of childhood? I doubt that I could handle the chaos that would happen if I even tried it, so my blog has been an attempt at a substitute for my lack of scrapbooking. That has changed.

I discovered a mother-owned, online digital scrapbooking service called How Fast They Grow that gives you templates and allows you to upload your photos, drag and drop them into the pages. You can even journal a story or paragraph and look like you are a professional. It is so easy. There are no more excuses. I was able to crank out a 12 page baby book for Charlotte during her nap time. The company prints the pages and ships them to you and they are ready to be placed in a standard 12×12 leather scrapbook. This site is totally user friendly and in my own defense, idiot proof. The adorable templates allow you to custom design your pages with minimal effort. You can select unique backgrounds or more whimsical patterned papers. The pages arrive on heavy card stock in about a week. The quality is spectacular and the circus animals are no longer in danger of being brought to school.

How Fast They Grow is offering Props & Pans readers a discount. When you visit their site use the code “TRIPLETS” to save 20% for the next three weeks. This makes each completed page only $6.00 and to me that is a bargain.

Written by Helene, who is a “fly by the seat of her pants” mom with 6 kids, well really 7 if you count her husband. She is a die-hard bargain shopper, designer-clad domestic diva who writes reviews to maintain a sense of sanity and unleash her creative side. You can also keep up with their busy family at their blog.

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Itsy Bitsy Yoga for Toddlers and Preschoolers is written in clear, precise terms. It has photos of all the poses done by a parent and a child, so variations are clearly visible. Garabedian gives very specific instructions for how to help you and your child move into the poses. Ten different routines are presented pose by pose:

• Wake n’ Stretch Yoga (our favorite)
• Patience Please Yoga
• Run, Rock n’ Roll Yoga
• Building Balance Yoga
• Tantrum Taming Yoga
• Strong n’ Sweet Yoga
• Coordinated n’ Confident Yoga
• Quiet Time Yoga
• Blissful Bedtime Yoga
• Super-Duper Yoga

You don’t need to have any yoga knowledge to do the poses, although since I have yoga experience I think it probably helped. The poses are the basic poses like Cat, Cow, Cobra, Warrior and Mountain, as well as variations designed specifically for children like Silly Spins, March Around the Zoo and Yogi Yogi Feet. All of my children like to do the yoga routines, but I suggest being very careful if you try to do them with children under the age of two. My 17-month old thinks getting down on the floor is an invitation to wrestle or to nurse, and yoga is tough if you have a whiny toddler hanging on your leg or back.

Garabadian touts the benefits of yoga for toddlers as being fewer tantrums, better sleep, improved digestion, higher self-esteem, increased listening skills, better self-expression, improved gross and fine motor development, easier relaxation plus a healthy and physically fit lifestyle. I haven’t necessarily seen much improvement in all of these areas, especially the tantrums, but it does encourage a healthier lifestyle and it’s fun.

Written by Mary, who is a thirty-something SAHM of four under the age of eight. She is a lousy housekeeper, a voracious reader, and dabbles in art and music in various forms. She blogs to maintain her writing skills and her sanity in The Fish Pond.

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I did not expect to start sobbing on page two and sniffle, wheeze and sob inconsolably by the end. I don’t say this disparagingly. Quite the contrary. I don’t think this actually should be a children’s book. In fact, I think it should be required reading for all parents. For the bad days when you think, “Why do I have so many kids?” You need to go take a few minutes to read this book. For those nights when you think, “If they do not go to sleep I am going to scream!” You need to take a few minutes and read this book.

The disparity in the way the world revolves when you are a parent versus the way it revolved before you were one, is difficult to explain to someone who does not have children. This book nails it in a simple tale of love, motherhood and childhood. It is one of the simplest, but most beautiful books I have ever read and now I’m crying again.

Written by Gidge, who is a mother of a 5 year old boy and 3 year old twin boys. A transplanted Hoosier, die-hard Colts fan and professional call center manager, she likes long walks on the beach, penguins and playing ping-pong. Her turn-ons include sleep and silence. Read all about her life here.

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“What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?” was written by Robin Page and Steve Jenkins and isn’t brand new. In fact it was published in 2003, but I just discovered its magic with little kids. What is different about this cut-page collage of illustrations is that it keeps engaging your kids and every page will lead them to ask another question.

There is nothing better than feeding a curious imagination fueled by the “why” and “how” questions. Every page depicts five different animals’ tails, eyes, ears or other body parts and a simple question.

Did you know that most fish have two eyes, but some have four so that they can see above and below the water at the same time? There are nature and science facts oozing from this book, which makes my son love it. I know he likes it because he repeats what he has learned to himself and everyone we come into contact with.

For example, a typical conversation with the grocery store clerk goes like this, “Did you know that a lizard can break off its tail as a defense, but it grows back?”

Written by Emily, who is a married working mother of a very energetic 5 year old son. They reside in Southern Indiana (a little too close to the Kentucky border). Someday she’d like to visit Intercourse, PA and have her picture taken with the welcome sign. She writes at her personal blog, Fenicle and loves free samples and trying new things!

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I admit the title really caught my attention because it sounded so fun and whimsical. Turns out the title is only the beginning. I love books that are broken down into easy reads.

During the interview Jamieson spoke of how the question and answer book developed from his 7 year old son, Dean, who was as curious as they come. He struggled to answer all the questions Dean presented and after writing many down, decided to compile a book from inquisitive kids everywhere. Each question was researched and he provides an expert answer.

Haven’t you always wondered what would hurt more - getting run over by a car or getting stung by a jellyfish? Do you know if the rainbow is hot or cold? I have no idea how to answer that one. My personal favorite - do nose hairs turn gray? Now aren’t you curious?

The format of this book is unusual, but very enjoyable for parents of children all ages and anyone who treasures the honest spirit of children’s imaginations. Some of the questions are humorous, some educational and a few reveal the tender hearts of young children. Jamieson set out to answer his son’s most baffling questions, but ended up entertaining (and educating) a few parents on the way.

Written by Emily, who is a married working mother of a very energetic 5 year old son. They reside in Southern Indiana (a little too close to the Kentucky border). Someday she’d like to visit Intercourse, PA and have her picture taken with the welcome sign. She writes at her personal blog, Fenicle and loves free samples and trying new things!

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