• Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton – What could be better than a great big hug in book form? It’s the perfect love letter from parent to child.

• Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg – A sweet book with a powerful message: When you make a mistake, think of it as an opportunity to make something beautiful!

• Gallop by Rufus Butler Seder – Every turn of the page brings a new animal to life: a horse in full gallop, a turtle swimming, an eagle soaring. It’s impossible not to flip the pages again and again!

• Indestructibles - Beautifully illustrated books that babies can really sink their teeth into! They’re waterproof, tear-proof–baby-proof!–and truly impossible to destroy. (Trust us, we’ve tried.)

• What to Expect the First Year by Heidi Murkoff – Why not get something for the new mama, too? This book has absolutely everything parents needs to know about their baby’s first year from one of the most trusted names in pregnancy.

Pharaoh Thoth Amon selects a giant cake as his unsuspecting party snack....er, date.

Scorpion Robot prefers to party in a too-large, seasonally-inappropriate hat.

And Wingy Wingy takes a joy ride on a private jet with her new fiend.

............

……What? Why the intense stares, little monsters? Oh! Presents? Fine.

How about two Valentine’s Day Papertoy Monsters: “Be Mine” Cupid and Monster Mutant Cupid?

Or the Super Bowl Papertoy Monsters, the SuperBowl Ghouls?

Maybe a creepy little bloodsucker, Li’l Vamp?

Or one of three Papertoy Monsters masks?

Want to join in on the Papertoy Monsters conversation? Check us out on twitter (@PapertoyMonster) or Facebook.

Until next year, my fiendish friends, keep on partying like true party monsters.

From puppeteer Noel MacNeal, author of 10-Minute Puppets, here’s a brand new 10-Minute Puppet just in time for Christmas! Maybe you can help these two archenemies from The Nutcracker become  friends in time for Christmas (how’s that for a plot twist?). And while you have the crayons out, prepare for Act II by making a whole fleet of Sugar Plum Fairies (download the Teeny Ballerina template, here)!

Materials:

-The Nutcracker & The Mouse King template

-Colored pencils, crayons, or markers

-Scissors

-2 empty toilet paper tubes

-Clear tape

Make It:

1. Download and print The Nutcracker & Mouse King template. Color in the two designs.

2. Cut out the two designs from the page.

3. Carefully cut around the dotted lines of the Mouse King’s ears and gently curl or fold them forward.

4. Attach strips of tape along the white edge of each of the templates, then lay the templates facedown (so the tape is sticky side up). Press an empty toilet paper tube into the tape on each template and wrap the template around the tube.

5. Secure the open ends with tape. Then insert the tubes onto your fingers, and it’s on to the Kingdom of Sweets!

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The Nutcracker & Mouse King are a brand-new puppets by professional puppeteer Noel MacNeal, based on his book 10-Minute Puppets.

After some brief research, I became determined to make a piñata myself. When I left work that day, I had my mind set on a large, snake-like balloon and papier-mâché piñata, which I would then paint and cover with crepe paper. Once I arrived home and consulted my mother, however, my plan quickly changed after she wisely reminded me that papier-mâché has never been my artistic medium. (To bring you up to speed,  I’ve had some scarring formative papier-mâché experiences: Picture a bespectacled third grader attempting to make a festive paper bowl with just a balloon, newspaper, glue, and a dream. Now imagine a loud balloon pop, a crumpled blob of gluey newspaper, and a newly disillusioned third grader. You get the picture.)  Not to mention, my mother was also careful to point out that the piñatas of my youth were radically unsafe (thanks, Mom), and that newer piñatas are equipped with colorful strings that, when pulled, open a secret trap door in the body of the piñata. The candy is then released into the ecstatic and, most importantly, uninjured group of waiting children. Oh, the wonders of modern piñata technology!

My very splendid, very spotted piñata!

I decided to go to Home Depot to look for a wide pipe of sorts that I could cover with a splendid spotted exterior. Luckily I found one that was lightweight and somewhat flexible. The downside: it was black and ribbed. I bought it anyway, took it home, and cut a hole for the trap door in its “belly.” To cover it, I wrapped it in a taut layer of plaster (the type used to make casts for broken bones — this can actually be found in craft supply stores). This step got rid of the ribs, giving me a splendidly smooth snake body, and covered the black exterior. For the head, I used this same plaster over a balloon (almost too close to the aforementioned bad experience for comfort) and for the tail, I wrapped the plaster over a freehand newspaper cone. Then I waited patiently for these parts to dry and attached it all with yellow duct tape.

Instead of painting it, I decided to give the snake texture by wrapping it in yellow crepe paper. I sprayed the snake with adhesive and then wrapped the snake in strips of the crepe paper.

Lest you think it was ALL about the piñata...there were lots of activities to keep kids entertained!

So now I had a yellow snake with a big hole in its belly! I crafted the spots and face out of felt, and glued them all on with tacky glue. To keep with the theme, I then filled the snake with: gummy worms (like little snakes), gold and red Mardi Gras-type necklaces, and confetti (aka flying spots).

Spots, spots, and more spots! Kids decorated their own spotted snake art.

SPOTTED at the event: Authors Betty Ann Schwartz and Alexander Wilensky!

To seal the great beast’s belly, I sewed one ribbon onto a big sheet of felt, and taped 15 or so ribbons to that same sheet. These were the trick ribbons! Only the magic ribbon would unleash gummy worm joy onto the children. So once the snake’s cavity was stuffed, I fitted the felt into the hole and my snake was complete!

After about 7 hours of crafting, a few haunting childhood memories, and a major glue meltdown, I was done! I  drove my masterpiece into the magical land of New York City, and led it into the magical offices of Workman Publishing, where my efforts were recognized with the  esteemed title of “Intern Extraordinaire”!

The Splendid Spotted Snake piñata made its grand appearance at an event at McNally Jackson in NYC on Saturday, November 5, 2011 where it was a big “hit”–or pull, as the case may be. Thanks again to everyone involved in the success of this event!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pTOVym-6KQ

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Simple, right? Give it a try — and then go whip up some Liver Lover’s “Brownies” to thank your dog for being so awesome. Trust us, despite your human “eww-that-sounds-gross!” bias, your dog will love ‘em!

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For even more tips, crafts, recipes, and games, check out the official My Dog! website. And make sure to like the My Dog! Facebook page and follow Michael J. Rosen on Twitter (@fidosopher) to keep up on all the latest My Dog! news.

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Click here to view the embedded video.

Got it? Now get out there and start snapping some cool canine pics!

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For even more tips, crafts, recipes, and games, check out the official My Dog! website. And make sure to like the My Dog! Facebook page and follow Michael J. Rosen on Twitter (@fidosopher) to keep up on all the latest My Dog! news.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Mmmmmmmm. Want the full recipe? Head on over to the “My Dog! Delights” section of the the My Dog! website.

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For even more tips, crafts, recipes, and games, check out the official My Dog! website. And make sure to like the My Dog! Facebook page and follow Michael J. Rosen on Twitter (@fidosopher) to keep up on all the latest My Dog! news.

So, what’s the first step? Figuring out what breed might be right for your family. Let’s turn to the expert, author Michael J. Rosen, who breaks it down in a handy little video to help you learn about different breeds for different needs.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Unless you DO plan on asking your dog to herd reindeer or rescue you from a snow drift, any well-trained dog should fit perfectly in your family! Now go out there and adopt the large/tiny/fuzzy/hairless/regal/smush-faced pup you’ve always wanted!

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For even more tips, crafts, recipes, and games, check out the official My Dog! website. And make sure to like the My Dog! Facebook page and follow Michael J. Rosen on Twitter (@fidosopher) to keep up on all the latest My Dog! news.

Gah! Scary.

Happy Month of Halloween! We here at Workman love a good costume just as much as we love our Papertoy Monsters, so we thought, “Hey, why not create a Papertoy Monster COSTUME?!” Genius, if we do say so ourselves. Simply click, select one of three monstrous masks, print, cut, and then go out and scare your fiends friends!

Want to win a free Papertoy Monster?* Head on over to the Papertoy Monsters tumblr and submit a picture of yourself, your kid, a friend, a pet, an arch-nemesis, or whoever wearing one of the spooky monster masks. Easy as papertoy monster-shaped pie. (And what monster doesn’t dream of having a mini-me monster of one’s own?)

* While supplies last!

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For more news (and monster pics), check out the book by Castleforte, visit the Papertoy Monsters tumblr, and “like” the Papertoy Monsters Facebook page.