This week’s Roundup of Mom’s Choice Award winners features Parenting books and products, STEM games 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 June 9, 2019 to June 15, 2019.
Every week companies, inventors, and publishers from around the world send us their products for evaluation. Only the best earn our designation.
The Way of the Warrior Mama: The Guide to Protecting and Raising Strong Daughters
Written by Sally Clark
If you are a mom, you are worried about your daughter surviving the adolescent years safe and sound. In a culture that encourages kids to be sexy long before they reach puberty, and when one in four college women report surviving rape or attempted rape and one in ten high school girls is the victim of date rape, the prospect of raising a teenage girl can be daunting. By tackling the subject of sexual assault head-on, Sally Clark offers a roadmap to navigating one of the most treacherous parts of the journey from girlhood to womanhood. Through interviews with experts and leading practitioners in fields ranging from adolescent psychology to mindful self-compassion, The Way of the Warrior Mama teaches proven, concrete, and innovative techniques to dramatically reduce parenting stress and increase mothers’ faith that they can protect their daughter.
Adult Books:
Parenting – General
The Nocturnals: The Chestnut Challenge
Written by Tracey Hecht; Illustrated by Josie Yee; Edited by Susan Lurie
In The Chestnut Challenge, a Grow & Read early reader book, the Nocturnal Brigade—Tobin, a sweet pangolin, Bismark, a loud-mouthed sugar glider, and Dawn, a serious fox—are playing a game of Chestnuts when Chandler, a conniving chinchilla, challenges Tobin for the title of Chestnut Champion. However, after a series of strange distractions have occurred, the animals begin to suspect that something is not quite right. Chandler is a competitive chinchilla…but could he also be a cheater?
As the story unfolds, readers will delight in an entertaining animal adventure while learning about the themes of playing games for fun and displaying good sportsmanship.
Bonus content includes illustrated “Nocturnals Fun Facts” about the pangolin, sugar glider, fox, chinchilla and more!
Juvenile Books (Level 1 – Ages 5 to 8):
Fiction – General
The Bumpy, Lumpy Horseshoe Crab; Did You Make the Hole in the Shell in the Sea?
Written and illustrated by Janice S. C. Petrie
“The Bumpy, Lumpy Horseshoe Crab: As low tide comes and the salty water slips away, a sleek little horseshoe crab learns how taking critters and creatures for a ride could save his life!
“The Bumpy, Lumpy Horseshoe Crab” is a horseshoe crab adventure with a happy ending. This picture book has a whimsical, rhyming style, and portrays horseshoe crabs exhibiting behaviors that they commonly use in real life. It’s the perfect choice for a family read-aloud for children 3-10 years old. It’s also a great tool for teachers who are studying marine life or coastal sea animals.
“Did You Make the Hole in the Shell in the Sea?”: Was it a shark, or did some other sea creature make a perfectly drilled hole in a clamshell? Come along and solve the mystery. “Did You Make the Hole in the Shell in the Sea?” has rhythmic and rhyming text, and simply drawn illustrations that are brightly colored and inviting. Each expressive character helps to bring the story to life, and although the story is fictitious, all of the characters tell an authentic tale of what really happens at the edge of the sea.
Children’s Picture Books:
Animal Kingdom
Techno Gears Marble Mania – Slingshot, Catapult & Zoomerang
Techno Gears Marble Mania are multi-piece construction sets that will allow young engineers to create their own masterpieces that work and move. With all Techno Gears being interchangeable, the possibilities are endless! What your child builds is only up to their imagination! These products align with STEM standards.
Toys, Games & Puzzles:
Ages 5 to 8
Tantrum Fix
Tantrum Fix is a comprehensive approach to gently tame meltdowns and teach young children how to self-regulate their emotions using a specialized, portable kit that contains everything parents and kids need to ride the storm of any tantrum.
Educational Products:
Toddlers
Skypark at Santa’s Village: Vintage Activity and Coloring Book
Written by C.A. Hartnell; Illustrated by C.A. Hartnell, Cindy Kiple; Edited by C.A. Hartnell
Take a blast to the past in this cool coloring and activity book with loads of coloring pages and fun activities all designed around Skypark at Santa’s Village in Skyforest, California.
Juvenile Books (Level 1 – Ages 5 to 8):
Activities, Crafts & Hobbies ( Includes Puzzles & Games)
Seamless High-Rise Panty
The Seamless High-Rise Panty is the ultimate in seamless, full-coverage comfort designed to carry you throughout your pregnancy. Constructed with 4-way stretch fabric, this style is seam-free (which means no panty lines!) and finished with moisture-wicking HyDry technology for added comfort. It is the perfect everyday panty for your pregnancy and will mold to your changing shape as you grow.
• Luxuriously soft, seamless and ultra-lightweight for total coverage comfort
• Designed with a slightly longer leg line than a typical bikini-cut to give you a bit extra coverage and comfort
• HyDry finish is moisture-wicking, quick-drying and odor-resistant for added comfort
• 4-way stretch seamless fabric molds to your changing shape and creates a smooth effect with no panty lines
• This style has been tested and is certified in accordance with Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 requirements, which ensures products are free from harmful substances
Gear & Accessories:
Clothing
Mega Awesome Notebook
Written by Kevin Minor; Illustrated by Kevin Minor, Jake Minor, Matthew Minor; Edited by Cheryl Webber
Late for school, a young cartoonist accidentally microwaves his notebook while trying to heat his breakfast. This releases a radioactive cloud of awesomeness that makes the drawings in his notebook come to life. Now he has to make it through a typical teenage day of schoolwork, bullies, and general awkwardness while trying to hold onto his sanity. Dud, a character he has drawn, becomes the boy’s nemesis as they spar on the page through algebra, English, and art classes. Can Dud help the boy face his real-life struggles—girl trouble, social awkwardness, and divorced parents who work a lot—rather than hide behind his notebook?
Juvenile Books (Level 2 – Ages 9 to 12):
Comic Books & Graphic Novels
Gridopolis Games
Gridopolis is the world’s first ‘construction set meets strategy game.’ An innovative 3D game AND expandable system, Gridopolis is a simple set of parts (and rules!) that can be endlessly rearranged. The game also serves as a practical and fun tool for STEM/education where you can design your very own game from scratch.
For some, it’s a compelling strategy game. For others, it’s an amazing game-designing laboratory. For everyone else, it’s just an incredibly fun new way to play in 3D.
Educational Products:
Gracie Jane
Written by Janet Squires
GRACIE JANE has a heart as big as the Western sky, and she’s always ready to lend a helping hand. So, she doesn’t think twice about rescuing Fifi La Rue and taking the lost pup home. After all, how much trouble could one little dog be on a great big ranch? It’s nonstop fun and excitement when one good deed turns this cowgirl’s life upside down!
Children’s Picture Books:
Domestic Animals & Pets
Crawl About Bee & Crawl About Butterfly
Your child will be off and crawling in no time with the Crawl About Bee and Crawl About Butterfly. These early learning Crawl About’s wobble as they move. With bright lights and fun melodies, these Crawl About’s will entice your child to crawl as they move across the floor! A simple press on the back and watch them go! Crawl About Bee and Crawl About Butterfly will quickly become a favorite! Crawl About Bee UPC 657092557822. Crawl About Butterfly UPC 657092577127.
Toys, Games & Puzzles:
Babies
CAPTAIN FIN
Written by Amanda M. Thrasher; Edited by Jody Amato
Hannah Gunner, once a carefree child, is faced with secrets, lies, and betrayal. A life-changing event during her adolescent years forces her to confront a past that she no longer recognizes. Now, questioning everything she thought she knew, Hannah struggles with the person she is supposed to be! With the help of her boyfriend, Grayson Parks, nicknamed Cash, and her closest friend, Lindsey, they discover several clues that may hold the missing links to her life. A tattered box filled with worn-out letters holds some of the answers that she needs, but not all of them! With an assist from her aunt and a visitor from her past, Hannah manages to track down the only person in the world who can answer her questions–the Captain! Why did those closest to her lie in the first place? Will Hannah ever find the answers that she needs to bring her peace? Suspenseful, engaging, and with twists and turns that make it impossible to put down, this is a book filled with surprises!
Young Adult Books:
Being Small (Isn’t So Bad After All)
Written by Lori Orlinsky; Illustrated by Vanessa Alexandre
Being small is the worst! No one ever picks me for their sports team and my feet hurt from standing on my tiptoes all the time. There can’t be anything good about being small…right?
Being Small is a picture book about a little girl who is scared to go to school because she’s the shortest kid in the class. She talks about all of the reasons that being short is a challenge, but her mother presents to her funny and unique advantages that only she has because of her height, instilling self-confidence in her.
This book is a must-read for any child who has ever fallen behind the curve on the growth chart.
Children’s Picture Books:
Looking & Feeling Great
Artie 3000™
Say hello to Artie 3000™, the new coding/drawing robot from Educational Insights that sparks curiosity in kids and helps them develop coding skills. With Artie, kids 7+ can imagine simple or complex drawings and designs, and translate them into code on any device. Kids then get to experience the payoff of watching Artie draw what’s been coded, line by line, moving forward, backward, and spinning in any direction while lifting and lowering four thin-tip, colored markers.
Artie has launched with the endorsement of American Mensa, the world-renowned society for high-IQ individuals. Artie is only the third character to ever receive an honorary Mensa card, following in the footsteps of Lisa Simpson and Mr. Peabody.
Educational Products:
Ages 5 to 8
