Tis the season to find the perfect gift for every litte one on your list. Instead of infiltrating their play rooms with another plastic toy destined for the bin, why not give them the best present of all this year – the gift of imagination. Here are a few of our favorites for kids of every age.

Age 0 to 3

I Want My Potty: A Little Princess Story by Tony Ross, Random House Inc.
No one likes to wear diapers, especially the little princess. And while she doesn’t like the Royal potty at first, she eventually learns to love it – when she can get to it in time, that is.

What Can a Crane Pick Up? By Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Random House Children’s Books
A fun and beautifully illustrated rhyming book, your kids will beg to have you read this to them again and again. From pipes and bricks to cows, ferris wheels and even business men in suits, they’ll be sure to laugh at the funny things a crane can pick up.

Age 4 to 8

Julia Donaldson
It’s hard to go wrong when presenting kids with a book by Julia Donaldson. In addition to their fantastic illustrations by the talented Axel Scheffler, the rhyming prose and witty stories weaved by this queen of children’s lit are sure to please every tot on your list this year. Here are a few of our faves:

Tabby McTat, The Musical Cat by Julia Donaldson, Scholastic
A tale of adventure and love, this story follows the life of Tabby McTat, a cat who sings (well, miaows actually) with a Busker named Fred. One day, when performing one of their acts, Fred chased thieves who had stolen his coins. The two friends are separated. Will they ever find each other again?

Stick Man by Julia Donaldson, Scholastic
Stick Man goes out for a jog one morning only to be mistaken for a plain old stick by a dog. This fun tale follows Stick Man’s many encounters with people mistaking him for everything from a flag mast to a cricket bat and finally, a stick for the fire. All he wants is to get home to his family tree. But don’t worry, a special someone has better plans for him this Christmas.

A Gold Star for Zog by Julia Donaldson, Scholastic
A very eager student in his dragon school, Zog dreams of earning a gold star amongst his peers. Poor Zog is a clutzy, accident-prone dragon with a kind heart who attracts the help of a mysterious girl after his many training mishaps. Perhaps she can help him to earn the praise he’s been looking for at school.

The house that wanted a family by Susan Spence Daniel, Inspiring Voices
This is a charming, touching story of a house that sat vacant for ages, waiting for the perfect family to move into it. One day, just when the house was about to give up hope, a wonderful thing happened – a family moved in and made it a home.

This is not my hat by Jon Klassen, Candlewick Press
The latest book from the author of the best-selling I want my hat back, this adorable book isabout a small fish wearing a blue hat that fits him perfectly. Since the hat was not originally his, this little fish may have trouble (in the form of a very big fish) following behind him.

Age 6 to 8

Magic Treehouse #44: A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time by Mary Pope Osborne, Random House Books for Young Readers
This time, The Magic Tree House takes Jack and Annie to the Victorian times in foggy London. Their mission: to help famed author Charles Dickens. After Dickens rescues the duo from being thrown in jail, they discover the secrets that haunt him. They’ll need lots of magic, and the help of a few ghosts, to help the infamous story-teller.
 

Jake and the Magic Telescope: Treasure of Mango Island by Sarah-Jayne Reseigh, Bryler Publications
Jake has always loved adventure. So it’s no surprise that he sets off in his schooner Sea Mist to search for treasure on the mythical Mango Island. Armed with a magic telescope and his trusty shipmate Sidney the seagull, Jake meets a bunch of interesting friends along the way (including Daphne the dolphin, Pete the parrot and Wilfred the whale). These friends help Jake to protect his newly acquired treasure from a mean pirate named Melvin.

Age 8 +

Infinity Ring: Book One A Mutiny in Time by James Dashner, Scholastic
This addictive time-travel story leaves you craving the next installment for answers to its many loose ends. Luckily, another six books are on their way. Dak and Sera, the protagonists, travel through time with the help of the infinity ring they find at the beginning of the book. The ring leads them to a war between the Historians, a secret society trying to keep history in its place and the SQ, a wicked society that is trying to change the past. As Dak’s parents become lost during their time travel, the two heroes must look for them while also trying to help the Historians return history to its natural state. When kids have finished Book One and are begging for more, don’t despair. There’s a whole slew of online adventures to keep them occupied while they await the next installment.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio, Knopf Books for Young Readers
This New York Time best-seller is a perfect gift for children this Christmas. Written initially from the view of August (Auggie) Pullman, a boy starting fifth grade at Beecher Prep, Auggie was born with a horrible facial deformity that makes it hard to be accepted by other kids. As the story progresses, we hear from Auggie’s sister, boyfriend and others in the community  who all struggle to be sympathetic and accepting of a wonderful boy who was born to stand out.

Age 11 to 13

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen, Scholastic
A fast-paced read, this action-packed novel is filled with Medieval adventures. Civil war is on the horizon as the deceitful nobleman Conner decides to find someone to impersonate the king’s long-lost son so he can take over the throne. He forces Sage and three other orphans to compete for the role of the son, threatening them with death if they don’t obey him. Sage is wary of Connor but is still determined to beat out the other orphans in the competition. Young readers are sure to be on the edge of their seats when reading this tale.

Personal Effects by E. M. Kokie, Candlewick Press
Matt’s life has gone downhill since he heard about the death of his brother, T.J., who was killed in Iraq. Getting in trouble at school and at home, Matt can’t stop thinking about his brother and wanting to find answers that will help him to make sense of his death. His search for information, however, leads him to revelations about T.J. that make him realize he may not have known his brother as well as he thought. Matt’s new discoveries help him to become a stronger person, able to finally take charge of his own life.

The post AKA Mom: Holiday Book Guide appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

The holidays are supposed to be magical – freshly fallen snow, twinkling lights and wonderful family dinners, right? Not necessarily. No matter how perfect you may like to pretend your family is, there’s bound to be at least one person who pushes your (or everybody’s) buttons. Whether it’s the aunt who suggests that your hips don’t need that second eggnog, or the estranged sister who has a shouting match with your father, for most, there’s never a shortage of stressful family moments – especially during the season of good cheer. Consider these not-so-Kodak moments:

Holiday horror stories

Jill* (names have been changed to protect the stressed) of New York used to look forward to her big holiday meal as a time to catch up with siblings who she didn’t see very often. Now, since her mother has implemented a policy of inviting everyone who’s alone on Christmas to dinner, she has to deal with an alcoholic ex-stepfather who berates her mom during the meal, swears and stumbles in front of the kids and flirts with her father’s ex-wife. “Although it’s nice idea that no one’s left out, it makes it very difficult to simply sit back and enjoy everyone’s company,” she says.

Melanie of Denver, CO, used to feel tense when sharing dinner with her grandparents. Whether he insulted her grandmother’s cooking or intelligence level, it never took long for her grandfather to say something truly insensitive while the rest of the family cringed.

Victoria of Niagara Falls, NY, has an evil sister in-law. “She’s called me rude, ugly and even fat,” she says. “It’s stressful because I never know what she’s going to pull.” Although Victoria ignores her sister in-law and “fakes nice” at family get-togethers, it’s still a painful and uncomfortable situation.

Have your own crazy family issues that make holiday dinners less than jolly? Don’t fret. Noah St. John, relationship and success expert and founder of SuccessClinic.com offers quick and easy ways to help everyone get along better and hopefully bring the happy back into your holidays.   

Consider the other point of view

Instead of getting angry that Uncle Bob keeps insulting your cooking, think about why he may be saying these mean comments, suggests St. John. Maybe he just found out that his wife is having an affair or perhaps he’s embarrassed because his apartment is too small to host a family gathering. You never truly know what is going on in another person’s mind, so it’s important not to jump to conclusions, and to try to understand why a person may act the way he does.

Act like a stranger

We often assume that we know everything there is to know about our family members and don’t bother asking them about their views on recent news stories, art or even learn about their favorite hobby. Pretend that you’re meeting your relative for the first time and try to take a genuine interest in what he or she is interested in. (When you’re first trying this out, it’s probably best to stay away from hot-button topics like politics or religion!) It’ll give you something to talk about and may help to give you a different perspective on their personalities. Plus, everyone loves to talk about themselves, so it may loosen ‘em up a little bit. And you may just realize that there’s more to cranky cousin Katie than you thought.

Play 20 Questions

The number one secret to getting along is to have your questions outnumber your statements by at least two to one, says St. John. “There is no greater gift you can give to another than the gift of paying attention.” Plus, it’s hard to learn about another person if you’re the one who’s always dominating the conversation. So get over there and start asking questions – open-ended ones starting with “who, what, when, where, why and how” are best. You’ll be surprised at the things you’ll learn.

Don’t ignore the situation

Next time your evil sister in-law calls you stupid, you need to politely confront her. “You are dealing with a bully,” St. John explains. “And when you ignore her, you’re playing right into the bully’s hands.” Instead, confront her with a question. Ask her what she means when she says you’re unintelligent, or say “why would you say something like that.” If you act like you honestly don’t know what the other person is talking about, it can help derail her attack. “Then she’s forced to defend her weak position,” he says. “[which] works especially well in front of others.”

Get support elsewhere

Sick of being the one who always has to act interested and try to maintain the peace? Don’t kill yourself trying to understand why no one else seems to take an interest in you. Instead, realize that your family is what it is. “Just because you’re evolved doesn’t mean the people you grew up with will be too,” says St. John. “It’s great if your family members are the ones who love and support you, but the reality is that doesn’t always happen.” So you need to find others – friends, partners, whoever, who can see you for who you are and give you that love and support that you need. It’ll be easier to accept those who don’t give you that unconditional support if you have a handful of others who do.

If all else fails, leave

If the situation is so bad that you’re miserable, it may be time to give up. Sometimes there’s nothing we can do to make an uncomfortable situation bearable, especially if we’re being insulted or put down. “There is no law that says you have to stay in an abusive situation, even if it’s with family,” says St. John. In fact, often family is where most abuse comes from. Instead, tell everyone that it’s time for you to leave and then start your own, non-stressful tradition. 

The post Beat stress: How to get along with your family over the holidays appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.