To see all of our 2020 Holiday Gift Guide categories and get hundreds of gift ideas, go HERE. All of the products in this post we have tried, reviewed or already owned. Some of these products I was given in order to conduct my review. As always, all thoughts & opinions are 100% my own.
2020 Book, Calendar and Activity Books Gift Guide
Beautiful Boards: 50 Amazing Snack Boards for Any Occasion
Make mealtimes, special occasions, and holidays extra memorable with these 50 delicious, inspiring, family-friendly, and easy-to-recreate snack boards. Visually exciting and deliciously enticing, these snack boards by Maegan Brown (aka The BakerMama) move beyond (and include) classic cheese and charcuterie and are comprised of easy-to-find fresh and prepared foods, arranged in beautiful, artful, and whimsical ways (think sliced tomatoes and mozzarella arranged into a caprese candy cane for celebrating the holidays and a fruit-and-veggie rainbow with cracker clouds to brighten any day). The variety of foods on each board will delight everyone, and the stunning presentation will encourage kids to try foods they might normally refuse. Plus, you can make the boards ahead of time, so you can actually sit down and spend time with your loved ones. In this book, you will find boards for anytime family meals and snacks, seasons and holidays, breakfast and brunch, desserts, and entertaining and special occasions.
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Bento: Over 50 Make-Ahead, Delicious Box Lunches
From the creators of the website Japanese Cooking 101, Bento (a newly reformatted edition of Simply Bento) is a complete collection of over 50 delicious and healthy box lunch ideas for everyone in the family. Ready to make lunch quick, easy, and tasty? Japanese bento boxes are single-portion packed lunches, perfect for anyone looking to save money and eat a balanced, satisfying meal for lunch every single day.
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Bento features over 100 healthy and delicious recipes—including mains and sides—that you can make every day of the week and mix and match using a combination of traditional and nontraditional ingredients. Learn about different types of bento boxes and accessories, how to assemble your box, and everyday items you will need in your pantry, as well as how to plan ahead so that your morning prep is a breeze.
The Holistic Guide to Decluttering
Join author Michele Vig, the founder of Neat Little Nest, on an interactive journey to learn how to clean out and organize the key areas of your life! In The Holistic Guide to Decluttering you will declutter your home, calendar, and mind to find real, lasting change. Our lives are busier than ever before, leaving us burned out…and leaving our homes cluttered. The Holistic Guide to Decluttering shows how three core components—physical, time, and mental clutter—are intricately linked and how focusing on one area alone is not likely to bring the peace our souls desire. Including step-by-step tutorials, reflection tools, and worksheets, this book gives practical ways to learn the “how to” of holistically decluttering and organizing so you can begin to feel the freedom that comes from organizing
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The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook
The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook is the only book needed to unleash the power of one of the world’s healthiest diets. It integrates the latest research and clinical findings with 100 delicious, authentic, easy recipes and Mediterranean lifestyle tips while dispelling any myths and misinformation. Using the Mediterranean Pyramid as a guide, cuisine expert Amy Riolo gets to the core of the Mediterranean lifestyle, and explains what is eaten, when to eat it, and why. Each recipe in The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook contains a cultural tip from the Mediterranean region. Fun historical facts, legend, and lore, as well as nutritional information accompany each recipe. The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook features recipes from all countries in the region to include perennial favorites, little known treasures, and recent discoveries.
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The Ultimate Pasta Machine Cookbook
At last, a cookbook about pasta-making that covers all kinds of pasta machines—both manual and electric, and also stand-mixer pasta attachments—and that delivers foolproof recipes sure to make you an expert noodle master in no time! The Ultimate Pasta Machine Cookbook makes the art of making homemade pasta easy, fast, and fun. It tastes better than boxed pastas from the store. And, while-store-bought pastas do indeed come in a variety of shapes, they all have basically one bland and unexciting flavor; by contrast, as this wide-ranging and deliciously inventive book shows, making pasta by hand at home lets you create and enjoy dozens and dozens of different flavors of noodles. Whether you are a first-time owner of a pasta maker or a seasoned pro looking for exciting new ideas, this book has more than 100 splendid recipes, plus loads of clever tips and tricks, that will make you love your pasta machine and use it often.
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A Very Lappy Christmas: A Story of Love, Adventure, and Teamwork
The young Lappies learn that their determination, love for each other, and their strong desire to ensure all children receive gifts on Christmas, enables them to seek the support of dogs and cats around the world. The story, as told by Snowy, examines the fear of failure and self-doubt that is universal. It then focuses on the ability to move forward towards achieving a goal despite the fear. The strong bonds of friendship that are formed and the deep and heartwarming messages of love, giving, and serving are powerful reminders for children and adults during the holiday season.
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3-D Papercraft: Create Fun Paper Cutouts from Plain Paper
Papercrafting can take many forms, from origami to gifts to decorations to collages to scrapbooking. 3-D Papercraft: Create Fun Paper Cutouts from Plain Paper is a how-to guide presents 280 playful pieces to fashion from plain white paper. Step-by-step directions explain how to fold, bend, cut, and create dramatic three-dimensional ornaments and borders. Projects include a variety of alphabet designs that will assist crafters in creating their own signs and wall coverings plus a tremendous assortment of embellishments, seasonal decorations, letter and number chains, and much more. The book is packed with photos as well as templates to copy, cut, and fold. Papercrafters at all experience levels, decorators, and scrapbookers will find 3-D Papercraft a source of endless inspiration and practical information.
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365 Days in Italy Picture-A-Day Wall Calendar 2021
The country that draws more repeat tourists than any other, it boasts sun-soaked, history-rich, and breathtakingly beautiful landscapes that make an indelible impression on its visitors. 365 Days in Italy captures the spirit of the land with hundreds of full-color photographs from Steven Rothfeld and transporting text by Patricia Schultz, author of 1000 Places to See Before You Die. Iconic Tuscany: pointy cypress trees, charming hill towns, and vineyards as far as the eye can see. Cinque Terre, marked by rugged cliffs and beautiful beaches. The enchanting mystique of Venice. And Rome, where ancient history and the bustle of modern life come together like no place else. Each month’s gorgeous spread immerses the Italophile in la dolce vita.
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365 Puppies-A-Year Picture-A-Day Wall Calendar 2021
Maybe the paws that are too big for its body. Or those soft, floppy ears and shiny black noses. Perhaps the expressions that we imagine say “Pet me,” “Play with me,” and “Be my friend—please?” Starring the lovably goofy winners of the annual Puppy Calendar Contest, 365 Puppies-A-Year is chockablock with cuteness. The adorableness of a Cavalier King Charles trying to go incognito in a pile of stuffies, a husky still waiting to grow into its ears, a litter of sleepy little Goldens, and a Newfie happy in the snow. Each month features a large image at the top of the spread and smaller daily pictures throughout the grid. Includes puppy training tips and health and care advice
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Adorable Hedgehogs 2021 Calendar
Ready to have your heartstrings tugged? Look no further than Adorable Hedgehogs 2021, featuring 13 images of the sweetest little hedgehogs around! Hedgehogs are the new darlings of the Internet and social media pet circles and, while these little guys might look prickly, they’re actually kindhearted sweeties who just want to be loved. With a handy page that shows the months of September, October, November, and December 2020, followed by individual pages for the months of 2021, this 12″ × 12″ wall calendar features full-color photos of these “quill kids” as they party, pig out, poke around, and have the time of their hedgie little lives!
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As the only Indian American kid in her small town, Lekha Divekar feels like she has two versions of herself: Home Lekha, who loves watching Bollywood movies and eating Indian food, and School Lekha, who pins her hair over her bindi birthmark and avoids confrontation at all costs, especially when someone teases her for being Indian. When a racist incident rocks Lekha’s community, Lekha realizes she must make a choice: continue to remain silent or find her voice before it’s too late.
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American Girl Garden to Table Cookbook
Created in partnership with Williams Sonoma, American Girl’s Garden to Table Cookbook features more than 50 kid-friendly recipes that highlight fresh ingredients, designed to inspire young chefs while perfecting kitchen skills and knowhow. Whether she wants to make the perfect after-school snack for herself, a decadent dessert for a party with friends, or dinner for her family, this beautifully photographed collection of recipes will inspire your girl to cook her way through the seasons.
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American Muscle Cars 2021 Calendar
American Muscle Cars 2021 features 16 months of America’s most brutish performance machines. Make 2021 a wonderful year with more than a year’s worth of stunning photography depicting beautiful, brawny muscle cars spanning the 1960s to today. Perfect for the car lover in your life, this 12″ × 12″ wall calendar brings you incredible spreads showcasing some of the rarest and most outrageous high-performance cars ever to explode onto the scene. Inside you’ll find powerful offerings from the Dodge, Plymouth, AMC, Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Buick brands.
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In the companion novel to the beloved and award-winning Amina’s Voice, Amina once again uses her voice to bridge the places, people, and communities she loves—this time across continents. It’s the last few days of her vacation in Pakistan, and Amina has loved every minute of it. The food, the shops, the time she’s spent with her family—all of it holds a special place in Amina’s heart. Now that the school year is starting again, she’s sad to leave, but also excited to share the wonders of Pakistan with her friends back in Greendale.
After she’s home, though, her friends don’t seem overly interested in her trip. And when she decides to do a presentation on Pakistani hero Malala Yousafzai, her classmates focus on the worst parts of the story. How can Amina share the beauty of Pakistan when no one wants to listen?
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A Pakistani-American Muslim girl struggles to stay true to her family’s vibrant culture while simultaneously blending in at school after tragedy strikes her community. Amina has never been comfortable in the spotlight. She is happy just hanging out with her best friend, Soojin. Except now that she’s in middle school everything feels different. Soojin is suddenly hanging out with Emily, one of the “cool” girls in the class, and even talking about changing her name to something more “American.” Does Amina need to start changing too? Or hiding who she is to fit in? While Amina grapples with these questions, she is devastated when her local mosque is vandalized. Amina’s Voice brings to life the joys and challenges of a young Pakistani-American and highlights the many ways in which one girl’s voice can help bring a diverse community together to love and support each other.
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Are You There God It’s Me Margaret
I remember reading this book when I was a preteen! Margaret Simon, almost twelve, has just moved from New York City to the suburbs, and she’s anxious to fit in with her new friends. When she’s asked to join a secret club she jumps at the chance. But when the girls start talking about boys, bras, and getting their first periods, Margaret starts to wonder if she’s normal. There are some things about growing up that are hard for her to talk about, even with her friends. Lucky for Margaret, she’s got someone else to confide in . . . someone who always listens.
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Beautiful Salads: Delicious Organic Salads and Dressings for Every Season
Pam Powell, owner of Salad Girl Organic Dressings (saladgirl.com), shares her best 140 seasonal salad and dressing recipes loaded with fresh organic greens, cheeses, nuts, and fruits.
With more than 70 vibrant salad recipes and more than 70 dressings to go with them, Beautiful Salads is your guide to making and eating healthy, organic, seasonal salads all year long. After a chapter on salad basics, make and enjoy these and more seasonally organized salads:
- Grilled Spring Lamb Chop with Arugula Salad (Spring)
- Pea Sprout and Strawberry Salad (Spring)
- Nectarine and Nasturtium Salad (Summer)
- Grilled Wild Salmon and Red Raspberry Salad (Summer)
- Orchard Apple and Green Kale Chopped Salad (Autumn)
- Kale, Sausage, and Potato Salad (Autumn)
- Roots and Fruits Midwinter Salad (Winter)
- Dried Fig and Cara Cara Orange Salad (Winter)
Complete with a resource guide and 60+ gorgeous color photos, Beautiful Salads is your guide to making healthy, delicious salads through every season of the year!
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The ultimate workbooks, with hundreds of curriculum-based activities, exercises, and games in every subject! It’s fun to be smart! Loved by kids, teacher approved, and parent trusted, Brain Quest Workbooks review and reinforce what kids are learning in the classroom in an instantly engaging, entertaining way. Each page is jam packed with hands-on activities and games covering language arts, multiplication and division, geometry, graphs, time lines, and much, much more—with friendly illustrations throughout.
Aligned with Common Core State Standards and expertly vetted by award-winning teachers, this workbook is designed to appeal to kids’ natural curiosity, with interactive layouts and easy-to-follow explanations that take the intimidation out of learning. Plus, it’s written to help parents follow along and explain key concepts for homework help! With colorful stickers, a fold-out poster, award certificate, and Brain Quest Mini Decks in the back.
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We have LOVED Sandra Boynton books through the years. I have most of them memorized I read them so much to my children. Christmas Parade is a delightful Christmas board book filled with hilarious characters and dynamic art from the one and only Sandra Boynton! Written with the irresistible rhythm of a lively marching band and illustrated with Boynton’s signature characters, Christmas Parade is a superb present for young children and families everywhere. Biddy BOOM.
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Sara Martinez is a hacker. She recently broke into the New York City foster care system to expose her foster parents as cheats and lawbreakers. However, instead of being hailed as a hero, Sara finds herself facing years in a juvenile detention facility and banned from using computers for the same stretch of time. Enter Mother, a British spy who not only gets Sara released from jail but also offers her a chance to make a home for herself within a secret MI6 agency.
Operating out of a base in Scotland, the City Spies are five kids from various parts of the world. When they’re not attending the local boarding school, they’re honing their unique skills, such as sleight of hand, breaking and entering, observation, and explosives. All of these allow them to go places in the world of espionage where adults can’t.
Before she knows what she’s doing, Sara is heading to Paris for an international youth summit, hacking into a rival school’s computer to prevent them from winning a million euros, dangling thirty feet off the side of a building, and trying to stop a villain…all while navigating the complex dynamics of her new team.
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Healthy and wholesome recipes for desserts and snacks made with all-natural ingredients and no refined sugars. Clean Treats for Everyone features dessert and snack recipes made with simple and easy-to-find ingredients for eaters of all ages.
If eating clean foods is a priority, then you know how difficult it can be to find snacks, treats, bars, and baked goods with suitable ingredients at the store. With the recipes in this cookbook, you don’t have to give up desserts or compromise your snacking. free and nut-free substitutions to tips for swapping out ingredients and storage. All you need are a few real food ingredients you’re likely to already have in your pantry like fruit, nuts, seeds, oats, alternative flours (almond flour and coconut flour) and natural sweeteners (honey, maple syrup, and coconut palm sugar) to create delicious, treats such as:
Double Chocolate Banana Bread | Pumpkin Spice Coffeecake | Chocolate Mug Cake | Raspberry Crumble Bars | Apple Nachos | Coconut Dip | No-Bake Magic Bars | Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake
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Whatever your reason for cooking for one, be it living alone or having different tastes, dietary needs, or schedules than others in your household, Cooking for One takes the guesswork out of single-serve cooking and provides you with the recipes and resources you need to create satisfying meals. America’s Test Kitchen tackles the unique challenges of cooking for one such as scaling ingredients, avoiding food waste, repurposing leftovers, and more. You will be provided with the tools to cook up delicious meals on the fly. Resources include tips and tricks on stocking your pantry, shopping smarter, storing ingredients, and more! With 168 perfectly portioned, flexible, and customizable recipes, you’ll finally have the opportunity to explore and cook with the ingredients and flavors you enjoy.
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Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts in One Big Fat Notebook
Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts . . .takes students from grammar to reading comprehension to writing with ease, including parts of speech, active and passive verbs, Greek and Latin roots and affixes; nuances in word meanings; textual analysis, authorship, structure, and other skills for reading fiction and nonfiction; and writing arguments, informative texts, and narratives.
The BIG FAT NOTEBOOK™ series is built on a simple and irresistible conceit—borrowing the notes from the smartest kid in class. There are five books in all, and each is the only book you need for each main subject taught in middle school: Math, Science, American History, English Language Arts, and World History. Inside the reader will find every subject’s key concepts, easily digested and summarized: Critical ideas highlighted in neon colors. Definitions explained. Doodles that illuminate tricky concepts in marker. Mnemonics for memorable shortcuts. And quizzes to recap it all.
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Express Yourself!: Joyful Journaling for Kids
Express Yourself!: Joyful Journaling for Kids has more than 100 colorful pages offer dozens of engaging prompts to help tweens and teens explore ways to maintain a positive outlook on life. With lots of space to make lists, add pictures, and express their thoughts and feelings, kids can identify positive things about themselves and others while journaling on a variety of fun and meaningful topics.
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This collection contains more than 30 enthralling new retellings of favorite myths as well as some you might not have heard before! Including Theseus and the Minotaur, The Twelve Labours of Herakles, and the escapades of Jason and the Argonauts, each myth is told in engaging modern language, which is easy for children to understand yet still retains the humor and intrigue of the original tales. Stunning illustrations by multi-award winning artist Katie Ponder breathe new life into each classic story.
Additional feature pages delve deeper into the mythical world, providing profiles of the gods. The reference section provides key background information, such as Ancient Greek storytelling and the incredible beasts of the myths, and a pronunciation guide. Greek Myths is the perfect gift, featuring foil on the cover and beautiful illustrations throughout. Children will love exploring the tales by themselves or as bedtime stories. It will be treasured forever.
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Hamilton Music Book: Vocal Selections
The pianist and Hamilton lover in me thinks this is the absolute perfect Christmas gift for any musician! Sheet Music Plus has the piano/vocal book the Hamilton Vocal Selections from the Broadway musical “Hamilton” By Lin-Manuel Miranda. This music book has has 17 selections from the critically acclaimed musical about Alexander Hamilton which debuted on Broadway in August 2015 to unprecedented advanced box office sales. The collection features 17 selections in piano/vocal format from the music penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda, including: Alexander Hamilton • Burn • Dear Theodosia • Hurricane • It’s Quiet Uptown • My Shot • One Last Time • Satisfied • That Would Be Enough • Washington on Your Side • You’ll Be Back • and more. Hamilton Music Book: Vocal Selections also includes a biography of Miranda.
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Grab your soccer ball and calculator and get ready to delve into the numbers and math behind the world’s most popular sport. Whether you call it soccer or football, “the beautiful game” wouldn’t be the popular game it is without numbers. From the clock counting up the seconds to positioning your feet at the right angle for the perfect dribble, this book reveals the ways digits and math are part of the game. Read about soccer greats from all over the world racking up points, championships, and even Olympic medals. Learn how goalies use geometry to guard the net and check out cool graphics that show the probability that a goalie will be able to stop a penalty kick. Soccer fans everywhere will get a kick out of this number-focused look at the game, jam-packed with sports trivia, awesome photos, and fun activities at the end of every chapter.
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Izzy Newton and the S.M.A.R.T. Squad: Absolute Hero
When middle school mishaps happen, five friends form the S.M.A.R.T. Squad and use their collective skills and the power of science to bring order to their school. Science reigns supreme with this squad of young brainiacs. Join Izzy Newton and her friends in the first adventure of this fun new middle-grade fiction series from National Geographic Kids. A crowded new school and a crazy class schedule is enough to make Izzy feel dizzy. It may be the first day of middle school, but as long as her best friends Allie Einstein and Charlie Darwin are by her side, Izzy knows it’ll all be okay. However, first-day jitters take an icy turn when Izzy’s old pal Marie Curie comes back to town. Instead of a warm welcome, Marie gives her former pal the cold shoulder. The problems pile up when the school’s air-conditioning goes on the fritz and the temperature suddenly drops to near freezing. The adults don’t seem to have a clue how to thaw out the school. Cold temperatures and a frigid friendship? Izzy has had enough of feeling like an absolute zero. She rallies the girls to use their brainpower and science smarts to tackle the school’s chilly mystery … and hopefully to fix a certain frozen friendship along the way. Will the girls succeed and become the heroes of Atom Middle School?
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Just Beyond the Very, Very Far North
Past the place where icebergs shiver, you will find the Very, Very Far North, where Duane and his friends are sure to make you feel right at home. You might like to share a delicious Snow Delight with warmhearted Duane. While you’re slurping away, if C.C. suddenly asks you where you’ve come from, it’s not because she’s nosy; she is simply gathering scientific data. If Handsome, the musk ox, pays a visit, a quick hair combing is highly recommended. Should you notice a quiet caribou grazing nearby, well, that’s just Boo’s way of saying hello.
And if a less-than-friendly visitor arrives to sneak, shove, and shake things up, Duane and the others might discover that life isn’t always as peaceful as mid-late-afternoon nap. Fortunately, they know that change is as much a part of life as picnics and Tuesdays and cozy stories shared among friends.
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In this highly anticipated sequel to New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Honor–winning author Tony DiTerlizzi’s Kenny and the Dragon, Kenny must cope with many changes in his life—including the fear that he’s losing his best friend.
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Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel
Jason Reynolds’s Newbery Honor, Printz Honor, and Coretta Scott King Honor–winning, #1 New York Times bestselling novel Long Way Down is now a gripping, galvanizing graphic novel, with haunting artwork by Danica Novgorodoff.
Will’s older brother, Shawn, has been shot.
Dead.
Will feels a sadness so great, he can’t explain it. But in his neighborhood, there are THE RULES: No. 1: Crying. No. 2: Snitching No. 3: RevengeBut bullets miss. You can get the wrong guy. And there’s always someone else who knows to follow the rules…
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Mathematics 2021: Your Daily Epsilon of Math
Keep your mind sharp all year long with Mathematics 2021: Your Daily Epsilon of Math, a 12″ × 12″ wall calendar featuring 12 images relating to math concepts! Let mathematicians Rebecca Rapoport and Dean Chung tickle the left side of your brain by providing you with a math challenge for every day of the year. The solution is always the date; but the fun lies in figuring how to arrive at the answer, and possibly discovering more than one method of arriving there. Some of the most tricky problems require only middle school math applied cleverly. With entry-level algebra, word problems, math puns, and interesting math definitions thrown into the mix, this calendar should intrigue you for the whole year.
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My Rainy Day Rocket Ship is a high-spirited, engaging salute to the imagination of Black boys who use their beautiful minds to transform the mundane into the extraordinary, dream out loud, and boldly go where their sky is the only limit.
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National Geographic Kids Almanac 2021
The latest installment of the New York Times best-selling almanac features amazing animal stories, explorer profiles, and outrageous attractions that kids know and love, plus more of the incredible inventions, awesome games, and fresh challenges for curious kids who want to learn all about the world and everything that’s in it!. Tons of fun facts, crafts, activities, and fascinating features about animals, science, nature, technology, conservation, and more is why this is the number one selling kids almanac on the planet. There’s a whole chapter full of fun and games, including activities, jokes, and comics and the colorful compilation also includes an Almanac Challenge 2021 — which inspires kids to reduce their plastic waste and encourage others to do the same.
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National Geographic Kids Little Kids First Board Book: Ocean
Stunning photos of whales, dolphins, sharks, octopuses, clownfish, and other sea animals introduce the very youngest explorers to the wonders of Earth’s ocean, from its depths to its shores. These sturdy pages showcase ocean life with amazing photographs, super simple facts, and lively, age-appropriate language to keep babies and toddlers–and their grown-ups–fascinated by every colorful page.
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National Geographic Kids Why?: Over 1,111 Answers to Everything
The concept is simple. Got a question? Well now you have an answer! 1,111 of them, in fact. Want to know why your snot is yellow? Flip to the human body chapter. What’s on the inside of a turtle shell? The animal section’s got you covered. What’s in the deepest part of the ocean? Why doesn’t Earth just float off into space? Check, check, and check. With hundreds of topics ranging from silly to serious, this book has the expert information kids need in a fun and entertaining format that will keep them digging for answers.
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National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Why
#1 Besteller on Amazon! Linking to a popular feature in the super successful National Geographic Little Kids magazine, this book brings the browsable fun of the bestselling National Geographic Kids Almanac to a new audience: preschoolers! Using an interactive question-and-answer format and content grounded in a child’s immediate world, the Big Book of Why delivers lively information, hands-on games, simple recipes, crafts, and more. What makes a car go? How does mushy dough become a crispy cookie? What does the doctor see in my throat? An essential parent reference, The Big Book of Why invites children to ask big questions, think big thoughts, and get answers that are accurate, engaging, level-appropriate, and based on sound educational findings. It helps prepare preschoolers for school in an interactive way — the very best way to foster learning at this age, according to research. Highly photographic and playful, this big book is an adventure in exploration.
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Learn to bake healthy, gut-friendly loaves and sweet fermented buns using wild yeasts cultivated from fruits, flowers, vegetables, and plants in the book Naturally Fermented Bread. Like sourdough baking, yeast-water or botanical bread baking draws on the amazing process of fermentation and the ancient art of breadmaking. The method described in this book, while unique, is informed by the author’s knowledge of both bulk fermentation and sourdough bread baking, resulting in an innovative process and delicious, nutritious results.
To bake naturally fermented bread—fruit, vegetables, plants, or flowers are submerged in water and left for a few days to a few weeks to ferment. Yeasts living in this newly fermented water, or botanical water, will, like a sourdough starter, raise the dough more slowly than commercial fresh or dried yeast resulting in a more flavorful and gut-friendly bread. You can use this technique to make traditional long-fermented loaves and also a range of sweet fermented buns that showcase the subtle and surprising flavors of your own botanical starters.
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Sometimes big nerdiness comes in a small package–and this little book is an animal nerd’s dream! In this little animal “Nerdlet” you’ll learn about the weirdest, coolest, most amazing creatures in the animal kingdom–and what makes them so complex. Plus, you’ll have some of your most burning animal questions answered, such as What’s the deal with crocodile tears? And you’ll meet people who get to be around animals for a living and travel to animal destinations around the world. You’ll also find personality quizzes, fun facts, animal superheroes, and even a Star Wars reference … or two.
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Best-selling cookbook New World Sourdough is your go-to guide to baking delicious, inventive sourdough breads at home. Learn how to make a sourdough starter, basic breads, as well as other innovative baked goods from start to finish with Instagram star Bryan Ford’s (@artisanbryan) inviting, nontraditional approach to home baking. With less emphasis on perfecting crumb structure or obsessive temperature monitoring, Ford focuses on the tips and techniques he’s developed in his own practice, inspired by his Honduran roots and New Orleans upbringing, to ensure your success and a good return on your time and effort. Ford’s recipes include step-by-step instructions and photographs of all of the mixing, shaping, and baking techniques you’ll need to know, with special attention paid to developing flavor as well as your own instincts. New World Sourdough offers practical, accessible techniques and enticing, creative recipes you’ll want to return to again and again.
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Sheep, roosters, ducks, and more — kids will be amazed by the variety of animals they can create. Step-by-step, full-color illustrations explain exactly where to fold and crease, and children can start right away since the book includes 24 sheets of origami paper in all colors of the rainbow. The 22 models are graded from one to three stars, making the book ideal for papercrafters of all abilities.
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Match wits with the experts who created Sudoku in the book Original Sudoku. Arranged from “Easy” to “Very Hard,” here are over 300 logic puzzles that celebrate the compulsive joy of Sudoku with symmetry, smartness, and elegance—qualities lacking in computer-generated puzzles. It’s fiendish fun…every puzzle is designed by an author who anticipates your next step and obscurest the path, while never leading you into frustration.
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Puzzlelopedia: Mind-Bending, Brain-Teasing Word Games, Picture Puzzles, Mazes, and More is an A-Z collection of more than 200 quirky, brain-bending, endlessly fun, and unusually unusual puzzles for kids aged 8-12. All you need are a sharp pencil and sharper wits! (An eraser wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.) Solve word searches with themes like Spies, Movies, or the Wild West—and when you’re finished, write out the leftover letters to discover a hidden message. Can’t get enough of the addictive fun of Sudoku? Introducing Dicedoku, which uses dice to represent numbers. Just try saying (or even reading) this tongue twister three times fast: Guy gargoyle, girl gargoyle! Plus hidden pictures, crosswords, spot the mistakes, and many kinds of puzzles you’ve never seen before. Puzzlelopedia also contains special “Puzzle Breakers” for reading about anagrams, code breaking, oxymorons, palindromes, and other bamboozling conundrums.
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To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before meets You’ve Got Mail in this charming and hilarious rom-com following two teen booksellers whose rivalry is taken to the next level as they compete for the top bookseller bonus.
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Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Mind Blown
A Believe It or Not! is something incredibly hard to believe, but undeniably true—something that totally blows your mind! Mind Blown!, the 17th book in the bestselling series from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, is filled with unbelievable stories and images that will do just that. You’ll be blown away by this all-true, all-new collection of incredible facts, unexpected stories, and stunning photography.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Mind Blown! is sure to amaze and astound children and adults alike with thousands of strange stories, unusual feats, and hair-raising oddities from around the world. Discover how one woman can crush apples with her biceps and read about the spider that lives underwater—yes, it’s all weird and it’s all true! Bursting with vibrant and eye-catching photos, as well as submissions from our dedicated readers, this book is a must-have for every curious mind.
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From award-winning author Jennifer Ward and celebrated artist Lisa Congdon in her debut picture book comes a lyrical, rhyming exploration of the many round things that can be found in nature.
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Being a quadruplet can make it hard to stand out from the crowd. Becca’s three brothers all have something that makes them…them. Bailey has his music and dancing, Jammer plays hockey, and K.C. thinks they’re all living in a simulation and doesn’t see the point of doing much of anything. Becca is the only one with nothing to make her special.
But when she finds a tiny, sick piglet on the side of the road, Becca knows this is it. This is her thing. She names the piglet Saucy and between her own pleading and Saucy’s sweet, pink face, Becca convinces her family to take her in. Soon, Saucy is as big a part of the family as anyone else–and getting bigger. With each pound Saucy gains, the more capable she becomes of destroying the house and landing Becca in trouble. Some tough decisions need to be made about Becca’s pet, and her search for solutions brings to light exactly where Saucy came from. Turns out, there are a lot more scared piglets out there, and saving them may take Becca and her brothers finally doing something together.
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School Zone keeps kids “classroom ready” with their workbooks, flash cards, tablet, accessories, and more! They have created School Zone Activity Kits with workbooks that are geared towards specific age ranges and ability levels. These are the perfect activities to help your child learn while having fun! Perfect to encourage learning during vacation breaks, homeschooling, Covid e-learning and the summer!
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Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light
A little girl and her friend Bear learn the true meaning of selfless kindness in this sweet, stunningly illustrated debut picture book.
Bear is sad. All the other animals think he’s mean because he’s so big. But his human friend, Coco, offers to help him. Coco shares her grandmother’s advice: “When life gets dark as winter’s night, share some kindness, bring some light.”
They decide to bake cookies to “share some kindness” and make lanterns to “bring some light.” But when the cookies and lanterns don’t work, they must look for another way to win over the other animals. And while they’re at it, Coco and Bear just might discover that kindness is a gift that only comes from the heart.
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Sherlock Holmes Puzzles: Code Breakers
Boost your brain power and detox from the digital deluge with over 100 classic cryptogram puzzles inspired by the master of all complex problems, Sherlock Holmes! For each puzzle, find the cipher to correctly decode and read the encrypted text.
Each book in the Sherlock Holmes Puzzles series (part of the larger Welfleet Puzzlecraft series) presents 100+ challenging cross-fitness brain exercises in popular brain game formats inspired by the great detective puzzles of literature’s most famous detective to get your digital detox started and your mind in shape. The games are not only entertaining, but also:
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Educate
Improve IQ
Improve cognitive ability
Improve concentration
Improve problem-solving skills
“Every young child deserves to know Small Walt.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Small Walt meets a stray puppy in this irresistible companion to Small Walt, which Kirkus Reviews called “charming and endearing” in a starred review.
We’re Gus and Walt.
We plow and salt.
No job’s too small.
We give our all!Walt and his driver Gus are plowing a parking lot when the see—whoa! What’s that? A blur of fur! Pup on the loose! Can snowplow Small Walt and driver Gus save the stray and save the day?
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Spy School Revolution Hardcover
Superspy middle schooler Ben Ripley faces the Croatoan—a new evil organization that’s so mysterious, the only proof it exists is from the American Revolution—in this latest addition to the New York Times bestselling Spy School series.
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Summer Brain Quest: Between Grades Series
Stop summer slide! Stay summer smart with Workman’s Summer Brain Quest: Between Grades series! This series is for kids entering Kindergarten through 6th Grade! These Common Core–aligned workbooks will get your child back-to-school ready their next grade, with hundreds of fun activities, exercises, and games. Learn all summer long with this personalized, interactive quest! Begin with a map that guides you through a workbook jam-packed with activities based on reading, writing, addition, subtraction, telling time, earth science, geography, communities, and more, with fun illustrations throughout. Once you complete an activity, get your stickers and track your progress on the map! Loved by kids, teacher-approved, and parent-trusted, this Summer Brain Quest Workbook also includes bonus challenges and stickers, outside activities, a summer reading list, a Brain Quest mini deck, and more!.
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Thank You Working Heroes Coloring Book: We’re All in This Together!
Celebrate the brave efforts of nurses, doctors, postal workers, teachers, and other hardworking heroes keeping our communities safe! This inspiring coloring and activity book includes dozens of illustrations of first responders and essential workers on the job as well as thank-you messages you can tear out and share, plus helpful facts, fun activities, and word games about staying safe and healthy.
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The Big Books of Tricks for the Best Dog
Show off your dog! And let your dog show off, too! Using the secrets of professional dog trainers, this fully illustrated guide with hundreds of step-by-step photos show how to teach your pet 118 tricks and stunts. The Big Books of Tricks for the Best Dog is organized from beginner level to pro, these tricks run the gamut from the kinds of things any well-behaved dog should know—fetch, paw shake, roll over—to stunts that will delight your friends and family, from dance routines to flying disc acrobatics. You’ll even learn the tricks behind filmmaking with dogs to create your own movie magic and performance showstoppers. And there are benefits far beyond the wow factor. Teaching your dog tricks will not only reveal more of your dog’s real personality, including hidden talents, it will also improve your pet’s behavior, reinforce socialization, prevent boredom and restlessness, and instill your pet with greater confidence. And dramatically enrich the relationship the two of you already share.
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Perfect for fans of The Hate U Give, this unforgettable coming-of-age debut novel explores issues of race, class, and violence through the eyes of a wealthy black teenager whose family gets caught in the vortex of the 1992 Rodney King Riots.
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The Book of Massively Epic Engineering Disasters
It’s hands-on science with a capital “E”—for engineering. Beginning with the toppling of the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, to the destructive, laserlike sunbeams bouncing off London’s infamous “Fryscraper” in 2013, here is an illustrated tour of the greatest engineering disasters in history, from the bestselling author of The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science.
Each engineering disaster includes a simple, exciting experiment or two using everyday household items to explain the underlying science and put learning into action. Understand the Titanic’s demise by sinking an ice-cube-tray ocean liner in the bathtub. Stomp on a tube of toothpaste to demonstrate what happens to non-Newtonian fluids under pressure—and how a ruptured tank sent a tsunami of molasses through the streets of Boston in 1919. From why the Leaning Tower of Pisa leans to the fatal design flaw in the Sherman tank, here’s a book of science at its most riveting.
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The Calm and Cozy Book of Sleep
Sleep is the ultimate act of self-care, yet the quest to get a good night’s rest is never ending. In The Calm & Cozy Book of Sleep, sleep coach Beth Wyatt helps you get the sleep you need for a healthy life, discussing a multitude of fascinating sleep topics, from sleep basics to waking up in the morning and beyond, including:
- Perfecting your sleep environment
- Celebrating sleepiness
- Changing your relationship with your bed
- Practicing peaceful bedtime activities
- Sleeping with pets
- Using sleep aids
- Napping
- Focusing on rest
- Managing anxiety and racing thoughts
- Creating an enjoyable morning routine
Approaching sleep in a fresh, relatable, and non-clinical way, The Calm and Cozy Book of Sleep shares tried-and-true tips to help you fall asleep (and stay asleep)—effortlessly and naturally—and convinces you to learn to love sleep.
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Take your one-pan cooking to the next level with The Complete One Pot. Featuring 400 foolproof and flavorful one-pan recipes (with serving size variations) developed for your favorite cooking vessels including skillet, sheet pan, Instant Pot, Dutch oven, casserole dish, and more. This comprehensive collection simplifies one-pan cooking and delivers recipes guaranteed to please. Chapters are organized by ingredient (chicken, beef, pork and lamb, seafood, vegetarian, pasta, and desserts) and sub-organized by vessel so that you can easily find recipes. Discover winning recipes for hearty stews and soups such as Portuguese Potato, Sausage, and Green Soup; Chicken Stew with Cheddar Biscuits; and satisfying weeknight-friendly recipes such as Steak Tips with Spicy Cauliflower, Stir-Fried Chicken with Bok Choy and Crispy Noodle Cake, and Crunchy Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops with Glazed Winter Squash. Classic comfort foods include Chicken Pot Pie with Spring Vegetables, Cuban Braised Shredded Beef, Easiest-Ever Tomato Cheese Lasagna, and more! The Complete One Pot Cookbook also has a “Cook It Three Ways” recipe feature which gives you added flexibility to prepare recipes based on serving size and vessel type.
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The Complete Plant Based Cookbook
The Complete Plant-Based Cookbook is your one-stop guide to preparing delicious plant-based meals. Featuring 570+ plant-based recipes made with vegetables, grains, beans, legumes, plant-based dairy, and plant-based meat products, this cookbook offers delicious meals for vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike. Enjoy plant-based brunch recipes such as Tofu Scramble with Bell Pepper, Shallot, and Basil or Sautéed Grape and Almond Butter Toast; or change up your plant-based dinner rotation with Almost Hands-Free Mushroom Risotto, Vegetable Paella, and Fideos with Chickpeas. You’ll find plenty of plant-based dessert recipes too, such as Roasted Pears with Dried Apricots and Pistachios, No-Bake Cherry-Almond Crisp, and Strawberry Shortcakes with Coconut Whipped Cream.
Recipe variations give you the freedom to use regular dairy products and eggs where you choose and helpful sidebars give you tips, tricks, and insights into the recipes. You’ll find in-depth information on plant-based meat and plant-based dairy products. Whether you’re following a plant-based diet due to moral, environmental, or dietary reasons (or if you’re a casual vegan), this cookbook has the recipes and resources you need to prepare delicious, satisfying, and nutritious plant-based meals with confidence.
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Ever wonder why the president has a Cabinet? Why there’s such thing as trial by jury? Why someday you’ll have to pay income tax, or why there are no Dukes, Duchesses, Counts, or Countesses in the United States? Because the Constitution says so––and so much more. And now, in The Constitution Decoded, the ideas, concepts, and rules that make America are unpacked and explained in detail to help all of us, kids and parents too, become more informed citizens.
Written with impeccable clarity and illustrated in a style that brings America’s early days to life, this fascinating guide goes through the Constitution literally word by word, sentence by sentence, and idea by idea to give readers a true understanding of not only how the Framers envisioned the United States, but also why they made the choices they did. Here’s why, for example, the United States has three branches of government—legislative, executive, and judicial. It explains how bills become laws, why we have the right to free speech, how we can change the Constitution as our country evolves, and so much more.
Packed with historical context and figures, vocabulary, anecdotes, and trivia, this book is an accessible yet richly layered work that belongs in every family library.
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The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook
The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook is your resource for learning all the shortcuts to make a delicious meal in a fraction of the usual time—with over 200 new family-friendly recipes from the world’s leading blogger on pressure cooking Barbara Schieving (of PressureCookingToday.com). These recipes are big on flavor, imaginative in their variety, and easy to make, featuring fresh, natural, and nutritious ingredients. The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook features loads of tips and tricks that help you get the most from your pressure cooker, no matter what brand you own. If you’re a busy parent or can’t find time to make dinnersafter work, then you will love the Shortcut Dinners and 30-Minute Meals sections. With the terrific weeknight meals on the fly, you’ll also adore the Sunday Suppers perfect for special weekend gatherings.
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The Escape Book: Can You Escape This Book?
Can you escape this book? The first book to be based on the fast-growing phenomenon of escape rooms, The Escape Book is filled with challenges, puzzles and mysteries for you to solve and escape! Sometimes, there is no easy way out… You’re an investigative journalist – and you’ve learned too much. Your mission is to escape the labyrinth where you have been trapped and expose the corrupt, high-flying businessman, Castian Warnes. This is no easy feat, but your life depends on it.
Based on the worldwide phenomenon of Escape Rooms, this book puts your ingenuity and perseverance to the test. You must solve puzzles, optical illusions, conundrums and anagrams to finally escape both the labyrinth and the book – it’s a reading experience like no other.
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Put your puzzle-solving skills to the test with The Escape Book… Are you ready for the challenge?
Who can stack the tallest tower in 60 seconds? Can anyone solve the puzzle cube? With more than 50 fun challenges, puzzles, brainteasers, and games, get out your LEGO® bricks – and the bricks that come with this book – and put your friends and family to the test.
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The long-awaited, bestselling cookbook from Mely Martínez, The Mexican Home Kitchen compiles the traditional home-style dishes enjoyed every day in Mexican households, with influences from states like Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Veracruz, Puebla, Estado de México, and Yucatán.
The Mexican Home Kitchen is illustrated with stunning photography, this book includes recipes for stews, soups, and side dishes, along with famous dishes like mole, enchiladas, picadillo, and milanesa, and is rounded out with delicious salsas, drinks, and desserts.For Mely Martínez, Mexican cooking has always been about family, community, and tradition. Born and raised in Tampico, Mely started helping in the kitchen at a very young age, since she was the oldest daughter of eight children, and spent summers at her grandmother’s farm in the state of Veracruz, where part of the daily activities included helping grind the corn to make masa. Mely started her popular blog, Mexico in My Kitchen, to share the recipes and memories of her home so that her son can someday recreate and share these dishes with his own family. In the meantime, it has become the go-to source for those looking for authentic home-style Mexican cooking.
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The Mutant Mushroom Takeover (A Maggie and Nate Mystery)
Stranger Things meets The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl in this lightly spooky debut about Maggie, an aspiring young naturalist, and her YouTuber best friend, Nate, who use their smarts and science to solve the mystery behind a mutant fungus that’s threatening the town.
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Have more fun with your food using this playful and practical cookbook offering 100 simple and delicious recipes for fondue favorites!
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Make your next fondue dinner party better than ever with these 100 delicious and easy fondue recipes. In The New Fondue Cookbook you’ll find classic favorites as well as new, unique ideas that all your guests will love. You can finally make the most out of your fondue set with these truly tasty, ooey-gooey, melted cheeses and chocolates that will have your stomach rumbling in no time!
The Secret Life of Squirrels Wall Calendar 2021
We all know squirrels—adorable, ubiquitous, and kind of whimsical in how they scamper busily around us with such an earnest expression in their eyes. But no one knows them like photographer Nancy Rose, who’s channeled the animals’ natural curiosity into a series of award-winning books featuring domestic vignettes for which the word “quirky” might have been invented. In The Secret Life of Squirrels Wall Calendar 2021, Nancy Rose constructs meticulously detailed props using clay, cardboard, and other craft supplies, then arranges them on her deck. Lured by hidden peanuts, neighborhood squirrels come to investigate and are captured on camera in amusingly humanlike poses. The photos are impossibly cute, and the effect is pure charm. Here is a squirrel pushing a teeny-tiny baby carriage. A squirrel building a sandcastle at the beach. Squirrels doing the laundry, taking a bath, and, for February, a squirrel couple enjoying a candlelit dinner.
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The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook
Stroll right down the middle of Main Street USA, journey from Adventureland to Infinity and Beyond at Pixar Pier, and explore every avenue in between to taste the flavors of the Disney Parks…all without leaving your kitchen. With The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook you can bring the magic of Disneyland and Walt Disney World snacks and treats right to your home. Recreate favorites like the classic Dole Whip and Mickey Pretzels to new favorites like blue milk from Star Wars land and Jack Jack’s Cookie Num Nums from Pixar Pier. These 100 recipes inspired by iconic yummies are perfect whether you are a forever Disney fan or just love a good snack. Now you can feel as if you shared a snack with Mickey himself right from the comfort of your own home!
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Get the inside track on the incredible lives of history’s biggest names, from William Shakespeare to Oprah Winfrey, and Anne Frank to Julius Caesar.
More than 150 visual timelines take you on unforgettable journeys through the lives of the great, the terrible, and the overlooked people of world history. Following on from the smash hit Timelines of Everything, this fascinating new children’s book focuses squarely on the biographies of a myriad of movers and shakers across millennia. It covers a diverse array of kings and queens, humanitarians, scientists, inventors, explorers, activists, writers, artists, and more, from across the globe.
Timelines of Everyone reveals not just the incredible achievements, contributions, and adventures of historical figures, but the lesser-known events that shaped them too, from childhood into old age. Did you know that West African ruler Mansa Musa was the richest person ever to have lived? Or that Hollywood screen legend Hedy Lamarr invented the technology that would one day develop into WiFi? Or how about the fact that Einstein’s last words were lost because his nurse didn’t speak German?
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USA Facts & Fun Word Search Puzzles
Which President had a pet alligator? What is the state flower of California? Who was the first woman to appear on American currency? You’ll find out in this patriotic puzzle book! Nearly 200 word searches are packed with interesting tidbits about every state and the District of Columbia as well as the life and times of the Presidents and First Ladies, from George and Martha Washington to Donald and Melania Trump. Don’t worry if you get stumped, complete solutions are included.
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Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails
In this new, expanded edition of Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails—issued for the 100th Anniversary of National Prohibition—historian, expert, and drink aficionado Dr. Cocktail vastly widens his examination of 1920–1933, the thirteen-year period when women got the Vote, child labor was abolished and, ironically, saw the cocktail elevated, prolonged, and expanded, spreading this signature American drink form in tasty ripples around the world. All this, plus more drink recipes!
Nothing is so desired as the thing denied. Prohibition made people want cocktails very, very badly. Because “synthetic” liquor was the easiest to make, it was also the easiest to get. Problematically, it tasted awful and wasn’t exactly good for you either. Cocktails with their mélange of flavors were a made-to-order method for disguising the bad hooch.
Along with 100+ rare and delicious authentic recipes gathered from old cocktail manuals and scraps of paper never published, this illustrated trip down mixology lane tells the fascinating origins of the cocktail and how it evolved over time, including its rising popularity during Prohibition. Vintage illustrations and advertisements, photos of old bottles and cocktail artifacts, and fascinating Prohibition-era photographs bring the tippling past back to vivid life.
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From the acclaimed author and illustrator of The Big Umbrella comes a delightful celebration of creativity and gumption about a girl and her panda that’s Calvin and Hobbes meets If You Give a Mouse a Cookie!
When a girl draws a panda, it comes to life and helps her embrace her own creativity and unique way of seeing the world.
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They All Saw a Cat meets The Important Book in this sensitive and impactful picture book about seeing the world from different points of view by Caldecott and Coretta Scott King Honoree Christian Robinson.
In this full, bright, and beautiful picture book, many different perspectives around the world are deftly and empathetically explored—from a pair of bird-watchers to the pigeons they’re feeding. Young readers will be drawn into the luminous illustrations inviting them to engage with the world in a new way and see how everyone is connected, and that everyone matters.
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Thanks for coming to Addicted to Saving! Here’s a little bit about me so you can know who’s behind all these posts!
My name is Liza and I began my money-saving journey in the Spring of 2009 as a way to stretch a limited household income. I had lost my job and my hubby was self-employed. I launched Addicted to Saving in November of 2009 and it has grown by leaps and bounds. Since then, my hubby and I have struggled with the ups and downs of two failed adoptions and are now LOVING being parents to our little man Asher who we brought home from Ethiopia in August of 2013. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to help you save money. My goal is that you will have FUN and become empowered to save more and more money each week..
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