LI Kids is proud to be giving away five copies of The Self-Esteem Trap by Polly Young-Eisendrath. To enter all you need to do is leave us a comment. Please be sure to only leave one. Comments are moderated to avoid spam, so it will not show up right away. People who leave multiple comments will be deleted from the contest altogether. If you do not see your comment within a day then by all means leave another one. Otherwise, do not worry as we accept comments several times a day.

To enter you need to be at least 18 years of age and a resident of the US. If you have won a contest within the last 30 days you are not eligible. Winners will be sent an email shortly after the end of the contest. To claim your prize all you will need to do is send us your address in a reply to the congratulation email that you will receive. If we do not receive a reply from you within three weeks, your winnings will be forfeited and your prize will be offered to another contestant.

We will begin emailing winners for this the week of September 6, 2008, which means you have until September 5, 2008 at 11:59 to enter.

More about The Self-Esteem Trap:
Kids today are depressed and anxious. They also seem to feel entitled to every advantage and unwilling to make the leap into adulthood. Clarifying an enormous cultural change, THE SELF-ESTEEM TRAP shows why so many young people have trouble with empathy and compassion, struggle with moral values, and are stymied in the face of adversity.

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LI Kids is proud to be giving away five copies of A Is For ATTICUS by Lorilee Craker. To enter all you need to do is leave us a comment. Please be sure to only leave one. Comments are moderated to avoid spam, so it will not show up right away. People who leave multiple comments will be deleted from the contest altogether. If you do not see your comment within a day then by all means leave another one. Otherwise, do not worry as we accept comments several times a day.

To enter you need to be at least 18 years of age and a resident of the US. If you have won a contest within the last 30 days you are not eligible. Winners will be sent an email shortly after the end of the contest. To claim your prize all you will need to do is send us your address in a reply to the congratulation email that you will receive. If we do not receive a reply from you within three weeks, your winnings will be forfeited and your prize will be offered to another contestant.

We will begin emailing winners for this the week of September 8, 2008, which means you have until September 7, 2008 at 11:59 to enter.

More about A Is For ATTICUS:
Today’s Millennial generation of baby namers want their young ones’ monikers to reflect something deeply meaningful and personal. Where better to draw inspiration than the books they cherish and the characters they love?

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With the new Ironman movie set to be released in theaters, some of the promotional material is coming out in the form of books. While I wouldn’t really recommend that a young child see this movie (my brother opted not to let Lil B see Ironman during a recent trip to the theater – they saw Horton Hears a Who instead), I find it particularly interesting that there is plenty of advertising and marketing geared towards a younger audience. While I don’t think it is necessarily fair to make a kid excited about a movie they’ll never get to see, the books are at least age appropriate.

When you look at the superhero aspect of the Ironman storyline, the series really is marketable to a wide group of people. Adults can get their movie and kids can enjoy the toys and the books. Still, I fear some of the marketing may make the movie seem like it is suitable for a pint sized audience, and by all impressions I get from the trailer, it’s not.

Release Information:
Ironman: A New Hero was released on April 1, 2008. The movie has yet to be released so it is safe to assume that Ironman: A New Hero was released to help promote the movie and get the hype up for it. The book, which is recommended for children aged 3-7 was released by Harper Collins Kids. It can be purchased at your favorite local bookstore or online at Amazon where it retails for $3.99 with the eligibility for Free Super Shipping!

The Ironman: A New Hero Plot
This is a quick retelling of the Ironman story. This story explains who Ironman is (Tony Stark). This also explains who Tony Stark is, as well as why he built the Ironman suit. This book is a short read with lots of pictures. The illustrations are incredibly dynamic. The illustrator, Marcelo Matere did a remarkable job with the comic book style drawings he offers.

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Literary Illusions Kids is proud to partner with Scholastic Inc. in giving away one copy of The Gingerbread Man. Our contest will be ending just in time for Christmas and entering is simple. To enter all you need to do is leave us a comment. Please be sure to only leave one. Leaving more than one comment could result in your being disqualified. Comments are moderated to avoid spam, so it will not show up right away. If you do not see your comment within a day then by all means leave another one. Otherwise, do not worry, we accept comments several times a day.

To enter you need to be 18 years of age and a resident of the US. If you have won a contest within the last 30 days you are not eligible. Winners will be announced here. If we do not here from you within 3 weeks from the date the winners are announced you forfeit your prize and we will select another winner. Prizes will be shipped within 45 days from the day you win. We will make every effort to send out prizes won in December in time for the holidays, but cannot promise a before Christmas delivery.

We will choose a winner for this on December 14, 2007. This means that you have until December 13, 2007 at 11:59 PM EST to enter the contest.

For a description of The Gingerbread Man and info on the box set, keep reading. Good Luck!

PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CHECK BACK HERE ON DECEMBER 14 TO SEE IF YOU ARE A WINNER!

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Literary Illusions is proud to partner with Scholastic Inc. in giving away three copies of The Biggest Best Snowman, book and audio CD. Our contest will be ending just in time for Christmas and entering is simple. To enter all you need to do is leave us a comment. Please be sure to only leave one. More than one entry to this contest may result in your entries being removed. Comments are moderated to avoid spam, so it will not show up right away. If you do not see your comment within a day then by all means leave another one. Otherwise, do not worry we accept comments several times a day.

To enter you need to be 18 years of age and a resident of the US. If you have won a contest within the last 30 days you are not eligible. Winners will be announced here. If we do not here from you within 3 weeks from the date the winners are announced you forfeit your prize and we will select another winner. Prizes will be shipped within 45 days from the day you win. We will make every effort to send out prizes won in December in time for the holidays, but cannot promise a before Christmas delivery.

We will choose a winner for this on December 17, 2007. This means that you have until December 16, 2007 at 11:59 PM EST to enter the contest.

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LI Kids is proud to partner with Tundra Books to offer a copy of Into the Ravine by Richard Scrimger. Into the Ravine is a YA title by an award winning author. The publisher has listed this book as appropriate for those aged 11 and up. To learn more about the book and how to win, keep reading!

From the Tundra Books Website:
In the tar-melting heat of a suburban summer, everyboy Jules, athletic and handsome Chris, and oddball Corey (he laughs at gravel and anticipates zombie attacks) have lived side by side for most of their lives. Behind their backyards is a ravine through which flows a modest river. This familiar territory is by turns comforting and terrifying.

When a tornado brings down a big maple tree, the boys make a raft of the branches and set off downstream. After all, at thirteen they are old enough to take a day trip by themselves. On their way, the boys meet with a series of adventures that are funny at first glance but resonate deeply. They rescue a diabolical dog, confront a hydrophobic gang, and survive a waterfall. They are bombarded by bicycles, hoodwinked by hobos, and bewitched by bikinis. By accident, they crash a funeral, and, by design, they crash a pool party — with tragic results.

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Wiggle and Waggle are two worms that live in the dirt. These two worms are pretty typical as far as worms go. They are cartoon cute, they like to have fun, and they work a lot to keep the soil as fresh as possible. The story of Wiggle and Waggle explains the adventures of this duo in and out of the garden. While the two spend plenty of time working, they also like to go swimming, have picnics, and do plenty of other fun things.

Illustrated by Mary Peterson, the pictures in Wiggle and Waggle are just too adorable for words. I love how one worm even wears tiny spectacles to help him see better. The colors used in the book are incredibly subtle and the drawings are easily comprehended. They work so well you could almost make up your own stories with the drawings that occur on every page.

This is my first experience reviewing Charles Bridge books. I have to say that after looking at the quality and reading the adorable story, I am very impressed with this particular company. Wiggle and Waggle was something different, refreshing, and fun to read with children.

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In an age when parents are raising kids and worrying about global warming and other things that endanger the planet it becomes a parental responsibility to teach the children to respect the earth. This can be done in a number of ways including recycling and preservation of natural goods. Going Green is also another good way to teach children the importance of respecting the earth. By using materials that can be recycled and reused children pick up habits that will travel into adulthood and to their own children.

Organic Crafts by Kimberly Monaghan is a book filled with earth friendly art ideas that allows you to foster your children’s creativity without harming the earth in any way. There is a good mix of indoor and outdoor activities available in this soft cover book. In going with the green theme, this book was printed on 100% recycled paper.

Organic Crafts offers six chapters filled with great things you can do with your kids. The chapters include:

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Season 3 of Avatar: The Last Airbender begins today on Nickelodeon. However, that isn’t the only good news where Avatar is concerned. On the 18th, the All-Avatar Magazine came out on newsstands and is available for purchase. This magazine is an Avatar lovers dream, with 30 pages of new comics. Fans will love this because the magazine makes a point to feature adventures that have taken place between season two and three.

The shows writers and artists collaborated on the project with some of the best comic artists in the business. The magazine was meant to bridge the gap of all that happens between seasons two and three. It offers some spoilers, for those that want them, and it explains some major plots that are coming up. Fans will also appreciate the section of the magazine that is dedicated to fan art. There are three page profiles of artists that appear on Deviant Art.

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As a parent, teaching your child how to deal with death can be a difficult thing. It’s a hard concept to teach most children. If you are lucky, the first taste your child will have with death will be when they have a pet that dies. While, this is hard on children it does teach them something about what it feels like and how to move on after their trusted friend is gone.

This is what The Forever Dog helps to teach kids. The author, Bill Cochran came up with the idea for The Forever Dog when he lost his special friend, a Golden Retriever named Mo. The result is a beautiful book that offers an important message for children. While Cochran is new to writing books for children, the illustrator, Dan Andreasen, has contributed art to several different children’s books, such as Little House on the Prairie.

The Forever Dog deals with Mike and Corky. When Corky is brought home, Mike falls in love with him instantly. Despite the fact that no one knows what kind of dog Corky is, Mike loves him anyway. In fact, Corky and Mike loved one another so much they did everything together. Corky would even sleep on Mike’s head each night.

The two friends were inseparable. Wherever Mike went, Corky was in tow. Friendships like this are rare, but they made them seem natural. It only made sense when Mike and Corky created their forever plan. It was decided that the two would be together forever. For a long time, things with the forever plan were going perfectly.

However, good things can’t last forever and one day Corky gets sick and is taken to the vet. Mike is sad, but when he finds out that Corky is never coming home his sadness turns to anger. When Mike’s mother finds out why Mike is angry, Mike is taken through his memories and is taught the most important lessons about death.

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