Mr. Robot, this season's mascot, introducing himself to the new Ugly Doll action figure.

If you spend a great deal of time going from point A to point B, having some wonderful stories and music to listen to can make the journey part of the fun (even if it's just coming home for school, soccer or Grandma's house).  As you know we complain most about this aspect of what we review.  So much of children's audio is really annoying...sugary sweet and full of good-for-you-messages. When we started reviewing children's audio, we literally used to sit in the car and anyone (young or old) could throw the audio out of the car. (The car was parked.)  After several afternoons in the car, the lawn would be full of rejects.  While we don't do that anymore (it is so not green), we do have the same high standards.  So a special congratulations to the winners this year!  Click here to see our list of award winners!

Read our Review of this new novelty toy!

Two of our favorite authors/artists, Jean Marzollo and Susan Jeffers, are really good friends. 

So when I discovered through an email that they were painting together on vacation, I suggested that they interview each other for our new feature.  There was a lot of back and forth on how to proceed (after all these are two incredibly talented artists!)...and so it was eventually determined that I would interview them both.  They shared their answers. 

Read the interview! 

Matchbox Monty a bit bored by Tonka Chuck...

If you have a child with ADHD on your gift list, finding the right toy can feel more challenging. Here are our basic guidelines to keep in mind when you're shopping.  Our recommendation is to share these tips with family members!  We also have listed some of our favorites. Click here to read more.

eeBoo is one of our favorite game and puzzle companies. Founder Mia Galison has brought some of today's top illustrators to the world of boardgames and puzzles. As a result the products have a lovely retro feel to them. While so many games have cartoonish looks--these are happily and decidedly artistic. The art is married with games that are age appropriate for preschoolers and early school age kids. Read the interview.

Stephanie appeared this morning on the Today Show with Natalie Morales and shared some of the year's best educational toys that help build important skills - featuring products from Lego, Blue Orange Games, Playmobil, Leapfrog, Silver Dolphin, Eeboo, I Can Do That Games, Briarpatch, Gamewright and Citiblocks. 

You can watch her here! The full article with details on all the products she demonstrated can be found at our site.

Now that school is in full swing, many parents grow increasingly concerned about their child's handwriting. For some kids, they have the fine motor skills early on---for others it seems as if they are practicing to be a doctor!  Here are some tips for helping your child develop better handwriting skills. You may be surprised by what's on our list.

One of the best ways to excite kids about science is to make it a hands-on experience. Here are some of  our favorite picks. Many require some adult involvement - providing a chance to make discoveries together.  Others give you an opportunity to talk about the wonders of nature. Read more here.