children’s literature

Hiding Heidi

By Kellie Diguangco, Former Contributor Leave a Comment

Maybe you don’t judge a book by it’s cover, but I do. There are times I may be missing out, but most times, a cover says a lot about the book.

When I saw Hiding Heidi by Fiona Woodcock, I knew I would fall in love with the pages inside. A beautifully illustrated book with textures and a color palette that add to the sweetness of the story. Fiona’s pencil quality along with charcoal, and stamps she has beautifully collaged and brought together create a unique style all of her own. Visually appealing to the young and young at heart.

You will enjoy seeking and finding Heidi, you might also find yourself wishing for Heidi’s wardrobe. Fiona’s writing makes for a perfect picture book, children will want to read it over and over because Heidi is clever at hiding in the most beautiful and lively places.

Heidi’s epiphany comes when she invites her friends to her party, and hides a little too well. Her friend’s have a great time enjoying the party with out her.

A book that teaches a subtle lesson about sharing and taking turns. A great book to add to your library. We are patiently waiting and watching to see what Fiona has in store for her future books. follow her here.

Swatch- The Girl Who Loved Color

By Kellie Diguangco, Former Contributor Leave a Comment

“In a place where colors ran wild, there lived a girl who was wilder still”

Every now and then a book comes along and it sets a reader on fire. Swatch The Girl Who Loves Color is just that book. A book for readers, a book for color lovers, art teachers, story tellers and brave girls. A book for everyone.

Colors are wild and bold and cannot be tamed, yet one girls sets out to capture them all.

There is no denying how beautiful this book is, full of gorgeous colors, some are described by names, some we just look at and enjoy. The illustrations are full of textures and you can clearly see the different mediums that went into make the scenery. The colors splash and play across the page, leaving you feeling excited, and maybe that like Swatch, you are also a “color tamer”.

Swatch is a beautiful and bold, a picture book you will want to own. You can see from the wear in our dust jacket how well loved it is in our home.

It will inspire you to get out there and find colors in the wild or maybe create a beautiful masterpieces of your own. Swatch is a heroine a girl to be looked up too much like Sadie and Wild. She is brave and bold and wild, yet she has a heart of gold. She could just take yellow but I will leave the rest for you to discover.

This books is perfect for a budding artist and color lovers both big and small. You might recognize the illustrations of Julia Denos from beautiful books like one of our favorites, Just Being Audrey. Learn more about Julia here.

Handmade, Eco-Friendly Valentine Cards

By Bethany Douglass, Former Contributor 1 Comment

I loved celebrating Valentine’s Day in elementary school. Each student would share cards or treats with the other, stuffing them into carefully decorated shoeboxes, anticipating what was in their own. I looked forward to this holiday each year, so as a homeschooling parent, I still make priority for this holiday with colorful crafts and baking infused into our typical school routine. My children carefully create their own handmade cards to share with their friends, which makes them a bit unique each year.

This year, I wanted to find a way to be more resourceful, to repurpose materials and use tools or supplies we already own. Since we order most of home goods and books online, I always have a regular supply of craft paper, paperboard, and cardboard boxes. I pulled out other necessary supplies for them to use, and as often happens, they took it from there and created their own sets of unique cards.

These cards can be strung together to make garland or layered onto another card, or used as a card all on their own. It was easy and flexible for different ages. Even better, it was economical and an environmentally friendly way to celebrate this playful holiday.

SUPPLIES
cardboard or paperboard
scissors
non-toxic paint (strong enough to see on cardboard)
paintbrushes
heart-shaped cookie cutter or stencil
pencil
marker

DIRECTIONS
Cut the paperboard or cardboard into flat panels.
Let the kids paint as they will. I encouraged my own kids to touch colors but not overlap too much, to avoid brown blobs.
After the paint dries, flip each sheet of cardboard over and trace as many heart shapes as possible.
Cut out the hearts.
Write little messages on the front and back. If you have a young writer, you might write for them.
String them together for garland, layer them onto another card, or use them as a small note of kindness on their own. Happy Valentine’s Day!

How To Mend A Heart by Sara Gillingham + Craftykins

By Kellie Diguangco, Former Contributor Leave a Comment

Sara Gillingham is back with another beautiful and encouraging book for little readers. This sweet book tells you how to mend a heart but don’t let the hearts fool you, this is not a Valentine’s Day book but one you can enjoy all year.

“To mend a heart, you need gentle hands, the right tools, and lots of patches.”

Follow a little boy as his stuffed elephant falls apart, and he finds ways to repair it. Once repaired, it doesn’t stay that way, and he must keep finding ways to fix it. Although we would love to protect our little ones from heartbreak, we know in life this is not possible. The best thing we can do is equip them with the right tools, to handle heartache and move on. I am the biggest fan of children’s books. Children are able to understand complicated emotions.

It is much better to show them real emotions and how we deal with them, rather to show them books where there are never any problems and everyone is happy all the time. Raising well adjusted children, will happen when we deal with real life issues. Luckily we have gentle, sweet books like How To Mend A Heart to guide our children through.

Sara Gillingham is an amazing author, illustrator and person. You can find more of her books here , they are always encouraging, lovely and empowering for children.

With Valentines day just around the corner, we used Sara’s book as inspiration for a little paper heart garland.

Tools Needed:

Water color paper

Hole Punch

Scissors

Oil pastels

Water color

Ribbon

I pre-cut the shape of a heart and let my son trace it onto water color with oil pastels. Once he was done, we looked at the pages of the book and talked about the different patterns on the hearts. Once he had traced them, and designed them with the oil pastel, he used the water color to paint over the whole heart. Oil and water resist each other, so the water pulls away from the oil and you can see the nice drawing through the paint.

Once the hearts were dry, we cut them, and used a hole punch to make the holes on each side of the hearts for threading through the garland.

It is a fun little read and make, and fun way to enjoy Valentines day together.

Buckle Up. It’s Time To Blast Off

By Donna Tweedale, Former Contributor Leave a Comment

The noise as he turns the huge rough pages. The smell, new crisp edges. He loves the whole new experience of a new book. Our latest, I’ve had my eye on for a while. Professor Astro Cat’s Frontiers Of Space.

”Our Universe is very complicated, and many scientists spend their entire lives trying to unravel its greatest secrets – in fact, many of these secrets are yet to be uncovered. But don’t worry, Professor Astro is here to help, and I am just about the cleverest alley cat you’ll ever meet! So batten down the hatches and buckle up. It’s time to blast off and discover Professor Astro Cat’s Frontiers of Space!”.

Space is a hugely in-depth subject. The plain speaking of the text remains scientific and accurately written in a tone that makes for achievable reading for Euan. The facts blow his mind, the leading questions of the mysteries of life in the unknown excite him. His imagination triggered at the thought of what lies out there and what could be.

With ”Factoroids” that cover everything from the Universe, the Moon and the Stars to Rockets, Space Stations and the potential future of space travel… space rides in elevator’s and wormholes anyone?

”There are still many mysteries out there waiting to be solved in the great depths of space, and with each discovery will come just as many new questions. So now, my friends, this curious cat has to shoot off and see what he can find! …. Perhaps one day you’ll venture into the stars in your own spaceship and help solve the mysteries at the frontiers of space.”

I adore the colour palette used in the illustrations. Not only does it look great it’s detailed without being overwhelming this book will indefinitely grow with Euan and will serve as a great reference book in his school years.

Right now? He’s talking about how one day he’s going to space in an elevator.

Professor Astro Cat’s Frontiers Of Space | Dr. Dominic Walliman | Illustrated by Ben Newman

Storykins // Top 5 Books to Help Break Your Child away from Tech and Learn to Love Reading

By Leslie Schor, Senior Fashion Editor Leave a Comment

Guest post by Kellie Diguangco, Book Curator, Art Instructor, Mother to four little gentlemen. You can also check her out on Instagram.

The right books can inspire a love of reading, and some books are so good children choose books over technology. What? Yes!

I often hesitate when putting age recommendations on picture books, because I don’t think that there is a time when we stop loving them. Picture books open a great big world to us with their beauty and allow our imaginations to be free. At age 3 we start the process of learning to read, from age seven and up we read to learn.

I have listed some books here that are great starters for sparking a love of reading.

The Hungry Caterpillar is a true classic, lovely and bright. It’s a great starter book because it has images children are familiar with such as oranges, apples, strawberries and one lovable caterpillar. The repetition of the book allows the child to participate because they know what’s coming. It is a great introduction to the life cycle as well.

I Know A Lot is a very empowering book. It is a series and we have them all. My four year old, will “read” this to me and his little brother. The rhythm and logic allow for a child to make guesses “rocks are….heavy” which allows this book to be a great confidence builder for a budding reader. The more confident, the more likely they are to try more books or search for other things they know or can guess at.

Flora and the Flamingo is not just a beautiful book but a wordless book. Wordless books are a great invitation for a child to tell you the story. There are obvious emotions taking place between the Flamingo and Flora. Your child can express the feelings, use problem solving skills, and it is a great way to check for vocabulary, knowledge and sequence. Did I mention it’s also beautiful?

Who says books can’t be interactive? Tap The Magic Tree is better than an app! A beautifully illustrated introduction to the changing seasons, simply tap the buds to see what blooms! This book gets children excited as they get to interact with the pages of the story to see what happens next. A great tactile invitation to a book because you get to tap, rub and shake.

This next one is a great read for those a little bit older. Beware Of The Storybook Wolves is genius! It’s a great story based off a real child’s fear. It’s all about letting the imagination run wild and free. Who wouldn’t love the characters of their books to come out and chat with them, except the hungry wolves part perhaps. This book is award winning and one read through you will see why.

There are so many lovely books to share, to spark the imagination and to simply make us feel happy with their delightful illustrations. A picture book is so much more than just a book. It’s art, it’s a teaching tool and the best part is that it’s a way for you to be physically close with your child. Reading books together is very intimate and a good book can form a warm bond.

Not all books are created equal. I find this quote so true “Make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself” – George Bernard Shaw.

Happy Reading.

Storykins // This Moose Belongs To Me

By Donna Tweedale, Former Contributor Leave a Comment

It was the illustrations of Oliver Jeffers that had me hooked when scouring for new books for the boy. I know you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, but, what can I say… I’m a sucker for a fantastic font choice.

”Wilfred owned a moose. He hadn’t always owned a moose. The moose came to him a while ago and he knew, just KNEW, that it was meant to be his. He thought he would call him Marcel.”

”Most of the time Marcel is very obedient, abiding by the many rules of How To Be a Good Pet. But imagine Wilfred’s surprise when one dark day, while deep in the woods, someone else claims the moose as their own…”

My eldest (4) adores this story. He get’s engrossed in Marcel’s character. How he nonchalantly follow’s Wilfred’s rules just at the right time.

Every time. The boy gets completely drawn into Wilfred’s perilous situation showing genuine concern then giggling in relief when he realises Marcel has come to the rescue.

I love the richness of the media used in the illustrations.

The wit and humour that underlines the story makes this as enjoyable to read with the boy as it is for him to read it. A real conversation provoking story with a beautiful sentiment on how not everything needs to be owned.

Hiding Heidi

Swatch- The Girl Who Loved Color

Handmade, Eco-Friendly Valentine Cards

How To Mend A Heart by Sara Gillingham + Craftykins

Buckle Up. It’s Time To Blast Off

Storykins // Top 5 Books to Help Break Your Child away from Tech and Learn to Love Reading

Storykins // This Moose Belongs To Me

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