• Simon & Schuster Archive

    I truly don’t know a greater love than the one that exists between my 5-year-old and our cat. The two are practically inseparable and have fostered a bond that began when my daughter was just a baby. My mother reminds me that I too treasured my childhood kitty and how I cried every time we left for vacation, worrying that she’d be lonely (I still shed a tear before leaving Peanut, and hide my red eyes behind dark sunglasses before we head out of town.) Because their friendship is more than heartwarming–it transcends the bounds of human/animal duos–I am relishing a new picture book about a young girl who unsuspectingly befriends a furry friend while pet-sitting. A Year With Marmalade follows a year in the [&hellip

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    What’s preschool without nursery rhymes? One of my 4-year-old favorites is “Itsy Bitsy Spider;” we’ve been singing this little ditty ever since she could put her fingers together to make them “climb up the waterspout”–and I’ve no doubt she’s in good company. So, naturally, when the latest  incarnation of this classic song–in the form of a pop-up book–landed on my desk, I knew this afternoon’s story time pick was a no brainer. As a mom who’s already sang this song umpteen times, Itsy Bitsy Spider  is almost as exciting for me to page through as it was for my daughter. On each page, the vivid paper construction give new life to verses already committed to memory. Little details like the baseball cap-wearing spider and teapot-shaped [&hellip

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    Last week’s spring break ran a bit little too long for my sanity, so my ever-thoughtful husband offered to take our daughter  with him to work for the day. She’d been begging him since Easter, so you can imagine her excitement when his calendar opened up and she was able to trek with him into the Big City (to a 7-year-old, commuting never grows old). While I was never able to accompany my dad to his job (one that required security clearance), I later worked for the same company while on summer break as a college student and was able to ride with him to work. He always let me pick whatever radio station I wanted (a big deal in the pre-iPod-ear-buds-glued-to-your-head days), and we [&hellip

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    When someone I know has a new baby, my favorite gift to welcome their little one is a book. It doesn’t matter if it’s a board book about bunnies or a picture book about penguins; I love the inviting prospect of sitting in a comfy chair with a little person on my lap, inhaling their fresh-from-the bath scent and snuggling in for some one-on-one time. It’s a small moment of parenting that gives me the greatest pleasure, and my hope is to offer that same experience to my new mom friend. If you’re on the lookout for a new baby gift this spring, be sure to check out Hey Little Baby! by Heather Leigh. The tender tale of a brand-new person and all the possibilities [&hellip

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    My husband likes to tease me about my preference for the predictable, but in the topsy-turvy world of parenting, I take great comfort in the repetitive rhythms of my day. Because of my 7-year-old’s after-school activities, I plan make-ahead meals of roasted chicken on Mondays and spaghetti and meatballs on Tuesdays. (No need to phone home and ask “What’s for dinner?”) And when I make my twice-weekly visit to our local fish market, the guys behind the counter are already poised behind the flounder and shrimp. “What’s the matter?,” one of the fish men once inquired when I opted for salmon. Geez, am I really that set in my ways? Maybe that’s why I can relate to the title character in the brand-new children’s picture [&hellip

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