Matchstick

Author: Matt

  • B. Fish N’ Splish

    [amazon_link asins=’B002YITFB6′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’e5180f30-ffa7-11e7-8485-3d5d3a77cd3b’] Of all the toys in our house, this one has probably been played with the most (apart from legos). We got it as a gift for our oldest’s first birthday and it has been an essential part of the tub toy collection ever since. It’s a well-designed toy with […]

  • Disney Pixar Storybook Collection

    [amazon_link asins=’1484719190′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’9efe6615-fae0-11e7-803d-1d3a57881c6e’] This is a collection of abbreviated versions of all the Pixar movies in book form. It has been published a few times, each time with a few more movies added. We have the third edition of this book from 2016 which includes: A Bug’s Life Brave Cars Cars 2 […]

  • Minecraft: The Island

    [amazon_link asins=’0399181776′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’91f8d4e9-f636-11e7-a944-ff7108981ad3′] We have some Minecraft-obsessed people in our house and when visiting the library we always look for Minecraft-themed books for design ideas. We picked up “The Island” not knowing anything about it and the kids lost interest when they saw that there were no illustrations. But I read the […]

  • The Doghouse

    [amazon_link asins=’0544430638′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’c3cf8ebd-f3e1-11e7-a944-ff7108981ad3′] Some books become standard objects in the home, as familiar as a piece of furniture. And this is one of them. I couldn’t say why exactly because the story and illustrations are so simple, but perhaps that is part of the reason. Regardless, this is one of the few […]

  • Good Eats

    [amazon_link asins=’1584797959′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=”] Watching Good Eats was one of my weekly rituals back in the ’90s, back when the Food Network was an emerging force on television. Unlike the standard TV chef format (cook looks across a counter at the viewer while preparing food), Good Eats’ Alton Brown gets into the science […]

  • Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land

    [amazon_link asins=’B00287Z1F2′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’b2bea96f-e66e-11e7-bc7b-35986d9cfc05′] This is one of the great Disney shorts from their “classic” period of the 1950s and ’60s. It has Donald going on an adventure, learning about how math is the foundation for music, architecture, nature, and games. It explains the Golden Ratio phi and how simple ratios explain many […]

  • Mudpuppy Puzzle Wheels

    [amazon_link asins=’0735344302′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’93134772-e66c-11e7-963b-abc7e94b6c37′] We get lots of gifts for the kids, and it’s very hard to tell in advance which ones will get played with a lot, and which will just stay at the bottom of the toy box. I don’t even remember who gave this to us, but it is one […]

  • How to Build a House – Technical Tales Series

    [amazon_link asins=’1633221415′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’2c3fa3ab-daa0-11e7-a59e-71387e274c28′] Quarto is a publisher of art books, children’s books, and science kits, among other things. They have dozens of imprints, including Walter Foster Jr. which focuses on “art, transportation, history, craft, gardening, and more”. It is a welcome alternative to the Disney-dominated world of children’s media. One of their […]

  • Love, Triangle

    [amazon_link asins=’0062410849′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’412f4086-da94-11e7-ae74-8fad9672d89a’] This is a cute book about the friendship of three shapes that gives rudimentary geometry instruction while telling the story. In addition to basic shape names (circle, square, triangle) the text includes usage of words including ‘angle’ and ‘apex’. Toward the end of the book, one of the characters […]

  • PJ Masks

    [amazon_link asins=’B01N1QUJJ1′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’matchstickkidboo’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’947427e5-cecc-11e7-9b15-e3ef1020961d’] I didn’t think the world needed yet another cartoon series, but this one is pretty good. It’s based off a series of French books (“Les Pyjamasques”) which gives it a certain je-ne-said-quois that differentiates it from the standard cookie cutter format of most American shows. The idea is of […]