Today, Heather shares a favorite book that she purchased for all of the 3-5 year olds on her holiday list: “My 4-year-old has become quite the bookworm and can often be found snuggled on the couch ‘reading’ (translation: flipping through the illustrated pages weaving her own version of the story that she has heard countless times before). Given her love of books, I’m always on the hunt for age appropriate books that are both fun to read and meaningful; books where I don't feel the need to change certain words or phrases as we go.

If you’re like me, a lover of beauty products who has found frustration in highly touted, highly priced beauty goods that do squat, then you’ll likely find relief in Nadine Haobsh’s Beauty Confidential. Written by a former New York City beauty editor, this book cuts the concealer, as it were, to bring you the straight scoop on beauty (including recommendations for products worth their weight in gold, and those just as well procured at the drugstore). I’m reviewing this book today in conjunction with The Parent Bloggers Network.

Okay, I’ll admit it. When Laurel was a baby, all those hours of nursing while perusing celeb fashion mags inspired my obsession with handbags. Luxe and low budget bag features are forthcoming; meanwhile, for lovers of fashion, history, and fabulous photo spreads, there’s The Handbag: An Illustrated History. Starting with the handbag’s modest pouch origins, ending with celebrity arm candy and man-bags, and hitting all the iconic bags in between, Handbag traces the sociohistorical context of the handbag within a stylish spread of illustrations, product stills, and model/celebrity shots. Want to win a copy of The Handbag? Email us by midnight EST tonight (with “Handbag” in the subject) and name one of author Caroline Cox’s two previous books. US entrants welcome.

Today our Parent Bloggers Network pals are running a blog blast in conjunction with Harper Collins’s release of Nadine Haobsh’s Beauty Confidential (check back next week for my review). If you’re a blogger willing to post today about your biggest beauty blunder, you’ll be eligible to win Haobsh’s list of 12 beauty editor must haves! Click here for details on how to participate. And read on to learn about my biggest beauty blunder, Operation Asian Cover Up:

I’ve found black to be a crucial color in the mama wardrobe, what with its slimming, toddler food blob camouflaging properties. And if you need inspiration beyond your basic black sheath, The Black Dress is replete with evidence that black is nowhere near boring. Black Dress offers an accessible historical essay on the evolution of the classic, embedded within a chic spread of black dress fine art, illustrations, and photographs. The origins of each image are detailed in a terrific pictorial annotated bibliography of sorts at the conclusion of the book. Want to win a copy of The Black Dress? Email us by midnight EST tonight (with “Black Dress” in the subject) and name author Valerie Steele’s day job. US entrants welcome.

Having grown up with 4 sisters and 2 brothers, it’s long been clear that girls are just as well suited to adventure as boys. And lest moms of girls were feeling left out with the publication of The Dangerous Book for Boys, there’s now the equally fabulous Daring Book for Girls. Similar to Boys in coverage of survival, literacy, sport, and history, Girls also explains topics and rules vaguely understood during my days in the schoolyard (e.g., palm reading, hopscotch, jump rope, friendship bracelets), and ones I’m keen to learn about now (e.g., how to tie a sari, putting your hair up with a pencil, fabulous women in history). This book no doubt will come in handy as we raise an inquisitive daughter who’s raring for adventure each and every day. Want to win a copy of The Daring Book for Girls? Email us by midnight EST tonight (with “Daring” in the subject) and name co-author Andrea Buchanan's profession prior to becoming a writer. US entrants welcome.

Whether you have a passion for vintage clothing, want to learn more about design trends, or just love fabric, color, and pretty pictures, you will adore Vintage Fashion. Vintage Fashion traces the evolution of designer trends from 1900-1990, culturally framing the key looks, details, and designers of the decades within lavish photo spreads that will make you want to reach in and touch each and every creation. An amazing resource, this book is positively making me itch to learn to sew clothing. Want to win a copy of Vintage Fashion? Email us by midnight EST tonight (with “Vintage Fashion” in the subject) and tell us where author Emma Baxter Wright studied fashion. US entrants welcome.

I’ve never seen Laurel so surprised as when I first read aloud her personalized copy of The First Adventures of Incredible You by Custom Made for Kids. Just hop online and input the names of your child’s favorite people and places; the details are then woven into the book's rhyming verse and richly colored illustrations. Even after countless reads, Laurel loves hearing the details of her fabulous first adventures with her family and friends. Want to win a customized copy of The First Adventures of Incredible You? Email us by midnight EST tonight (with “Incredible” in the subject) and name the book’s illustrator. US & Canada entrants welcome.

When Laurel moved from purees to finger foods, I thought I was so done with the Cuisinart. And I never imagined that I’d be so excited to steam and puree again (especially for a peanut with a capable, full set of teeth), until I received Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious, which I’m reviewing today per The Parent Bloggers Network.

As new parents (and professionals who have served the applied and educational medical trenches), Jon and I relied on the web and The Baby Book to troubleshoot our way out of unnecessary trips to the pediatrician. Now it's time to pick up Tracy's integrative child health recommendation, Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child; this book recently proved particularly useful in providing a motion sickness remedy for Tracy's son:

Parents of kids under 5 who fear, are on the brink of, or feel trapped in the over-parenting frenzy must read Practical Wisdom for Parents: Demystifying the Preschool Years. Childcare veterans Nancy Schulman and Ellen Birnbaum created this informative, nonjudgmental, and assuring book to help modern parents gain (or regain) confidence in their own intuition and authority; confidence that Schulman and Birnbaum have seen crumble in the face of the extreme pressures facing modern parents.

Laurel loves cuddling up for story time, and we were grateful to receive several wonderful birthday books to infuse new life into her library. Jon Muth’s Zen Shorts offers an elegantly illustrated introduction to Zen themes via the stories that new friend Stillwater the panda shares with three siblings. The reflective beauty of the stories will suit both kids and adults, and I love thinking of our wonderful friends (who hand delivered this book despite being on a crazed East Coast tour from the UK) every time Laurel climbs onto my lap for a read.

During the dazed and stressful early days of breastfeeding, sometimes you just need the quick facts; a concise means to bypass the overwhelming sea of nursing resources that your newly short-circuited attention span can’t handle anyway. For this purpose, check out Mama Knows Breast: A Beginner's Guide to Breastfeeding by Boston native Andi Silverman. Friendly and non-judgmental, this compact (easily stowed in the diaper bag) book covers the mechanics (e.g., feeding and burping positions, troubleshooting, nursing on the go and at work), common questions, and tips for nurturing your body, brain, and relationships. Want to win a copy of Mama Knows Breast? Email us by midnight EST tonight and name one of Andi's professions before becoming a mom and author; we'll draw one winner from the correct responders.

There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to find the perfect outfit amidst a sea of ill fitting, outdated, or just plain uninspiring options (the latter of which tends to be the case for me, with the exception of dresses and fancy shoes). So when our friends at The Parent Bloggers Network offered an opportunity to review The Little Black Book of Style by Nina Garcia (of Project Runway and Elle magazine fame; published by Harper Collins), of course I was eager to do so.

Having grown up with little cuddly reading time with my parents (they were busy trying to keep 7 mouths fed), I firmly believe that one of the best things you can do as a parent is snuggle up and read to, with, or alongside your kid(s). And if you’d like to enhance your kid’s reading collection, help them develop early literacy skills, and/or encourage their sense of identity (via receiving their own mail), consider the Tessy & Tab Reading Club, a twice monthly preschooler magazine. Really more a booklet reader (ad-free and printed on sturdy paper that will withstand repeated reads), each issue focuses on a topic (e.g., visiting the dentist), and offers activity pages to encourage letter, number, and object recognition. Other resources are available on the kids website, and via email for parents. The folks at Tessy & Tab were kind enough to offer some of my reviewers a trial subscription so we could report to you the experience from a handful of different kids of different ages. Here’s what our reviewers (ordered by child’s age) had to say:

I’m grateful for all of Tracy’s excellent ideas and resources regarding allergies (see her previous posts on hosting and attending parties when allergies are a concern). Today, Tracy shares a cookbook (and a couple of fab excerpted recipes) that has proven critical in offering recipes that accommodate her son’s milk, egg, and peanut allergies, and is great for the vegetarians/vegans out there:

Given Laurel’s “hybrid” state, I’m especially committed to finding books or toys that show diversity. To give your babe a global perspective, check out Global Babies, from Boston-area publisher Charlesbridge Books. This board book features 17 babies from around the world, diverse in dress and skin color, but aligned in innocence and beauty of expression.