Jude's Picks: Reads, Tunes & Films

As a parent to a very active three year old I am always on the look out for great reads, apps, and music that will keep him entertained. I also love sharing what Jude is currently getting excited about. So here's the most recent installment of Jude's Picks...

Creature by Andrew Zuckerman is a great alphabet book filled with gorgeous rich photos. Jude is currently totally nuts for animals and this book from Chronicle is one of his latest faves.

One of my favorite books when I was a kid, Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever (Le Grand Livre des Mots is the French/English edition which you can get here ) is filled with all kinds of fantastic vocabulary words accompanied by Richard Scarry's classic animal characters. Be warned it includes a few questionable choices - I wonder, does the little pig really, really, dream of growing up to be a butcher?

Dancing around the kitchen with Dad is still a favorite activity - this month's top pick is anything by the Talking Heads.

French Songs for Children is a long standing favorite (when he was a baby, this album would instantly calm him even in the midst of a screaming fit, and thus has been a permanent fixture in the car for the last three years). Remarkably tolerable - Lucienne Vernay was a French singer in the 40's and 50's and the vintage quality remains charming even after having listened to it about 15 million times!

Rio is Jude's latest film of choice - it's actually not too bad (though, given my druthers, I'm definitely more of a Nemo, Cinderella, Robin Hood, Dumbo kind of gal - all recently tired of, alas) - Jamie Foxx and Will.i.am play a couple of amusing hip-hop-y birds and it is pretty hilarious when you realize your toddler is shaking his booty and singing "I like to party, I like to samba!" while you change his diaper!

Jude is also a huge fan of nature documentaries (again, nuts for animals - trucks, firemen? eh, whatevs, but a good wildebeest stampede really rocks his socks!) the BBC's Africa with David Attenborough has just recently dethroned the reigning champion, Planet Earth.

I'm always on the lookout for recommendations so please share what your kids are loving in the comments!

Jude's Picks: Cookies, Tunes & Reads!

In today's post, Jude offers up some cookie, music & book recommendations. We tested out this chocolate chip cookie recipe from the New York Times over weekend - they were delish, though tough to call whether the dough or the finished cookie was the most tempting...

Jude has always been big into singing and dancing (circle time goes against his rebellious nature, but throw on a good tune and he's there, with bells on!). Current favorites include I Was Made for Sunny Days by the Weepies (favorite dance move with this one is the alternating shoulder shrug)...

Rihanna's (also known as "Ri-Na-Na") What's My Name and Rude Boy are often a favorite for post-bath dancing and in car sing-alongs...

Ça Plane Pour Moi - awesome punk rock tune from the 70's by Plastic Betrand (accompanied by 80's metal-style head thrashing and occasional fist pumps)...

Another huge favorite is Price Tag by Jessie J featuring BoB - also an excellent karaoke number...

Jude's top story time story these days is Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty, a hilarious, irreverent book about doing your own thing...

Other faves include Eric Carle's ABC (to date read about 1,538,585,192 times)

"Leo", by Robert Kraus (also available in English as "Leo, the Late Bloomer") - this was one of my favorites as a kid too...

And, of course, "Les Oeuf Verts au Jambon" otherwise known as "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss.  I'm hoping if we read this one enough times he might start eating something other than apples, blueberries and pasta - or, at the very least, might contemplate eating something, anything green.