droolicious : Chronicle books

Create and Color With Rosie Flo

SunnyChanel — Sun, 24 May 2009 17:30:00 GMT

Rosie Flo’s Animals Coloring Book is a whimsical collection of animal themed images to decorate, color and liven up. But there are some things missing…heads, arms and legs.

This collection of exotic animal themed outfits like a worm covered tunic, zebra party dress and a sea creature encrusted wedding gown all need heads, arms and legs drawn in to complete the picture. It’s like a visit to a fantastic, festive, and literally wild closet with you and your kids creating the context. You can get coloring from Chronicle Books here for $8.99.

My Quotable Kid

SunnyChanel — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 04:34:00 GMT

I don’t know about your kid, but mine has said some pretty priceless stuff. “Candy is my medicine”, “I just burped out of my butt”, and when holding up our hands and asking her what five plus five is, she takes her extended fingers and places them by the side of her head and proudly declares, “antlers!”

Yes, I try to remember as many of these chestnuts and sometimes I manage to jot them down on a random piece of paper. Thing is my memory ain’t what she used to be, and the random scraps of paper are easily misplaced (I blame that whole no memory thing). You know what I need? A special journal to store all these precious gems.

Chronicle Book evidently picked up that vibe from me (and I’m sure countless other parents) and has released the My Quotable Kid – A Parent’s Journal of Unforgettable Quotes. This handsomely bound book includes space for a date, which kid said it, and what they said. And this isn’t some random Mead notebook, this volume with fit share the shelf with your hardbound editions of Joyce, Camus and Nabokov. You can pick up your own journal here for $14.95.

Eric Carle Wall Art – On the CHEAP!

SunnyChanel — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:13:00 GMT

It’s been forty years since Eric Carle’s first printing of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Since then this book along with The Very Busy Spider, The Grouchy Ladybug and The Greedy Python have become timeless classics that are adored and enjoyed by families pert near everywhere. If your kids are lovers of all things Carle, a fabulous way to celebrate his whimsical and colorful artwork is by hanging it on your wall so it can be enjoyed not just during storytime but all the time.

Chronicle Books has put together a beautiful set of 12 full color decorative prints from a variety of his books that are oh so suitable for framing. Put a couple on your wall, frame the rest and you have gifts for oodles of upcoming showers and little kid birthday parties. They’ll think you are very generous indeed bestowing on them a gorgeous Carle print. They don’t need to know that the entire set of prints cost you just $24.95 and you know, that Target has some pretty cheap frames. You can pre-order the Decorative Prints set here for $24.95, which will be coming out on March 25th!

Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

SunnyChanel — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:00:00 GMT

First off, just take a gander at the above cover art. What do you see? Do you see a duck? Do you see a rabbit? Do you see both? Do you see a Portuguese water dog? If you answered yes to the first three, this book is for you. If you answered yes to the last question, well my friend, you need glasses…stat. But I’d bet most will see the before mentioned duck and rabbit and will be delighted, amused and tickled by the newest offering from Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

Duck! Rabbit! is by the award winning author of Little Pea, Little Hoot and Little Oink. The optical illusion book that is based on a simple drawing of a duck/rabbit will captivate little readers, and big ones too, with the art of seeing something in more than one unique way. There’s always more than meets the eye and this is one of those books that will still bring the fun even after many multiple readings...and trust me, there will be many many readings of this one. $16.99 from Chronicle Books here.

Chronicle Gift Packs

Erin Behan — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:29:00 GMT

Chronicle has some great bundled gift packs on its site right now, with themes that match many of life's occasions (yes, even some besides Christmas). When purchasing their gift packs, you save money and get a nicely packaged present. Of course the pregnancy pack ($22.95) caught my eye with its inclusion of the very popular The Pregnancy Journal and the very helpful Pregnancy To-Dos, but also appropriate for Droolers is the kids in the kitchen pack ($29.95), the Eric Carle pack ($29.95) and the Hanukkah for kids pack ($20.95).

Freaky Freebies: Printable Activities from 'Vunce Upon a Time'

Aaron Burgess — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:04:00 GMT

Leave it to Olive, the Other Reindeer creator J.otto Seibold to conjure up a blood-sucking undead character we'd actually want to cuddle up with this Halloween. Okay, that's not entirely true about the blood-sucking stuff: See, Dagmar the vampire is actually a shy, people-fearing vegetarian, and his real weakness isn't A, B or O-positive; it's more like Almond Joy, Butterfinger and Oompas. In Seibold and Siobhan Vivian's delightful new book, Vunce Upon a Time, the candy-crazed cutie has to overcome his fear of the living to score big as a trick-or-treater.

Chronicle Kids, Vunce Upon a Time's publisher, has rolled out some Halloween-friendly treats of its own to celebrate the book, and we're happy to report that you don't need to make a donation, blood or otherwise, to enjoy 'em. Each is a printable PDF, and when you put everything together you've even got the ingredients for a party.

Check out the "Vunce in a Lifetime Halloween Adventure" site for the full-color experience, or grab the whole lot via the links below. Happy crafting, and a totally premature Happy Halloween to all!

Turn Into a Vampire in 6 Easy Steps

Vampire Jack-O-Lantern Pattern

Face Painting Template

Bat Ear Pattern

Sticker Sheets

Coloring Sheets

Spiderweb Pumpkin Ginger Cupcakes Recipe

Caramel Apples and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipes

The Ultimate School Memory Book

Erin Behan — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:25:00 GMT

Chronicle puts out some clever memory books, and School Years: A Family Keepsake of Memories is no exception. I watched a woman snap up three in front of me at a local store. What's great about the book--besides the cute retro illustrations by Stephen Britt--is that it keeps all the most important school memories in one place. Inside this book is an expandable pocket for each grade that can be filled with report cards, art projects, etc., and a space for both parent and child to write memories. All of my school memories, on the other hand, are sitting, unorganized, in several cardboard boxes in my parents' basement. Available at Chronicle Books for $16.95.

Big Deal: Kids' Books on Sale at Chronicle Books

Meredith Broussard — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:03:00 GMT

If you've been reading along with our 7 Days of Summer Reading series, you're probably jazzed to buy some books. Wanna save some dough doing it? The big summer friends-n-family sale is on at Chronicle Books: save 30% and get free shipping by using the code FRIENDS at checkout. Sale runs through August 3.

Now comes the fun part: what to order? For 30% off, I can afford to go a little nuts. Here are a couple of choice picks from the current Chronicle catalog:

Little Hoot

by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Illustrated by Jen Corace

In the tradition of Rosenthal's brilliant "Little Pea," a book about a pea who doesn't want to eat his candy for dinner, "Little Hoot" features an owl who doesn't want to stay up all night. Free poster too if you use promo code LITTLEHOOT at checkout.

The Fairest Fowl: Portraits of Championship Chickens

Photographs by Tamara Staples

Essay by Ira Glass

Kids love chickens... I love chickens... and apparently, the host of This American Life does too. Who knew? In this gorgeous coffee-table book, Tamara Staples photographs America's favorite fowl at play and at rest.

Porn for New Moms

From the Cambridge Women’s Pornography Cooperative

Photographs by Susan Anderson

Don't tell me you haven't seen this book. And don't even pretend you don't own a copy of it or its special friend, Porn for Women. Here's your chance to buy one for all of your friends who aren't as cool as you-- at a discount. Buy a bunch and keep them on hand for baby shower gifts. "Prepare to enter a fantasy world," reads the promo copy. "A world where men insist on changing diapers, where guys get up for 3 a.m. feedings, and where they just can't help but admire mom's sexy all-sweatpants wardrobe." Yeah, baby!

Get Creative with The Softies Kit

SunnyChanel — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:26:00 GMT

I love being crafty. Sadly, I don’t have much time to get the fabric and thread or most importantly, the ideas or know how to create something cute and adorable for my sweet sweet baby. Enter The Softies Kit by Therese Laskey (by Chronicle Books $24.95). This wonderful packaged item includes a needle, embroidery thread, patterns, and a couple pieces of felt, enough to make your little one a soft tea cake, penguin, or a cute “chick in a bonnet”. Each of the enclosed color booklets (15 of them for 15 projects) give you clear and simple instructions for you and yours to follow. The supplies for making all the other family friendly creations in the kit are easy enough to score that even busy mom’s like me can find the time to make some homemade magic.

Tips for the Picky Eater from The Toddler Cafe

SunnyChanel — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:01:00 GMT

My toddler is going through an interesting phase. She’s fasting. Not for a political issue or because she’s doing one of those colon “cleanses”, no, she’s just more interested in drawing, playing or torturing our dog instead of consuming any kind of food. All our usual menus are met with a pushing of the plate or a furious shaking of the head. Enter the cookbook The Toddler Café – Fast, Healthy, and Fun Ways to Feed Even the Pickiest eater. Recipes like the Banana Hot Dog, Swamp Soup and Treasure Triangles will entice your toddlers with their originality, tastiness and fun. The recipes include “Toddler Tips” to make eating even more enjoyable with interactive activities. Tonight we’ll try the Minty Pea Pops and the Monster Mash, Hopefully this will convince her meal time can indeed be as fun as playtime. By Jennifer Carden from Chronicle Books $14.95

Keep Your Sanity with the Mom's Ultimate Family Organzier

SunnyChanel — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:27:00 GMT

I used to be organized. I knew what day of the week it was. Where my keys were. What my name is. After having a baby, all that went out the window. It’s not just that I’m busier, which I am, it’s as if someone came in the dark of night and gave me a partial lobotomy. Needless to say, I can use as much help as possible in keeping some kind of semblance of normalcy and order in my daily life. Enter the Mom’s Ultimate Family Organizer – A One-Stop Planner For Busy Moms by Chronicle Books. ($24.95) This attractive and sturdy binder includes a calendar (with pluses like a list of birth dates so you’ll never forget to send that card), Family 411 (emergency info plus friends and family contacts), Menu and Party planning tools, handy list templates (to do, babysitter forms, grocery list), pockets for storing info, as well as oodles of tips and suggestions on how to keep your head on straight. Plus it comes with handy post-it notes so you can put reminders here, there and everywhere. Now I just have to make sure I don’t misplace this organizer along with my favorite shades and car keys.

Caption Contest: Win a Dazzle stroller!

editors — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:37:00 GMT

Aaron has touted the superiority of the Silver Cross Dazzle Stroller before, andt now everyone has a chance to win this stylish, celebrity-approved lightweight stroller. Go here, check out the new book, Porn for New Moms from Chronicle Books and start fantasizing. The best caption takes home the Silver! - April Peveteaux

Storytime: Sparkle and Spin

Carmen — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 22:12:00 GMT

Originally published in 1957 and recently rereleased, Sparkle and Spin by author Ann Rand is a book about words, but so much more than that. Through harmony and rhyme, resonance and pitch, the book illustrates through pictures and words how things come together. This classic children's book reveals to young readers the power and music in the words they use every day.

At $15.95, this book is worth twice more than that, just for the beautiful designs of artist Paul Rand, husband to the author.