Celebrate National Grandparents Day! Nothing makes our kids happier than a day with one of their grandparents. Grandmas and Grandpas bring constant excitement, joy, and love into our lives. Not to mention that they are the best babysitter’s on earth, and we would be lost without them!

My Granny’s Purse is a fantastically fun book celebrating this wonderful relationship between grandparents and their grandkids.

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My husband recently brought The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School home from a business trip in preparation for school starting. It was an instant hit. Zoe starts the first grade and the rules just aren’t the same. She learns, just as all kids do, how to find her place in her new grade, new class, and new school year.

The first days of school can be very exciting or very tough (or a little of both) depending on the personality of each child. Extra anxiety has made our first days of school tough, but still exciting. Our daughter has enjoyed reading this book and others to help her know that everyone is nervous and a little anxious at the beginning of the year. Hooray for awesome teachers and fantastic kids! It’s going to be another great school year!

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Monster’s are awesome! Some of my kids’ favorite books are all about these silly make believe creatures. Some of the all-time great monster books are The  Monster at the End of This Book, Go  Away Big Green Monster, Where the Wild Things Are, and Leonardo, the Terrible Monster. We would like to add to another to the list of great monster books with When a Monster is Born. This book is very funny and crazy fun! After reading, take your silly little monsters to the AZ Museum for Youth, where the current feature exhibit is My Favorite Monster.  They have fantastic hands-on exhibits to help you build, create, and play with toy monsters. Make your day less scary and more fun! Enjoy reading this great book and having fun with your kids today!

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Summer is in full swing, and it’s hot! What do you do? Hit the pool of course. Kids love to swim and there are so many great benefits for them. It’s fun, it cools them down, and it’s a great form of exercise and outdoor activity. But deep water has inherent dangers, and with an abundance of pools in AZ, all children should be taught to swim. This can be daunting and scary for some kids. Swimming Lessons is about those nerves children get when first learning to swim. It’s a fun story that will set your child at ease if they are nervous about being so wet.

Aqua Tots is a great pair with this book. They have a year-round indoor swimming facility, with locations all around the valley. You get to stay indoors with air conditioning during lessons, you don’t have to worry about lathering your kids with sunscreen, and your kids have a great time, all while being taught by professional instructors. What a win-win opportunity! So, grab this book, sign up for lessons, and swim away your summer.

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