family stories




My Two Homes

A FamilyStories title by Susan Magsamen

2007 National Parenting Publications Awards Honors Winner
Dr. Toy: Top 100 Children’s Products 2007
Dr. Toy: Top 10 Socially Responsible Children’s Products 2007

A helping book for children and parents in the early days of divorce and separation. My Two Homes comforts children and informs parents about navigating the reality of two different addresses. Evoking the attainability of two steady and soothing streams of love and support, it can be read by a child or adult alone, or by family members together.

Activity: Includes a three-ring “home-to-home” binder for parents and child to assemble in stages, with room for contact information, calendar and schedules, permission forms & school papers, and other ways to organize the details of a child’s complex schedule.

This book is wonderful. It addresses our nation’s commonplace trauma of divorce in a way that is comprehensive and readable, grounded and poetic, opens doors and minds, offers guidance without preaching, and one can find understanding on every page. I recommend this book highly for the millions of people who will benefit from it.

Daniel Gottlieb
PhD, author of Letters to Sam and Voices in the Family; on My Two Homes


Making Spirits Bright

A FamilyStories title by Susan Magsamen

A calm and colorful book on Christmas anticipation. Children and parents explore the roots and rituals of a favorite winter holiday. Starting with a world view of Christmas celebrations, these silvery pages encourage readers to look around them—and look within—to think about simple gifts, greetings and decorations at this memory-laden time of year.

Activity: Includes materials to personalize four wooden ornaments. Instructions encourage creative ways to add bits and pieces from around the house like broken pottery or jewelry, scraps of fabric or photos, plus keys, charms, and other mementos. Also includes a book-within-a-book to photocopy for use as a caroling song sheet.

Stories come from children, parents, families and friends. Together they share ideas and inspiration for healthy, meaningful, memorable Christmas traditions.

Right up there with protecting and feeding your child, I believe it is a parent's duty (and joy) to make memories for them.  So it stands to reason that Christmas at our house is a bonanza of opportunity for family traditions old and new. It's great to have a guide packed with ideas and reminders to make the holidays memorable.

Susan Sarandon
Author & activist, on Making Spirits Bright


Tooth Fairy Time

A FamilyStories title by Susan Magsamen

A book to celebrate the wonder—and ease the trepidation—that comes with losing a tooth. Why do children lose teeth at different ages? Does it hurt? And what’s the going rate for a molar? Read tooth myths from all over the world, and get the inside story on the life and times of the tooth fairy. Energetic graphics trigger curiosity (and an interest in dental hygiene!) for boys, girls, and the people who care about their teeth.

Activity: Includes a tooth pillow for families to personalize and use when they’re expecting a visit from the tooth fairy, plus translucent fairy-sized stationery to write special letters to you-know-who. Role-playing is easy and fun with a side-splitting read-aloud play.

Stories come from children with wiggly teeth, children who’ve been there, and adults who remember what it was like. Dental professionals, educators and storytellers add to the charming mix.

It is one thing to know the facts about teeth, but behavior is more often than not influenced by myths and legends. This book does a terrific job of doing both: presenting the facts and fictions about teeth. It put the fun into losing baby teeth.

Thomas Ritter
DDS, Advanced General Dentistry


Family Night!

A FamilyStories title by Susan Magsamen

2007 National Parenting Publications Awards Honors Winner

A “playbook” for busy families. Play is a basic human instinct—right up there with shelter, food and water. Here are games for every developmental stage, along with stories from families who know how to plan game nights, get a game going, and lure reluctant players. Each page sparks a spirit of playfulness for readers of all ages.

Activity: Roll out the colorful canvas game board and start playing. Dice, scoring pad, and game pieces are included, along with instructions for four different board games. Also included: ideas for word games and family fun that need no equipment at all! Game board is suitable for personalization with at-home markers or pens.

FamilyStories enhances and enriches the times we share with those we love. From the smallest moment to the big events, FamilyStories is there with ideas from families for families.

Patricia J. Mitchell, National Chair
Women’s Leadership Council, United Way of America


Nighty Night

A FamilyStories title by Susan Magsamen

A book to fall asleep by. . . starting with an exploration of how much sleep you really need. Share classic fairy tales, each chosen for its sleepy theme and written in an easy-to-read format that invites elaboration. Discover how legions of families have perfected (or at least learned to cherish) the art of getting a child to bed at night. Explore the way our senses react to stimuli that make us sleepy or alert: from the simplest of snack recipes to the subtly sleep-inducing colors of each page.

Activity: Personalize a snuggly lavender-scented pillow. Listen to a cd of familiar lullabies, specially arranged and performed on solo guitar with soothing, repetitive melodies to help ease everyone to sleep.

Stories come from parents who think they’ve discovered the secret to getting children to bed at night. . .and parents who are still trying. Sleepy children, grandparents, aunts & uncles share very special perspectives.

Nighty Night is a wonderful resource for families. It will help children and parents alike, giving them the tools they need to get a good night’s sleep.

Jodi A. Mindell
PhD, author, Take Charge of Your Child’s Sleep: The All-in-One Resource for Solving Sleep Problems in Kids and Teens