Merry Christmas, Splat ...and More Winter Stories: Scholastic Storybook Treasures DVD Review

I received this DVD for free to facilitate this review.

I love Scholastic Storybook Treasures! They take story books and bring them to life through animation. You can collect them all and even read along with the story on screen if you choose to.

Merry Christmas, Splat ...and More Winter Stories is a wonderful collection of 4 snowy stories that will be sure to warm your heart.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, SPLAT (Written and illustrated by Rob Scotton, narrated by John Keating) This is an adorable story of a cat named Splat who tries a little too hard to be good before Santa’s arrival so he can get what he wishes for most on Christmas day. Anyone who has ever been a child waiting for Christmas morning knows how much the excitement and anticipation sometimes get the best of us. This is a great story that is purrfect for all ages.

FLETCHER AND THE SNOWFLAKE CHRISTMAS (By Julia Rawlinson, illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke, narrated by Katherine Kellgren) It’s Christmas Eve and Fletcher the fox wonders how Santa will find the rabbits' new burrow because they have moved. His big heart will touch yours. I love the beautiful illustrations and gorgeous layout of words that this has.

SNOWFLAKE BENTLEY (By Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrated by Mary Azarian, narrated by Sean Astin) This is the story of Willie Bentley, who was a pioneering scientist who loved and learned all about snowflakes. I loved learning about this inquisitive boy who loved everything about the snow and wanted the world to see how beautiful snowflakes were. He was the first to capture snowflakes as photographs. This story makes you realize how big the world is in retrospect and how you need to slow down and take a closer look at it.

OWL MOON (Written and narrated by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr) This story is a wonderful story about a girl and her father as they search the moonlit woods for a Great Horned Owl. This being the girls first trip she is excited to say the least, but she remembers her fathers words that she should not make a sound while owling. This is a sweet bond of father and daughter relationships and a nature walk in the snowy night that will not soon be forgotten.

Bonus Features Behind-the-Scenes Look at Creating the Animation for Fletcher and the Snowflake Christmas; Read-Along. This DVD is Approx. 36 minutes + extras. Recommended for ages 3-7.

Download some fun free printables on PDF to go along with this DVD!

BUY IT
You can purchase the Scholastic Storybook Treasures Merry Christmas, Splat DVD on New Kideo for $14.95 as of this posting.

For more information on this title or any other Scholastic Storybook Treasures release, visit www.newkideo.com. Also, visit New Kideo, the online home for the DVD line, at their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NewKideo

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received product for free to facilitate my review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. 

All You Magazine Back To School Special Issue Review

We received a product free from Crowdtap and All You Magazine to facilitate this review.

All You Magazine has put out a special Back to School issue that you can find in the magazine stand at your local Walmart. I really have enjoyed reading this special issue of All You magazine. This issue is dedicated to getting the school year off to a great start. Its special focus is encouraging kids to read. The contents are organized into relevant categories that you can find things easier with. The categories include: Be prepared, Living healthy, Eating well, Learn together, and Also in the issue.

It has great tips and offers for back to school and home. The recipes for tasty lunches, after school treats, and easy 20-minute meals look yummy. I will certainly have to try the Mushroom Ragout with Polenta! I also love the section about kitchen gadgets and building a book nook.  If you have a new kindergartener, 7th grader or 9th grader going to public school then the article titled "Soothe your child's back-to-school worries is a great read. I loved "End Morning Madness" because really mastering the art of getting everyone out the door without any drama is a special skill that does require some advance planning and they have some good tips to do so. Kellogg's, Scholastic and Walmart has partnered up with All You to give readers the opportunity to get a free Scholastic book when you buy specially marked packages of Kellogg's products at Walmart. It also has valuable manufacturer coupons inside that are good til the end of October.

This magazine has so much great information inside! I enjoyed it from cover to cover. I highly recommend this magazine to other parents.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received product for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Bink & Gollie and More Stories About Friendship: Scholastic Storybook Treasures DVD Review

I received this DVD for free to facilitate this review.

I love Scholastic Storybook Treasures! They take story books and bring them to life through animation. This DVD is a collection of stories is all about friendship and is called Bink & Gollie and More Stories About Friendship. This new DVD is perfect for kids as they wind down the school year, get ready for summer activities and look forward to spending time with friends. This also has the option of the DVD reading along with subtitles below. These stories teach friendship, tolerance and respect.

First up in this collection of stories is Bink & Gollie. These adorable stories are by the talented and award-winning author, Kate DiCamillo of "Because of Winn Dixie" and "Tale of Despereaux". These are also by Alison McGhee, Illustrated by Tony Fucile and narrated by Kate Micucci and Riki Lindhome. These are stories of two very different girls who don't always agree on everything, but their friendship lends to compromises that help them stay friends. "Bink & Gollie" actually have 3 stories of the girls' adventures: Don't You Need a New Pair of Socks?, P.S. I'll be Back Soon, and Give a Fish a Home. I found each of these to be wonderful and my girls loved them. Gotta love Bink's wild hair and taste in socks :) Gollie's vocabulary is outstanding and these stories give fun new words to my daughters' repertoire.

Next is "A Sick Day for Amos McGee" by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead and narrated by David de Vries. This is a story about a zookeeper who after falling ill with the sniffles and sneezes gets a visit from some unexpected guests. This is a charming story about taking time out of your day to help out a friend when they become sick.

"The Other Side" by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E.B. Lewis and narrated by Toshi Widoff-Woodson is about a friendship that develops between two kids from opposite sides of a segregated town. It teaches a little about segregation and racial discrimination, but more about acceptance and friendship even though someone is different. I am glad that my children live in a age where this doesn't happen, although sadly I still hear about racism happening. I made this story into a learning experience with my kids and taught them more about the Civil Rights Movement that changed the prejudices that separated blacks and whites.

Last, but certainly not least is "Cat and Canary", written and illustrated by Michael Foreman. It is a story about two most unlikely friends as they embark on an adventure when their master is away at work. I always wonder what my pets do while we are away. This story is fun and imaginative and captures the New York City Skyline perfectly.

BUY IT
You can purchase the Scholastic Storybook Treasures Bink & Gollie DVD on Amazon.com for $12.99 as of this posting.

This DVD is Approx. 36 minutes and has extras (Interview with Bink & Gollie illustrator Tony Fucile, Interview with A Sick Day for Amos McGee author Philip Stead and illustrator Erin Stead, Interview with The Other Side author Jacqueline Woodson) + Read Along version. Recommended for ages 4-9.

For more information on this title or any other Scholastic Storybook Treasures release, visit www.newkideo.com. Also, visit New Kideo, the online home for the DVD line, at their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NewKideo

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received product for free to facilitate my review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

The Magic School Bus All About Earth DVD Review and Giveaway

To celebrate Earth Day I received The Magic School Bus All About Earth DVD for free to facilitate this review and the opportunity to also give one away.

I homeschool my kids and so I seek out educational programing on TV, Netflix, etc. for my children to watch and learn from. I grew up watching The Magic School Bus, a long-running Emmy® Award-winning animated science adventure series, on TV when I was younger and so I remember enjoying learning along with the show. When I got older and had children of my own I incorporated The Magic School Bus in my kids' education at home because they are so much fun. We have collected many of The Magic School Bus series of books that the series is based off of too over the years. All my kids love both the series and the books and so do I.

From Ms. Frizzle's outrageous wardrobe to her anthropomorphic school bus that takes her students on field trips to impossible locations, The Magic School Bus series takes you on great adventures all in the name of science. The classroom pet Liz, a lizard, that accompanies them on most of the excursions. These present scientific fact with situations where fantastic things happen with humor thrown in to make learning fun.

In The Magic School Bus All About Earth DVD you get 3 all new, never before released episodes: The Magic School Bus Goes to Seed, The Magic School Bus Blows its Top, The Magic School Bus Goes on Air AND a bonus episode, The Magic School Bus All Dried Up. This DVD also has both Spanish and English language options. These are fabulous for getting inside the Earth like never before. Celebrate Earth Day with pizazz.

In The Magic School Bus Goes to Seed we get a bugs eye view of plants, flowers and bugs. In this episode we learn about plant nectar, pollen, and seeds. The class' garden is going to be featured on the cover of Plant It! Magazine, but Phoebe's garden plot is extremely empty...can they fill it in time for the magazine photo? We loved this episode and my daughters loved learning the parts of the flowers and about the bug's proboscis.

In The Magic School Bus Blows its Top we rock out with Ms. Frizzle and her class as we help them discover a new island. In this episode we learn a little about the formation of islands, Earth's crust, underwater volcanoes, magma, and lava. We loved this episode and my girls loved learning about heat buildup in volcanoes and what they form when they erupt.

In The Magic School Bus Goes on Air we see Ms. Frizzle and her class under a lot of pressure to get a class project done for the Walkerville Space Capsule. In this episode we learn about air pressure. We loved this episode and my girls loved learning about what air pressure can do.

In The Magic School Bus All Dried Up we try to beat the heat with Ms. Frizzle and her class as they go to the desert. In this episode we learn about how animals adapt for survival in such a hot seemingly arid place. We loved this episode and my girls loved learning about the desert and some of its flora and fauna.

We will definitely treasure this DVD and I know my kids will love watching these episodes again and again. I love the educational content. This is a great DVD for Earth Day or any day!

For more information on this title or any other Scholastic Storybook Treasures release, visit www.newkideo.com. Also, visit New Kideo, the online home for the DVD line, at their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/New-Kideo/169330949777241

BUY IT
Purchase The Magic School Bus All About Earth DVD from New Kideo for $12.95

WIN IT
Prize: 1 winner will win a copy of The Magic School Bus All About Earth DVD free from Scholastic and New Kideo.

I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received product for free to facilitate my review and the opportunity to give another away to my readers. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

The Rosemary Wells Collection Review and Giveaway

In these 2 four-part DVDs The Rosemary Wells Collection brings to life the most beloved characters of children's author and illustrator, Rosemary Wells. This collection features two sibling bunnies called Max and Ruby. Max is a curious boy bunny who gets into trouble a lot and Ruby is his bossy older sister. The two make a great pair and share lots of everyday adventures together. Also on the DVDs are other less well known characters that will eventually become family favorites too.

I received this 2 DVD collection set for free to watch and review. I think my favorite of the stories was "Morris's Disappearing Bag" and "Voyage to the Bunny Planet". These are recommended for ages 2-7 and Teela, my youngest, who is 2 and a half loved them. They teach things like cooperation, early math and reading skills, problem solving and imagination. I love these stories and cute illustrations!

Includes:
Max's Chocolate Chicken
Max's Christmas
Morris's Disappearing Bag
Otto Runs For President

Noisy Nora
Emily's First 100 Days Of School
Voyage To The Bunny Planet
Reading To Your Bunny

Bonus: Spanish Versions of Max's Christmas and Noisy Nora; Rosemary Wells Interviews: Voyage to the Bunny Planet and Otto Runs for President, A Visit with Rosemary Wells, Gonna Read to my Bunny music video, Read-Along, Talk About the Stories.

WIN IT:
We have generously been offered another one of The Rosemary Wells Collection DVDs to one of my readers to win.

Mandatory:
1. Go to the The Rosemary Wells Collection DVD webpage and tell me by commenting on this post what story from the collection you think you would love to see and why.

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11. Tweet this: @finamoon WIN The Rosemary Wells Collection DVD #giveaway http://bit.ly/9wAKqM (Daily Extras are Available)

Make sure you leave me your email in all posts so that I can contact you. If you subscribed, blogged about this, listed it, commented on another post, or faved me on Momfaves leave 2 entries saying you did. This contest ends on Friday September 24, 2010 at midnight (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). This Giveaway is open to all 18 years and over in the U.S. Only!!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Beth Blenz-Cluc​as of Sugar Mountain PR for sending me a free Rosemary Wells Collection DVD to watch to and review. This giveaway is also provided free from Beth Blenz-Cluc​as of Sugar Mountain PR. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.