Books

EDIT: Yesterday a friend was over and shared a knitting book she had gotten from the library. She looked at one of the hat patterns and said "That reminds me of that kid's story about the peddler with the hats." Of course, I had to show her the toy I made a couple years ago. I haven't thought much about it lately, and decided it might be a great time to share again on Wee Folk Art. It has become one of the most beloved toys at Gammy's :)

"Once there was a peddler who sold caps. But he was not like an ordinary peddler, carrying his wares on his back. He carried them on top of his head." So begins the tale of Caps for Sale, the lovely story of an unorthodox peddler and a tree full of pesky monkeys! Written and illustrated by Russian author Esphyr Slobodkina in 1940, it has remained a favorite amongst children for generations. I can remember when my kindergarten teacher read this book to our class. I immediately feel in love and have reread it many times over the years. Although the list is long and mighty, I can honestly say, this was my very favorite book as a child. Why? 

I loved the absurdity of the book; a man balancing 17 caps on his head, monkey's in trees wearing hats, and the interplay between man and monkey! 

I also was empathetic to the peddler's loss. Can you imagine losing your wares to a bunch of renegade monkeys!  
 

Well, far be it from me to give away the end of the story, suffice to say, I've always been a sap for an "all's well that ends well" read. As a bit of an aside... the peddler's frustrated, and sometimes angry exclamation of, "You monkeys, you", became a favorite exclamation of mine as I was raising my children, although mine was uttered playfully, and usually followed by... "Move it, monkeys!"

Caps for Sale is a perfect story for children to act out. The plot is simple, and if you reduce the number of monkeys, the cast is small. To that end, I have crafted a set of characters and props to help your children extend the story to their own imaginative play. 

Met the peddler. Ready to take a little rest under a shady tree.

Met the monkeys. Ready for a little mischief and mayhem.

Feel the frustration of the peddler, bested by the monkeys!

 

And, feel the exhilaration brought on by an unlikely turn of events!

The directions on how to create your own Caps for Sale storybook characters can be found HERE. The directions for making the Autumn Tree can be found HERE. Enjoy! 

I find even today, as I peruse the books at Barnes and Noble, I find myself comparing books to the classics like Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina, Blue Berries for Sal by Robert McCloskey, and The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. So, when I find a new book that I love, I am thrilled to share it with other people.

The other day I meet How Robin Save Spring written by Debbie Ouellet, illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. It is your basic pourquoi story, answering these questions, along with many others; why do bears hibernate in winter, why do caterpillars spin cocoons, how did the skunk get a white stripe on his back, and not only why do robins have red breasts, but why do they fly south for the winter. Although the answers are a bit contrived and are not part of traditional folklore, the story is engaging and the illustrations are sweet and vibrant.

The story opens with Lady Winter refusing to reliquish her hold on the world. Sister Spring is due to wake up at any time, and Lady Winter knits a magical white blanket and keeps Sister Spring in a deep sleep. Robin witnesses the whole thing and enlists the help of the woodland inhabitants to try to wake up Sister Spring. In turn, each animal is foiled by Lady Winter and is punished for their attempt. Finally, Robin outsmarts Lady Winter, but he too must pay a price.

 

  
BTW... See that little bit of flower garland in the top photo? I'll be sharing the tutorial for it tomorrow ;)

Last day of January already... yikes! It's been a busy week, but I have made time to work on the new sweater for the Little Lady. I shared a link to the pattern last week... a lovely sweater knit in 1 piece. I've finished the back, one sleeve, and half of another. Cruisin' :)

I was going to make a skirt to go along with the sweater, but Michelle suggested I make the adorable reversible pants found in Anna Maria Horner's book Handmade Beginnings.

Aren't these sweet?

It's hard to see in the photos, but the yarn I'm using in the sweater has flecks of brown and green. I hit my stash and was able to come up with fabric to make 2 pairs of reversible pants that will look wonderful with the sweater.

So, the plan... finish the sweater this week... sew the pants next week... then I'll be taking to train to Wisconsin for a week of playing with the Little Lady. Can hardly wait :)

EDIT: This giveaway is now closed. The winner will be announced 1/28/2012. Thank you A Child's Dream and to everyone that entered :)

EDIT: Oops... failed to mentioned, awesome Debbie will ship overseas, so EVERYONE is invited to enter :)

I read all the time, but my favorite times to indulge in a good book are in the dead of winter, curled up by a blazing fire, or while off on summer vacation, near the water, without a care in the world. So... whether you are bundled up here in the northern hemisphere or lounging on a beach in the south hemisphere, this is the perfect time of year for a book giveaway!

Debbie, from A Child's Dream, was kind enough to donate, what has become one of my favorite crafting books. I was given Crafts Through the Year by Thomas and Petra Berger for Christmas. I have other books by them, and have found inspiration in them all. I especially love this book because it takes us through a whole year of crafting delight for you and the wee ones in your life.

The book is divided into seasons. There will undoubtedly be some crafts that you already are familiar with, but others that may be new and inspiring. Here are just a few of the projects you will be able to make.

Crafts Through the Year is a MUST have for anyone that has wee ones in their life or is influenced by the seasons, and wants to surround themselves with natural beauty. So... what do you need to do to enter? Simply wander around A Child's Dream and let us know what other books you'd like to add to your library. Make sure you look through all of the sections. There are books hither and yon throughout the shop. You won't want to miss looking at any of them!

The contest runs from today, Tuesday, January 24 through Friday, January 27 at 9:00 p.m. EST. Then, a name will be drawn at random. (The lucky winner has 1 week to contact us with a snail mail address or a new winner will be selected.)

In order to make everyone a winner, A Child's Dream is offering everyone a 10% discount on anything ordered from January 24 thru January 29. That's 2 days after the contest is over... in case you are feeling extra special lucky and want to see if you win before you place an order :) Simply type in WEEFOLK in the coupon code to save 10%.

Trust me when I tell you... you want, nay, NEED this book :) And Thank you so much, Debbie, for this wonderful giveaway. Good luck to one and all, now scurry over to A Child's Dream and check out their awesome books! (Oh, yes, be sure to look at all the other cool stuff in her shop, too :)

This is definitely a "quickie" book review, but I wanted to get something up before people considered buying this book.

The other day I mentioned that I ordered the book A Bird in Winter: A Picture Book Inspired by Pieter Bruegel The Elder, by Helene Kerillis and Stephane Girel, I'm sad to say, this isn't a book I'd recommend. Although I think children would enjoy the the rather simplistic style of the illustrations, the story was not to my liking. There is a harshness to the story that I think children would find unsettling. Also, I found the characters to be flat. I think in general I felt like they took a potentially interesting story and rushed it, making me feel unmoved in the end.

I can't remember where I originally read about it, but they gave it glowing reviews, and I had high hopes for the book. Checking on Amazon now, I noticed it was not rated and no one has written a review. I realize this isn't an in depth book review, but many people buy books we mention, and I didn't want this one included on our list :(