Check out this adorable keepsake for your little one born in the Year of the Snake, 2013.  

This 2-1/2 inch wooden block is handmade by Stacy on Etsy and states that "You are... persistent... generous... charming... intelligent..."  

So cute!

The Girl Mechanic of Wanzhou is a novel written for middle schoolers by author Marjorie Sayer.  This book won First Runner Up for the Scholastic Asia Book Award in 2011.  Asianmommy received a free copy of this book for review.

The story takes place in a village in China in 1902.  Twelve-year-old Zun lives with her mother and father and spends most of her time helping her father work in the foundry.  Her father designs bicycles, and she happily works alongside him.  

One horrible day, Zun's parents are attacked.  Her mother comes home injured, and her father does not return at all.  Soon, her mother is arrested, and Zun must find a way to help bring her home safely.  She starts off on a quest to find help for her mother.  Shifu, Han, and Li, old friends of her parents, come to her aid.

Zun sneaks her way into the Magistrate's compound to gather information about her mother.  She is armed only with a small green silk purse containing small glass bottles filled with potions from Dr. Hei.  Will Zun ever find a way to set her mother free?

What I liked:  This story sets the stage from the very first chapter--the details situate you in long ago China, and then a terrible tragedy strikes.  Following along Zun's journey, you can't help but hope for her and root for her, feeling her joys and her sorrows deeply.  This is a story well told.

What could be improved:  Some of the events which unfold in this story seem utterly inconceivable, but I suppose that is the purpose of fiction, to take you away from common-sense reality.  :)

What a lovely decoration for winter!  These Sparkling Ice Crystals from Spoonful are made of white iridescent pipe cleaners and clear beads with white iridesent pom-poms.  How cute!

Love these beautiful Snowflake Stencils from Martha Stewart Crafts.  

Just bake chocolate cupcakes and sprinkle on some powdered sugar to make lovely Snowflake Cupcakes--so easy and delicious!

Happy Holidays!

LaQ is a new construction toy made in Japan.  Asianmommy received the Hamacron Constructor Fire Truck and Mini Racer 2 free for review.

The kids and I had the pleasure of putting these toys to good use.  We built the Fire Truck, but the 170-piece Fire Truck set also allows you to build an Ambulance, a Police Car, or a Police Motorcycle.  The set comes with complete directions for building these four models.  The Mini Racer 2 comes with 38 pieces.

You must review the instructions carefully, because there are 7 types of pieces, including base parts and joint parts, as well as special parts.  Some of the pieces are very similar, so you need to refer to the numbers on the diagram to make sure you're using the correct pieces.  The toys are recommended for ages 5 and up, but I think little ones may need some help at first, so be prepared to lend a hand.

What I liked:  These construction toys are so much fun!  I love the interconnecting, 3-D aspect to them.

What could be improved:  Haha!  I accidently put the wheels of my Mini Racer 2 on backwards, so the wheels wouldn't turn, and I couldn't figure out why.  Luckily, someone pointed this out to me, and my Mini Racer now glides smoothly.  :)