Pumpkin Books

We gave a baby shower for two friends with babies due in October and our theme was Pumpkins. We ordered a journal for each of them. We used it at the shower to take down the names of the guests and what gifts they received from each. They can then fill up the rest of the journal with other "baby" notations.

While this book has lots of space to journal, it will probably be a major disappointment if you're a big Anne Geddes fan. It's not that I didn't enjoy the look or layout of this journal, I just didn't find it as spectacular as her other works that I cherish so much.

I came across this book because of a bunch of SFC readers. I think I had about five emails in one week telling me Stories for Children Magazine really needed to review this new children's book. With emails like that coming I did what any editor would. I searched for the book and contacted the author. And I'm glad I did.

The Dream Stowaway is one of those fun, imaginative bedtime stories. This soft cover book will a child on an adventure into the world of the Dream Stowaway. I'm lucking enough to have a three year old to read to. My daughter grabbed this book out of my hands before I even had a chance to sit down and read it to her. She loved the Cover Art and all the illustrations inside. She would point to different things in each illustration and tell me all about them and why they were there. And this was before we even read the story!

Once I finally got my daughter to sit down and read with me, the adventure began. The story is about a young girl who can't fall asleep because a strange boy is in her room. At first she thinks she's dreaming. Then she wonders why this boy is there, but before she can ask he blows golden sand into her eyes and she falls fast asleep. The little girl wakes up the next day and is happy to see the boy is gone, but wonders if he might return. So she sets out to set a trap to catch the boy. When the little girl is ready for bed and her mom turns out the lights, she waits for the boy's return.

The little girl and the boy do become friends in the story. She finds out he is the Dream Stowaway and takes her to a magical land filled with lakes of pudding, a cake house, and so much more. The Dream Stowaway brings children from all over the world each night to this magical land and then takes them home before the sun rises.

In some ways the story reminded me of Peter Pan and in others a story of its own. I believe parents and their children will enjoy reading this story over and over again each night. I know my daughter sure did!