My car is in desperate need of a wash. After too many months of wet weather, muddy feet and the like, this mom taxi has taken quite a beating. Of course, the line at our local car wash has been five miles long lately. If only my imagination could transport to the pages of the latest picture book to cross my desk. Down at the Dino Wash Deluxe is the place to be, especially if you happen to live with anyone who knows his T-Tex from a triceratops. It’s also the center of a make-believe business where these prehistoric creatures come to have their regular scrub-down (where else can these guys fit when a bath tub is out of the question?). If I ever thought
Sterling Children’s Books Archive

My 4-year-old has a definite sweet tooth, and her latest sugary obsession is Pez (remember those candies that come in their own dispenser?). Because she covets her Hello Kitty Pez like it’s gold, she has a hard time sharing with her big sis (who also loves Pez, but not nearly as much). During a recent battle at the dinner table, my little one reluctantly agreed to give her sister some of her treats…but the biggest surprise came the following day when her sister graciously brought home some leftover coloring sheets for her art class. As my girls have come to learn, a kind gesture like sharing something with others–especially something you love–doesn’t go unnoticed and sometimes yields its own reward. This is the perfect lesson

Our next-door neighbor has been renovating his home for the past six months. Thanks to Superstorm Sandy and some other setbacks, it’s been taking a lot longer than expected. But because he is such a kindhearted guy (and always apologizing for the noise and commotion), we could never truly be angry with him. So when I opened the pages of Wooby & Peep new picture book, I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder–had someone been spying on us these last few months? Did the author see when a tree guy was removing some broken limbs from next door and accidentally knocked over our garden fence? Let’s just say that sometimes neighborly mishaps make for new friends…like they do in this charming tale where a

