Book Review MADE FOR US Polly Owen & Daniel Duncan

I’m in a SCBWI group with the author of this new book, and she sent me a copy to review. I was interested in seeing it because I’ve been working with adults who have learning and other disabilities and have been considering issues such as accessibility. 

This builds on my connection with Sweet Cherry Publishing who recently launched a more accessible imprint, Every cherry. It made me wonder if MADE FOR US also comes in other forms like simplified text, symbols or audio, especially as the three characters that we meet in the book are shown listening to audiobooks. 

This book was surprising because I didn’t realise that everyday inventions that help me do things better were actually created to make life easier for someone with a disability. For example, typing, to assist a blind person to communicate by letter, and touch screens because typing can be difficult for some people. I benefit every day from these inventions. 

I like the way that the objects and the inventors were drawn. They felt friendly and kind. The three main characters were more cartoon style and they helped make the book look fun. 

I am a volunteer School reader and lots of my year three readers bring non fiction books to me. I think they would really like this one. It’s by Oxford University Press and has a reading level of 11 to help you choose. 

Michael, the Amazing Mind Reading Sausage Dog!

I don’t just make plush from picture books of course, I love to recreate all kinds of kidlit characters. So meet Michael. And yes, I read the whole book before I made him. It’s as hilarious and delightful as the cover by Tim Budgen suggests. 

I decided to recreate a scene from chapter one when Michael meets Stanley Bog Dog, his part played by Daisy’s Ikea dog who is only ever referred to as Dog. The oak tree is played by my gorgeous Hawthorn, here when we moved in. 

Amazingly I got to share Michael’s book and his plush self with a local primary school I volunteer in. And then, attend the book launch in London the next day. Terrie let me do the big reveal while Tim snapped this photo of us. There were a few ooohs and aaahs I think, but I did feel a little out of my comfort zone! 

Tim signed my book too, and I can confirm from the conversations that BOOK 2 is well underway. Year four will be pleased, that was one of their questions. One extract and the whole class wanted a copy of book one. 

Terrie sent this picture. I’ll treasure it as well as the memory of how much Michael’s waistcoat sparkled under the lights. 

All the best book launches involve cake, did you know that? I managed to get one of these gorgeous cakes back to Weymouth for my lunch the following day. 

But back to plush Michael. I’ve now seen a class of children react to one of my pieces and it was really fun. I just know Terry is going to enjoy having him alongside her for future school visits and events. I think she really likes him. 

Plush from books - Ellie!

A pair of paws balance on a book, while I needle sculpt their toes. This book is perfect for anyone who’s about to expand their family, or recently has. It’s relatable for anyone who ever suddenly found themselves a big sister or brother to be. As a three year old I can recall the chaos in the house starting the night my sister was born at home, and snippets of memories like tip-toeing past a pram, or the poo landing on the carpet, one nappy change! Oops! 

I was excited to receive an early copy of Since The Baby Came  by my good friend Kathleen Long Bostrom, and illustrated by Janet Samuel, because I knew I was going to be making a plush from this lovely story, told in poems. The family is adorable, and I’m sure my sister and I both identify with the children's gorgeous curly hair. However, I made their dog. 

This is Ellie. Can you see the E on her collar? The awesome publishers offered to include Kathleen’s dog, when they discovered the sad loss of the real life Ellie, and sent photographs to Janet. Just like in the story Ellie has a sweet tag on her collar with the letter E. I carefully embroidered this on thick felt. I also enjoyed making those expressive ears. 

Soon I will send plush Ellie across the pond, and I will miss her company. I like dogs a lot and I love that our protagonist has a faithful companion in every spread. There are 16 kinds of poems in the book, with helpful back-matter explaining and naming each kind. I usually do learn from each picture book I read, but there was a lot I didn’t know about poetry. Maybe I’ll write in rhyme for a change. Haha. 

Ellie dog is posing on a quilt I made in my 20s from an idea I had when I was 16. I shaded her ears with chalk and set them with a short spray of fixative. I think about the artist at work on the illustrations when I do things like this. Most of all I love Ellie’s toes and her gentle smile. She also has wired legs and tail so she can enjoy many author-visits and stand firm. I hope you enjoyed meeting her, I know I did. 

40 Days with Labyrinths ...

 

When author and friend Fay Rowland asked me to join her blog tour, I said yes please, just so I could look at all the lovely colouring in her new book. She wont know until she reads this, but I actually have a proposition for her. A proposal. A collaboration ... 

Devotionals are often very grown up things to read, but this one (did I say there's colouring?) also feels like a sit down and a chat with Fay. 

The useful Blurb from the back of the book goes like this ... 

"Labyrinths have been a treasured part of Christian spirituality for centuries. The journey along a winding path, with twists and turns, unexpected obstacles, and the satisfaction of reaching journey’s end, creates an ideal opportunity for mindful and prayerful reflection upon our lives and God’s plan for us.
In this book, Fay Rowland presents a brilliant modern take on Bible study and labyrinth-walking. She offers forty short, biblical meditations on the challenges and blessings of daily life, each accompanied by a labyrinth illustration which you can ‘walk’ – just with your finger, or perhaps with colouring pens or pencils – as you reflect on the reading.

As in life, some of the labyrinth journeys are simple, while others present a more complicated path!

40 Days with Labyrinths is ideal for personal reflection during Lent or at any other time of year."

So you could save this for Lent, or get going now to celebrate the chinese new year?

Grab a copy here and find out more about Fay Rowland on her website x

Of Serpents …

I’ve loved Ragged Bears since having children and beginning to bring books into the house again. And my first child is now 24! And living in Dorset I’ve kinda made friends with them, I even have a ‘pass’ from them for one of my picture books!

So it’s nice to be able to share some of their books with my teens and with you too. My 16 is currently reading both books. I read them quite quickly, because I really wanted to know how the stories would resolve. Both books are full of beautiful imagery, scents, flavours and rituals, and both have a lot of mystery. The dreams book is the most exciting as it has so much more at stake, but you do need to read both books. I was so glad Ragged Bears sent me both! 

Read these if you like girls coming of age books. 

Tangle Art and Drawing Games for Kids: A Silly Book for Creative and Visual Thinking by Jeanette Nyberg,

Look at this Fabulously fun book cover! We recently acquired a copy of Tangle Art and Drawing Games for Kids because we enjoy being creative together, and as it happens, a good giggle too!

We have enjoyed playing some of these games on a rainy evening, or after we have been active all day and its nice to be sitting down together. There are games you can play on your own, the way all those grown ups do colouring and tangle art nowadays, and lots of group games that we like a lot. We found we could also adapt some of the one person games to family fun,  by simply swapping your papers before the interpretation bit to add that extra challenge!

Playing together in our family are a 65 year old male, a 45 year old very yummy mummy, and girls of 10, 10 and 8. I know ... time really flies by! This blog is almost 9 years in the blogging!

No one who can make marks will have any trouble having fun with this book, we have shared a couple of our results here compared with those in the book! My imagination really felt stimulated and i can see how playing these sort of pen and paper games can keep children's imaginations alive! 

Grab a copy of Tangle Art and Drawing Games for Kids: A Silly Book for Creative and Visual Thinking by Jeanette Nyberg, published by Quarry Books (£12.99). and share your drawings too!

Monkey Business!

We got this lovely book, with monkeys to make and a funny rhyme to read, and I saved it for an after-dinner chill activity ...

There are bits and bobs to make three monkeys, with the book, and some things for them too ...

The instructions were easy to follow and our new friends began to take on their cheeky characters!

Bending the shaped pipe-cleaners creates the knees, elbows and little hands and feet!

Daisy chose this amazing orange monkey, and only needed a little bit of help ...

This is the best bit because we are nearly ready to play!

With pop out ties, the monkeys can dress up as in the fun rhyme too!

Or fly around with super-hero capes on!

Make some yourself, find out more here!

Book Review - Children in the Wild garden!

I was asked to take a look at this book for Popular Crafts magazine and i was pleased because it looks right up our street, or should i say, garden! We do have a 'relaxed' attitude to gardening anyway, and as some one who educates her children at home, I was looking for a few fun, wildlife friendly ideas! The book is shown in more detail in this months issue, but more about that in a later post!



My wild children and I put on our wellies and headed outdoors with the book, on what was rather a gorgeous day for the middle of October! We already have a hotel for bees to stay in, so i felt really pleased, and this ivy at the back will make the perfect place for one of the books suggestions, hiding an old tea pot for mice and birds to nest in!



The book had strong, lively diagramic illustrations and really good photos graphs showing some of the things you might find, experiments to try and children busy in their wild gardens. One of my 5 year olds kept saying, 'oh wow, oh wow!' as she turned the pages, delighted!



We decided to go on a hunt for mini-beasts, the book explained that not all little creatures are BUGS, so I have learned something straight away!



This hollow in our apple tree actually contained what looked like soil and a few happy woodlice! Plenty to try the woodlice experiment then!



We have plenty of old rotting wood, and under one log, those woodlice had chewed themselves some rather lovely bedrooms - very impressive!



Under a second log was this rather impressive earth worm!



And LOTS of his friends, too!



and under a plank by the shed door we found a rather lively lava, who would hardly keep still for his picture to be taken!



This is a book that will keep us busy all year round, as we think about new life and new growth in spring, and caring for our little wild birds in the cold wintertime!