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feathers: not just for flying + handmade book craft from avery and augustine
Feathers: Not Just for Flying by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen (2014).
Birds are the only animals with those special plumes. But did you know that feathers have many other functions besides flying? I’d never thought about it before, but this book brings just that to light.
(click image(s) to enlarge)
Feathers keep warm. Feathers cushion like a pillow. They provide shade or float or clean or hide. Feathers are incredible, no?
Along the way, kid readers will learn a lot about specific kinds of birds, perhaps one or two they’ve seen before in person!
Big thanks to Charlesbridge for images!
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When I think of kids books and stylish, beautiful photos, I immediately think of Michelle at Avery and Augustine. And she’s joining me here to share a handmade book craft that has a learning bonus. Over to Michelle!
Hi, I’m Michelle of Avery and Augustine. Thank you to Danielle for inviting me to collaborate on this post! I’m excited to share a simple project to go along with this wonderful book. My daughter Avery and I made our own little feather book to summarize what she learned from Feathers. Summarizing is an important academic and life skill that helps children recall the salient information from what they read in their own words and in a way that’s meaningful for them. This is a skill that they will use time and time again throughout their school years and especially when they hit high school and college.
To make the book, cut one piece of card stock and several sheets of paper in half, lengthwise. Fold them in half and punch holes along the fold of your pages (a group of pages is called a signature or section in bookbinding). We used this Fiskars 1/8 inch circle hand punch tool. You can also use a regular-sized hole punch to make it easier for young children to do the sewing on their own.
Cut a piece of yarn and wrap one end of it with tape to make it easier to pull through the holes. Sew the yarn through the holes of the book, using a simple stitch. Tie a knot at the top hole of the book, stitch your way down, then stitch your way back up, filling in the blank gaps. Tie a knot at the last hole to secure the yarn. Cut out feathers from colored paper (I did it freehand, no template) and attach them to the front of the book.
When we were done making our book, Avery paraphrased the important points from Feathers and drew pictures for each. It’s good to practice summarizing books regularly and it gets easier the more you do it! If you need another reference, a great DIY book tutorial can be found on this blog.
You can see Michelle’s work and read about her two young children and their first forays in cooking, art, and everything in between at Avery and Augustine.
pool by jihyeon lee + pool floats
Pool by JiHyeon Lee (2015).
This picture book! That arresting cover delivers on its promises. Beauty, whimsy, stillness, imagination. A blue, blue pool.
There are no words and Lee doesn’t need them to tell her story. Come see!
A boy. An empty pool. You know that feeling, right? It’s all to yourself. The possibility. The play. And then. The crowd. The pool floats. The shouting, running mass. The pool is completely full.
(click image(s) to enlarge)
Not the underneath though. The goggled boy dives underneath those kicking, floating feet. And there’s another goggled girl deep down in the pool.
They swim in a new world only they know is there full of the most strangely shaped fish— tubes and blobs and even a beautiful white-haired whale with an underbite.
These two swimmers share something special. They’ll remove their goggles and shake out their hair and be different than when they first dove in.
Big thanks to Chronicle Books for images!
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Pool floats in honor of Pool!
Ice cream sandwich pool float!
The classic swan.
The super popular donut float.
Yep. Dots pool float.
3 picture books: Kyo Maclear
I’m starting a new series here on This Picture Book Life and am super excited about it! It’s called “3 Picture Books” and in each installment, we’ll hear from a picture book creator about three books that influenced her, whether as a child reader or grownup creator. I’m thrilled that Kyo Maclear is here to kick things off!
Kyo Maclear is the author of several picture books (Julia, Child; Virginia Wolf), including the forthcoming The Specific Ocean and The Good Little Book. She lives in Toronto.
1. Fortunately by Remy Charlip
I read this book as a child and happily rediscovered it as a grown-up. A masterwork of sequence and full of unexpected plot twists, this strange story has taught me as much about the art of living as it has about the art of picture book writing. Soaring, falling, floating, crashing: our protagonist remains eternally nimble and equanimous, never too fixated on life’s fortunes or misfortunes. Turn the page and everything changes.
2. When We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne
When I was six and visiting family in England, my Grandpa Hugh gave this book to me and it has remained on my bookshelf ever since. Milne’s use of repetition and beat make it a perfect read aloud. Also perfect: Milne’s blend of melodrama and humor that manages to both respect and send-up childhood fears. When I was little I often felt an acute sense of responsibility for the wayward adults around me so I particularly loved James James Morrison Morrison who was all finger-wagging, laying down the law, and searching for control in an uncontrollable universe.
3. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
My favorite teacher in elementary school was obsessed with two albums: Blondie’s Parallel Lines and Carole King’s Really Rosie. The latter (which ranks up there with Lead Belly Sings for Children as one of the best children’s albums of all time) inducted me into the delirious world of Sendak. In the Night Kitchen cemented my love. Be weird, be naked, and don’t be afraid to fall headlong into your ‘irrational’ dreams—all good things, I think, for any picture book writer to remember.
You may also be interested in my post on Kyo Maclear’s recent picture book, Julia, Child, illustrated by Julie Morstad. It includes a chocolate almond cupcake recipe from Coco Cake Land!
10 picture books set in paris + PICTURE BOOK GIVEAWAY
I’ve been dreaming about visiting Paris someday, so I thought we could all dream together with some picture books set in the City of Light, each with its own special flair.
Come see!
Tricky Vic: The Impossibly True Story of The Man Who Sold The Eiffel Tower by Greg Pizzoli.
Just out this spring, Tricky Vic is a non-fiction book like no other. Instead of profiling an inspirational hero, this one tells the story of a con artist. And it’s very entertaining! And while not set entirely in Paris, the main episode referred to in the title takes place there—Vic’s attempt to sell the Eiffel Tower to someone in order to tear it down. Twice. (I’m giving away a copy if you scroll down. Woo hoo!)
Madame Martine by Sarah S. Brannen.
I’ll just go ahead and tell you I love this book. It’s about a woman who is used to her routine but is inspired to change because of a stray dog. And the payoff is pretty wonderful. Sunset at the top of the Eiffel Tower wonderful. (I’m giving away a copy of this gem as well!)
Come With Me to Paris by Gloria Fowler, illustrated by Min Heo.
A rhyming romp through the sights of the city. So graphic, colorful, and charming!
A Walk in Paris by Salvatore Rubbino.
This one shows the landmarks of Paris as well, but with a girl’s grandfather as guide. So sweet.
Paris Chien by Jackie Clark Mancuso.
Hudson the expat dog narrates this charmer as he makes his way in Paris for the first time. And there’s a follow-up book just out in which Hudson travels to Provence!
This is Paris by M. Sasek.
A perfect historical portrait of Paris in the 60s. (See my post on This Is Hong Kong in the series too.)
An Armadillo in Paris by Julie Kraulis.
This one reads as travel diary, penned by an armadillo! It also sees the sights, but at its heart is a mystery about The Iron Lady’s identity.
The Secret Circus by Johanna Wright.
Mice have a turn this time, traveling via tiny hot air balloon to a secret show, tucked away in Paris. Charming, magical, still, and satisfying.
A Lion in Paris by Beatrice Alemagna.
This is one you get for the mixed media artwork, which is wow! And more to distinguish it? The book is oriented vertically, giving us a fresh perspective.
Ooh-lala, Max in Love by Maira Kalman.
Because, Maira Kalman, right? And a second dog in Paris book. And it is so so so sophisticated and loads of fun.
Enter below for a chance to win a copy of Tricky Vic & Madame Martine! Two very different Eiffel Tower-centric picture books set in Paris to one lucky winner!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
rude cakes + rude cake craft!
Rude Cakes
by Rowboat Watkins (out June 2, 2015!).
I’ve got a lot of love for this one. It’s a manners book infused with fun and delightfulness and cakes! (And cyclopses!!)
Come see!
(click image(s) to enlarge)
One brilliant thing about this picture book (there are many!) is the use of the plural. “Rude cakes” goes the text while we see one particular pink rude cake doing all sorts of bad behaviors, from not saying please to never listening to its parents. It calls a cute marshmallow friend, “clumsy crumb” at one point illustrating just how rude a rude cake can be.
I love how the elder cakes have more tiers. How Rude Cake’s companions are a cupcake and a marshmallow. The muted color palette. The cyclops stuffed animal Rude Cake carries that comes into play in a BIG way in the story. And my favorite line?
“They also think baths are dumb and that bedtime is for donut holes.”
Oh but Rude Cake has it coming. A real, live cyclops plucks Rude Cake from its bedroom in order to wear it as a jaunty little hat. (Cyclopses love jaunty little hats.)
And thus, Rude Cake is on the other end of misfortune. Not because cyclopses are rude. Oh no, they are very polite.
But are they polite enough to listen to a jaunty little hat who finally asks nicely to be returned home, using that magic word, “please”? You’ll have to read the book to find out.
Thanks to Chronicle Books for images!
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This book calls for a craft, no? You could bake a cake! Or you could make a cute rude cake craft, one that can be worn as a jaunty little hat or kept around on a bookshelf!
Looks like frosting, but it’s actually something that will last a lot longer (and is NOT edible). Spackle!
Here’s how my dude and I made Rude Cake: We used two differently sized plastic plant tray liners taped together to form the cake shape. Then we mixed up some lightweight spackling paste and red food coloring to make a pink frosting-like material. We spread it on with a knife, super simple! After adding more red for a darker pink, we applied that with a pastry bag and decorating tip to the top and rim! Some paper circles for eyes and two more lines of “frosting” for Rude Cake’s mouth and voila!
Isn’t Rude Cake (hat) cute?! Especially since it’s no longer so rude. Just ask cupcake and marshmallow.
And, hey! You might be interested in my Hooray For Hat craft as well.
