States of Delight

Scholastic Storybook Treasures are without fail amongst our favorite DVDs....and the latest one we were fortunate enough to receive for review, The Scrambled States of America and More Stories by Laurie Keller, may just be my personal favorite to date.

Sarah, our in-house geography aficionado/expert, took a particular liking to this new title. Here, in her words, a review:
"I like all of the stories on this DVD, especially the two 'Scrambled States' stories and 'Do Unto Otters.' I also like 'Open Wide' a lot. My favorite state is Florida. No, my favorite state is actually Michigan in the first story, because she is a girl and she has the same voice as Sally Incisor. I also liked Mr. Rabbit and the bee in 'Do Unto Otters.' I really like the part where the rabbit was in the bathtub and the bathtub turned into a dinner table. Laurie Keller uses good colors and humor. On the side of the DVD case, South Dakota is riding a bike! This DVD gets an A+++++++++++++++++[continues repeating plusses for a few minutes]"

Mom's perspective:
"Truly, this is one of my very favorite DVDs. [Thanks, Scholastic!] Without realizing it heretofore, author/illustrator Laurie Keller's work has long been a facet of books I've repeatedly aloud to our kids. To my great pleasure, Ms. Keller has subtly weasel-ed in valuable facts not only on history, but kindness, gratitude and empathy. The added feature of an interview with Laurie Keller is a perfect inspiration for budding young authors.

As a mom largely opposed to non-stop video watching during roadcar travel ["Back when mom was little, we used to have to drive hours and hours, uphill both ways, and holding the CoolWhip container for my motion sick brother in the backseat..." ;) ], the fact that these books are true-to-the-published-original animated versions of justly lauded texts, makes this DVD beyond palatable road trip entertainment. Truth told, our two will likely want to watch it at our destination as well...with no complaints from me. My grade concurs with Sarah's, A+ !"

The lovely folk at Scholastic Storybook Treasures not only graciously allowed us a free copy in order to review this new release, they have given us TWO---count 'em TWO!---comparably high-caliber selections to giveaway to Twinfatuation's TwIn Reviews readers.

Readers with younger children will no doubt appreciate My First Scholastic Storybook Treasures ;

those with older kids may go for the aspirational The North Star and More Stories about Following Your Dreams.

Comment here with a favorite title you and your children would like to see animated, or an existing animated favorite, and be entered to win! [Random.org will select a winner this coming Friday, July the 1st...you may enter more than once, just be sure to cite different titles with each comment.]

GOOD LUCK!

Tees for Two

When I received an email from Cindy Hoeppner, the founder/creator of MiteTees, introducing me to her products along with an extraordinarily kind request to consider a review; naturally, a peek to the website was in order. Whenever a line offers twin-specific items---as does MiteTees---they get an extra gold star for their inclusion in our book!

A cursory overview of the line seemed to reveal a "baby/toddler only" focus---with sizes topping out at 6T. Within a very short time, my "Do they come any larger?" query to the "Contact Us" link on-site was quicky fielded with an enthusiastic "We can do up to 8T!" response. With our disparately sized duo, this was good news indeed.

Within a very few days after asking Darren and Sarah which multiples-born message best suited their tastes, our gratis-for-our-review consideration* Mitetees arrived in the mail. The packaging was stand-out; a colorful crown adorned Darren's cellophane wrap, a bright flower on Sarah's.

In most instances wherein new articles of clothing are acquired, no matter how charming to my maternal eyes, the items invariably go to the drawer awaiting the Sarah-determined "right time" to wear. In contrast, when our Mitetees arrived, both He-Twin and She-Twin pulled off the shirts they had on, and the Mitetees became the garment du jour...as well as their PJ tops for that night!

[Point of clarification: Jam does NOT come with the Mitetees. Jelly face not included.]

Our reviews:
Mommy: Mitetees' catchy slogans/motifs are printed on high-quality, very soft tee shirts. The old-school typewriter typeface printing complete with trademark appealed greatly to my retro taste sensibilities. This message in particular strikes a fun note for our family as my husband--the twins' Double Daddy--and I have long been involved in TV/Video/Advertising. Assured of the tees' quality, I can easily see us purchasing Mitetees for colleagues and friends in the business---twins or no. The ONLY drawback from my perspective is there is noticeable shrinkage after washing/drying...not unlike other cotton clothing. Select your sizes accordingly.
Mommy's grade for Mitetees: A

Sarah: "My shirt feels a little bit rough, but I really like it."
Sarah's grade for Mitetees: A

Darren: "Mitetees are fun to wear because I think they are really soft. It's really, really cool and funny."
Darren's grade for Mitetees: A+

*When items are submitted free-of-charge for our review consideration, the providing company is notified prior to submission that Tw-In Reviews are always honest, and not always positive, nor is a review of any product guaranteed by virtue of product submission.