Next Monday, the American Library Association will announce the 2012 winners of various youth media awards, including the recipient of the Caldecott Medal. Named after 19th-century English illustrator Randolph J. Caldecott, this prestigious honor has been given to one distinguished children's picture book per year since 1938. You've probably heard of some of the titles (we're guessing Where the Wild Things Are makes you want to rumpus), but others aren't as well known, even though they deserve to be.

So for our January Little Lions post, Jenny Berggren, the Senior Librarian at the New York Public Library's Yorkville branch, has compiled a list of her favorite Caldecott Medal winners of all time. Get ready for some award-winning reading!

January 23, 2012 marks the start of the Year of the Dragon for the official Asian New Year day known as “Tet”. In the Hartford County area there are many ways for families to ring in the Lunar New Year and learn about the Asian culture. Immerse yourself in the traditions and celebrate with some of the various activities that are taking place in the traditionally two week long celebration ending February 6. 

One of the best things about 3 day weekends is that the following weekend seems to get here that much faster. Despite being back to the normal 2 days there's lots of fun to cover this weekend. We have Chinese New Year events and activities for both Hartford and Fairfield this week. Are your kids tired of the same old thing in their school lunch box? Maybe a bento box could help. Check out our post on getting your Bento Box supplies. Looking to get cooking with your kids but not in your own kitchen? Have fun in one of these Fairfield County locations. For those who'd rather get crafty we covered some great options in Hartford County. Stepping Stones Museum has a great new exhibit that opened this week called Run! Jump! Fly! Adventures and we are giving away 4 tickets to attend. Just subscribe to our newsletter or like us on FB and you'll be entered. This weekend take the kids to see motocross racers do daring jumps and scary tricks in Bridgeport. There's a magic show at both the Danbury Library and the Westport Town Hall. What if Mozart Played Guitar Hero? will be performed in New Haven. Check out our calendar of events for a full listing of fun things to do with the kids this weekend. Hope you make some good memories!

January is a time for new beginnings, and we've got a bunch of those in this installment of our biweekly news roundup. We have info on a new Williamsburg play space, a new start for an old museum, a cool new iPad app for creative kids, and a new celebrity baby whose birth created quite a stir. (Unless the cold is giving you a serious brain freeze, we're sure you know who we're talking about...but did you hear what our Mayor said about the whole controversy?) Plus, kindergarten applications, breastfeeding on TV and a little boy who needs your help.

So far during our month-long focus on Park Slope, we've shared the best places for kids to play, both indoors and outside, our top toy stores and 50 things to do with kids in the area. Today we're spotlighting our favorite places for kids to take classes in this super-family-friendly neighborhood.

Whatever your child is into—arts, crafts, dance, theater, music, sports, nature, yoga, even origami—there's a spot in Park Slope teaching it. Since schedules and prices constantly change, please visit the official websites for the most up-to-date information. Here are our top 11 spots for kids' classes in Park Slope (because we couldn't limit ourselves to just ten).

In Part 1 of our Bento Box Lunches for Kids series, we talked about what exactly bento boxes are; this time we're focusing on the tools you'll need to make your own.

Let's start with a box. Some come in fun shapes; some feature cute critters or animation favorites like Hello Kitty and Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo and Totoro (American cartoon characters are available, though those can be harder to find). They can be double-deckered, with locking lids or simple pop-top squares or ovals. But you can really create a bento box with nearly any container -- a small, shallow Tupperware will do the job just fine.

The Year of the Dragon is upon us!  Those born in this auspicious year will be predisposed to being innovative, brave, quick-tempered and passionate (good luck, parents of Dragons!)

Chinese New Year is a great way to celebrate Chinese culture – whether you are of Chinese heritage or not.  In China, the 2-week long New Year's celebration (this year it runs from January 23rd - February 6th) features traditional dances, feasts, and fireworks.  The emphasis is on honoring one's family, and beginning the New Year with good fortune. Here in Fairfield County, CT, there are many fun ways to usher in the Chinese New Year with your kids.

[UPDATED: February 24, 2013]  What to do with preschoolers during the summer can be even harder to figure out than for older kids. Especially if you have older kids who are in day camp, entertaining toddlers and children that are too young for most day camps can be challenging.

You might want to start by looking at the summer programs offered by preschools in your neighborhood, but we've found a few interesting summer camps for preschoolers that offer something a little different than the average preschool summer program.