By: Lauri Lu,
on 8/8/2016
Cats are among some of the most popular pets in the world, and they’ve been so for thousands of years. In fact, there are more than two million cat videos on YouTube. In appreciation of our feline friends for World Cat Day on 8 August, we’ve put together a list of 12 little-known cat facts.
The post 12 little-known facts about cats appeared first on OUPblog.
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By: Zoe,
on 11/15/2015
Counting Lions written by Katie Cotton, illustrated by Stephen Walton is a book where things are not quite what they seem.
It features illustrations which look so incredibly lifelike that you think they must be photos. They are in fact hand drawn with charcoal – and lots of patience. It’s a counting book and is of course about numbers, but not only the first ten digits we learn. Rather it makes readers reflect on when numbers mean the difference between life and not just death, but extinction. It’s a remarkable book.
It’s a book to make you look, and think, and wonder in awe. Ten animals are introduced, each with a double page spread featuring Walton’s breathtaking and moving illustrations and a short poetic text giving the animals a context, introducing a few judiciously chosen facts about their lives. A tiger is described as “a flash of fire and night“. The elephants don’t just migrate, they “travel the dust paths of memory.”
Counting Lions can be read as a learn-to-count book – one lion, two gorillas, three giraffes and so on. Young children will love the scale of the illustrations (this is an out-sized book), and I’m sure many a small hand will end up stroking the pictures, reaching out and feeling an emotional connection with the animals depicted. But don’t be fooled. This book will also capture the imagination of a ten year old who’s long past the 1,2,3 stage. The quiet, powerful language, the addition of fact files on each animal(including its status on the list of endangered animals) in an addendum, as well as links to further reading make this a springboard for anyone curious about and appreciative of the natural world.
Inspired by Walton’s remarkable use of charcoal we decided to explore this medium ourselves. I found this guide, this introduction and these tips very helpful background information.
We explored smudging, drawing fine lines, shading, removing charcoal with a rubber, “painting” with charcoal and a wet paint brush and more. Pretty soon we were quite dirty!
Charcoal is a very expressive medium to draw with – it makes such a satisfying mark even when pressing lightly. I’d definitely encourage you to use the largest possible sheets of paper if you try this out yourself as the ease with which such a juicy black line appears made us all want to make large movements whilst drawing.
We tried drawing in the dark, with just one light beaming on a “still life” (hence the lamp on the table in the picture above); this idea came from the rich darkness of the charcoal, and the sensory experience of drawing in the gloom was quite exciting! Here’s our final gallery:
Whilst we explored making art with charcoal we listened to:
"The Lion" by Benjamin Scheuer & Escapist Papers from Radish Pictures on Vimeo.
A COUNTING ERROR by John and Mark from Barry Phipps on Vimeo.
Other activities which might work well alongside reading Counting Lions include:
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Disclosure: I was sent a free review copy of this book by the publisher.
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By: Christina Wald,
on 4/8/2015
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| John the Lion, the handsome fellow I have sketched several times at the Cincinnati Zoo |
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| From a trip last summer... |
A funny story about the (almost) soft side of nature’s predators, and the prey who don’t want to be friends with them anymore.
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By: Christina Wald,
on 9/17/2012
By: Zoe,
on 9/15/2011
As some of you know last term I started reading regularly to two classes of 5 and 6 year olds at M and J’s school – reading great stories just for fun, to show them that learning to read isn’t all about phonics and literacy but also about exploring, delighting and laughing.
The sessions went better than I could have hoped for and this term I’m been asked back but on slightly different terms – I’m now being given an hour every Friday afternoon to read and do book related play with the kids. Can you imagine how happy this makes me 
?
Today I have my first session; 30 kids (a mixture of 5,6 and 7 year olds) and our theme is books and libraries.
I’ll be starting the session with Otto the Book Bear by Katie Cleminson and Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen and Kevin Hawkes and I shall round it off with Delilah Darling is in the Library by Jeanne Willis and Rosie Reeve and Dog Loves Books by Louise Yates.
In between the two reading sessions we’re going to make our own pocket libraries.
To do this the kids will first decorate some blank matchboxes with bits and pieces (we’ll be using regular matchboxes rather than craft ones as we didn’t have time to order them). Then the kids will be taking a few of the mini books I’ve prepared (folded card with a small piece of paper stapled inside) and choosing frontcovers for their books from a wide selection I’ve cut out from publishers catalogues. They’ll glue their covers to the front of their books and once they’ve got 3 or 4 they’ll put them inside their matchbox and have their very own pocket library.
A pocket library being read by some playmobil!
If there’s spare time, or the kids just want something else to do, they’ll be able to make their own mini versions of the bookshelf wallpaper M, J and I made here.
Click to view full size image ready for you to print if you wish to use yourself.
Kids will be offered a shelf of their own to paint and encouraged to come up with book titles for the books on their shelf. There will be plenty of book characters to colour in, cut out and eventually stick on to their shelves. To start with we’ll be using Gruffalo, Octonauts, Eric Carle and 3 Comments on A book loving reading session at school, last added: 9/16/2011
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By: maggie,
on 5/19/2010
I've been slacking off lately, but since last August, I've been putting a "Kids' Classic I Forgot to Read" on our front desk for a month at a time. Previous titles are: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler, Egypt Game, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, Mr. Popper's Penguins, The Cricket in Times Square, A Wrinkle in Time and 13 Clocks. In honor of Fathers' Day, I decided to select My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannet (illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannet), a fabulously wholesome story perfectly suited for reading aloud with the whole family. 
Little Elmer Elevator (the father of the faceless narrator) would give anything to fly. Luckily for him, he's made friends with an alley cat who knows where a dragon lives, held captive by a slew of wild animals. It is Elmer's quest to free the dragon, and chase his own dream of flying, and to do so he must use all his cunning, courage and (most of all) kindness to accomplish his goals. Elmer makes for a lovable protagonist, whose most memorable characteristics are that he is kind and he is clever. Though many of the animals want to eat him, he finds ways around them that do no harm to anyone. Win, win.
The illustrations are plentiful, and the type set is large, so the fact that it is 86 pages is a bit misleading. It's a very short story, similar in feel to many of the Japanese fairy tales I grew up reading (only with less tail-cutting-offness and swords). Simple enough for younger kids to follow, with all the adorable a grown-up can handle, I totally recommend this book for full family read alouds, barring the involvement of any snarky teens.
Shown above, an illustration of Elmer and his run in with the Rhino on Wild Island.
By: Eric Orchard,
on 1/21/2010
For sale: One Lion. I've posted this original on eBay for sale. Bidding starts at eighty dollars cheap. Help me fund my funny paper production and have a lovely original....
By: Tasha Saecker,
on 10/8/2009
The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
In this almost wordless book, readers revisit Aesop’s tale of the lion who spares the life of a mouse only in turn to be rescued by the mouse. The only words on the page are animal noises that bring the African setting to life. Readers follow the mouse right into the lion’s paws, sigh in relief at the release, and will be riveted as the capture of the lion plays out.
Pinkney shows readers the world in focused images, revealing the view of the land the mouse has, the perspective of the lion, and foreshadowing the capture of the lion in the poacher’s net. Each image is beautifully done, filled with details that bring the story to life and invite you to linger over them. His pacing is done with such skill that he can create suspense with a single page turn. From the moment of opening the cover, readers are in the hands of a master story teller who speaks through his art.
One of the best wordless picture books I have ever read, this book should be on every library’s shelf. And with that cover, it is not going to sit there long! Make sure you face this one out!
Reviewed from copy received from publisher. Copy will be placed in library collection.
Also reviewed by Collecting Children’s Books, 100 Scope Notes, A Patchwork of Books, Pink Me, and Fuse #8.
By: Eric Orchard,
on 9/16/2009
Here's a piece I did as a sample for a children's book. The character didn't work out but the style sure did. I really enjoyed doing this combination of pen and ink and opaque gouache paints and the final effect really pleased me. I've never been satisfied with my colour pictures and I think this is the direction I'll be taking my colour work.
By: Eric Orchard,
on 2/20/2009
Here's a sketch of one of the lions outside of the New York public library in Manhattan. that pigeon really was sitting on his head. I love this building but I found it really confusing. I didn't get to explore until the end of my trip and I was pretty tired at that point. The building seemed to have Escher-like staircases that would drop me off at arbitrary locations.
I'm feeling pretty crappy at the moment. I'm pretty unmotivated and stressed about all the work I have to do and Henry's up half the night and Julie and I are getting pretty cranky with each other and we're both really stressed about moving to Toronto. This is one of those really tough times. Like my friend Brad said times like this are like squeezing through a very small aperture. I'm trying really hard to get stuff back on track.
I've been reading a lot of ghost stories and that's been cheering me up for some reason. I've always loved ghost stories and it's like returning to a familiar place. A creepy, familiar place.
Seen above: Caesar the Friendly Lion, Dimensions 12.5 x 9
Able a design and branding firm outside of Philadelphia just put together a great animal poster series. The lion poster has a retro feel to it and reminds me of some the children’s book illustrations seen in the late 1970s to early 1980s.
You can see/ purchase the entire series at Able’s Etsy shop.
Also worth checking:
Petit Collage Animal Alphabet Poster
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By: Ginger*:)*,
on 7/12/2008
©Ginger Nielson 2008
By: Darth Corder,
on 4/23/2008
Lions, Tigers and Bears (Volume 1): Fear and Pride – Joey and his mother are moving out of his Grandmother’s house. Joey is afraid because he knows there are monsters underneath beds and hiding in closets and without his Grandmother’s presence, he knows that they will get him. Fortunately for Joey, his Grandmother knows these things to be real also. As a going away present, she gives him a package with four stuffed animals called The Night Pride. The Night Pride consists of Pallo - Leader of the Pack (a Lion), Venus – Guardian of the Pride (a Bengal Tiger), Minerva – Huntress of the Shadows (a Black Panther) and Aries – Warrior of the Night (a Siberian Tiger). These stuffed animals come to life whenever a child is in danger from Evil Beasties that come out in the night. One night, from out of his new closet in his new bedroom, two Evil Beasties, Mumbler and Grumbler, attack and Joey’s Night Pride comes to full-blown life to defend him. When the fight is over, Joey finds himself in the world where stuffed animals are real all the time. This is just the beginning of a wonderful book that is really great fun and promises further volumes in the near future.
Star Wars: The Last of The Jedi – The Desperate Mission by Jude Watson – This is the first book in “The Last of The Jedi” Series. The Clone Wars are over and Emperor Palpatine along with Darth Vader rule supreme. The Jedi are all but extinct, having either been betrayed by the deadly Order 66 and killed by the very Republic Clone Troopers under their command, or hunted down and killed by Lord Vader. Obi-Wan is one of the few Jedi remaining alive and his mission is to ensure that young Luke, who is being raised on Tatooine by his Aunt and Uncle, is kept safe from the Empire until he is of age to make a difference in the future. While on Tatooine caring out this duty, he hears that an old acquaintance named Ferus Olin, who at one time was a padawan but walked away from the Jedi Order before the end of the Clone Wars, is in deep trouble on the planet Bellassa. With the help of an “old friend” he is convinced he must leave Tatooine temporarily to help Ferus. Little does he know all that this “help” will involve. This is a great read and a great series and I highly recommend it to all!!!!!
Flight Explorer: Volume 1 edited by Kazu Kibuishi – This is really a wonderful collection of short stories by extremely talented and inventive writers and illustrators collected in one Graphic Novel. Some of my favorite stories in the collection (although I really liked them all) were Missile Mouse in “The Guardian Prophecy” (lots of action and adventure), Fish N Chips in “All in a Day’s Work" (Get this; a cat and a fish are galactic protectors of the planet Earth. Sounds funny, right? Well, the story is even funnier than you think. I just love it.) and “Big Mouth” (this one is so hilarious that I’m not even going to try and explain it; just read it). Do yourself a favor and give this Graphic Novel a try. The art work and stories will blow you away. You will not regret it, I promise!!!!!.jpg?picon=694)
By: Writing for Children,
on 10/16/2007
Join us today for Book Bites for Kids, LIVE on blogtalkradio.com.
Our guest will be Lorijo Metz, author of Floridius Bloom and the Planet of Gloom. Call in during the show and ask Metz a question or leave a comment at 1-646-716-9239.
blogtalkradio, Book Bites for Kids, Floridius Bloom and the Planet of Gloom, Lorijo Metz, Picture Books
I know what I want for Christmas!
I wish I could tell you where to get them. I will have to check into it...