I recently saw a commercial on TV from Hallmark for their new interactive story buddy, Jingle the Husky pup. According to Hallmark, you read the included story with Jingle and he responds. I have a 2 year old little boy who just adores puppies and this was a must buy for us! As soon as they were release for sale I purchased one. These puppies do not run cheap. They run around $30.00 for puppy and book. But, I could not pass it up.
Once I returned home with the puppy, I read the instructions carefully. We were all set and ready for our story time with Jingle.
Instructions stated that the room must be completely quiet and free from noise. Really? Is this even possible? But, after reading the story, I understood that this was a major instruction to follow. Jingle will respond to certain words or phrases that are in the book and if he can not pick up on them he will not respond. Also, while reading the book you must speak clearly and loudly. Not so loud that you are yelling, but not so quiet that it is too soft for him to hear. But, worked wonderfully!
Once we figured it out, we enjoyed our story time with Jingle. The boys laughed and cheered along as our husky pup barked and howled along with the book. After seeing their faces, I knew the price for this was well worth it. They even brought Jingle into their bed at night.
Jingle the Husky pup also starred in his very own TV show on the Hallmark Channel. Just like the book, your pup can follow along at home. We set our Jingle in front of the TV and turned him on. He barked and howled along with the TV as well. This was a fun surprise for the boys as they didn’t know our Jingle would interact with the TV as well. The movie was 30min long and stayed true to the book only adding a few little details.
On top of the book and TV show, there is a free iPad app that has games, music, and even your own interactive book that you can record your voice to and read along with Jingle. We had a blast recording our voices to the story and having the book come to life.
There are now new books and more stories available for Jingle for more adventures with your Husky pup available at Hallmark.com.
Jingle made such an impact with my boys that they insisted he be included in our holiday family photo. A wonderful new holiday tradition that is a must buy!
The kids can place the animals in the den to hear it’s name and sound it makes. They can slide the animals down the slide, swing them in the tree and play with the hippo that makes water splashing noises or the animals can just hang out in the trees. Moms can move it easily because it does have a nice handle masked as part of the icy area the polar bear can hang out in. It is best for kids 18mo+ and up and by up, I mean, we had even had a 7 year old playing with it! The Little People® Zootalkers™ Animal Sounds Zoo happily receives a spot on our Holiday featured gift list. It has a MSRP of $40 and you can pick yours up at Target, Walmart, and by going directly to the 
When we first heard the name of this book, we knew it was going to be a cute, well written story for both parents and children and we were so right! Sock n Boots Adventures by D.K. Smith is an adorable compilation of three stories teaching children various life lessons as they experience them. Sock and Boots are best friends who are faced with different childhood situations. Each story begins with asking a question. This question will help with parent/child communication. It will allow you as the parent to ask questions, and your child has the opportunity to answer in his/her own words and experiences. Sock n Boots has different experiences on sharing, being afraid of the dark and playing it safe. It is a vibrantly illustrated book, easy to read, and parents will love the messages provided. At the end of the stories, there is a Sock n Boots coloring book where your child can use his/her imagination, color and write their own story using the Sock n Boots characters. This would be a great gift for beginning readers, children who struggle with sharing, playing safely, and those afraid of the dark. Teaching life lessons while having fun reading has never been better! To see more of Sock n Boots, visit them online at 
Wallie Exercises by Steve Ettinger, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and personal trainer is a great book to show kids that it is ok to sweat…and have fun!
I shared this question on Facebook today and I’d love for you to share and chime in with your thoughts. 
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