You are here: Home / Archives for nana star

Nana Star and the Moonman-Book and Lovey

December 29, 2008 By

Back in July I reviewed the multiple-award winning book Nana Star, and the accompanying plush doll. Shortly thereafter, I received the follow up book, Nana Star and the Moonman, and the Moonman Lovey plush toy.

moonman-book-cd_3This book picks up right where the first book left off, with Nana Star promising to help Baby Star find his way home. When they start out, it’s sunny and bright, but soon it gets dark and Nana Star feels alone and afraid. The Man in the Moon rises, providing a gentle light. Moonman points Nana Star and Baby Star in the right direction and assures them that he will watch over them throughout the evening. The Nana Star stories were written by two sisters and illustrated by their mother (the real Nana Star). Nana Star and the Moonman helps children understand feelings like being afraid of the dark and feeling lonely. The book also comes with a CD that contains a read-along version of the story plus the original Moonman song.  You can purchase it from www.nanastar.com, on Amazon.com, and at bookstores.

nsmoonman-doll_8_1 The Moonman Lovey is a sweet plush accompaniment to the book. He’s got a moon-shaped yellow head with closed eyes and a cute smile, and a super-cuddly soft body. In the back under a velcro flap is a battery pack, turn it to on and a press of Moonman’s tummy makes his head glow and starts a 16 second “luvaby” of the Moonman theme. In the interest of being honest, I have to say that there are two things about Moonman that I don’t love-one, the switch that activates the glow and the music is really tiny and right in the middle of a star on Moonman’s chest, it can be hard to find. Also, the music is kind of loud and there’s no volume control. That doesn’t stop Kaitlyn from loving her Moonman and wanting him to be part of the menagerie of stuffed toys that sleep with her in bed every night! I tried to get a photo of his head glowing, but with the flash it’s hard to see and without the flash, it was a black photo with an orange glow. This was the best one:

kaitlyn-and-moonman

Thanks again to Nana Star and Kidstuff PR for sending us this adorable book and toy!

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Toys Tagged With: , , , ,

Win a Nana Star Book and Plush Doll!

July 15, 2008 By

This giveaway is closed. Congratulations to the winner, #4 Ginny from http://scrappyd.blogspot.com/!

This is such a cute giveaway! Kidstuff PR sent me the book Nana Star, written by Elizabeth Sills and Elena Patrice and illustrated by Linda Saker, which comes with an accompanying CD, and an adorable Nana Star plush doll. My daughter’s eyes lit up when she saw the doll, and she happily settles into my lap at night to read the book. We haven’t listened to the CD yet, I have to confess.

Nana Star tells the story of a little girl who finds a lost and scared baby star and decides to help him find his way home, thus thinking of herself as the star’s “Nana” or Grandma. She gets help from a tall tree (which explains the branch that the doll is holding), too. The book tells a very wonderful story about a little girl with love to share in her heart, and helping someone because it feels good to help, and it’s illustrated with very sweet and simple drawings. The creator of Nana Star, Elizabeth Owens, is the REAL Nana Star, her eldest daughter Linda is the illustrator, and her granddaughters Elizabeth and Elena are the writers and publishers of the book. The book came about from Elizabeth Owens’ special relationship with her grandson Vance, and the hand-illustrated cards she would send him. Her characters Nana Star and Moonman were her way of letting Vance know that she was always with him. How sweet!

There is also a darling Nana Star website, where you can purchase the books and the plush toys, and great activities for teachers and kids. The Nana Star lessons include questions like “how many balloons is Nana Star holding?” and “write a sentence about a star using two descriptive words”. Save 10% on your purchase by using the code MomReviews10 at checkout.

Giveaway:

You can win your own hardback copy of Nana Star, which comes with an audio CD, and a plush Nana Star doll. Please leave a comment on this post with your real first name or blog alias, and a valid email address. One entry per person, U.S. only please. One winner will be chosen at random from all valid entries.

To earn a second entry, post the giveaway banner or badge on your own blog and leave me a comment letting me know that you have it up. No blog? Go down to the end of the post and click one of the social bookmarking buttons (StumbleUpon, Digg, Mixx) or the Kirtsy button. You will need to create a free account to the site you choose if you are not already a member. Submit this post!

**Entries must be received by 9:00 AM EST on Tuesday, July 29th. MomReviews is not responsible for any delays in shipping, or the substitution of any products at the discretion of the sponsor. **

GOOD LUCK!

Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: , , ,