Illustration by Shaun Tan

The Book Review has an annual roundup of the best in children’s books from an illustrative point.  Books for kids are crucial for learning the language, and if you can lure them in with outstanding visuals, all the better.  NYT has the ten best, including this one from Shaun Tan’s “Tales From Outer Suburbia.”  Tan also won a slot in 2007 for the phenomenal, wordless “The Arrival.”

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Ok, so maybe there is a slight hint of sarcasm incorporated into the title of this video.  Apparently there is a learning curve, for some, when it comes to the classic household game of hide and seek.  This little "ninja" has a long way to go in terms of mastering the art of finding a stealthy hiding spot.  The two images at the end of the video are priceless.

– via youtube

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by flagler.

(image credit: Flickr user lindaaslund)

* Should the allowance be given freely OR tied to chores?
* Should I only pay for extra chores?
* How much money should I give my kid?
* Should I let them spend it on what they want OR should I force them to save a portion of it?
* Coins, bills, or a savings account?
* How often should I give him/her allowance?

Personally, I give the kids a set amount every week, in order to teach them by trial and error how to handle money. The amount is less than their friends get, which forces them to think hard about how they spend it. Their allowance is not tied to performing family chores, but occasionally I give a bonus to someone who has been extra helpful (only as a surprise). How does your family handle children and their money, or how do you plan to do it? Link -via Consumerist

(image credit: Flickr user Pingu1963)

Remember the days before Nick Jr, Cartoon Network, video games, and iPods?  What did kids do for fun?  They listened to records! 

Here’s a bunch of interesting photos of kids music record covers.  Some of them have really neat cover art.  If you’re of the right age, they may bring back some memories… If not, just revel in the love of the 70s retro!

From Nancy Dorsner’s blog Dabbled:

Not long ago, my parents were cleaning out their attic, and sent me a bunch of old records (remember those things?) from when I and my brother were kids. I thought they were too cool not to share – some for the memories, some for the interesting album artwork.

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From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Dot.

These are a great idea and are certain to get children to play with their food -of course, that may not really help get them to eat their veggies. They will be availible on April 10th and are a reasonable $10.

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There are sites on the internet for everybody, and kids are no exception.  That doesn’t mean that sites intended for one audience cannot be enjoyed by another. This selection of sites is such that those of us who can occasionally be catalogued under adult may find the not so inner child coming to the fore. Simple pleasures are often the best. Pictured is Heromachine, where you can create your own superhero.

If your kids are a little older and like superheroes then this site will probably mean the last you will see of them until they come of age. There are hundreds of thousands of combinations and permutations available to them to create that superhero that they have always wanted to see. Of course, you may spend more time on this than the kids.

Link – via webphemera

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by taliesyn30.

Link via ThisNext

Remember when you were little and playing outside with your friends and someone said lets play ‘War’, ‘Cowboys and Indians’ or ‘Cops and Robbers’? And using your imagination that stick you found turned into a weapon complete with sounds and recoil and the times when you’d argue with friends on whether or not they got hit by your weapon? Well, these kids are doing the same thing but are using their imagination at a much more prodigious level.

**Note: This movie has subtitles so please turn them on by following the instructions that pop up when you press play!

The workmanship and time put into this kids bedroom creation is astonishing. It’s surely any kids dream room, a great place to hide away and play, even when its wet and cold outside.

The beautifully designed room features a tree house in the corner, a swing and a custom built entertainment armoire with moving Library Ladder. As well as a colourful mural on the walls, it really makes me wish i was young again, although i would imagine the price tag would be way out of my league.

The  custom creation was designed and built by Kidtropolis who also have some other exciting projects on their site.

Link – via crookedbrains

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Jake.

I feel awful for the life this child has ahead of him. Addicted at 2, he’ll probably lose his voice by 15 and have cancer by 20.

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Jake.

Remember when video games were bad for you? Mom and Dad would complain about how they tied up the television, kept you from playing outdoors, ruined your eyesight and wasted your time. That’s a thing of the past. Re-tooled videogames are now helping children and teens boost basic skills in reading, writing and math.

At West Nottinghamshire College in the U.K., computer science teachers were struggling to get teenage students into literacy and numeracy classes. The college needed to take drastic measures to assist “disaffected students”.

The resolution came in the form of Neverwinter Nights, Atari’s popular computer game. Teachers rebuilt the game to deliver educational challenges players must tackle in order to progress.

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From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by whitespace.

McSweeney’s has a fantastic compilation of childrens’ letters to Obama. Some of them are so adorably fantastic. It seems to be kids between 5 and 12 mostly. Even if you don’t like Obama, you still can appreciate the innocence of their words.

Dear President Obama,

When you are president, don’t eat junk food. Junk food makes you fat. Your family shouldn’t eat junk food, either, because it is not healthy. Obama, you rock.

Amy Ramirez, age 8
San Francisco

Dear President Obama, Are you going to be pictured on our money? How do you get in the White House? Do you like Abraham Lincoln? Do you have a big backyard? Martin Luther King Jr. had big fans. How many fans do you have? You could help us by giving us food. I am Luis Ramirez. I go to school at Mayberry. I like to play video games.

Luis Ramirez, age 8
Los Angeles

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Directed by Michelle Lehman, last year’s Tropfest Australia winning film, Marry Me, tells a little love story about “a little girl who likes a little boy and a little boy who likes his BMX bike”. The film was inspired by a true story when director, Michelle, at 5 years of age, would chase Jason Mahooney around the school in a pretend wedding dress (her mother’s nightie).

You go, girl! -via I Am Bored

While sightseeing at the coast, 3-year-old Alaina Pitton and her family came whitin inches of tragedy in a matter of seconds, and it was caught on tape!  While posing for a photo, the little girl fell between two fencerails, and had she not grabbed tightly to some weeds, would have toppled over a 150 ft. cliff.

 Oregon Parks service is now working on making the area safer for small children.  KATU News has the story and video.

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Apparently, when this mom wasn’t looking, her two-year-old decided the dog was a suitable canvas. Note to self: when you have kids, keep the permanent markers hidden away. Or perhaps locked in a safe deposit box. Heh.

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I’m not sure why of if anyone in the world would want to dress up their 3-9 months old kids in Little Trees car freshner costumes, but it is possible.

Link – Rare Bird Finds via BB-Blog