Celebrity Chef “Rock” has signed an exclusive book deal!

WHAT: “Hell’s Kitchen” winner and Celebrity Chef, Rock Harper, has signed a two book deal with Turner Publishing.

His debut title-44 Things Parents Should Know About Healthy Cooking for Kids-will be released this fall, followed by his 2011 release, which will revolve around the intimate relationship food has to spicing up American’s love lives.

Both books are slated for release under Turner Publishing’s Good Things to Know(tm) series, which focuses on simple, pragmatic actions that can have a strong and lasting impact in the lives of readers.

Turner Publishing is an award-winning, independent publisher based in Nashville, Tennessee.

WHY: Celebrity Chef, Rock Harper, is on a mission to improve the health of America’s children from pre-natal to puberty and beyond. With obesity rates at an all time high, today’s families need to be taught how to eat well and most importantly, affordably.

“Childhood obesity is at an all-time high and we have to start today with one step, one small step, to try and slow this epidemic down” said Harper. “I have a plan that will make it fun and feasible for us all to have flavorful, healthy food in our lives’.”

WHO: Chef Rahman “Rock” Harper, the season 3 winner of “Hell’s Kitchen” and former head chef at the Green Valley Ranch Resort, Spa and Casino outside Las Vegas is the National Celebrity Chef for the March of Dimes. For more information, visit ChefRockInc.com.

WHEN: Fall 2010 (end of October)

Related Sites:
http://turnerpublishing.blogspot.com/2010/07/light-and-flavorful-cooking-with-chef.html

Fashionable Media Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to me, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation.

I actually liked this book, The Better Way to Care for Your Baby: A Week-by-Week Illustrated Companion for Parenting and Protecting Your Child Using the Latest and Safest Techniques It was written by Robin Elise Weiss, who is not only a mom of eight, but also a childbirth and postpartum educator, certified doula, and lactation counselor, as well as the pregnancy and childbirth expert for About.com! This isn’t the first book she has written either, she has written nine books total on pregnancy and birth. Her work has also been featured in Newsweek, Working Mother and American Baby. How is that for credentials, if you happen to look for those kinds of things. (wry smile).

Robin gives a pretty unbiased view of bringing up baby, however, she does mention co-sleeping, attachment parenting, baby-wearing, breastfeeding all in a positive light. All of which I liked. She has Hot Mama tips, Affirmation quotes and Mama Moments in her sidebars throughout the book to offer encouragement to moms desiring to get back in shape, on baby’s development and mama’s mothering. The photos of the mothers and babies throughout the book are beautiful.

The rest of the information is up-to-date and current, of course, but for those who are already parents it is a book that will serve as a refresher of things forgotten or as a reference for those perplexing things that come up that you just want to know if it’s normal or not for your baby to do.

This would make a nice baby shower gift for new parents.

The Better Way to Care for Your Baby is available at major retailers and costs $19.99.

Attention!!! For readers of The Fashionable Bambino we have a special action. The first 25 comments receive a gift card to the app “Princess Arabella wants to play for free download. Please make sure you include your email address so we can get your prize to you!

‘Princess Arabella wants to play’, interactive children’s book by RumdeeDum for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

Once upon a time there was a little princess named Arabella. After several adventures in books she decided that it was time for a change. The time had come for Arabella to start a new adventure on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The adventure began when she met RumdeeDum

Debut on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch Arabella will make her debut on iPhone, iPad en iPod touch this summer. ‘Princess Arabella wants to play’ is one of the first interactive children’s books with animations on the iPad. The interactive book presents a new story and has been specially developed for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The story has been written and created for children from the ages four till ten. ‘Princess Arabella wants to play’ is the perfect story to read on long drives or to cuddle up with on the couch at home.

Princess who…?

Princess Arabella was created by writer and illustrator, Mylo Freeman. Freeman had heard about a little African American girl who was offered to play the role of a princess in her school play. But the girl refused the part. ‘There’s no such thing as a black princess, there’s no way I can play that part!’, she said. To Freeman it was obvious: the world needed a story about a black princess. She created a picture book about a little, strong willed princess called Arabella. So far only printed books about Princess Arabella have been released and with the interactive book on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch Arabella is becoming a really ambitious little girl.

Listen or read it yourself

The story comes to life through extra features like music, sound effects and animations. By touching the screen, children discover the hidden surprises and animations in this wonderful story. The interactive book can be read in many different ways. Parents or children can use the short text to narrate the story in their own words. Children can also listen to the pre-recorded storyteller. Young
readers can read the short text, and on the iPad, more experienced readers can read the complete story. The interactive book is available in English and Dutch.

More about Arabella

This Princess Arabella version for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is the first in this series. More games and stories are planned for this fall. Please visit the publishers website www.rumdeedum.com for more information on Princess Arabella and a preview of ‘Princess Arabella wants to play’.

Remember!! For readers of The Fashionable Bambino we have a special action. The first 25 readers receive a gift card to the app “Princess Arabella wants to play for free download. Please make sure you include your email address so we can get your prize to you!

Just wanted to pop in today to share a Borders Announcement:

Borders announced the launch of their eBook Store this week and I wanted to give you a heads up that they’re also offering five free top-selling books, valued at more than $40, to anyone who downloads a free Borders app beginning this Friday, July 9th through Sunday, July 11th. As the eReader industry heats up, here’s another move by Borders that you might find to be of interest.

The free Borders app, powered by Kobo, can be downloaded on any of the compatible devices including the iPad, iPhone and a variety of BlackBerry(r) and Android devices. Top-selling books in this offer include Dean Koontz’s “Frankenstein:

Prodigal Son,” “One Shot” by Lee Child, “The Alchemyst” by Michael Scott, Julia Child’s “Kitchen Wisdom” and “Master your Metabolism” by Jillian Michaels. Borders is also offering exclusive content that readers can currently find only through their app – chapter 6 of Danielle Steele’s upcoming novel, “Legacy,” which hits shelves September 28th.

Borders Offers Free Top-Selling Books with Download of the Borders App

Borders Customers Download the iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry(r), Android(tm) or Desktop Applications Enjoy $40 in Popular Titles at No Charge

ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 9, 2010- Borders(r) is delivering value to its customers by offering five free top-selling books valued at more than $40 to anyone who downloads a free Borders application beginning Friday, July 9 through Sunday July, 11. These popular titles include Dean Koontz’s “Frankenstein: Prodigal Son,” “One Shot” by Lee Child, “The Alchemyst by Michael Scott, Julia Child’s “Kitchen Wisdom” and “Master your Metabolism” by Jillian Michaels. Borders is also offering exclusive content readers can currently find nowhere else – chapter 6 of Danielle Steele’s upcoming novel “Legacy,” which hits shelves Sept. 28.

This offer follows the successful launch of the Borders-branded eBook store, powered by Kobo(tm), as well as the release of Borders’ BlackBerry(r), Android(tm), iPad and iPhone eReading applications.

“We’re committed to giving our customers the best possible value in digital books, independent of the device,” said Mike Edwards, Chief Executive Officer for Borders, Inc. “We’re exceptionally pleased with the number of downloads of our Borders applications and early response to our eBook offerings. To thank our customers for their continued loyalty to the Borders brand, we want to share with them a sample of the great content available on Borders.com.”

To provide additional value around its digital offerings, the retailer is offering its Borders Rewards loyalty program members special benefits ranging from gift cards and free shipping on certain items, to exclusive offers on popular digital series, double Borders Bucks(tm) incentives on the purchase of eReaders, as well as other valuable offers. More than 38 million members have signed up for the program since its inception in 2006.

About Borders Group, Inc.

Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., through its subsidiaries, Borders Group, Inc. (NYSE: BGP) is a leading specialty retailer of books as well as other educational and entertainment items. The company employs approximately 19,500 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders(R) and Waldenbooks(R) stores. Online shopping is offered through Borders.com. Find author interviews and vibrant discussions of the products we and our customers are passionate about online at Facebook.com/borders, Twitter.com/borders and Youtube.com/bordersmedia. For more information about the company, visit Borders.com/media.

I just learned about the Pizza Hut Book It Program today. I don’t know much about it, as the information was passed along through an email list that I am a part of, but I thought that it was worth mentioning for those who love freebies and for all the book lovers reading too.

The Book It Program is designed to provide incentives to parents, teachers and children to get children reading. It appears that if you go to the Book It website and click on the second banner, which is purple as seen below it will take you to your choice of schools so you can search for your school or get your school to sign up and you will receive free materials for the 2010-2011 school year. This offer is only good through June, so while you do have the whole month left to sign up, you might want to do it now before you forget all about it. That is something I am likely to do!

The Book It website also offers activities, printables, games, reading lists and more for children. In addition to that, the site includes resources for teachers: racking sheets, awards, calendars, tips and more! Not to leave parents out, parents will find book lists, helpful reading tips and tools, as well as an online parent club called Bound Together.

For complete program details visit www.BookItProgram.com

Editor’s Note: I contacted the lady who posted about this program and here is what she said:

“Yes I have used it for quite a few years now. Basically it’s a reading incentive program for your kids where you set the requirements and then reward them with a coupon for a free mini pizza from Pizza Hut once they achieve the goal. My kids love it.”

Fashionable Media Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to me, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation.

Recently, I had the opportunity to review Redbook’s Mom’s Survival Guide: Save Time, Money, and Your Sanity. It was different than I expected. Not that I can put my expectations into words or anything, it just wasn’t what I expected that’s all. It reminded me of a What to Expect When You are Expecting book, but for older children. I wouldn’t consider it a survival guide, but a reference book.

Redbook’s Survival Guide is designed in such a way that you can quickly reference a problem or question by flipping through the red tabbed pages to find what they say about a particular issue or problem. Say for instance your child is experiencing headaches, you could then flip the pages to health and find headaches listed. Or if you are facing a behaviour issue, flip to behaviour and scan through the chapter to see if you can find tips on how your child is behaving.

To be honest, I didn’t find the book particularly helpful. However, I did learn a couple of new things. The first, I always thought the hottest summer hours were between 10:00am-2:00pm, but this book extends the hours to 4:00pm. Then I learned that many children experience headaches. I didn’t know that, nor did my doctor’s office tell me this when we questioned them about the headaches our children have experienced, which disappointed me. I also learned a few more reasons that our children could be experiencing headaches and will now watch for those things.

Overall, many of the things in this book are pretty much common sense or covered in most other parenting books I’ve read. I think it would be a more of a resource for first-time parents or those parents just starting to buy their parenting books.

Redbook’s Mom’s Survival Guide retails for $16.95 and may be purchased at any major bookstore.

Fashionable Media Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to me, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation.

In some circles in vitro fertilization is morally controversial, yet many, many couples choose this option when faced with the devastating reality of infertility. I can personally empathize with the struggle of losing babies, which many in vitro patients face, but so far have not experienced devastating reality of being infertile.

I just finished reading Misconception by Paul and Shannon Morell. Wow, what a story, what a journey and what a mix-up! This book details their experience with loss, infertility and their choice to have a family by going through in vitro fertilization. After their twins were born, they decided to freeze six of their embryos at the in vitro fertilization clinic. The main thrust of Misconception is the fact that the in vitro fertilization clinic mistakenly thawed their six frozen embryos and inserted three “good” embryos inside another woman’s body! I just cannot imagine what an ordeal that was for them or the other family involved. Amazingly, I kept my tears in place, which hasn’t been so easy for me lately – hormones! I was just in awe of how things worked out and how the two families amiably worked things out.

The Morell’s had nothing but good things to say about the family who chose life for their unborn child. They understood that this mistake greatly affected both their families and were extremely grateful for the sacrifice the Carolyn and Sean Savage made on behalf of Logan, their son.

It would be nice to hear and read Carolyn and Sean’s side of the story, which I believe they intend to tell through their own book from what I have read online. I believe one source indicated that the Savages had found letting Logan go harder than they anticipated, which I can understand. Imagine carrying, nourishing a child, that you knew wasn’t yours, for nine months and then sacrificially giving that child up?

There are so many facets to the story that the Morell’s cover and share in Misconception that I can honestly say it was worth the time to read, even if you haven’t or won’t experience in vitro fertilization. Just knowing and understanding the process gives us more empathy for couples who are facing these decisions. For those who are or plan to go through in vitro fertilization, the book isn’t meant to scare you but to inform you so that you may have a better experience with more knowledge than the Morell’s did in their journey.

Misconception may be purchase through any major book retailer and was published through Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster, Inc.

By Rebecca Burton, Reading is Fundamental (www.RIF.org)

Summer’s here and you’ve started making your annual checklist: Sunscreen? Check. Sandals? Check. Beach towels? Got ‘em. But while you’re going over the must-haves for the season, don’t forget the single most important thing your kids will need: something really great to read.

While relaxing on the beach with a good book is one of life’s most delicious pleasures, study after study has shown that reading is one of the most essential things that kids can do when school’s out. A 2002 report from National Summer Learning Association states that children lose approximately two months of learning over the summer, meaning that come September, teachers will spend those first few weeks re-teaching kids what they already learned the year before.

“Motivating children to read throughout the summer is essential to building lifelong readers,” says Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO of Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), the nation’s largest children’s literacy nonprofit. “And reading is the doorway to all other learning.” With that in mind, how do you convince your kids to build reading time into their summer plans? Fortunately, RIF has come up with a number of ideas to help you make this summer a season of reading.

. Combine activities with books. Going to a baseball game? Head to the library and check out a biography about your child’s favorite player. Is summer camp on the agenda? See if the camp has a blog you can follow.

. Lead by example. Show kids that you love to read by picking up the newspaper each morning or sharing about something you’ve read, and they’ll understand that reading is important to everyone.

. Relax the rules. Summer is a time when children can read what, when, and how they please. Don’t set any requirements, and don’t force kids to read something they’re not interested in.

. Visit the library. It’s got thousands of books and audiobooks to borrow, computers to use, and magazines to leaf through. Make the library your “go-to” destination for the summer.

. Think outside the book. Recognize that reading can happen in many formats, from eBooks to magazines to online read-along stories. Check out www.rif.org/kids for great read-alongs and other fun games and activities designed to keep kids reading.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to this: read. Read together, read separately, read anywhere, read everywhere. It’s the surest way to make certain that your kids will start the school year off right.

Rebecca Burton is a writer/editor at Reading Is Fundamental and has been working in the children’s literacy field for the past twelve years. She loves to read, travel, and hang out on the back porch with her husband and their two-year-old daughter.

Fashionable Media Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to me, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation.

No one will deny the fact that telling and showing our love for each other, especially our spouses and children, is one of the foundational elements in family life today. In a world that most people are constantly on the go, it can be hard to fit in those treasured moments of just enjoying one another and telling each other, “I love you.” We received two books that will help you slow down and capture more of those tender moments we all cherish.

Our family loves the whimsical, endearing book, Guess How Much I Love You written by Sam McBratney and illustrated by Anita Jeram (Retail $16.99). To show their love for one another Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare try to out-do themselves in competing to demonstrate how much they love the other.

There is a sequel to this book that we were not aware, but it was just released this year, titled, Guess How Much I Love You All Year Round ($16.99). Same author and illustrator. It also has the same characters, Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare. This time they are discussing the differences in each of the four seasons, growing up and spending precious time together loving and enjoying one another all year round. I love the relationship that these two characters share. It is something all of us as parents should aspire to develop with each of our children because they grow up so fast.

Once again our children really enjoy these two stories, but they love to be read to so are pretty easy to please in the reading department.

These books are hardcover books with dust jackets and are available at any major bookstore.

Fashionable Media Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to me, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation.

Father’s Day is approaching and for the readers in your house we have a couple of cute stories about fathers to read to your children. Every family is different and with the rise in divorce, there has been a rise in blended families. Both my husband and I have been blessed to come from a line of committed marriages and intact families, but are aware that there are others who have not been similarily blessed. That is why I chose to review one of the following books, even though it doesn’t apply to our family.

The first book is titled, Dad and Pop: An Ode to Father’s and Stepfathers by Kelly Bennett (Retail $15.99). Even though it was written for stepfathers, like my older daughter said, it could easily be applied to grandfathers too, especially for younger children who cannot yet read the difference in the title of the book. Knowing that there are many blended families, this book discusses the differences between Dad and Pop, but also shows the best similarity – both fathers love the child. At least that is all of our hope in the best case scenario of what a great stepdad feels towards a child that is not their own.

The second book is titled, Did My Mother Do That? by Sharon Holt (Retail $15.99). This was a little story about a conversation a little girl has with her father at bedtime. She asks many questions about how she was born and what her mother did with her when she was a baby. It ends with the father telling her that the day she was born made him and her mother the the happiest mommy and daddy in the world, to which the little girl responds that she was the happiest baby in the world!

My oldest daughter loved the illustrations in this book and she’s a teenager!

All of our children love to be read to and all of them enjoyed these two books. They are short for the younger ones attention span and short for those just learning to read by themselves. Cute little stories about dads and family.

These books are hardcover books with dust jackets and are available at any major bookstore.