Book Nook Love

January 24, 2015 / Petite Stag / Leave a comment

I would like to share with you my idea of a perfect place to spend hours reading. These gorgeous book nooks are so cozy and inviting.

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I think I love book nooks so much because it is a realistic way of having a library room in your home. Plus, I think it might be easier to hide out in here and read – not that I would ever hide from my own darling petites (mainly because they always find me). All joking aside, these are some of my favorite nooks. If you want to see more, check out this site, they have book nooks galore.

Illustrator Love: Aaron Becker

January 23, 2015April 11, 2015 / Petite Stag / Leave a comment

Aaron Becker has created two of the most stunning books I have ever seen. Journey was published in 2013 and Quest was published in 2014. This is a trilogy so one more amazing book is to come, and I cannot wait to see what Mr. Becker has in store for us. One thing I am sure about is that it will be stunning!

Sometimes it is hard to know what to do with a wordless book, or what it should look like when you go through the pages with your petite. I want to assure you that you are not alone if you happen to feel like reading a wordless book is a little out of your comfort zone.

I recently came across this wonderful document written by, none other than, Aaron Becker. There are so many helpful tips. Even if you’ve been sharing wordless books with petites for years, you might find this article to be helpful, I know I did.

Your Guide to Reading a Wordless Book by Aaron Becker

I love the idea of asking what clues they see, which makes it so engaging and fun and for all ages. One of my favorite tips is to take your time when reading a wordless book, since the words are not there to determine how long we spend on the page, I think this tip is so incredibly helpful.

When reading a wordless book there are so many possibilities and when the books are so beautifully drawn the possibilities are endless and you’re really able to follow your petites lead. Another aspect to these books is the incredible amount of detail it makes each read new and exciting.

I Love Paris in the Springtime

January 22, 2015April 11, 2015 / Petite Stag / 2 Comments

Okay, I’ve never actually been to Paris, but dream of it often, and am sure I will love it. Lucky for us there are some fantastic books all about Paris that will help to pass the time until we can get there in person.

An Armadillo in Paris by Julie Kraulis is a delightful story of Arlo who is an armadillo from Brazil, he sets out on an adventure, using travel journals his grandfather wrote – he loves Paris and all of the adventures he has there.

A Walk in Paris by Salvatore Rubbino are on a walking tour of Paris, to the top of Notre Dame, with charming tidbits of trivia as you go. This book is beautifully illustrated and absolutely wonderful.

Everbody Bonjours! by Leslie Kimmelman is a sweet book about a little girl traveling through Paris, with a fun rhythmic cadence which makes it really fun to read. The story is all about saying hello and that Paris is a really fun place for petites to explore.

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans a true classic, if you’ve yet to purchase a Madeline book for your petites collection, this is the perfect one to start with.

Paris in the Spring with Picasso by Joan Yolleck is a really beautiful story of with all the characters you will remember, Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso, Max Jacob, Guillaume Apollinaire and Alice B Toklas. I love the vibrant illustrations from Marjorie Priceman. A really fun and stunning read, probably more suited to older petites as it is a little long.

The Iridescence of Birds: a Book about Henri Matisse by Patricia MacLachlan with illustrations from Hadley Hooper is a completely lovely book. I adore this story, it is so sweet as it depicts Henri Matisse’s childhood and how he grew into the artist we all know and love.

Adele & Simon by Barbara McClintock is an incredibly cute book that has an old school feel to it. There is so much to see in the early twentieth century pen and ink illustrations. It is a sweet story about a sister and brother looking out for each other as they travel through Paris.

This is Paris by Miroslav Sasek these books are stunning in their illustrations and put together in a way that is basically an illustrated travel guide pleasing to petites and adults alike. What I find so fun about the This is series is that Sasek died some thirty years ago and his illustrations are being reissued and enjoyed by so many. This is the World came out last year and is stunning if you have a globe trotting petite you might really enjoy this title.

Linnea in Monet’s Garden by Christina Bjork is a beautiful book that celebrates a child’s love of impressionism and Monet’s beautiful gardens. This book is quite lovely, it is rather long though and probably better suited to slightly older children.

All of these stories have one thing in common they inspire a love of adventure and wanderlust. If you can’t get to Paris then you might as well enjoy some lovely stories in the meantime.

Wonderful Wordless Books

January 21, 2015April 11, 2015 / Petite Stag / 8 Comments

I have used wordless books in my English as a Second Language classes many times, because they so naturally promote oral language development. The same principle applies for our petites who are learning new words, learning how to engage with stories and talk about the books that they are reading.

Why wordless books are wonderful:

Readers have more freedom to interpret and therefore a lot less risk when talking about stories (which makes them great for using with students learning English or struggling readers)
Great for all age ranges
Petites who aren’t yet able to read, can “read” these stories giving them a sense of accomplishment and building confidence
Promotes storytelling skills
Without having words, readers are able to work on comprehension skills – making self to text connections, predictions about what a character may be feeling, as well as predictions about what will happen next
Readers have a greater appreciation of the details in the images and pay closer attention to the illustrations to give them clues about what is happening
Promote conversations about the text
They help petites learn about sequencing and structures of stories

With so many reasons why wordless books are so valuable to our young readers lets talk about the books. There are so many incredible books to choose from, some have been around for a while and others are newer. I try not to rank books that are my favorite, because each one has something special about it or I wouldn’t take the time to share it with you. However, one of the books was so incredibly stunning that I couldn’t wait for my petite to get home from school to share it with her.

Draw! by Raul Colon is so incredibly stunning, the illustrations are simply amazing. A little boy draws images of African animals and becomes part of the adventure. This book is perfect for all ages, and each age range I suspect will take something different away.

Flashlight by Lizi Boyd. I was intrigued by this book because it gives such a unique perspective about the dark. I love this book and think that is has such neat features, little cut outs in the pages and beautiful illustrations.

Journey by Aaron Becker is a stunning book that depicts what happens when a little girl who is bored draws a door on her bedroom wall and takes off on an incredible adventure. This is one of my petites favorite books.

Quest by Aaron Becker is the story of two children who are given a map by a king who is then taken away and the kids are on a quest to rescue him. It is simply gorgeous.

Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle is an amazing story with flaps you can lift illustrating a little girl and her flamingo friend who do a very special dance – it is completely charming. A very relatable story where petites can learn all about friendship.

Flora and the Penguin by Molly Idle is the next step for our darling protagonist – since she has now mastered her ballet skills she moves onto ice skating with her penguin friend. This is a story about friends navigating what friendship means. A lovely story where your petites can sort through the ups and downs of friendship.

Chalk by Bill Thomson is a really fun story for petites about a group of friends who find a bag of chalk at the park. As they draw with the chalk their images come alive. Luckily a rainstorm comes just in time. More suited for children a little bit older perhaps in the 7 and up range.

Wave by Suzy Lee is an incredibly beautiful story using just two colors of water color. It is all about a little girl at the beach and her interactions with the waves, a great platform to discuss feelings and predictions.

Flotsam by David Wiesner a young boy goes to the beach ready to examine all of the things that float onto the shore, he is surprised to find a camera and all that it has to show him.

Tuesday by David Wiesner is a whimsical story of a Tuesday when frogs take to the air on their lily pads. This is a phenominal book that has been in print since 1991 and has sold half a million copies – for good reason it is so much fun to read and discuss.

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka is a fantastic story about a dog who looses her favorite ball to another dog, a highly relatable story for petites who have lost or broken a toy before.

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney based on Aesop’s fables, two unlikely friends come together and help each other through some difficult situations. The illustrations are breathtaking.

These books are all wonderful. With this list, I am sure you will be able to find a perfect story for you and your petites to enjoy.

Perfect Prints for a Petites Book Nook

January 20, 2015 / Petite Stag / 1 Comment

In thinking about updating my girls book nook, I have been contemplating what type of art to put onto the walls. I am so excited about some of the amazing things I have found.

Etsy is such a perfect place to find incredibly lovely prints at reasonable prices. What I love most is that you can find amazing art from illustrators of some of our favorite books.

The Fox and the Tea Cup has amazing prints that depict strong-willed girls and adorable animals reading. I love her designs and have written about her lovely book plates before.

Trafalgars Square is a fantastic shop, Kit Chase is the artist behind these designs and one of my petites all time favorite books Oliver’s Tree. There are so man lovely designs I am sure you would be able to find prints for your petite’s nook. I have written about her lovely illustrations before here and here.

The Black Apple is Emily Winfield Martin’s etsy shop. It’s lovely, if you are a fan of her stunningly illustrated books Dream Animals and Day Dreamers then you will love these prints. I’ve written about our love of her books here and my love of her illustrations here.

The Little Fox is a really lovely shop filled with lots of whimsical prints, these are some of my favorites.

Another incredibly charming poster that would be a welcome addition to any nook

With so many reading inspired print options available you can choose any theme your petite might like. Which are your absolute favorites?

Book Nook Obsessed

January 17, 2015 / Petite Stag / 6 Comments

For years I would read magazines and clip out all of the pictures of the things I loved and put them in a binder. Then Pinterest came along and revolutionized my binder of clippings. Even if it did make having a child’s birthday party turn into an extreme sport. Pinterest became a place where you might just realize you could put together cool outfits from your own closet, inspire amazing travel plans and get ideas for decorating rooms in such remarkable ways.

My daughter sleeps on a bunk bed and there is an open space underneath it, which we made into a book nook. When we did this, I spent a ton of time on Pinterest looking at some of the incredibly amazing children’s book nooks. What we ended up with is a really cozy and comfortable space, but I would love to do a little more with this cute space.

Since it’s no secret that I love books, you won’t be surprised by my deep love of book nooks, I am thinking about changing some things around in the petites and rounded up some awesome nook inspiration.

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These are all so amazing, I love how whimsical the first one is, I love the amazing light in the 5th nook. These nooks are so inspiring. Which one is your favorite? Please tell me in the comments below.

A Hilarious Read: This Book Just Ate My Dog!

January 16, 2015January 15, 2015 / Petite Stag / Leave a comment

Richard Byrne has created a book that is incredibly hilarious and engaging for readers. This book is so silly, that my petite was giggling so hard when we were reading it that we started giggling too and couldn’t stop.

It is a story about a little girl named Bella who is walking her dog, and you guessed it, the book eats her dog. What?! Don’t get too close, because this is one hungry book and it has an appetite for just about anything. Where this book gets silly…one word…BURP! For some reason this single word has my five year old howling with laughter.

Reader engagement is so important especially for young readers, this book has it, spoiler alert, after everyone is swallowed up it is up to the reader to sort it all out. What is so fun and engaging is that you’re asked by Bella (our protagonist) to turn the book and shake, and shake until everyone falls out of the gutter of the book. It is so funny, the first time we read it, the petite looked at me like really, shake it? Then she grabbed it and shook like crazy. It was hilarious.

This book would be perfect for someone who likes to read, as this book is different from most in how you can intereact with it. This book would also be perfect for a petite who is not too keen on reading. This Book Just Ate My Dog is so creative and unique I love the little surprises in the details of this book, it is so well done. I cannot wait for you to read it.

A Classic Revisited: Peter Rabbit

January 15, 2015April 11, 2015 / Petite Stag / 2 Comments

Like most people who grew up having stories read to them at some point one of those stories was Peter Rabbit. My mom loved these stories and that love came through whenever she read them to me growing up. I strongly believe that these books fostered my deep love of rabbits.

Me with my best bunny Amanda in 1986

When I had a petite of my own, my old Beatrix Potter books came to reside on her bookshelf – from time to time we would read the stories of those mischievous little rabbits. When I heard that Emma Thompson was going to be writing The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit, I was excited, but nervous all at the same time. You see, I love Emma Thompson – literally everything about her, she seems like she is just the most fun. However, I was nervous, because I had such fond memories of Peter Rabbit and I was a little scared of change you see.

Let me be the first to say, The Further Tale of Peter the Rabbit is AMAZING! First of all the letter from Ms. Thompson in the beginning of the book is quite adorable. Not to mention this story is incredibly fun, the illustrations are lovely.

My absolute favorite is when Finlay McBurney shows up, he is a rather large Scottish rabbit, complete with kilt, dagger and thistle tucked into his coat. Peter is challenged by Mr. McBurney to some games of the Highland variety. Of course our pal Peter is as mischievous as ever and puts his paws where they shouldn’t be, it is a great story, with a very sweet message.

This book is engaging and charming from the very first to last page. I am certain that if you fondly remember Peter Rabbit, you will be delighted to embark on this new adventure with him. And fortunately there are three adventures to add to your shelves.

The Christmas Tale of Peter Rabbit | The Spectacular Tale of Peter Rabbit

Kisses are Flying in Catching Kisses.

January 14, 2015April 11, 2015 / Petite Stag / 2 Comments

Catching Kisses, by Amy Gibson with illustrations by Maria Van Lieshout is a book that celebrates kisses and love. This book is unique in that you go on a journey through the USA as you turn the pages. Amy Gibson has created such beautiful language to describe the kisses and the illustrations add so much to the lovely story.

This book is really fun because you follow the kisses on their journey through the United States. My petites loved looking at all of the different places and finding the “kisses” which are the seeds of a dandelion as they move through place to place. Catching Kisses showcases many popular cities and yours might just be one of them – making the story all the more personal.

For the Classroom:

I think this is a beautiful story, that could be a platform for students to build on their figurative language skills using the similes and metaphors in the text. I think this would be a really fun read aloud for the classroom and can see reading it to students at the elementary level. I would read this to students who were in 2nd -4th who were working on bolstering their figurative language as well as for the different locations that are featured, it would be a fun book to have them guess where the places are. Another fun place to share this book would be during an art lesson/class. The illustrations have a lot of movement as well as which would be fun to share with a group of students.

Library Wall – Lovely Addition to the Nursery

January 13, 2015January 13, 2015 / Petite Stag / Leave a comment

When petites are little it is so important for them to be exposed to all sorts of books, basically anything that interests them. One way to support this for your petites to have the books facing out so that they can see the covers. When they face out the petite can interact with the cover – which is essentially how our little ones choose what books they want to read or have read to them. It is a lot more engaging for petites to see the vibrant covers of the books than just the spines. A library wall is a really easy project you can complete in a weekend. It is also a stunning addition to a nursery or playroom.

RIBBA Picture Ledges from IKEA

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What I personally love about these IKEA ledges is that they are a fantastic price and look gorgeous on the wall with books. They come in two sizes, 21 3/4 and 45 1/4 and the price-point is $10 – $15. Even better, you just screw them into the wall and add your favorite titles. How easy is that?

We personally use the ribba frames in my girls room and love them. I adore the way we can rotate different titles in and out based on the petite’s current interest.

Gutter Bookshelves

Gutters are another great way to decorate and showcase all of your lovely books. Two things make the gutter shelves so handy; first is that they can hold a lot more weight than the ribba – meaning a lot more books. Probably the most handy aspect of all is the gutters can be cut to any length you desire, making a custom look quite easy to attain. no. 1 / no. 2 / no. 3

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My dear friend added some of these gutter bookshelves to her daughters stunning nursery and I love how they turned out. There is something so fun about using books as art, but in a way that it is functional. I love when beauty meets function. Don’t these gutters look amazing? All done for around $40.

There are so many lovely ways to display your petites favorite books it really is just a matter of how much space you want to devote to the book wall and whether you prefer gutters or ledges.

Happy decorating.

Erin

The Petite Stag

a blog about raising readers who have a life long passion for literacy

Author: Petite Stag

Book Nook Love

Illustrator Love: Aaron Becker

I Love Paris in the Springtime

Wonderful Wordless Books

Perfect Prints for a Petites Book Nook

Book Nook Obsessed

A Hilarious Read: This Book Just Ate My Dog!

A Classic Revisited: Peter Rabbit

Kisses are Flying in Catching Kisses.

Library Wall – Lovely Addition to the Nursery

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