Pull out your holiday shopping lists—these Gold Award Winners, all carefully selected by the expert judges, parents and kid testers at The National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA), represent the very best of the best!

BOOKS
Entertaining and educational, our picks include titles that tackle serious issues. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of silliness, too, including one very funny intro to toilet-training.

FOR INFANTS & TODDLERS
• Baby Colors, by Rachael Hale; Little Brown Books, 2009; $6.99; www.lb-kids.com.
• The Potty Caddy (Best Bang for the Buck!), by Rachel Gordon, illustrated by Sarah Bergmann, Workman, 2008; $14.95; www.workman.com.
• Waddle, by Rufus Butler Seder; Workman, 2009; $12.95; www.workman.com.
• When I First Held You: A Lullaby from Israel, by Mirik Snir, illustrated by Eleyor Snir; Kar-Ben Publishing, 2009; $9.95; www.karben.com.

FOR PRESCHOOLERS & UP
• Duck! Rabbit! (Family Fun!), by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld; Chronicle Books, 2009; $16.99; www.chroniclebooks.com.
• Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle (Family Discussion), by Major Brian Dennis, Kirby Larson, and Mary Nethery; Little, Brown, 2009; $17.99; www.lb-kids.com.
• Panorama: A Foldout Book, by Fani Marceau, illustrated by Joëlle Jolivet; Abrams, 2009; $19.95; www.abramsbooks.com.
• The Christmas Magic (Top Pick!), by Lauren Thompson, illustrated by Jon J Muth; Scholastic, 2009; $16.99; www.scholastic.com.

FOR AGES 6 & UP
• Chicken Dance, by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Dan Santat; Sterling Publishing, 2009; $14.95; www.sterlingpublishing.com/kids.
• Finding Lincoln (Top Pick!), by Ann Malaspina, illustrated by Colin Bootman; Albert Whitman, 2009; $16.99; www.albertwhitman.com.
• Horrid Henry, by Francesca Simon, illustrated by Tony Ross; Sourcebooks, 2009, $4.99 (paperback); www.jabberwockykids.com.
• Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 (Top Pick!), by Brian Floca; Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, 2009; $17.99; www.simonandschuster.com.

FOR AGES 9 & UP
• I, Q: Independence Hall, by Roland Smith; Sleeping Bear Press, 2008; $8.95 (paper); www.sleepingbearpress.com.
• Savvy, by Ingrid Law; Walden Media/Dial Books for Young Readers, 2008; $16.99; www.walden.com.
• Tumtum & Nutmeg: Adventures Beyond Nutmouse Hall, by Emily Bearn, illustrated by Nick Price; Little Brown Books, 2009; $16.99; www.lb-kids.com.
• When You Reach Me (Top Pick!), by Rebecca Stead; Wendy Lamb Books, 2009; $15.99; www.randomhouse.com/kids.

FOR AGES 12 & UP
• It’s All Too Much, So Get It Together: Less Junk, Cleaner Mind, Better Life (Best Bang for the Buck!), by Peter Walsh, illustrated by Jon Pack and John Hendrix; Simon & Schuster, 2009; $12.99 (paperback); www.simonandschuster.com.
• Notes from the Dog, by Gary Paulsen; Wendy Lamb Books, 2009, $15.99; www.randomhouse.com/kids.
• The Bite of the Mango, by Mariatu Kamara with Susan McClelland; Annick Press, 2008, $12.95 (paperback); www.annickpress.com.
• Wild Things, by Clay Carmichael; Front Street, an imprint of Boyds Mills Press, 2009; $18.95; www.frontstreetbooks.com.

MAGAZINES
• ChickaDEE, Owlkids; $4.50 per issue, $29.99 1-year subscription (10 issues); www.owlkids.com.
• Kahani, Kahani Media; $5 per issue, $20 1-year subscription (4 issues); $35 for 2-year subscription (8 issues); www.kahani.com.

MUSIC
By John Wood and Tor Hyams

We found a satisfying mix of new voices and experienced professional children’s artists who have the “Wow! Can’t-wait-to-hear-that-again!” factor. Happy listening!

LULLABIES
• The Ultimate Lullaby Collection ("Best Bang for the Buck!"), various artists, Twin Sisters Productions, 2008; $19.99; four CDs & book; www.twinsisters.com; all ages.
• Songs From the Garden of Eden, various artists, The Secret Mountain, 2009; $14.98 CD, $22.95 Book/CD; www.thesecretmountain.com; all ages.
• Celeste Sings: Kids Dream, Dana Anton, State of Mind Entertainment, 2008; $9.95; www.romanticrealistrecords.com; all ages.

TODDLERS & UP
• Soulville (Top Pick!), various artists, Little Monster Records, 2008; $12.98; www.littlemonsterrecords.com; ages 2 to 8.
• There’s A Train, Bill Currier, We Kids Rock, 2009; $9.99; www.wekidsrock.com; up to age 5.
• Kids in the City, Laura Doherty, Laura Doherty Music, 2009; $15; www.lauradohertymusic.com; up to age 6.

AGES 4 & UP
• Banjo To Beatbox, Cathy & Marcy, Community Music, 2009; $7.99; www.cathymarcy.com; ages 4 to 9.
• Aventura Collage, Mariana Iranzi, Mariana Iranzi Music, 2009; $8; www.marianairanzi.com; ages 2 to 10.
• My Trampoline, Peter Himmelman, Minivan Productions, 2009; $15.00 CD; www.minivanproductions.com; ages 3 to 10.
• Road To Rock, The Boogers, Spire Records, 2008; $12.97; www.meet-the-boogers.com; ages 1 to 8.
• Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child ("Family Fun!"), Bill Childs, WRSI-FM, 2005-present; Radio Show; www.sparetherock.com and www.wrsi.com; all ages.

AGES 9 & UP
• ¡Canta Mi Son! Juanita Ulloa, Vocal Power Productions, 2009; $13.99; www.juanitamusic.com; all ages.
• Good Things Happen! Les Julian, Jump Right Over The Mooon Music, 2009; $15; www.lesjulian.com; ages 7 and up.
• American Heroes #3, Jonathan Sprout, Sprout Recordings, 2009; $13.99; www.jonsprout.com; all ages.

STORYTELLING & SPOKEN-WORD
By Marilyn McPhie

Parenting is go, go, go! Pause in the busyness, pop in one of these captivating storytelling recordings, and just listen. Note the calm that ensues (even in rush-hour traffic). Family time doesn’t get any better!

FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN
• Storytelling for Kids!, Mary Jo Huff; Storytellin’ Time, 2009; $15; www.storytellin.com.
• Tell Me A Story 3: Women of Wonder, written by Amy Friedman, read by various artists; Friedman & Danziger, 2009; $14.95; www.mythsandtales.com.

FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS
• 39 Clues, Book 2: One False Note, $19.95, written by Gordon Korman and read by David Pittu; Scholastic Audio, 2008; www.scholastic.com.

FOR TWEENS & TEENS
• Daniel X: Watch the Skies, written by James Patterson and Ned Rust and read by Milo Ventimiglia; Hachette Audio, 2009; $22.98 (four CDs plus bonus audiobook of Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment) www.HachetteAudio.com.

FAMILY
• Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales, written by various authors and read by various celebrities; Hachette Audio, 2009; $16.98 (three CDs), www.HachetteAudio.com.

SOFTWARE, VIDEO GAMES and WEB SITES
By Alex Chisholm

For the third straight year, our kid testers played through an avalanche of fun and games, in quest of the best in the world of tech fun!

FOR PRESCHOOLERS & UP
• Curious George’s Dictionary ("Family Fun!"), Houghton Mifflin and ScrollMotion, 2009; $9.99; www.scrollmotion.com; ages 3 to 5.
• Splatster, Fisher-Price, 2009; $54.99; www.fisher-price.com; ages 3 to 5.

FOR EARLY ELEMENTARY STUDENTS
• Crayola Art Studio ("Best Bang for the Buck!"), Core Learning Inc., 2008; $24.95; www.core-learning.com; ages 6 to 8.
• DreamBox Learning K-2 Math , DreamBox Learning, 2009; $12.95/month; www.dreambox.com; ages 6 to 8.
• Tikatok™ ("Family Fun!"), Tikatok, 2007; around $20 for printed books, $2.99 for eBooks, free for online creativity; www.tikatok.com; ages 6 to 8.

FOR TWEENS & UP
• Active Life™: Extreme Challenge, NAMCO BANDAI Games America, 2009; $59.99; www.namcobandaigames.com; ages 9 to 11.
• Boom Blox Bash Party ("Family Fun!"), Electronic Arts, 2009; $39.99; http://boomblox.ea.com; ages 9 and up.
• Dizzywood, Rocket Paper Scissors, 2007; free with optional monthly subscription $4.95-$9.95; www.dizzywood.com; ages 10-12.
• SmartyCard, Gazillion Inc., 2009; $6.95/month to $39.95/six months; www.smartycard.com; ages 7 to 11.

FOR TWEENS & TEENS
• Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits, Activision, 2009; $49.99; www.activision.com; ages 12 to 14.
• Spore™ Galactic Adventure (Top Pick!), Maxis/Electronic Arts, 2009; $29.99; www.spore.com; ages 12 to 14.

FAMILY
• Science Buddies, Science Buddies, 2001; free; www.sciencebuddies.org; ages 5 to 18.
• Zoodles, Inquisitive Minds Inc., 2009; free (premium memberships start at $7.95/month); www.zoodles.com; ages 2 to 8.