Reading & Books

Get Ready for Summer with Your Petites

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I am a huge fan of Pinterest, it is one of the places where boredom is cured, inspiration happens and where parents can share the amazing things they do with others.  I wanted to share my top four Pinterest pages I love to browse.  Thinking about summer with your petites can be a little overwhelming, Pinterest and these four amazingly talented ladies are helping me to ensure my girls have an incredibly creative and fun summer.

Art Bar Blog

I cannot tell you how inspiring this blog is, I follow her on Facebook too and oh my goodness, the daily posts are so much fun.  You can tell just how passionate she is about art and kids.  I just know you are going to adore her blog, FB page and of course her Pinterest page

Art Bar Blog

Tinkerlab

Rachelle at Tinkerlab is brilliant, she has a wonderfully fabulous book with sorts of wonderful ideas to keep your petites busy and of course using their creative minds.  I absolutely love her blog, book and of course her Pinterest page.  She is one incredibly creative Mama.

TinkerLab

The Garden Classroom

Cathy James is brilliant, she has such an amazing blog, there are so many incredibly fun things to do that your petites will be sure to be highly engaged and entertained with all of the fun activities.  I love this Pinterest page, because there are so many incredibly creative ideas that I would have never thought of on my own – check out this amazing wonderful page.

The Garden Classroom

Red Ted Art

What I love so much about this blog and Pinterest page is that, well a lot of what is used is stuff you already have at home or things you can pick up at the dollar store.  I love that found items play such a huge roll.  But don’t take my word for it, check out this page, I sure you will find lots of fun things to do with your petites over the summer.

Red Ted Art

These four women are so incredibly creative, I love all of their ideas they inspire me to be a better and more creative mom to my own girls.

Enjoy!

Erin

 

Well hello, This is Sadie

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Cover Art

This Is Sadie by Sara O’Leary & Julie Morstad published by Tundra Books/ Penguin Random House Canada, Spring, 2015.  This publication of this book is something I have been looking forward to for a while.  The art Julie Morstad has created is simply divine.  You may already be familiar with her work she illustrated Julia, Child which I have adored from the moment I first saw it, read more about Julia, Child here.  There is something about these gorgeous images that just inspire and make you feel as though you are dreaming.

What I love so much about this book is that the Sadie has a very active imagination and as a mom of two little petites imaginative play is so incredibly important.  It is something that we try to foster and support in any way that we can.  I love that this book starts out with Sadie playing in an empty cardboard box.  She is a girl who loves a good story, a girl who is imaginative and bold.

Another incredibly endearing quality about this book is the marriage of story and illustrations.  This book has a very unique and special quality that makes it easy to read over and over.  Even when you see this book on the shelf it jumps out at you, with darling Sadie peeking out through her fox mask.  The illustrations engage the reader and sort of hold your hand through the magical experience that Sara O’Leary and Julie Morstad take you on in this lovely collaboration.

Another really fun component to this book is that Tundra Books is an awesome publishing company that not only publishes some of our favorite books, but supplemental materials that keep the fun going.  Check out these beautiful buntings, paper fox mask (just like Sadie’s), paper dolls and paper flowers.  The bunting makes me so happy, I love that I can decorate my petites book nook to represent one of her favorite books.  Click on the image below to be directed to Tundra Books website where you can download this lovely activity kit.

Activity Kit

Once you check out This is Sadie let me know what you think.  Also for more of our favorite books check out our facebook page The Petite Stag.

Today is Independent Bookstore Day!

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Independent bookstore dayWhoo Hooo, do you have plans today?  I am guessing once you finish reading this post you might.  If you don’t live in Seattle and can’t hop on over, don’t feel badly, so many independent bookshops are participating that I am sure you will be able to find some fun bookish happenings close to home.

Here is what you need to know for my favorite local bookshops (click the links to see what is happening)

Elliot Bay Books (best for everyone who has eyeballs and likes to use them to read great books) when most people think of Seattle and independent bookshops they think of Elliot Bay.  I know I have taken one or more out of towners to this local treasure.

Secret Garden Books (best for everyone who has petites) scavenger hunts and story time sound like fun to you?  then you will want to get the details about all the happenings in Ballard.

University Books (want to see what the kids in English 101 are reading?  I do, oh wait and a vast array of everything else?) with three Seattle area locations you are sure to have a fantastic time looking at new books.  They have a bunch of really fun activities for petites throughout the day as well some giveaways.  They even have a story time, click the link to get specific times and details.

Book Larder (hungry for books?  Go here)  Want to partake in some yummy cooking demos from the books that they sell?  How about spend $20 and get a free tea towel?  They have a selection of the most amazing cookbooks and a staff that can help you find your new favorite meal.

There are fun things happening at almost every independent bookshop around the country, I can’t wait to hear about what you find.  If you get out there please share some pictures on the Petite Stag Facebook page, I would love to see what you find.

Mustache Baby Meets His Match is a hoot!

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Cover

Mustache Baby Meets His Match is a wonderful facial hair laden book that your petites will thoroughly enjoy.   Bridget Heos and Joy Ang have created two of the most hilarious books that I’ve had the pleasure of sharing with my girls.  These books are filled with hyperbolic delight and illustrations that just make you feel good.  Mustache Baby Meets His Match is the perfect way to start or end any given day.  Yesterday my petite had a tough day at school and came home just sobbing, we sat down with a snack and read this book and it instantly brought a smile to her face.  Priceless.

This is a story about two babies, Billy and Javier.  Javier is new in town and on his first play date.  During this play date Billy is trying to best Javier and make him his sidekick, however making Javier his sidekick is not going as planned.


Javier has a thing or two to show Billy.  The different challenges that they get into are hysterical and a delight for parents and children to read. The mustache and beard have a persona all their own in this story making it even more hilarious to watch how the facial hair changes over the course of the story.

This epic play date is only saved when mom steps in and puts these two in separate corners.  In the end the two work out their differences and learn a very important lesson.

…sometimes the most important race is being the first to say you’re sorry.

There are so many aspects to this book that I love, the references and subtle homage to famous people, whether it’s Einstein, Dali, van Gogh, Santa, Earhart or our favorite president Lincoln.  This book is brilliant in that the mustaches and beard turn from a “good-guy” into a “bad-guy” mustache.  We can certainly all relate to the feelings that these two petites are going through in this story.

Heos and Ang are a perfect pair for this book, the illustrations and story go perfectly together.  The petite said this is her new favorite book.  I am sure once you and your petites get your hands on it you will agree.

Their first book Mustache Baby is the predecessor to this fantastic read.

Mustache Baby

Teachers and parents…amazing ways to get you petites telling stories

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Show Me a Story: 40 Craft Projects and Activities to Spark Children’s Storytelling by Emily K. Neuburger (2012) is one of those books that you will check out from the library and when you have a few bucks in fines, you will realize you probably should have just bought it in the first place.

What I think is pretty fun is that I’ve actually pinned a few of her amazing activities.  Let’s talk about this book is broken into four sections: story starters, story evolution, story activities and story play.  Initially I was drawn to this book as a resource for my daughter who loves to tell stories and recently has been working very diligently on her Field Journal. (look for future posts on the Petites Field Journal).

I thought it would be really fun to make story rocks.  Have you seen these?  They are awesome.  Basically, they are just what they sound like.  Rocks that have different elements of a story on them and then you use these rocks to create different stories.  You can get the images onto the rocks in a few different ways, you can use acrylic paint to paint them on, or you can use Mod Podge with fabric, stickers or paper, etc.  Another way you could do this with older petites is with sharpie pens.

Then when you have chosen your stones and the story you want to tell you would use the stones much as you would use a doll in a doll house, or any other dramatic play item.  Another wonderful suggestion in the book is for ELL students, preschoolers the stones could be used to teach vocabulary as well.  Essentially, these stones are just really fun tactile ways to get petites talking about stories and using their imaginations.

Some of the other projects that are in this book that have now become items on our project to do list are the following:

Story Disks these are adorable and maybe a little more feasible for the classroom.  I was thinking this would be a great writers workshop/art lesson where partners could come up with a plan and make these story disks and then share them with their classmates during writers workshop.

Another piece to this that I love, is that Emily gives you an idea of how best to use these items.  It’s really fun to make them but sometimes putting them to their intended use can be challenging; but she takes the guess work right out of it and gives you ideas for how to use each project.

There are so many fantastic projects that would be hours of fun and entertainment for petites with minimal set up and cost.  I love that.  Not to mention, finding the perfect rocks for the story rocks is entertainment in itself.  This is a really great book with 40 craft projects and activities that build story telling habits in kids.

I intend to use this book for some up coming projects, as well as this summer to make sure that my petite doesn’t forget any of her learnings from this school year.  I strongly encourage you to check out this book.  If you like what you’ve seen here in this post you will love the book.  In the meantime while you’re waiting to get your hands on Emily’s book you can check out her website where there are tons of fun activities.

If you enjoyed this post you might also like:

Cover

Tinkerlab a hands on guide for little inventors

 

A Logophiles Dream Picture Book

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Cover

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus is a stunning work of art and even better yet, it is a true logophiles dream.   Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet have given new life to Peter Roget who wonderfully crafted thesaurus.  Growing up I remember have a dictionary and a red Roget’s Thesaurus in my desk at all times.  This same thesaurus traveled with me to college and then to my own classroom where the spine was broken and a rubber band held it together.  In all those times that I used this book, I never knew the story of its maker Peter Roget.

With this incredible book, I now get to share my love of words with my petites.  The book is beautifully illustrated, much as you would assume Roget’s lists and how he would have outlined them in a notebook.  I love the illustrations, there is a depth to them that both my girls noticed right away as they ran their little hands over the pages trying to see if in fact pieces were glued to the pages, as you would do with a scrapbook.

This is a beautiful story about Peter Roget, who moves a lot as a child and is rather shy.  Peter finds comfort in books and knows that books will never leave him.  That words have power and that everyone should have access to these words.

In 1852, Roget published his Thesaurus, a words that means “treasure house” in Greek.   People snatched it from the shelves like a new kind of candy.  The first thousand copies sold out quickly.  Peter was suddenly a popular author.  But this did not change him at all.  Instead, he went right back to his desk and made new lists…so that today, whenever you need it, you can still find the right word.

 

Here is a link to the book trailer, which is as stunning as this lovely book.  You will clearly see why this book is a 2015 Caldecott Honor Book, 2015 Sibert Medal Winner and a 2015 Orbis Pictus Honor Book.

For the classroom:  This book would be perfect to use as part of a writers workshop.  It is always fun to challenge kids to try out using new words especially when it comes to their writing and not just for different ways to say said.  This book would be perfect to introduce the concept of bolstering vocabulary in writing.  This book would be perfect for kids in kindergarten through third grade.

Added bonus: both my girls are very interested in how books smell, and often times even my 20 month old will smell books (to my absolute delight) after choosing this book for story time the other night my oldest declared that “this book has the best smell ever”.

Mastering Pasta a Delicious Endeavor

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A few years ago when I was teaching full-time and completing my masters degree I would find myself incredibly stressed with my day and need a way to unwind.  I found that making pasta was a cathartic experience for me.  There was something about putting together the most simple ingredients to make incredibly delicious meals.  It became a sort of running joke at our house when my husband would come home and see the pasta maker out and flour in my hair, he would know it had been an incredibly stressful day; but more importantly that a delicious meal was in his near future.  When I saw that Marc Vetri has put together this book, I was thrilled.  For years I’ve been wanting to get back to those days of crafting pasta by hand.  Vetri’s book is just the inspiration that I’ve been looking for.

Mastering Pasta

Recently, I have had a chance to study and enjoy Mastering Pasta: The Art and Practice of Handmade Pasta, Gnocchi, and Risotto by Marc Vetri with David Joachim.

Life is a combination of magic and pasta.

-Federico Fellini

There are so many things about this cookbook that I love, first off, it is real and honest, Marc Vetri wanted to write his first cookbook about pasta, however, instead he took his time and researched pasta for over a decade (of course he wrote two other amazing cookbooks Il Viaggio Di Vetri: A Culinary Journey in 2008 and  Rustic Italian Food in 2011).  This book is the perfect primer for anyone who wants to learn how to make authentic pasta, gnocchi and risotto.  With that said, even the seasoned pasta maker will enjoy the new takes on traditional recipes.

You can tell just by reading the first 5 pages of this book that Marc loves pasta but not just pasta, but what it represents: spending time with family, enjoying traditions, the company you’re with and not compromising quality for convenience.

Another stunning part of this book is that Marc Vetri shares stories of his travels, as well as the history of some of these traditional meals.  He shares the inspiration behind the 100 recipes, I love this aspect of cookbooks.  I love the back story that makes it seems personal, as if it were a recipe card you are getting from a relative who tells you about when they made it and special notations that they made have in the margins.

You feel like you’re having a conversation when you read this book, Vetri talks about how stocks and sauces are the cornerstones of cooking, how cooking these meals is such that you layer these flavors and how cooking with ingredients that are farmed close to your home is the best.  After reading Mastering Pasta, I feel as though I have had a detailed cooking class with Marc Vetri where he has shared with me all that he has to know about pasta.  This is a book that you will pull off your shelves for tried and true recipes, to find something new and inspiring for something to serve for special occasions.

This is the one and only book you will need to make delicious pasta at home for your family.

 

Blogger note: I received this book from Blogging For Books for this review, but the thoughts and opinions in this post are entirely my own.

 

Vincent van Gogh for Petites

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Quote

Today is Vincent van Gogh’s birthday.  I have loved his amazing artwork for just about as long as I can remember.  I think Starry Night was the very first poster I hung in my college dorm.  The more I learn about van Gogh the more I deeply respect him and the struggles he must have endured in his 37 years of life.  To learn more check out this link to TED-Ed .   I wanted to celebrate this incredibly talented artist by sharing some of his words and some books that you can share with your petites.

“At present I absolutely want to paint a starry sky. It often seems to me that night is still more richly colored than the day; having hues of the most intense violets, blues and greens. If only you pay attention to it you will see that certain stars are lemon-yellow, others pink or a green, blue and forget-me-not brilliance. And without my expatiating on this theme it is obvious that putting little white dots on the blue-black is not enough to paint a starry sky.”

There are some really amazing books out there to help showcase the amazing talents and work of Vincent van Gogh.  Here are just a few that showcase who van Gogh was as well as show some of his most popular pieces.  These books are the perfect introduction to one of the most famous Dutch Post-Impressionist painters.

van Gogh and the Sunflower

Van Gogh and the Sunflowers (Anholt’s Artists Books For Children) this book is lovely and all about Van Gogh and his inspiration and interactions that lead to some of his most famous pieces.

In the garden with van gogh

In the Garden with Van Gogh, this board book is perfect for the smallest of art lovers.

DK Van Gogh

Van Gogh: Explore Vincent van Gogh’s Life and Art, and the Influences That Shaped His Work (DK Eyewitness Books) ideal for older petites, packed full of information about van Gogh.

Vincent's Colors

Vincent’s Colors you can’t go wrong with this stunning book, filled with van Gogh’s art as well as his own words and quotes.

Van Gogh

Van Gogh and the Post-Impressionists for Kids: Their Lives and Ideas, 21 Activities (For Kids series) this is a great book that covers many of the Impressionists and some fun activities that go along with them.

Coloring…it’s not just for petites

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Last October, Huffington Post published an article about how coloring can be used as a relaxation technique.  Since then the books that they showcased have sold millions of copies.  Carl Jung used coloring to help patients in the early 20th century using mandalas, this is not some new marketing thing, coloring is tried a true.

Sometimes being a mom or a dad, or just an adult is incredibly stressful, and often times we don’t make enough time for ourselves, or even pay attention when we are feeling overwhelmed and stressed out.  The reason why these books are so incredibly popular, is not, in my opinion because coloring is all of a sudden something people like to do, it is because as a society we are under quite a bit of stress on any given day.  Coloring is a stress reliever, so why not embrace it?  For about $12 you can have hours of stress relief?  So now that we’ve all admitted we’ve got some stress in our lives, let’s just go ahead and set some time aside for something cathartic, something that will relieve some of that tension.

I wanted to share with you a few of my favorites.  Of course, there are tons of coloring books at just about any price point out there, but these are simply stunning.

Secret Garden

Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book

Enchanted Forest

Enchanted Forest: An Inky Quest & Coloring Book

Counting Chickens Before They Hatch

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For years I’ve been dreaming of the day when we will own a home where I can have a small flock of chickens.  When I say dreaming, I am not joking, I’ve had dreams where upon buying a house, my hubby shows up with a box of chickens just for me.  Although for some having backyard chickens sounds like a messy endeavor, to me, it sounds like something that is going to be rewarding and delicious.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time thinking about all the details and specifics that go into getting chickens.  After all, I can’t just show up at the feed store and leave with a box of chicks.  I am a lady with a plan.  In all my excitement for getting my backyard flock, I have been checking out some really fun books about chickens for the petites so that they can get excited about the idea before the little ladies arrive.

P.Zonka Lays an Egg

P. Zonka Lays An Egg by Julie Paschkis is such a bright and cheery book, just looking at the cover brings a smile to my face.  Okay I am a little partial because Julie Paschkis is also a Seattleite and it makes me so proud of all of the creative talent that comes from this lovely place we call home.

P. Zonka is a story about a very thoughtful hen, who enjoys all that her surroundings have to offer.  She is a dreamer an admirer.  The other hens in her flock cannot understand why she doesn’t lay eggs like they do and one day when P. Zonka finally does lay an egg, it is extraordinary.  This book is the embodiment of spring and all that it has to offer.  I also think that this would be a lovely book to read in an art class and follow it with decorating eggs.

 

Since I am so obsessed with chickens right now I was thrilled to read an interview that Julie did with Mr. Schu at Mr. Schu Reads where she spoke about P. Zonka and how she is a Frisian Bantam – I may just need to add one of these beauties to my list.  I wanted to know about this awesome chicken and how she inspired such a lovely book; luckily I found a post over at Jama’s Alphabet Soup that discusses my new favorite chicken.

Source: Jama's Alphabet Soup. Click here to read the full post.

Source: Jama’s Alphabet Soup. Click here to read the full post.

This book is so inspiring to me in so many ways.  What I love about it are the gorgeous illustrations, but more so that this book takes the time to notice the beauty in everyday life.  The little things that matter and are important if we just slow down and take notice.  Another reason this book is inspiring is that it show cases these lovely pysanky eggs.   Here is a wonderful activity book, created by Peachtree, that has all sorts of fun things you can do with your little ones.

Event Kit

I think that this book is perfect for just about any time of the year, but especially right about now with Easter just a few days away.  Decorating eggs is something that so many families do, but adding in a new tradition of having an egg decorating party sounds like it would be an incredibly wonderful way to spend an afternoon with friends and family.

 

Here are some of the different designs and colors you can decorate the pysanky eggs and the meanings behind the colors and symbols.  In the activity book above there are lots of activities that you can do with your petites.

 

I hope you enjoy this book as much as we have.

Erin