Lifestyle

The Imperfect Parent's archive of parenting lifestyle articles and essays

All of the Humor archive:

A Gourmet Wannabe Drops Out
I'm throwing in the kitchen towel.
By Sherry G. Antonetti

Colic
This is not how it was supposed to be.
By Nancy Bleemer

Complainer or Advocate?
What does it take to make a change for the better?
By Joy Jarman-Walsh

Doctor, Heal Thyself
Why is an m.d. spewing advice about child psychology?
By Prescott Carlson

Donuts Anonymous
Hi, my name is Karrie and I'm a donutaholic.
By Karrie McAllister

Gene Pool Dating?
Women, let this be a guide; don’t worry about being rejected by a boyfriend because he doesn’t love you.
By Jennifer Cummins

HMOM
Attention all expectant mothers: be your own healthcare advocate!
By Pam Mitchell Mangas

It's Not My Fault!
Finally, we have a scapegoat!
By Kerrie Flanagan

Parenting After Breast Cancer
Raising kids after the "Big C".
By Julia Nelson

Pocket Full of Crypto-nite
Everybody poops.
By Angela Patton

Pole Dancing Mama
My new exercise routine.
By Esme Mills

Sick Days
I don't feel so good...
By Peggy Duffy

Sugar On My Mind
Why I became a sugar addict, and why my mother is to blame.
By Melanie Springer Mock

Third Millennium Mom
Combining 50s home-goodness with today’s work ethic – is this a realistic expectation for women?
By Rita Fiorentino

Want Fries With That Cow?
My son contemplates the origin of meat.
By Prescott Carlson

'Tis the Season
To receive the title, families must win the holiday trifecta.
By Kelly Miller

Anatomy of a Supper Club
First rule of supper club: don't talk about supper club
By Stacey Greenberg

Be My Baby Wipe
I (heart) baby wipes.
By Nancy Bleemer

Constant Vigilance!
One mom’s struggle to keep a clean house.
By Slon Nelson-Bentley

Craftsy
Knitting. It's not just for grannies anymore.
By Nancy Rabinowitz

Does Lurch Live Here?
Old houses are survivors.
By Cindy La Ferle

Exploding Rats
KABOOM!
By Felice Prager

Family Vacation
We're outta here.
By Ayun Halliday

Going Domestic
I need a chef and a maid.
By Karen B. Schwartz

Hell on 8 Wheels
The roller derby is taking over my life! And it hurts so good...
By Stacey Greenberg

Hey! It's Dinner AND a Show!
Entertainment in the dining room.
By Angie Weatherly

Lawnmower Mom
Me no need man!
By Elizabeth Thompson

Mommy Slings Drinks
What can I get you?
By Hope Gatto

Pay Yourself First
The importance of finding me time.
By Tracy B. McGinnis

Pets
I’ll take care of it! I’ll feed it! I’ll walk it! I’ll clean up after it!
By Giosue' Santarelli

Red, Green and Yellowing
Pretty (reused) paper, pretty (reused) ribbons of blue...
By Christina Deanne

Tales of Addiction
Do NOT mess with Mom until she's had her fix.
By Amy Hood

The Minivan. Grocery Getter or Sex Machine?
I want a minivan.
By Liz Weslander

TP Proclamation
The transition period starts tomorrow.
By Karen Batka

What a Long, Strange, Trip it Was
The Gorelik Arizona vacation.
By Rosie Gorelik

What's for Dinner?
There's a balance somewhere between well-seasoned filet mignon and frozen TV dinners.
By Nicole Jacques

Where Oh Where Can It Be?
Where oh where has that permission slip gone?
By Rita Fiorentino

Work! Work! Work!
Who has time to work?
By Ken Swarner

My Mother/My Maternity Clothes
But they're classics that never go out of style!
By Kate Haas

Queer Eye for the Straight Mom
We want a gay posse, too.
By Lizbeth Finn-Arnold

Truckin' USA
A mother's heart of darkness.
By Amy Lea

Dear Trey
A colorful love letter on this day of the patron saint of candy hearts and chocolate.
By Misty Nuckolls

Finding True Romance
Your husband vs. sexy ghost.
By Lizbeth Finn-Arnold

How to Get Laid
Dads, there is nothing sexier than doing the dishes... except vacuuming
By Stacey Greenberg

Scientific Studies from the Male Point of View
What's behind door number two?
By Karen Laven

The Warp Speed Of Sexuality
Sometimes living in the age of sexuality is tiring.
By Lauri Kubuitsile

Dad vs. Father
Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad.
By Rollie Allaire

Imperfect Single Mom
My first plunge into online dating -- as a single mom.
By Rachel Sarah

It Works For Us
Alternative family structure doesn't mean bad family structure.
By Elizabeth Ross

Supermarket Epiphany
Revelation on aisle six.
By Amy Sue Nathan

The Story of Alicia and Mary
The other side of the fence.
By Melanie Henson

The View From Here
For this city gal there was nothing better than suburban bliss.
By Amy Sue Nathan

Cherry and Olive
Cherry and Olive, written and illustrated by Benjamin Lacombe

The IP Bookshelf
Dispatches From A Not-So-Perfect Life

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Hey Kidz! Buy This Book, and Mamaphonic

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The Oasis Guide to Asperger Syndrome, Job Hopper, and Waiting for Birdy

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Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum: A Parent's Guide to the Cognitive, Social, Physical, and Transition Needs of Teenagers with Autism Spectrum Disorders

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"Mommy Wars: Stay-At-Home and Career Moms Face Off on Their Choices, Their Lives, Their Families" and Leslie Morgan Steiner on how "Mommy Wars" came about

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The Pigeon strikes again -- Mo Willems' sassy bird returns in "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late"

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Come Back : A Mother and Daughter's Journey Through Hell and Back

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A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

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The Mother-to-Mother Postpartum Depression Support Book: Real Stories from Women who Lived Through It and Recovered

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The Marvelous Misadventures of Fun-Boy

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Olivia Forms a Band

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Bringing Up Baby and Dimity Duck

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Meow Ruff: A Story in Concrete Poetry

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Angelmonster and Maybe Baby: 28 Writers Tell the Truth About Skepticism, Infertility, Baby Lust, Childlessness, Ambivalence, and How They Made the Biggest Decision of Their Lives

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"Yum! Yuck!" and "Queen Bee Moms and Kingpin Dads"

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Lady in the Water

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It's a Girl: Women Writers on Raising Daughters; Miss Mingo and the First Day of School

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Cookies: Bite-Sized Life Lessons

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Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World; Dooby Dooby Moo

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The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon, written and illustrated by Mini Grey

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Dashka Slater's "Baby Shoes"

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Chowder by Peter Brown

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Naughty Little Monkeys by Jim Aylesworth

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Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon

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New York's Bravest by Mary Pope Osborne; Illustrations by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher

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Walter Was Worried by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

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Hansel and Diesel, written and illustrated by David Gordon

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Once Upon a Tomb: Gravely Humorous Verses By J. Patrick Lewis; illustrated by Simon Bartram

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Pancakes for Supper by Anne Isaacs, illustrated by Mark Teague

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Pumpkins
Written and illustrated by Ken Robbins

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Wolves, written and illustrated by Emily Gravett

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Welcome, Precious by Nikki Grimes

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Celebrate! Connections Among Cultures by Jan Reynolds

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Off We Go! by Beverley Abramson

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While You Are Sleeping, written and illustrated by Alexis Deacon

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Please Play Safe! Penguin's Guide to Playground Safety

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Oops, By Arthur Geisert

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Bats at the Beach, written and illustrated by Brian Lies

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The Twelve Days of Winter by Deborah Lee Rose, illustrated by Carey Armstrong-Ellis

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You and Me, Baby by Lynn Reiser and Penny Gentieu

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Tools, written and illustrated by Taro Miura

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Max's Words by Kate Banks, illustrated by Boris Kulikov

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Don't Forget Your Etiquette! The Essential Guide to Misbehavior By David Greenberg, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott

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Atomic Ace and the Robot Rampage, written and illustrated by Jeff Weigel

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There Was a Little Girl, She Had a Little Curl by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Elliot Kreloff

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Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round: Stories and Songs of the Civil Rights Movement by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Shane W. Evans

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Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Dr. Seuss by Georgeanne Brennan, photography by Frankie Frankeny

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Priscilla Superstar! written by Nathaniel Hobbie, illustrated by Jocelyn Hobbie

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Polo: The Runaway Book By Regis Faller

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Duck, Duck, Goose written and illustrated by Tad Hills

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Uno's Garden, written and illustrated by Graeme Base

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Champions on the Bench By Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated Leonard Jenkins

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One-Eye! Two-Eyes! Three-Eyes! A Very Grimm Fairy Tale written by Aaron Shepard; illustrated by Gary Clement

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Cam Jansen and the Secret Service Mystery by David A. Adler; illustrated by Susanna Natti

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Not a Box written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis

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Gator, written and illustrated by Randy Cecil

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17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore, written by Jenny Offill; illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

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3-D ABC: A Sculptural Alphabet, written and illustrated by Bob Raczka

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Mars Needs Moms written and illustrated by Berkeley Breathed

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The Serif Fairy: Explorations in the World of Letters written and illustrated by Rene Siegfried; translated by Joel Mann

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Princess Justina Albertina: A Cautionary Tale, by Ellen Dee Davidson; illustrated by Michael Chesworth

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The Giant of Seville: A "Tall" Tale Based on a True Story written and illustrated by Dan Andreasen

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Hickory Dickory Dock, written and illustrated by Keith Baker

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Leaving the Nest, written and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein

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Pierre in Love by Sara Pennypacker; illustrations by Petra Mathers

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New Socks written and illustrated by Bob Shea

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Here's a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry, Eds. Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters; illustrated by Polly Dunbar

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The Snow Baby: The Arctic Childhood of Admiral Robert E. Peary's Daring Daughter By Katherine Kirkpatrick

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Bossy Bear, written and illustrated by David Horvath

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Out of the Egg by Tina Matthews

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The Police Cloud, written and illustrated by Christoph Niemann

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C is for Caboose, by Traci N. Todd

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First Picture Nature, by Felicity Brooks; illustrated by Matt Durber and Stephanie Jones

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Mysteries of the Mummy Kids by Kelly Milner Halls

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How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? written by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mark Teague

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Sweet! The Delicious Story of Candy By Ann Love and Jane Drake; Illustrated by Claudia Davila

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The Dumpster Diver by Janet S. Wong, illustrated by David Roberts

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Who's Hiding? By Satoru Onishi

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Dogs and Cats, written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins

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Ox, House, Stick: The History of the Alphabet written by Don Robb; illustrated by Anne Smith

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The Princess and the Pea, retold and illustrated by Rachel Isadora

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Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld; Squiggles: A Really Giant Drawing and Painting Book, by Taro Gomi

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Will It Blow? Become a Volcano Detective at Mount St. Helens By Elizabeth Rusch; illustrated by K.E. Lewis

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Un-Brella by Scott E. Franson

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Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie, written and illustrated by Laura Rankin

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First Picture Fairytales by Francesca Allen, Jo Litchfield and Emma Helbrough

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Olive, the Other Reindeer - Deluxe Edition, By J.otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh

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Bath Time! by Sandra Boynton

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The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story by Lemony Snicket; illustrated by Lisa Brown

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The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Junior Edition by David Borgenicht and Robin Epstein; illus. by Chuck Gonzales

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Charlie and Lola: Say Cheese! by Lauren Child

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Encyclopedia Horrifica by Joshua Gee

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Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella by Paul Fleishman, illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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Falling from Grace by Jane Godwin

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Jake Stays Awake by Michael Wright

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My Mommy's Tote by P. H. Hanson

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When Dinosaurs Came with Everything by Elise Broach, illustrated by David Small

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When Is a Planet Not a Planet? The Story of Pluto by Elaine Scott

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Artist to Artist: 23 Major Illustrators Talk to Children About Their Art, from the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

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Martina the Beautiful Cockroach, by Carmen Agra Deedy; illustrated by Michael Austin

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What's Eating You? Parasites: The Inside Story Written by Nicola Davies; illustrated by Neal Layton

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Ms. McCaw Learns to Draw by Kaethe Zemach

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Do Not Open: An Encyclopedia of the World's Best-kept Secrets by John Farndon

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Somebody's Always Hungry, by Juliet Johnson; Women Daredevils, written by Julie Cummins, illustrated by Cheryl Harness

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Knock, Knock! Who's There? Jokes by 14 Wacky and Talented Artists

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Sleepover Party: Games and Giggles for a Fun Night By Jamie Kyle McGillian

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Drive by Nathan Clement

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Gorgeous Gifts and Dream Bedrooms by Rebecca Craig

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Night Shift Written and Illustrated by Jessie Hartland

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Eggs by Marilyn Singer; illustrated by Emma Stevenson

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A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever, Written and illustrated by Marla Frazee

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There's Nothing to Do on Mars, written and illustrated by Chris Gall

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NASCAR in the Driver's Seat, by Mark Stewart and Mike Kennedy

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Bebe Goes to the Beach, by Susan Middleton Elya, illustrated by Steven Salerno

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Big Plans, Written by Bob Shea; illustrated by Lane Smith

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Don't Worry Bear, written and illustrated by Greg Foley

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Babies are Boring, by Jon Ritchie, illustrated by Alex Ritchie

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It's Not Fair!, By Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

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Sipping Spiders Through a Straw: Campfire Songs for Monsters By Kelly DiPucchio; illustrated by Gris Grimly

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Never Take a Shark to the Dentist by Judi Barrett, illustrated by John Nickle

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Doctor Ted by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre

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Otto Runs for President by Rosemary Wells

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The Sandman by Ralph Fletcher; illustrated by Richard Cowdrey

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The World's Greatest: Poems by J. Patrick Lewis, illustrated by Keith Graves

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Looking Closely Along the Shore by Frank Serafini

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Amelia Earhart: The Legend of the Lost Aviator By Shelley Tanaka; illustrations by David Craig

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The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury, Selected by Janet Schulman

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Loopy By Aurore Jesset; illustration by Barbara Korthues

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Silent Letters Loud and Clear and When You're Shy/Silly and You Know It

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What the World Eats Text by Faith D'Aluisio, photography by Peter Menzel

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The Potty Caddy By Rachel Gordon with pamphlet by William Spivak, M.D., illus. by Sarah Bergmann

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How to Build an A, by Sara Midda

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Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne; illustrated by Eric Puybaret

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Christmas Cookies: Bite-sized Holiday Lessons By Amy Krouse Rosenthal; illustrated by Jane Dyer

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M is for Mischief: An A to Z of Naughty Children By Linda Ashman; illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

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The Story of Christmas, Adapted by Mary Packard; illustrated Carolyn Croll

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Adele & Simon in America, Written and illustrated by Barbara McClintock

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The Pet Dragon, Written and illustrated by Christoph Niemann

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Jake's Best Thumb By Ilene Cooper; illustrated by Claudio Munoz

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Everybody Bonjours! By Leslie Kimmelman; illustrated by Sarah McMenemy

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Peter and the Wolf, Retold and illustrated by Chris Raschka

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Physics: Why Matter Matters Written by Dan Green; illustrated by Simon Basher

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The Cobbler's Holiday By Musharraf Ali Farooqi, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin

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Independent Dames: What You Never Knew About The Women and Girls of The American Revolution by Laurie Halse Anderson; illustrated by Matt Faulkner

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There's a Wolf at the Door: Five Classic Tales Retold by Zoe B. Alley; illustrated by R.W. Alley

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The Donut Chef Written and Illustrated by Bob Staake

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Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie By Norton Juster; Always Written by Ann Stott, illustrated by Matt Phelan

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Good Egg by Barney Saltzberg

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The Houdini Box, Written and illustrated by Brian Selznick

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Paula Deen's My First Cookbook by Paula Deen with Martha Nesbit; illustrated by Susan Mitchell

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Incredible Animals! Eye-opening Photos of Animals in Action

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The Bug Bottle and The Bug Book By Hugh Danks, Ph.D., illustrated by Chet Phillips; Bugs Fandex Family Field Guide By Sarah Goodman

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Momma Loves Her Little Son By John Carter Cash, illustrated by Marc Burckhardt

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How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A. by Marjorie Priceman

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That Book Woman By Heather Henson, illustrations by David Small

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DogFish By Gillian Shields; illustrated by Dan Taylor

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Pete & Pickles, by Berkeley Breathed

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Who's Haunting the White House? By Jeff Belanger; illustrated by Rick Powell

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Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready For Baby? Written and illustrated by Barney Saltzberg

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Underwear: What We Wear Under There, Written by Ruth Freeman Swain; illustrations by John O'Brien

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Written in Bone by Sally M. Walker

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A Walk in New York by Salvatore Rubbino

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Mermaid Queen by Shana Corey

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Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal; illustrations by Scott Magoon

Mama and More Mama
The only thing that matters is love and respect.
By Gabriel Constans

Review: Neopets Puzzle Adventure for Nintendo DS
The world of Neopets comes to the Nintendo platforms.

Who Reincarnated the Electric Car?
General Motors tries to win the hearts and minds of environmentalists with the Chevrolet Volt.
By Julie Marsh