I love The Whistle on the Train!  This is a must have book for everyone!  Remember the “wheels on the bus” song?  Well, this book is just like that!  You’ll read (sing) the “the whistle on the train goes whoo whoo whoo” and “the wheel on the train go clackety clack” and “the gates at the crossing go ding ding ding”.  Not only does it teach your child about trains, it is a pop up book!  They get to see in a 3D format what the train looks like and how they operate (to a degree).  My one year old giggle and says “ohhhhhhhh” every time you turn the page in the his book.  It is one of the most unique books out there.  My four year old likes it, because well, we sing the story.  She knows the “wheels on the bus” song, so changing the words a bit hasn’t phased her at all.  This book is hours of fun, so I hope you’ll be putting it under your tree this Christmas.

Image via Wikipedia

This was my favorite newspaper.  I think we have been subscribing to it since we have moved here.  However, about a week ago, they changed their format.  Now, I have went through several format changes with them already.  However, this one, I cannot stand.  I cannot stand it to the point that I will be leaving them and getting a subscription to another area newspaper.  (The advantage of living in Chicago is that we have quite a few to pick from).

This  makes me sad.  However, the changes that have been made this time around I just cannot stand.  The majority of their articles completely blend with the ads for things like fat burners and real estate.  As a blogger, we got a lot of slack for not disclosing what is paid and what isn’t.  However, it doesn’t look the print media has to have the same standard.  The majority of the articles have huge pictures and less content.  I know it is not just my eyes playing tricks on me either.  It actually takes me quite a bit less time to read the paper everyday.  A lot of the articles also look like blog posts with the amount of stuff on the page.  If I wanted to look at something that looked like a blog, I would read my news online.  I personally love having a print paper in my hand.  I like the style and how informative a paper is.  If I want a synopsis, I go to the internet.  If I want to read full articles, I look for my local paper.

As soon as I find my credit card, I will be canceling my Chicago Tribune subscription and signing up for the Chicago Sun Times.  Hopefully, their paper will be less tabloidy and more news.