Crankiness, mothers and bears

The bear in Nick Bland's "The very cranky bear" is not a mother, and there are no mothers in his story. However, it is very easy as a mother to identify with Bear's need for sleep and peace and hibernation - and to understand his crankiness when he is interrrupted by little ones looking for a perfect place to play!

This is our three-year-old's most requested story at the moment. Joe loves the beginning - In the Jingle Jangle Jungle on a cold and rainy day - and the rhyme of the story which makes your voice lilt up and down as you read it.

This picture book tells the story of Moose, Lion, Zebra and Sheep, four friends with different looks and personalities who attempt to play a game in a cave without realising that a cranky bear is trying to sleep. While Moose, Zebra and Lion are the braver and more flamboyant characters, it is plain Sheep who manages to save the day and appease Bear.

There is lots of repetition which is fabulous for little ones, and the rhyme makes it a wonderful read-aloud book for toddlers and preschoolers.

The illustrations, also by Nick Bland, use broad brush strokes and larger than life characters so that the animals seem vivid with lots of personality.

And as today is a cold Melbourne October day, it seems like Bear has the right idea for hibernating!

Christmas lanterns and Santa sacks - days 7 and 8

Oops, missed yesterday - too much going on! Yesterday we were going to make Christmas lanterns like these ones but there was too much basketball and playdough happening. Another day. But our willow branches are starting to look lovely with the Advent stars hanging on them.

Today we pulled out the Santa sacks, one for each of us. I bought the plain bags a few years ago from Andrea at Flora and Ceres and embroidered our initials.

Setting up the nativity - day 6

Today we read Martin Waddell's "Room for a little one", one of my favourite Christmas stories. The story and the illustrations are gentle, and my kids enjoy hearing the traditional story of the nativity told from the animals' viewpoint. We are always repeating the title, "There's always room for a little one here!" as someone tries to squeeze in on the couch or find a spare knee!

The Christmas star in the Advent calendar for today suggested we should set up our nativity. When my Grandad died about eight years ago, Mum gave me his old nativity set. We set it up for a few years but each year another piece would literally crumble in our hands. So a couple of years ago we bought a beautiful wooden set from Honeybee Toys. We use the kids' farmhouse as the stable, and today they pulled out the fairy/farm playmat I made for them a couple of years ago. (Not really sure how many fairy flower rings there were in Bethlehem!) Tom found our farmhouse animals and aded them to the stable too, even the wonky sheep.

When we chose our wooden nativity set, I wanted one that the kids could play with, one that wasn't precious or just for looking at on a high shelf. Annalise made up her own nativity story - Mary, Joseph and Jesus were lost by our windowsill - but, wait, wait for it - their guardian angel came flying, flying, flying all over the family room until she found them and showed them the way to the stable.

I hope Grandad would approve of this modern version ...

Little Christmas tree - day 5

Keeping it simple today - we found a place for the little Christmas tree.

Christmas carols - day 4

Twenty minutes last night searching for the Christmas CD. One minute to put it in the CD player. Thirty seconds for the kids to open the fourth window in the Advent calendar this morning. One second for me to press play. Voila - our Christmas carols!

Christmas wreath - day 3

Our Christmas wreath is very simple - a green one with a big red bow and a stem of red berries wrapped around it. We had good intentions to hang it on the door today, but a family birthday kept us busy. So here leans our wreath, on the hall table, about three feet away from the front door. Maybe tomorrow ...

Lighting the Christmas candle - day 2

Annalise opened the Advent calendar window this morning - and there was an invitation to light the Christmas candle. We did light it for breakfast this morning but we will light it for dinner every night and perhaps for bedtime stories. The scent is divine!

Christmas Advent calendar - day 1

Last year we did something a little different with our Advent calendar. Instead of filling it with the usual lollies, chocolates and small treats, I placed a cardboard Christmas shape with a string for hanging and a message. The message gave the kids an idea for doing something Christmasy.

This year, we're going to do the same, and I'm going to blog about it each day. (Is that a little ambitious - a blog post every day in December? A December which already seems to be filled to the brim with family birthdays and end-of-year gatherings?) Wish me luck!

I have already cut out star shapes using a Christmas biscuit cutter, and hole-punched them with a string for hanging. My three kids will take it in turns to open a box in the Advent Calendar each day (thank goodness 24 is divisible by 3!) and can then hang the star on our willow branches in a vase. I have written all the Christmas ideas on the stars, with a few blanks for flexibility. Some of the ideas are very simple, so we can do them in five minutes before school. Other ideas are for more leisurely weekend crafting.

I am hoping this will spread out the Christmas cooking, decorating, eating, crafting and giving, and build up - in a gentle way - the Christmas excitement.

This was all inspired by Madeleine L'Engle's "The twenty-four days before Christmas". I loved her book "A wrinkle in time" and have recently read her wonderful series for young teenagers about the Austin family. This Christmas book is about the Austin family but can be read as a story alone and is suitable for younger readers. Vicky, the main character who tells the story, is seven. I'm planning on reading the first chapter to my bunch tonight - although it might turn out to be a book just for Tom (nearly eight).

I'd love to hear what you are doing for Advent!

The Qantas strike as explained by a picture book

The Qantas strike has meant we are still on holidays in sunny Queensland, unable to fly home. Isn't that devastating - another day or two or three of holidays?

At the fabulous local bookshop here, I bought a picture book called "Click Clack Moo, Cows that Type" by Doreen Cronin. Intriguing title, isn't it? Farmer Brown has a problem - he has cows that can type demanding letters. And they have threatened to hold back their milk if their demands for electric blankets aren't met. And the cows are typing letters for the hens as well - the hens are witholding their eggs. Farmer Brown calls on Duck, a neutral party. There are more typed letters and negotiation until the terms are settled.

Can you guess where I'm going with this? Yes, you can use this story to explain the Qantas strike to kids! Unhappy workers (3 unions/cows and hens), demands (equal pay/electric blankets), strike action (cancelled flights/no milk or eggs) and neutral party (Duck aka Fair Work)... You can see the similiarities, can't you?

And after all that, it is just such a fun book to read aloud - Click clack moo, Click clack moo, Clickety clack moo!


Meanwhile, I'm just going to sit by the pool, read this story again to any of my kids who aren't in the water and wait for the cows and Farmer Brown to stop typing letters and sort our flights out ...

Zoo art

Sometimes literature and art just need to be simple. Less is best. "My heart is like a zoo" is one of Joe's favourite books. One of his party tricks is to imitate all the animal noises - such a rite of passage for a two-year-old!

The short amount of text on each page is just enough to hold his attention. The similes are unique and imaginative - rugged as a moose or bothered as a bull with a hornet in its hair or peaceful as a portly walrus lounging on a towel.

The illustrations are made of heart shapes - Michael Hall used hundred of hearts to create his zoo animals. The last page is gorgeous - one of those "a-ha" moments for adult and child readers alike. Won't spoil it for you! Annalise just had to have a go at creating her own heart collages.

I traced around our set of heart-shaped biscuit cutters on construction paper, cut them out and then Annalise glued them on scrap paper.

I'm not sure that her animals are anatomically correct - they are her "made-up animals, you know" but they're as wonderfully bright as Michael Hall's animals.

More zoo books here and here.

Melbourne outings

It's been a while since I've posted. But even though I've been busy with editing projects and writing courses, we've still been reading, of course!

Pamela Allen's book, 'Alexander's Outing', is set in Sydney but here in Melbourne, we have taken it to heart. During our own outings in the recent school holidays, we have quoted extensively from Alexander's mother, "Stay close, take care!" Most of the time it was a gentle reminder to my kids - but sometimes it was a rather loud or anxious quack!

Alexander and his mother and four brothers and sisters set out in search of adventure. But unlike his brothers and sisters, Alexander did not stay close or take care. So of course he gets into trouble, and it takes many interested onlookers and a brilliant idea to rescue him.

There are gorgeous, active illustrations which show all the drama and fun and problem-solving. Lots of white space so the flapping wings really stand out.

My two-year-old loves ducks, and loves this book because of all the "quacks". Remember this post? We might have to make some yellow playdough again. Or perhaps see whether Alexander has meandered down to a local Melbourne park?

The best blueberry recipe

On this first day of Autumn, I am looking back wistfully to summer's blueberry bounty to bring you our favourite blueberry recipe and our favourite blueberry book. Yes, of course, there is a blueberry book - 'Blueberry Girl' by Neil Gaiman!

It is the perfect present for a baby girl, or a girl of any age really. Who doesn't need to be blessed like this: Grant her the wisdom to choose her path right, free from unkindness and fear.

Or perhaps like this: Truth is a thing she must find for herself, precious and rare as a pearl. Give her all these and a little bit more ... gifts for a blueberry girl.

I love how the blueberry girl - a different looking girl throughout the illustrations - is watched over by ladies of light and ladies of darkness and ladies of never you mind. (Annalise and I love to say that line aloud - go on, say it aloud for yourself!)

The story is a prayer, a wish for the unborn daughter of the author. One of the first illustrations by Charles Vess is of a pregnant woman.

Whether you picture your daughter or your six-year-old neighbour or your sixteen year-old niece, this is a beautiful book to read aloud to a special girl.

And this is a beautiful recipe to share! This scone is meant to look rustic and to be devoured within minutes. We have cooked it twice this week for friends - it is best served immediately so I tend to cook it when I invite friends and family to our place. It is also a child-friendly recipe - both in the cooking and eating! And while my daughter is the one most interested in cooking, it is my two blueberry sons who always ask for second helpings of this dish!

Blueberry Scone (adapted from a recipe by Bill Granger from an old Delicious magazine)

Ingredients
250g plain flour
1 tbs caster sugar
2.5 tsp baking powder
100g unsalted butter, chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
125 ml cream
100g blueberries, tossed in a little bit of flour
an extra egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Add the sifted flour, sugar, baking powder and a pinch of salt to the food processor and pulse briefly. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture becomes coarse crumbs.

Tip the mixture into a bowl and carefully mix in the 2 eggs and cream - don't overmix the batter. Gently stir in the blueberries.

Turn the dough onto the baking tray and mound into a circle, about an inch and a half high. (It is better to go flatter rather than taller so your scone doesn't burn on the outside while still gooey inside).

Divide the scone into 8 wedges with a knife but don't cut all the way to the bottom. Brush with the extra beaten egg. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Serve immediately with butter. Enjoy!

"Come over to play at the Childhood 101 We Play link up."

Paint and paper ladybugs

A library book and an inspirational blog led to this rainy day art activity last week. Annalise borrowed David Soman's "Ladybug Girl at the beach" from our local library and I found this fabulous idea from Sharilyn's blog at lovely designs.

Following Sharilyn's activity, we used a potato half dipped in red paint to create the ladybug bodies, and then experimented until we found the right ingredient for the black spots. A blueberry! And let me assure you, only one blueberry was used in creating these black spots - eating is a much better use for blueberries, I think!

Annalise did the potato and blueberry stamping, and I painted the black antennae. Then to add some 'floatiness' to our bugs, I cut out red tissue paper into rough wing shapes and Annalise 'blueberried' them and glued them on. We might cut them out to use as cards.

After reading "Ladybug Girl at the beach", I'd like to hunt down the first book in this series. Lulu, the ladybug girl, and her dog, Bingo, explore all that the beach has to offer - except the water. My favourite page is when Lulu lists her top eleven favourite flavours for ice-cream: Chocolate Marshmellow, Cherry Vanilla, Pistachio, Butter Pecan, Peppermint Bon Bon, Peanut Butter Chip, Raspberry Swirl, Peach Pie, Almond Fudge, Royal Banana Surprise, and  ... Vanilla.  Mmm, yum!


Lulu eventually does go in the sea - to rescue her floating pail.

The water is past her knees, and she isn't afraid at all! "Ladybug Girl isn't afraid of anything!"

Love the spirited affirmation!

ABC learning with Alison Lester – and so much more

I attended a workshop with Alison Lester a week or so ago. Alison is a well-known Australian author and illustrator, and very generously shared her experience and knowledge of writing and illustrating children’s picture books. Inspiring is an understatement! She talked us through her various books and explained the ideas behind them, as well as the art techniques. We also saw many examples of the books she makes with children from remote indigenous communities – I’m really looking forward to exploring some of these ideas with my kids. Alison taught us to plan a storyboard and even let us loose with paints, crayons, stencils and watercolour paper!

While our family has many favourite books by Alison, I’ll write about just one today – ‘Alison Lester’s ABC’. This is perfect for Annalise at the moment – at four, she is beginning to recognise letters. Alison’s alphabet book has plenty of detail to keep her interested in the pictures, which of course, are all linked to a particular letter. Even though it is an alphabet book, the story behind it of Alice and Aldo’s day is a lovely thread holding everything together. It's also a fabulous opportunity to introduce the concept of alliteration! It's as simple as this - look, I can see lots of words together that start with the letter G!

Inspired by Jennifer’s post at the write start, Tom and Annalise painted these wooden letters I found at a craft shop. Not surprisingly, it was all about family for Annalise. She painted a letter K blue for me – “because your name starts with a K and blue is your favourite colour!” She also found a J for baby Joe – I didn’t know she could even recognise the letter J.

Such baby steps towards reading and writing, but so very important. Inspiration can start from anywhere ...

Zoo activities

“Mummy’s taking us to the zoo today …” I heard this refrain sung over and over and over again yesterday. The singing wore me out, but the trip to the zoo itself was great fun. Before we went, there was a lot of preparation.

- Tom wrote a list of must-see animals.
- Annalise imitated Tom and ‘scribbled’ her list, and then read it to me.
- Tom, Annalise and Joe played with the zoo duplo, building homes for the animals.
- We made butterfly cakes for morning tea to take to the zoo.

At the zoo, we saw our favourites – the elephants, tigers, butterflies, meerkats, seals and many more. Tom was quite good with following the map, (unlike his geographically dyslexic mother!) and drew his own version when we came home.

After we came home, all of us exhausted, we flopped on the couch with a pile of zoo books. This one is a great zoo book for toddlers. I’ll post about other zoo books later in the week for preschoolers.

Rod Campbell’s “Dear Zoo” is a lift-the-flap book, with lots of white background and bright, strong colours. The repetition is fun for toddlers and the different types of flaps to open make it interesting. The adjectives to describe each animal will extend vocabulary. We’ve been lucky enough to receive a couple of “Dear Zoo” books – and we have needed them as they have been well loved here! Joe at fifteen months is at just the right age to really enjoy opening the flaps and learning the animal sounds, so this is a perfect book for him.

Painting rainbows

This book is a similar format to “Puff, the Magic Dragon”. The CD is not just a bonus – it is an essential component of the book. The traditional song from “The Wizard of Oz” is sung by Judy Collins. She explains that she “went to see The Wizard of Oz when I was a little girl, with my pigtails tied on top of my head, with my Aunt Betty in Los Angeles. I felt so grown up, and so free, and the song has followed me, like a bluebird, all my life.” You can really hear the connection Judy has with the lyrics in her singing. There are also a couple of extra songs on the CD, including our favourite bedtime song, “I see the moon”.

The book is illustrated by Eric Puybaret with acrylic paint on linen. Eric writes in his note at the end of the book that he saw “tenderness, hopefulness, reverie, and a little melancholy … What an inspiring song!”

Well, we had to have a go at painting some of these whimsical birds, and of course, a rainbow or two. I think a rainbow has to be one of the most satisfying objects a child can draw or paint. It ticks all the boxes – colourful and instantly recognisable. And even though a rainbow might seem a little prescriptive to some budding artists, you can follow Eric’s lead and play with the possibilities of stars, clouds, dancing children, birds, music notes and smiling moons.

By the way, I am starting a new editing project, so will be posting here two or three times a week instead of every weekday. Thank you again to all those who are reading my blog and leaving comments. Have a lovely weekend!

A book for Dads

Warning – this book may leave the average Dad feeling rather inadequate. The Dad in “My Dad” by Anthony Browne

isn’t afraid of anything, even the Big Bad Wolf
[and can] win the fathers’ race on sports day, easily.

This is a great book for toddlers, especially with the repetitive line, "He's all right, my Dad." It reminds me of my lovely grandmother-in-law - she would say the same about anyone in her family.

My favourite double page shows the Dad “as wise as an owl, and daft as a brush.” Such a fabulous contrast, because there are many Dads out there who are both perceptive, knowledgeable – and daggy in their dressing gowns!

Happy Father’s Day!

Bugs and their looks

This book, "Bugs in a Blanket" is a wonderful combination of beautiful story, gorgeous illustrations and valuable life lessons. The little bugs who live in a blanket in the garden have never met, until Little Fat Bug invites them all to his party. They are all very surprised to discover that even though they are all bugs, they don’t look the same.

Italian author and illustrator, Beatrice Alemagna, has made the pictures look so tactile – linen, wool, buttons, fabric, sequins, beads – you really want to touch each little bug.

It’s a pretty simple lesson for kids, that

in the blanket, just as in the rest of the world, we can’t choose what we look like – we are all born the way we are, and we’re all different.

Imagine what we adults would let go of if we embraced our “brightly speckled” coat or delighted in having “always been yellow all over”?

Making a Mem Book

Tom and I are on a roll with our book-making. We created our own accordion books, based on Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord's instructions from her website. She has heaps of other ideas for making your own books - the photos of her book-making workshops are very inspiring.

As it's Book Week, we had to look at one of Mem Fox's books. But which one to choose? What to say about it that hasn’t already been said? So this is a brief list, my best attempt at conveying to you why we love this book, “The Magic Hat.”

- A magic hat – who wouldn’t want one?
- It’s funny – people changing into animals – hilarious!
- The anticipation – wait for it, wait for it – which animal will it be? Can
we guess the rhyme? Do we have any clues from the picture?
- The illustrations are joyful watercolours, with lots of detail by Tricia Tusa
- And the rhyme is wonderful -

Oh, the magic hat, the magic hat!
It moved like this, it moved like that!
It spun through the air and over a road
And sat on the head of a warty old …. Toad!

We used watercolour paints and had a go at painting the hat, the people and the wizard. Imitating the style of the illustrator gave us an appreciation into the correlation between the text and the pictures - you start to notice all the clues in the pictures which hint at the text on the next page. The magic blue hat with its ability to spin through the air was a perfect choice to illustrate our accordian books - which stretched out to accommodate the dancing antics of the hat!