Griffen's Pick: September 21, 2008

Happy Fall!

We at The Gifted Grasshopper hope everyone enjoyed those first exciting days of school! Do you have a preschooler who is experiencing the classroom for the first time? Well, we have the perfect book for you! Here We Go Round the Mullberry Bush by Sophie Fatus is a fantastic way to get any preschooler excited about going to school.

Brightly colored acrylics fill the pages of this Barefoot Book, which include spring shades of green on the endpapers and representations of the heart-shaped leaves and purple mulberries. Cartoonlike children of many ethnicities and with large almond-shaped eyes dance through the 10 verses as they jump out of bed, wash themselves, and go to school. Various scenic backgrounds represent the many countries in which the youngsters live. This multicultural treat will encourage creative movement as well as creativity in inventing other verses for preschoolers.

This beautifully illustrated book also includes a sing-along CD! Your child will simply love hearing the song over and over while turning the pages of this engaging story.

Visit The Gifted Grasshopper today to purchase this title that is certian to charm any preschooler.

Please use the code BLOG10 to receive a 10% discount on this featured title and a free pair of grasshopper glasses.

Griffen's Pick: August 11, 2008

It's time to start putting away beach towels and bathing suits and start taking out backpacks and lunchboxes. In just a few short weeks, it will be time to go back to school.

Do you have a little grasshopper who is excited to learn to read at school this year? Then we have the perfect book for you! At The Gifted Grasshopper, Wolf! By Becky Bloom is one of our all time favorites.


When a hungry, nearly penniless itinerant wolf decides to make a meal of some barnyard animals, he finds that they won't even look up from their books. "This is a farm for educated animals," they tell him. The wolf is caught so off guard that he forgets about his appetite and enrolls in school. When he takes his newfound knowledge back to the farm and proudly reads, "Run wolf! Run!" the animals go on "reading their own books, not the least impressed." Not until the wolf makes repeat visits to the library and buys his own storybook (with his last coins) can he read "with confidence and passion," entrancing the cow, pig and duck with story after story. The foursome decides to travel the world as storytellers, and the endpapers show them reading books to children everywhere.

Visit The Gifted Grasshopper today to purchase this charming title.

Griffen's Pick: April 30, 2008

"Hold your horsepower," said the little man with a stamp, a stomp, and a snort. "This is a troll bridge. I'm the Troll. Now, start passing the buck."

Bill Bob, Billy Bo, and Just Plain Billy don't have enough money to cross the troll bridge. But by pooling their pennies with the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack, The Three Silly Billies are able to pay the toll and cross the deep river in jolly good style. And there's a whopping surprise in store for the Troll!

At The Gifted Grasshopper, we just can’t get enough of this hilarious tale by Margie Palatini! From the animals car “pooling” in a kiddie pool to the uproarious illustrations, this is a story sure to give your own little animal a belly ache from laughing so hard.

Visit The Gifted Grasshopper today to purchase this hilarious title.

Please use the code BLOG10 to receive a 10% discount on this featured title and a free pair of grasshopper glasses.

Win Party Totes for 10!

The Gifted Grasshopper is proud to sponsor a giveaway on MyMomShops. Post a comment by 11:59 pm tomorrow to be eligible to win 10 Party Totes for your child's next birthday extravaganza!
Good Luck!

March 23, 2008: Griffen's Pick

The Gifted Grasshopper is so excited to discover that one of it's favorite authors, Laura Vacarro Seeger, has published a new book! All of her books are especially clever. From incorporating cutout pictures to illustrate colors to using emotion words to create expressive faces to putting a new spin on an ABC book, Vacarro Seeger delights both children and adults alike.

Winner of the Caldecott Award, her latest book, First the Egg, is a book about transformations...from egg to chicken, seed to flower, and caterpillar to butterfly. But it's also a book about creativity as paint becomes picture, word becomes story...and commonplace becomes extraordinary.

Because this book is not due out until April 15th, we are offering our readers a special 15% discount off the original price. Please be sure to order by April 10th and use the code BLOG15 in the coupon box.

Visit The Gifted Grasshopper today to purchase this delightfully clever title.

March 3, 2008 - Griffen's Pick

In honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, The Gifted Grasshopper has decided to feature an extremely clever, endearing and – yes – rhyming story, The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman. We can’t imagine that many readers won’t identify with the plight of Mrs. Peters who struggles to feed her seven persnickety eaters.

One of Mrs. Peters' children will only drink milk. Another will only drink pink lemonade. A third only eats applesauce. Poor Mrs. Peters! She is so busy feeding her children that she almost forgets her own birthday. The children haven't forgotten, though. They get up at the crack of dawn to prepare their mother an unforgettable birthday breakfast. Picky eaters and children who long for a large family will love this book!

We know you’ll enjoy this book as much as we do!

Visit The Gifted Grasshopper today to purchase this hilarious title.

Please use the code BLOG10 to receive a 10% discount on this featured title and a free pair of grasshopper glasses.

We have our second winner!

Congratulations to Aurelia who said, "One of our favorites is "The Dot" by Peter Reynolds. I love what it "teaches" about creativity!"

Aurelia, please e-mail The Gifted Grasshopper at info@giftedgrasshopper.com with the address to which you would like your Bag Bursting with Books sent.

More Chances To Win!

Our friends at Tutus and Turtles and Neato Stuff are giving away Gifted Grasshopper gift sets. Hop on over today to leave a comment for an opportunity to win a gift set valued at $24.99!
Good luck!

February 14, 2008: Griffen's Pick and Giveaway!

If you’re looking for a bit of mystery for the little ones in your life, The Gifted Grasshopper has the perfect solution! Moose Tracks, by one of our favorite authors, Karma Wilson, is part game, part mystery. This rhyming, quirky story is filled with eccentric characters.

The narrator, who goes unseen until the final spread, finds evidence on every page that someone has been in his house because he detects moose tracks everywhere. He recalls a visit with a chipmunk who made fudge sundaes and a goose who played hokey-pokey with him. "But who left all those moose tracks?"

Youngsters will be completely and pleasantly caught off guard by the answer. They will also be asking to hear Moose Tracks again and again! Who doesn’t love a great mystery?

Solve this mystery today – visit The Gifted Grasshopper to purchase and enjoy this wonderful family story!

Please use the code BLOG10 to receive a 10% discount on this featured title and a free pair of grasshopper glasses.

Enter our monthly drawing to win a $24.99 Party Tote Gift Set. Answer the question below by posting a comment on this blog in order to enter!

February Question: What is your favorite book to read with your child?

This contest will be ending at 5:00pm on Friday, February 22nd! Post your comments now!

January 31, 2008 - Griffen's Pick

Ok, we admit it. A chance to examine our favorite fairy tale characters a little more closely and learn more about them then we have ever known before is just too much to resist! For this reason, we cannot help but feature the book Previously, by Allan Ahlberg.

Every story, every person, and every thing started somewhere, and now in this inventive and whimsical book, you can explore what all of your favorite storybook characters were up to “previously.” Goldilocks arrives home "all bothered and hot." Why? Because previously she had run through the forest, having climbed out of somebody's window in the wake of being caught sleeping in someone's bed, etc. Even before that, she had bumped into a lad named Jack with a hen under his arm . . . and so on, through Jack and Jill, the Frog Prince, Cinderella and others-and yet further back, to when all the characters were babies and, even further, the dark woods were seedlings "in the sun and the wind and the rain / under the endless sky, once upon a time. Previously."

This engaging story will certainly capture the hearts of children and adults alike. It could even stir up some conversation as you discuss what happened “previously” with your child!

Visit The Gifted Grasshopper today to purchase this imaginative story.

Please use the code BLOG10 to receive a 10% discount on this featured title and a free pair of grasshopper glasses.

Gifted Grasshopper Giveaway!

The Gifted Grasshopper os pleased to anounce that our friends at Peekaboo Picks are giving away a Bag Bursting with Books valued at $24.99! Hop on over to Peekaboo Picks today and enter for a chance to win!
Good luck!

Another Grasshopper Giveaway!

Hop on over to Dear Dr. Moz for another Gifted Grasshopper giveaway! Enter the contest for a chance to win a Bag Bursting with Books valued at $24.99!
Good luck!

January 20, 2008: Griffen's Pick

We love board books at The Gifted Grasshopper. With their sturdy, easy to turn pages, even the youngest readers can interact with them independently.

One of our favorite board books is To Market,To Market by Ann Miranda. What begins with the traditional serene nursery rhyme turns into a slapstick excursion filled with mishap and mayhem. A "fat pig" is not enough for this ambitious shopper. The elderly woman makes return trips to the market for a hen, trout, lamb, cow, duck, and goat. While she is acquiring more, her earlier purchases are wreaking havoc.

With its engaging pictures, rhyming text, and surprising ending, we promise that this will quickly become a favorite of your baby or toddler. What's even better about To Market, To Market is that it is a lap sized board book. Bigger than the traditional board book, lap sized board books will capture the attention of even the most squirmy toddler.

Visit The Gifted Grasshopper to purchase this charming story today.

Please use the code BLOG10 to receive a 10% discount on this featured title and a free pair of grasshopper glasses.

We have a winner!

The Gifted Grasshopper would like to congratulate Karen who said, "The author of Dear Peter Rabbit is Alma Flor Ada. Thanks for a great website with great books!"
Karen, please e-mail The Gifted Grasshopper at info@giftedgrasshopper.com with the address you would like your Bag Bursting with Books sent to.
Happy Reading!

January 3, 2008: Griffen's Pick

Are you tired of reading the same old fairy tales? Are you looking for something new and creative to spark your child’s interest? If so, we have found the perfect book for you! Alma Flor Ada’s Dear Peter Rabbit is a collection of letters from the land of fairy tales that offers a glimpse into the lives of our favorite fairy tale characters.

Readers will enjoy Goldilock’s much happier return visit to the Bears’ house, a housewarming party thrown by one of the Three Little Pigs and visiting with Peter Rabbit himself. A clever take on some of our favorite tales, this book will certainly entertain and delight children and adults of all ages. It might even inspire a child to pick up a pencil and paper and write a letter of his own!

Find out what these beloved characters have been up to – visit The Gifted Grasshopper to purchase and enjoy this wonderful family story!

Please use the code BLOG10 to receive a 10% discount on this featured title and a free pair of grasshopper glasses.

Enter our monthly drawing to win a $24.99 Party Tote Gift Set. Answer the question below by posting a comment on this blog in order to enter!

January Question #1: Who is the author of Dear Peter Rabbit?

This contest will be ending at 5:00pm on Monday, January 14th! Post your comments now!