This week’s roundup of Mom’s Choice Award winners is just what parents need to keep the kids busy and engaged this Summer: books, toys, apps, activities and more! Be sure to scroll through the entire list so you don’t miss any of our new award-winners! All the items you see below won a Mom’s Choice Award during April 25, 2021 to May 1, 2021.
Every week companies, inventors, and publishers from around the world send us their products for evaluation. Only the best earn our designation.
Undina’s Spell: A Sparkle Fairy Tale
Written by Ayn Cates Sullivan; Illustrated by Belle Crow DeCray
Undina’s Spell is a nature spirit who places a spell on a young girl so that Eva can travel into the Inner World of dreams to find and heal Mother Earth. Eva bravely sets forth on a heroine s journey riding a white stag to a magical cave and then faces a dragon. Falling even more deeply into the Inner World, Eva begins to understand what is missing and what can be done about it.
A story of hope and transformation, Undina s Spell reminds us that healing the world begins with forging unexpected friendships. Undina s Spell is for anyone on a hero or heroine s journey Easy Reader: “Undina’s spell” is a 32 page and 1,000 word industry standard children s book (ages 4-8) with a magical tale sure to delight children of all ages.
This book is intended to be read by children, as parents read alongside the longer version of the book Sparkle & The Fireflies All six of the Sparkle books can be collected for a wonderful fairy tale experience
Children’s Picture Books:
Bedtime Stories
The Power of Positivity: The ABC’s of A Pandemic
Written by Ruth Maille; Illustrated by Harry Aveira; Edited by Bobbie Hinman
The Power of Positivity, The ABC’s of a Pandemic, will help bring awareness to children and help them understand current events even as we come closer to putting this pandemic behind us.
This book is a fantastic picture book that uses the alphabet to connect each letter with a positive word about the pandemic. Each letter highlights the goodness in our lives and gives examples of where we see these experiences playing out in the world.
The illustrations give children opportunities to engage and connect to their memories as they read. The book encourages young and old to look at this time in our lives with the hope that our world will be a better place to live, now and in the future. From A for Appreciate to Z for Zoom, this book will be a time capsule of the pandemic experience for many children and will encourage them to keep some positive memories.
It also introduces some family fun by having children look for Orbit, the mascot, hidden on every page of the book! Most importantly, the book inculcates the value of kindness, generosity, and love, encouraging its readers to positively impact the world in their own little ways.
Children’s Picture Books:
Health & Safety
The Bright Blue Button and the Button-Hole
Written by Dr. Judith Peck; Illustrated by Mario Stasolla
The struggle of a loving button and button-hole to stay together when the man’s vest on which they live gets t-i-g-h-t-e-r and t—i—g—h—t—e—r until…POP! But the ending is a HAPPY one.
Children’s Picture Books:
Bedtime Stories
The Adventures of Molly & Ollie: Moving Day
Written by Sally Beale; Illustrated by Cheryl Crouthamel
Sally Beale is a childrens book author living in Raleigh, North Carolina. Before settling there in her early twenties, she had already lived in eight other states, moving every two years with her family. Her childhood was filled with adventures that captured her imagination in each new home. Sally continued her passion for adventure while raising her two daughters and working as a costume designer for local theaters. Now she is channeling her sense of fun and her youthful spirit into her childrens stories. The Adventures of Molly & Ollie: Moving Day is the first book in the Molly & Ollie series.
Children’s Picture Books:
Family Life
SneakPeek Test
SneakPeek is the only at-home early gender DNA test that lets you discover your baby’s gender as early as 8 weeks into pregnancy with 99.9% accuracy – months earlier than other methods – as soon as 72 hours after placing your order online.
How does SneakPeek work?
While every person has her own DNA in her bloodstream, a pregnant woman’s bloodstream also contains DNA from her unborn child. SneakPeek looks for male chromosomes in a small sample of mom’s blood. If male chromosomes are found, that means baby is a boy. If none are found, baby is a girl. SneakPeek is 99.9% accurate at 8 weeks into pregnancy.1
What is the SneakPeek process?
At SneakPeek Labs, a test process called non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is used to analyze cell-free fetal DNA. Starting with a small sample of blood from mom, plasma is separated from whole blood by centrifuge, and extracted cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) is analyzed for Y chromosomes, which are found only in males. The SneakPeek test is sensitive enough to find even a single Y chromosome, giving you confidence in your results.
Personal Use Products (Skin Care, Health Care, etc.):
Women
Skinny Legs and Fat Cheeks
Written and illustrated by Joseph Cassis
Skinny Legs and Fat Cheeks is about two animals with unique characteristics that are first perceived as having bad attributes of their bodies but they end up as being lifesavers. Zuri, the giraffe, has a very long neck and skinny legs which are quite unique, however, considered by Kubwa, the hippopotamus, to be funny looking when compared to his huge and stubby fat body.
By calling each other names based upon these characteristics, these magnificent creatures point out these differences and clearly state they would never consider each other as friends. However, they both soon find out how those qualities actually are blessings because they save each other from losing their lives during a horrific wildfire. This terrible experience could have been devastating, but instead, a bonding one where the giraffe and hippopotamus become true friends despite their body differences. This book is to highlight how people can quickly judge others instead of celebrating their differences; and those unique qualities could even be lifesaving.
Children’s Picture Books:
Animal Kingdom
P-flector(R)
For Kids By Parents®, Inc. was created out of the need to solve a particularly annoying parenting problem with our owner and CEO’s oldest son in his potty training phase, peeing through the gap between the toilet seat and bowl. His attempt to solve this problem resulted in the creation of our 1st product, the P-flector®, which is our initial contribution to the juvenile products industry.
The P-flector® is a flexible urine shield that attaches to the underside of a toilet seat to block the gap between the toilet seat and bowl and prevent seated potty-training kids from peeing through the gap. The P-flector® therefore keeps potty training kids’ clothes and floors dry; say goodbye to cleaning up urine puddles, yellow stains down the front of the toilet or yellow stained floors in front of the toilet. The P-flector® is easy to attach, can be cleaned in place and saves parents and care-takers time and avoids the frustration of cleaning up the mess associated with this type of potty-training accident.
Personal Use Products (Skin Care, Health Care, etc.):
Children
Mission: CONTROL! A Big Feelings Adventure
Written by Nan Arkwright; Illustrated by Joe Bauman
When a young boy’s tantrum sends him into outer space, can he stop the aliens from controlling his thinking?
Joseph doesn’t want to go to bed. When his mom asks him to turn off the TV, the imaginative boy’s meltdown launches him on an intergalactic adventure. But as Joseph escapes to Planet Kelvin 273, he must battle the Green HypnoZoids to save himself from their hypnotizing powers.
Joined by his beloved dog Gretchen, Joseph has to gather the self-control to defeat the aliens. But if he can’t master his overwhelming emotions, he fears his pesky enemies will always have command over his life.
Can he conquer his outbursts and return home with new problem-solving skills?
Mission: CONTROL! A Big Feelings Adventure is an inspiring children’s picture book suitable for ages 4 – 10 to help youngsters deal with their emotional reactions and grow from setbacks. If you and your child like valuable lessons, inventive journeys, and relatable heroes, then you’ll love Nan Arkwright’s fun tale.
Juvenile Books (Level 1 – Ages 5 to 8):
Self-Improvement
Little Book, Big Laughs Simply Silly Animal Jokes Joke Book
Written by Meg Cadts
What kind of shoes do frogs wear? Open toad sandals. Are you ready for a roaring good time? The new Simply Silly Animal Jokes Joke Book is loaded with more than 700 hilarious animal jokes submitted by kids, for kids it is the largest book in the Little Book, Big Laughs series. Proceeds from the sale of this book go toward funding UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation’s (UHCCF) medical grants for children and their families.
You’ll laugh with every page turn, and smile knowing that your purchase helps a great cause. This collection of jokes came from children across the United States looking to help other children. The humor will hit the funny bone of everyone – grow-ups and kids alike, a must-have for children ages 4-12. Come laugh along with us, then write in your own jokes at the back of the book. Paperback, 192 pages.
Juvenile Books (Level 1 – Ages 5 to 8):
Humor
Let’s Make a Rainbow: A Yoga Story for Kids
Written by Susan E Rose; Illustrated by Timna Green
What to do on a rainy day? Through yoga, Lily and Lee explore all the places they can go in their imaginations. They become butterflies, cats, cows and dogs. They visit a volcano, a forest, a jungle, and a park. But it is still raining! After they do their Sun Salutations, the sun comes out, and they discover a beautiful rainbow! Yoga helped the sun to shine, so when it rains, make a rainbow!
Written in rhyme, the book contains 12 fun yoga pose poems and a Sun Salutation, with illustrations of each yoga pose. More details of the yoga poses and a lesson plan for teachers can be found at www.susanroseyoga.com.
Juvenile Books (Level 1 – Ages 5 to 8):
Body, Mind & Spirit
JJ Pillowdoll
JJ Pillowdoll, two in one item. A soft cotton pillow and a sweet doll. It has a pocket in the back that fits a card or a small gift. Made out of cotton and filled with poly. It comes with a children’s book of infinite love poems. Both items are made int he USA.
Toys, Games & Puzzles:
Preschoolers
HOMER Learn & Grow
HOMER is the essential early learning program for kids 2-8. Powered by the HOMER Method, the most effective way for your child to learn, our expert-designed proprietary learning framework is research-backed and kid-tested to give your child the best start to their learning journey. Focused on both academic and personal skills, HOMER develops confident learners prepared for both school and life. In just 15 minutes a day, HOMER Reading has been proven to increase early reading scores by 74%.
As online learning takes on an increasingly larger role in our new normal, HOMER plays an essential role in setting the foundation for kids to learn through engaging and interactive programs to prepare them for a lifetime of learning from the earliest age through Kindergarten and beyond.
To help assist educators and families affected by shutdowns last school year, HOMER offered educators free access to its programs which was utilized by over 100 teachers and more than 3,000 students. To further support educators and parents, HOMER launched a number of additional new initiatives geared towards helping teachers and families cope during this time.
Educational Products:
Preschoolers
Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts: A Healing Guide to the Secret Fears of New Mothers
Written by Karen Kleiman; Illustrated by Molly McIntyre
Over 90 percent of new mothers will have scary, intrusive thoughts about their baby and themselves. What if I drop him? What if I snap and hurt my baby? Mothering is so hard—I don’t know if I really want to do this anymore. Gosh, I’m so terrible for thinking that! Yet for too many mothers, those thoughts remain secret, hidden away in a place of shame that can quickly grow into anxiety, postpartum depression, and even self-harm. But here’s the good news: you CAN feel better!
Author Karen Kleiman—coauthor of the seminal book This Isn’t What I Expected and founder of the acclaimed Postpartum Stress Center—comes to the aid of new mothers everywhere with a groundbreaking new source of hope, compassion, and expert help. Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts is packed with world-class guidance, simple exercises, and nearly 50 stigma-busting cartoons from the viral #speakthesecret campaign that help new moms validate their feelings, share their fears, and start feeling better.
Adult Books:
Parenting – General
Coding Charms
Where screen-free coding meets a burst of creativity! Coding Charms is a hands-on approach to teaching kids coding concepts in a fun, tangible way. Kids can create up to 10 adorable keychain charms while also learning about algorithms, sequencing, variables, binary and others in addition to important lessons in STEAM. Kids’ imagination soar as they create keychain such as an emoji charm, rocket, dinosaur, or design one of their own! Coding Charms allows kids to get creative through independent play and practice on developmental skills that results in a fun keychain to hang on a backpack, a lanyard and more!
Educational Products:
Ages 5 to 8
Brilliant Star Online
Brilliant Star’s responsive, dynamic website offers a wide assortment of educational and fun content that kids, teachers, and parents can access on mobile devices, desktops, or laptops.
We create a safe and imaginative space where kids can play, learn, and explore. Our target audience is children aged 8–12 around the world, and our content encourages kids to develop and use their strengths for the betterment of humanity. A special section of the website provides parents and teachers with helpful resources for the education of kids and families.
Brilliant Star Online’s inviting navigation draws attention to visually engaging content modules. Videos, articles, blogs, polls, and fun facts encourage kids to explore a variety of interests, guided by their curiosity.
Online Resources (Websites, eMagazines and Blogs):
Children
ChiccoDUO™
ChiccoDUO™ is a first-of-its-kind hybrid baby bottle offering the wellness benefits of glass and the convenience of plastic in one remarkable bottle. ChiccoDUO bottles are lightweight, unbreakable, and importantly, baby’s milk only touches pure glass. An advanced, patented technology used in medical and pharmaceutical products permanently bonds micro-thin layers of glass to the interior of a crystal-clear, premium plastic exterior. This Invinci-Glass™ inner layer shields milk from plastic.
Every aspect of the bottle and nipple were developed and tested for their safety, function, ease of use, and comfort, as well as baby and parent acceptance. During a multi-year process, an international interdisciplinary team of engineers, award- winning scientists, designers, researchers, and neonatologists transformed a medical vial technology into a breakthrough baby bottle, encompassing FDA/legal standards and leachables testing.
Gear & Accessories
Asymbol
Asymbol is for kids 8 and up, and focuses on exploring imagination and creativity as you build 3D forms from any number of the 47 wooden shapes included in the game. Players take turns drawing cards and choosing from one of the two subjects shown. Is it a bike? A bird? Choose from a variety of unique shapes to assemble things, beings, places, events or activities and challenge others to guess your vision! Both the correct guesser and builder earn points, and the player with the most points at the end of the game wins. The game can be played by 3-6 players in 30 minutes or less.
Toys, Games & Puzzles:
Ages 5 to 8
The Brementown Musicians C
The Brementown Musicians CD was created with the desire to introduce children to classical music through storytelling.
In this varied adaptation of the classic Brothers Grimm fairytale, four aging domestic animals who, after a lifetime of hard work, are about to be disposed of by their masters. The animals embark on the road but do not know where to go or what to do. In time they are greeted by a guiding spirit who encourages them not to feel downtrodden or worthless but to recognize their inherent worth and talents by connecting to the music that plays inside them. All the animals have a characteristic musical piece that is unique to them which resonates their true soul.
Audio Experiences
