KidStyleFile

Today’s post written by Angela

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Whether you enjoy the finer things for your baby, are seeking some inspiration for your child’s decor, wondering how real mums do it, or just enjoy a bit of quality eye-candy, freshly launched Australian magazine Little One Baby - www.littleonebaby.com.au - is right up your alley.

Offering beautiful ideas, stylish solutions, real life nurseries, and stories from real mums, as well as gorgeous fashion and stunning products for your little one, Little One Baby has burst onto the scene, instantly filling a niche for baby and kids decor and style ideas for Australian parents.

I got my hands on a copy last week, and I must say Little One Baby is really something special. From the super-silky paper stock (which feels lovely to the hand and make a lovely sound as you turn the pages - (these little pleasures are pure luxury to me!) to the superlative photography throughout, you are sure to be impressed and inspired. Little One Baby is available from all good newsagents now for $14.95, or subscribe here to never miss an issue.

To celebrate the launch of Little One Baby, Amy Doak, the editor of Little One Baby, is offering you some great opportunities to win copies of the mag and other great goodies.

• Go into the draw to win one of over $750 worth of great prizes here.
• Refer your friends and go into the draw to win copies of Little One Baby for you and your peeps here.
• Subscribe to receive Little One Baby and go into the draw to win 1 of 300 Paper Eskimo stationery packs.

Last, but not least, Little One Baby are a sponsor of the 2009 KidStyleFile Annual Reader Survey: complete the survey and go into the draw to win 1 of 30 subscriptions.

Little One Baby is published bi-annually: Issue one (Winter ‘09 ) is on stands now. Watch for issue 2  (Summer ‘09/’10) - on stands October 19.

Today’s post written by Angela

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I love books. I have loved books since I was a child, and that love has never faded: their ability to teach, inspire, and transport never fails to delight me. Having children gives me a great excuse to make new discoveries, and today I want to share with you two wonderful finds that we picked up recently. Both are visually magnificent, and suitable for all ages. You will love them as much as your kids

First up, a collection of creatures hidden in a trompe l’œil (pronounced tromp-LOY, meaning “trick of the eye”) of patterns and shapes in Spot It!: Find the Hidden Creatures (originally published in France as ‘Cherche la petite bête!’) $33.99 $24.97 at Fishpond Books, by French illustrator Delphine Chedru.

(Trivia tidbit: I mentioned Delphine’s collaboration with Djeco recently: you can buy her ‘Flight of Fancy’ and ‘Marine World’ mobiles at Where Did You Get That?)

Spot It! constitutes a delightful game of hide and seek, with creatures - the owl who has lost her glasses, soccer-playing worms, and a family of birds, to name just a few - to be found hidden within the rich repeating graphics.

This book is a very satisfying experience that is enjoyable to read over and over, even when the search for the hidden creatures has become a formality - the graphics continue to delight and stimulate. Another nice touch with this hardback book is that the corners, and pages within, are rounded, adding to the aesthetic, and the safety aspect for smaller children.

Next on today’s menu, the superlative work of David A. Carter, a paper artists who has a plethora of fine works under his belt, including One Red Dot: A Pop-Up Book for Children of All Ages, $44.99 $30.98 at Fishpond Books.

A unique counting book, One Red Dot counts from one to ten using fantastical 3D paper structures and quirky descriptions, rich with alliteration, as well as the hunt for the ‘one red dot’ on each page, to engage and educate readers.

My faves are ‘Two twisting twirly gigs’, which twirl and spin as you open and close the book, and ‘Eight obedient orbs’ which are a sperical spectacle.

My kids (and every child who comes to our house!) *adore* the ‘fluttering flicker clickers’, which make a loud sawing noise as you open and close the book.

You can purchase One Red Dot: A Pop-Up Book for Children of All Ages and Spot It!: Find the Hidden Creatures from Fishpond Online Bookstore below RRP prices.

Fishpond Bookstore charges $5.99 flat rate postage Australia-wide. Orders over $50.00 are shipped free.

Today’s post written by Edwina

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It was love at first sight, how could it not be? Leonardo was a Terrible Monster, but not really, not truly: for a mere moment he was *mine*, on the page and in my mind.

Since then, I have moved on. I love Elephant and Piggie and even the Pigeon.

I guess I have to confess I am in love with Mo Willems. It’s purely platonic, in a reader/writer sense (is there a name for that? Probably something Fruedian?). Mo Willems is my drawing-cool-pictures-and-writing-funny-stories-that-appeal-to-kids-and-mums main man!

Mo is started his career as a writer and animator for television, and he has won Emmy awards for his work on Sesame Street. He has a website, and a blog, and I have just discovered them! Yippee!

Be sure visit the gallery that represents his original artworks, where you can pick up some original drawings and artwork. The prices for the originals aren’t listed, but there are some limited edition prints (such as the lovely Leonardo, pictured above) that are priced at $US300.

Boy and Big Brown Bear, POA

Luckily for me and you, his super cool kids books are full of his original art work and humour and at a much more affordable price tag at Fishpond Online Bookstore - www.fishpond.com.au.

The Elephant and the Piggie series are great books for early readers - much more fun than the ones that come home from school. I also highly recommend picking up Leonardo the Terrible Monster, and the Pigeon series is also a big hit!

The chalkboard walls above are from Mo Willems Dining Room and would be very handy for a round of Pictionary at your next dinner party.

Today I Will Fly! $9.99 $8.98
The Pigeon Finds a Hotdog! $15.99 $14.21
Watch Me Throw the Ball! (an Elephant and Piggie Book) $25.99
Leonardo the Terrible Monster $15.99 $14.21

Fishpond Online Bookstore charges $5.99 flat shipping Australia-wide for orders under $50.00. Orders over $50.00 are shipped FREE!

Today’s post written by Edwina

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We all have those moments when we say a silent prayer of thanks to the Internet Goddesses that provide us with rich gifts and golden offerings. My moments of grace are when my two favourite online magazines come out with a new edition. The gods must be crazy - two amazing magazines, two amazingly interesting takes on life, kids, home and hearth.

LMNOP - www.lmnop.com.au (*which is an acronym for Laugh, Make, Nurture, Organise and Play) is a wonderful Aussie-based mag created by the talented Jenny Lacey. It is a super stylish delight of all that is hip and cool in the world of kids.

LMNOP has the most beautifully styled and photographed fashion spreads, travel guides for the upwardly mobile, what’s hot and new in art and illustration, books, toys, interviews and things to do. It has an eye on what’s happening around the globe, but has a very relaxed and accessible vibe.

The latest edition has Autumn fashions, an interview with Daniela Minns from Baby’s Got Style, family living in the Big Apple, Cool Colouring Books, tempting fussy eaters and more.

It comes out quarterly and is an easy (and free!) PDF download away. The best thing is if you have just caught up with LMNOP then there are 6 issues available now for you to devour.

Here are a few snapshots from the latest edition.

Small Magazine - www.smallmagazine.net, is another hugely popular and simply fabulous online publication from our Northern Hemisphere cousins. It is created by the hugely talented Moms, Christine Visneau and Olivia Pintos-Lopez. Small Magazine supports independent artists and designers, photographers and illustrators and those creating stylish products for small folks.

It features pint-sized fashions by season, book reviews, feature artists and illustrators, recipes, cool products and things to see, make and do.

One of the coolest things about Small Magazine is that we cross-seasons, so when we are baking in the Summer Sun, it is simple click away to dream about the toasty winter fires and cloudy days ahead, and to get a jump start on some cool winter wear.

The latest edition of Small Magazine features willow weaver, Judith Needham and her Dreaming Spires, Paper Dolls from Black Apple to more vintage styles and a winged Frida Kahlo, illustrator Amy Klingman and kids street fashion from Amsterdam.

Small Magazine comes out with the seasons, and is free to subscribe and absorb. To check it all out, simply head over to Small magazine and enjoy! Here are some pages from their latest edition.

Today’s post written by Kat

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It goes without saying that the birth of your first child is a precious moment, and recording every single moment is one of the joys of being a new parent.

It also goes without saying that by the time you get to your second or third onwards, despite the best of intentions, the novelty of dutifully recording every event can start to wane, and finding the time is near impossible. My mum for example, as the third of 4 children, can only find one solitary picture of herself as a bub, and definitely no baby book. Which might explain a lot…but I digress!

Here is a rundown on baby books so beautiful that you’ll be clamouring to fill them with gorgeous memories of your growing brood. All your kids will thank you, except perhaps when you show that cute picture of your now-teenage daughter picking her nose to her cool new boyfriend…

The Binth Baby Journal at Tiny People

This is a gorgeous unisex option. Handcrafted with recycled white stock paper, cotton cloth cover and presented in a beautiful keepsake box. It’s not exactly a budget option but remember, even Mastercard can’t buy memories. Just a nice place to put them.

Generation Wonder have created their own Wonder Year Journal

A beautiful combination of scrapbook and journal, the Wonder Year Journal allows you to piece together a year in your little one’s life. Kids will adore looking back on themselves and as it has heaps of space for personalisation, as adults they will truly cherish their story. It comes in matt green with a cloth case cover, 128 pages of text and 12 insert cards for pictures - and it’s only $27.95!

I love the story behind Milestone Press’ A Book About Me:

“Annabel actually gave Fiona a Winnie-the-Pooh baby journal for her first born.  As they marvelled at Annabel’s momentary lapse in taste (because the book was free)  they dreamed up the perfect baby book.”

A Book About Me not only looks modern and sleek, it has been thoughtfully designed so that if you forget to record when your all little one’s teeth came through, you can just take the corresponding pages out, instead of leaving them embarrassingly blank. There’s room to add and subtract names and photos as you need, and possibly most imortantly, there is no branding on the cover, making it truly a book about your family!

I’ve mentioned the Laikonik Once A Year Book, from Mummy’s Favourite, before but I’m going to do it again because it’s such a beautiful idea!

Every year up to your child’s 18th birthday you add in just one photo of your child, and eventually the book unfolds concertina-style to reveal the story of your child growing and changing. Plus the book itself is completely gorgeous and will make a cherished heirloom!

For something a bit more traditional, the Baby Days Memory Book at Urban Baby is bright, colourful and full of nifty bit’n'bobs like stickers, envelopes and journal pages.

The pages are undated so you can record milestones when you want to, and the simple illustrations will delight your little one even beforen they realise the book is about them!

The very cute My Baby’s Journal, available soon at KidsGiftList

This is sweet enough to be age-appropriate but still stylish enough to be admired for years to come.

And finally, my personal favourite (yes, I found one with an elephant! I’m starting to sense a theme here): the Paper Eskimo Baby Journal.

Available at The Baby Shower Shop (a helluva comprehensive online store if there ever was one!) With simple and incredibly beautiful illustrations, it has heaps of room for photos, records birthday celebrations for up to five years, and comes in a gorgeous keepsake box  - despite being way too cute to keep stored away!

From top left in rows:

Binth Baby Journal $160
Generation Wonder The Wonder Year Journal $27.95
Milestone Press A Book About Me $44.95
Laikonik Once A Year Book $74.00
Baby Days Memory Book $24.95
My Baby’s Journal $44.95
Paper Eskimo Baby Journal $64.95

Please check individual sites for shipping details.

Today’s post written by Angela

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For all of you who, like me, cannot get enough of LMNOP- www.lmnop.com.au - magazine, there’s now more to love: Jenny at LMNOP now has a gorgeous blog to tide us over between issues of the mag.

If you haven’t come across LMNOP before, here’s the deal: it’s an Australian-based online magazine celebrating the most beautiful childrens design products from near and far.

Jenny brings together everything that’s beautiful within stunningly designed pages that delight and inspire with vibrancy and warmth. I am utterly smitten!

LMNOP is released quarterly and is FREE to download (it’s in Adobe Acrobat PDF format).

What I like to do is open it, let it download (takes 5-10 mins depending on your connection), and then save it to my PC for easy repeat viewing. I recommend this, as I guarantee that you’ll find yourself wanting to browse it again and again!

Visit the LMNOP blog | Download the Latest Issue of LMNOP magazine

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronan & Betsy Lewin

Although the text in this book is probably best for about 18 months up, even babies will love looking at the illustrations.  Once they do start to understand the story, though, wait for the gales of laughter to errupt!

The premise is a barnful of cows who find a typewriter and start to issue written demands to the farmer.  It develops into a ‘dispute resolution’ scenario, which is great for sparking discussions with the kids about how to compromise.

Kids will love the simple words, vivid pictures and repetition while adults will giggle at the parodies.

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Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees

Ideal for age 2.5 upwards, this heartwarming story features a giraffe who just wants to boogie at the annual Jungle Dance.  Unfortunately due to his long legs, knobbly knees the other animals mock him, which makes poor Gerald very downhearted.

This story has a very happy ending, and it’s a lovely one for discussing individuality with your kids. The illustrations are especially lovely, bright and bold and very engaging.

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Corduroy by Don Freeman

Corduroy, the lovable teddy bear who lives in a department store, is now being adored by his second generation of children. Full of positive messages and warm fuzzy feelings, it’s one of those bonding books for parents and children to read together - I think it’s especially suited to bedtime.

Great for ages 3+.

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Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

A classic tale of one small boy who has ‘one of those days’, where everything goes terribly, horribly wrong.  Yes, we all have those days, your kids included, so it’s great to be able to read about them in a humorous way and then discuss with your children ways in which Alexander might have dealt differently with his day, and how great a role his attitude may have played.

This one is great for kids aged four upwards.

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Dot in Larryland: The Big Little Book of an Odd-Sized Friendship by Patricia Marx

Dot in Larryland is so hot off the press that you’ll be hard pressed to find any review of it online - I actually had to get my local bookstore to order in a copy especially for me based on a recommendation from a librarian friend overseas.  The store manager read it while waiting for me to collect it, and was so impressed that she then placed a large order for the store!

It’s a quirky little story about two very unlikely best friends, and Roz Chast’s distinctive illustrations really add to the slightly off-centre, but very endearing, feel.

Kids aged 4+ will get the most out of this one.

The links in the post lead you to Fishpond Online Bookstore, which offers books at discounted prices on a permanent basis - yay! Fishpond Bookstore charges $5.99 flat rate postage Australia-wide. Orders over $50.00 are shipped free.

Today’s post written by Angela

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Every time I take a trip over to Where Did You Get That? - www.wheredidyougetthat.com.au - I am impressed by their ever-expanding range of beautiful and unusual products.

Sister-act Toni and Melony have now expanded WDYGT’s? repertoire into books (and soon into CDs as well - can’t wait!).

Marion is a celebrated French graphic artist and illustrator, whose work is sought after by all the best French Publishers, and ‘ABC3D’ is her first book.

This is no ordinary book of ABCs, however. You won’t find fuzzy chicks, or little lambs here. Instead the 3-dimensional letters leap out of the page at you in an imaginative range of artistic configurations.

Popup by Marion Bataille
Uploaded by jacques_faciale. Thanks to Daddy Types for the quality video link.

This is definitely the must-have book for giving your child an artistic interpretation of language.

Buy ‘ABC3D’ now for just $29.95 at Where Did You Get That?, or subscribe to the Where Did You Get That? newsletter (fill in the subscription box on the WDYGT? homepage) to go into the draw to win a copy. This giveaway will be drawn at the end of January 2009. If you are an existing subscriber you will automatically go into the draw.

Also, don’t miss the tried and true range of children’s titles at Where Did You Get That?, including the Hairy Mclary collection (surefire winners, as voted by KidStyleFile readers), and a sweet range of cloth and touch-and-feel books for the littlest of literary appreciators.

Browse Where Did You Get That’s? Books & CDs section here.

Where Did You Get That? stocks a huge range from the following designers: Aden + Anais, BabyMoov Bebedelice and Lovenest, Bella Tunno, Bod and Bod for Bubs hair and skin-care, Coco Boheme, Coo Clocks, Deglingos, Djeco, eco.kid,  Enchanted Faeries figurines, Girls 4 Sport swimwear, Goorin Borthers, Lelli Kelly, Moppit, Morgan & Milo, Opal London, Pink + Blue Yummy Mummy, Star & Rose, Tea Collection, Thermos, Tommy Rocket, Tooli, Two Belles, Zid Zid Kids, and Woolbabe sleeping bags.

Where Did You Get That? charge a flat rate of $7.95 for standard postage Australia-wide.

Today’s post written by Angela

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Children love detail. They have a knack for discovering the most subtle feature, and take the time to really investigate things and “smell the roses”. Inspired by everything they find, my kids let their imaginations fire off in wild and wonderful directions, creating worlds, characters and stories around them that are quite magical. With this in mind, I picked up today’s book for my two four year olds recently.

A richly illustrated and book, bursting with colour and hundreds of  details, Around the World with Mouk: A Trail of Adventure ($29.99 $26.45 at Fishpond.com.au online book store ) tells the story of the title character Mouk, a little bear who travels the world, discovering a beautiful variety of cultures and characters as he goes.

Written and Illustrated by French artist Marc Boutavant, (see more of his extraordinary work here), and translated from the French, the little conversations that are going on throughout the book are not always politically correct, but they are so naive that no offence can possibly be taken.

This is a book to ‘fall into’ with your children. I love to curl up with my kids inside their cushion-lined play tent, and slowly turn the pages, noticing all the intricacies and interactions going on.

A hardback, large format book, Mouk’s story runs for 30 (plastic-coated) pages, and there are 2 pages of re-usable stickers at the back of the book, so you can add your own plot lines to the pages.

Around the World with Mouk: A Trail of Adventure is utterly absorbing, and a true delight. Jump on in: a world of wonder awaits you!

Fishpond Bookstore charges $5.99 flat rate postage Australia-wide. Orders over $50.00 are shipped free.

Today’s post written by Angela

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Books have to be one of the most special and enduring gifts you can give to a child. Lasting from babyhood through all stages of life, books invoke imagination, provide safe escapism, teach life skills, and provide the perfect opportunity for bonding between you and your child.

In September we ran the KidStyleFile inaugural Reader Survey, and asked readers to pick their most favourite books for children. We had a massive response, with 900 KidStyleFile readers responding, and hundreds of titles, beloved by kids and adults alike, nominated.

There’s still time to purchase books for Christmas from Fishpond. Fishpond offer books at discounted prices, and shipping is a low $5.99 per order, or free when you spend over $50.00.

For every order you place from now until 31 December, 2008, 10% will be donated to Reading for Life, an inspiring buddy system where volunteers read to children in schools as part of a structured program. Please ensure you click this link to ensure your purchases are tracked.

And now, Top 40 books, as selected by you. Enjoy!

1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle
2. Where Is The Green Sheep - Mem Fox
3. Possum Magic - Mem Fox
4. Where The Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak
5. Hairy Maclary From Donaldson’s Dairy titles - Lynley Dodd
6. Guess How Much I Love You - Sam McBratney
7. Dr Seuss titles
8. That’s Not My…’ titles - Fiona Watt & Rachel Wells
9. Time For Bed - Mem Fox
10. Spot titles - Eric Hill
11. Charlie & Lola titles - Lauren Child
12. We’re Going On A Bear Hunt - Michael Rosen
13. Dear Zoo - Rod Campbell
14. Thomas & Friends titles - Rev. Awdry
15. Who Sank The Boat - Pamela Allen
16. Kisses For Daddy - David Legge
17. Mr McGee - Pamela Allen
18. The Gruffalo - Julia Donaldson
19. Maisy - Lucy Cousins
20. Diary of a Wombat - Jackie French
21. Mr Men/Little Miss titles - Roger Hargreaves
22. I Went Walking - Sue Machin
23. Little Golden Book titles
24. Peter Rabbit - Beatrix Potter
25. Goodnight Me - Andrew Daddo
26. Animalia - Graeme Base
27. Each Peach Pear Plum - Janet & Allen Ahlberg
28. My Dad - Anthony Browne
29. Peepo - Janet & Allen Ahlberg
30. Wombat Stew - Marcia Vaughn
31. Goodnight Moon - Margaret Wise Brown
32. In The Night Garden - Derek Jacobi
33. Koala Lou - Mem Fox
34. Brown Bear Brown Bear - Eric Carle
35. The Tiger Who Came To Tea - Judith Kerr
36. ‘When I’m feeling’ series - Trace Moroney
37. Gallop - Rufus Butler Seder
38. How To Catch A Star - Oliver Jeffers
39. Miffy - Dick Bruna
40. Rascal the Dragon - Paul Jennings