Wouldn't being a parent be easier and  calmer if the first time you ask your daughter to put on her shoes she did it? Or you ask your son to put his lunchbox on the kitchen counter and he followed through? Well, we’ve found a parenting expert with the tools to make it happen. She is Noël Janis-Norton, an educator and author of numerous parenting books, CDs and seminars and the creator of the “Calmer, Easier, Happier Parenting” program.
Noël is a gem in a growing arena of parenting experts. For 40 years, Noël has been helping parents and teachers deal effectively with some of the most challenging issues - morning and bedtime routines, mealtimes, sibling rivalry, homework, special needs and many more. What sets her approach apart from the numerous parenting authorities out there? According to Noël, the key is cooperation--giving parents simple and specific strategies so that they never have to ask twice. Sounds great! In fact, several Macaroni Kid Publisher Moms have been using her strategies this past month, and we’re seeing the results.
One thing I’m using from her CDs is simply going to where my son is and waiting for his  attention before asking him to do something instead of calling across the house. Try it. And her strategies are so positive and respectful that you’re almost surprised they work.  We’ve asked Noel to join Macaroni Kid for the next 12 months and answer our readers’ burning questions about parenting. So watch for our April issue and start using these sound strategies. Parenting will become calmer, easier and happier!

Our son started writing his own books when he was about 4 or 5.  He'd make up stories and Grandma would write down what he said.  Not that anything could replace Grandma, but BigDifBooks.com is an online version on the same concept.  They are a new kind of publishing company for children’s books that offers stories from new authors in new ways.  Their books are either free or cost $1.99.  They encourage new writers and storytellers – parents, kids, grandmas and anybody else – to submit stories of their own.  Readers can then see the books in a slick, page-turning computer program or they can print them out at home.
Macaroni Kid asked Tom Watson, Founder of www.BigDifBooks.com, and a new Macaroni Kid sponsor, a few questions.

I assume you didn't copy it from my son, so where did the idea for BigDifBooks.com come from?

I’ve always written and illustrated books for my own kids – for keepsakes more than anything else.  I have a nine-year-old daughter and an eight-year-old son.  Now that they’re older they write their own stories, which are way better than mine.

A couple of years ago, a teacher at their school approached me about working with her class to put together a book with the students as part of the school’s annual Art Auction fundraiser.  It raised quite a few bucks.

Those two things kind of got me thinking.  Was there a way to get new stories from new authors – some done by kids themselves – out there?  And could we do it in a way that readers and parents would appreciate – mainly making these new stories really affordable.

That’s how the idea got started.

What was the development process like?

It wasn’t easy – because we were essentially creating three sites.  One is a site for authors who want to submit a book for consideration.  Another site is a store for kids and parents and caregivers to choose a book.  And the third site is actually an electronic reader -- that also allows you to print. 

Your publishing model is a bit different, can you explain it?

At BigDifBooks, we aim to accept more than 50 percent of new authors – and we’ve started off doing way better than that.

Traditional books cost $10 to $20 at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.  Some lower quality paperbacks are less.  Some fancy picture books are more.  At BigDifBooks, there are only two prices: $1.99 and free.

We pay the author a 50-plus percent royalty.  On a $1.99 book, the author makes a dollar.  We worked really hard to build in efficiencies to make sure the actual creator of the story gets paid more than anyone else.  That was really important to us.

Traditional publishers take a year – sometimes more than two years – to publish a new book.  We try to do it in two weeks.  Once we get it and accept it, we get it up on the site and available as fast as possible.

And, of course, one of the biggest issues between authors and publishers is copyright.  And at BigDifBooks, authors retain absolutely all copyright to their stories.


And you accept books from kids too?

Yes.  And some of them are great.  We think misspellings and scribbled pictures can add to the charm in a lot of ways.  And some of them by older kids we expect to be really good.

Another benefit – and this goes for any author really – is that there is a comment section for every book.  It’s especially nice when a young author gets a comment from someone on the other side of the country telling them they liked their story.  We think that can be very encouraging and eye-opening for a young person.

Kids get paid?

Yes.  They even get a 1099 at the end of the tax year.  I think it could be a great way for a young person to work toward a financial goal.  Maybe they’re saving for a Flip video camera or an iPod.  If they sell a few books, they earn a few dollars toward their goal.  We do expect many of the younger kids – and older kids too – to offer their books for free.

What else should we know?

One of the components that we’ve built into the site is fundraising.  If somebody wants to donate money to a good cause, we’ll change the payout from 50-plus percent to 75 percent.  Now, we say on the site that they shouldn’t expect to add a new Science wing onto the building or anything – but maybe they raise enough to buy an aquarium for the class, or tickets to a local art museum or a pizza party at the end of the year.  We like the idea of kids being rewarded for their creativity in that way.

How has the reaction been?

Amazing.  Everyone who goes to the site and sees the idea really likes it.  We sign up new authors and readers almost every day.  We have about 20 books up now, and the pipeline for new submissions looks good.  We try to remember that even though someone loves the site and signs up as an author, it still takes a little time for them to get their story completed.  We’re concentrating on finding potential authors first  – and then promoting the site to readers a little more.

What’s the deal with the frog?

Isn’t that a great image?  One of our designers found that and we bought the rights to it for everything we do.  I see that guy in my sleep sometimes.

In mid-February, Macaroni Kid attended Toy Fair, the Toy Industry's annual trade show, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.  There were Barbies, Hot Wheels, Beanies, and tons of toys that were hard to get too excited about (unless you are nine years old).

But we did manage to see a few things that stood out.

We love Norman the Phartephant.  Yup, a farting elephant.  Needless to say, this was our nine-year-olds’ favorite because he’s very cute, and well, he farts.  But what makes Norman special to Macaroni Kid is his creator, Angela who donates a portion of sales to charity, including Half the Sky that supports orphaned children in China.  New characters are coming soon, and Mason can't wait.

On a similar charitable and plush theme is Oomfy.  A collections of stuffed animals in which each design is taken from a specific rare, orphaned wild animal.  There’s Daisy the Rhino, Wink the Bushbaby, Spike the Hedgehog and more.  Each plush is accompanied by a book that tells the story of how he or she became orphaned.  And Oomfy supports the rescue, rehabilitation and ultimate release of these gorgous creatures so you can feel extra good about your Oomfy.

Next up on our list of favorites was Hookum.  The creators call it the “Bimini Ring Game.”  But we know this game from the Snow Barn after ski pub at Mount Snow Vermont (where I got pretty darn good at it).  The object of the game is to swing a ring on a string and make it land so it catches on a hook.  Basically, Clay and Joe took the game and made it coffee table sized so you can play it at home.  Of course, we played for a good while at the show and I actually gave Clay a run for his money when playing first to five.  Though maybe he was letting me win for a while.

OK, I have to admit, I haven’t actually played Get the Gem from Rubbing Hands.  But it’s here because it had the most beautiful design of any game I saw during my two days at the show.  Check out their site.  If the game plays half as well as it looks, it will be amazing.  Hopefully we’ll get to play it soon and give you the scoop.

And last was Shidonni.  What’s a Shidonni?  I had no idea, but when I saw what they did, I was really impressed.  Shidonni starts with a website where anyone can create his own character.  Cute or creepy, it’s up to you.  Then Shidonni’s proprietary software brings the character to life and you can create a virtual world ala Club Penguin and a host of other sites, but staring your own character.  Then what’s really cool is you can submit your drawing to Shidonni and they will make a custom plush stuffed version for $79.95.  A bit much for a stuffed toy, but it’s a handmade one of a kind, so totally worth it.  I think it would be a really cool gift.  Check ‘em out.

There were some other neat things and we’ll give you the scoop down the road, but for now, enjoy these with your kids.

The next children’s dance class I teach will revolve around  “Jazz Playground” the most recent children’s CD put out by the widely known Putumayo World Music Company. The integration of different musical styles and cultures allows jazz music to flourish and come alive to children. The various songs invite creativity and movement into a child’s life. Playing “Jazz Playground” for your children is the best way to open and broaden their understanding and appreciation of music. “Jazz Playground” is an absolute must for your music collection and can be purchased at www.putumayo.com or itunes. Enjoy!  Katherine Howard - MK's Music Editor
Check out the Jazz Playground Concert Tour coming to New York, New Orleans, Pasadena and Amherst (MA).  Check your local Macaroni Kid edition for dates and locations.
And we've got a copy for our readers, plus a CD of Rhythm & Blues for parents listening pleasure.  Send us a picture of your child doing anything musical and we'll select a winner at random on Friday the 12th.  Email me the picture with subject "Jazz Playground" to eric@macaronikid.com