Creating Children's Artwork Quilts, by Shannon Gingrich Shirley

Creating Children's Artwork Quilts

Author: Shannon Gingrich Shirley

Publisher: Schiffer Books 

Publication Date: November 30, 2012 

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What a lovely idea! Like most parents, I have stacks and stacks of artwork from my child and big plans to DO something with them, but...well, there they sit in stacks. I've tried putting them into spiral-bound book (the book quickly expands beyond closing due to the thickness of all the construction paper and collage pieces, plus the tempera paint flakes off everywhere). I've made plans to scan them all and have them printed in a photo book (an excellent idea that I just have to make time to actually DO). My utility closet doors look like a mini art gallery (the fridge couldn't handle all the 'masterpieces'). I know I have to start throwing them away, but I want to keep SOME. But maybe I could do something special with the more memorable ones? Enter Shannon Gingrich Shirley.

Creating Children's Artwork Quilts is full of ideas for transforming children's art into long-lasting keepsakes. The instructions are easy enough to follow that I feel I could probably do most of the projects described, even though I've never made a quilt and I'm not that "crafty." But crafty, well-organized people would probably do a much better job with these projects. I think what it would really be perfect for is a project for my very talented mom to make a keepsake with her granddaughter's art. Hmmm...I could give her the book for Christmas and then GET an artwork quilt from her next year. Perfect!

Hit the jump for images from inside the book!

How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum, by Jessie Hartland

How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum:

The story of a 145-million-year journey from the Jurassic Plains of Utah to the halls of the Smithsonian Institution

Author: Jessie Hartland

Publisher: Blue Apple Books

Publication Date: October 11, 2011

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I wish I could go back in time and have Jessie Hartland write an entire series of "How the..." books that I could enjoy throughout my childhood. I would have absolutely loved this book as a child! It's like a cumulative poem (think "The House That Jack Built") about dinosaur bones. It starts with how the dinosaur lived, how it probably died, who discovered the bones, who excavated, cleaned, shipped, assembled and displayed the bones in a museum, etc. It includes all the steps along the way, which is not only interesting and entertaining, it's very informative as well! It's also great to see all of the different jobs there are for people interested in paleontology or museums, beyond just the museum curator or the paleontologist. Plus, there's a bonus page at the end that explains a bit more about the actual dinosaur hunter and paleontologist featured in the book.

I hope Jessie Hartland writes a dozen more of these, like "How the Hamburger Got to Your Plate" (okay, that one might be a bit gruesome) or "How the Diamond Got on the Ring" (hmm...gruesome as well?) or maybe "How the Book Got to the Library." Hmm...maybe those aren't the best ideas, but I'll still be eagerly looking out for any more books that Jessie Hartland might do!

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What's New at the Zoo? by Betty Comden and Adolph Green (introduction by Phyllis Newman) (illustrated by Travis Foster)

What's New at the Zoo?

Authors: Betty Comden and Adolph Green
(based on song lyrics)

Introduction by: Phyllis Newman

Illustrator: Travis Foster

Publisher: Blue Apple Books

Publication Date: September 13, 2011

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Well I barely feel like I can review this book since the review copy I received from Edelweiss was missing pages and the pages it did have were improperly numbered which meant they didn't line up properly on my desktop reader. I contacted the publisher about it, but never heard back. I must say, I was surprised I didn't hear back since my experience with publishers since I started book blogging has been overwhelmingly positive. I don't think I've ever had a publisher not return my emails. Never. Even the large publishing houses have people who answer inquiries that are emailed to them, usually within a day or two, especially if it's about a review copy of a book. So let's just say this isn't even a real review. I will say one thing, though. If you're thinking about buying the e-book edition of What's New at the Zoo? I'd think twice. If it's as poorly laid out as the review copy I received, you'll be disappointed and you may have a hard time getting it fixed. Stick to the print edition.

I couldn't even get Magda's Take on this because part of the book was missing...

My Dog Thinks I'm a Genius, by Harriet Ziefert (illustrated by Barroux)

My Dog Thinks I'm a Genius

Author: Harriet Ziefert

Illustrator: Barroux

Publisher: Blue Apple Books

Publication Date: September 13, 2011

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Barroux's paintings are lush and lovely and are sure to capture the imaginations of readers young and old. In My Dog Thinks I'm a Genius, a young boy who loves to paint comes home to find his dog has been trying out some painting of his own. Barroux's illustrations for this book were inspired by the artwork of Paul Cezanne, and the book includes end notes about Cezanne's life and art. Fabulous! 

One note about the e-book edition, however. I'm not sure if this book is widely available as an e-book but the review copy I received was digital and there were problems with the page numbering. The pages were not lined up, so I was not able to simultaneously view pages that would be facing each other in the print edition, meaning that I saw half of one double page and half of the next double page, instead of being able to view facing pages together. This made the digital copy I received very hard to read to its intended full effect. I contacted the publisher (a few times) about it but never heard back, so I can only assume that any e-book edition in the future may have the same problems. Stick with print. 

Hit the jump for Magda's Take and more...

Cozy Classics: Moby Dick, by Jack Wang and Holman Wang (inspired by the classic by Herman Melville)

Cozy Classics: Moby Dick

Authors: Jack Wang and Holman Wang

Based on the book by Herman Melville

Publisher: Simply Read Books

Publication Date: November 5, 2012

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The illustrations for this simple board book were created with possibly the cutest little felt creatures I've ever seen. I want them all and I want to play with them and snuggle them and make them talk. Having said that, it's not like your child will really learn anything about Moby Dick and some of the single word text that accompanies each picture are fairly abstract (the word 'leg' next to a felt peg leg, the word 'find' next to a sailor in a crow's nest, etc.). On the other hand, who cares? These classics-as-board-books are really more for the adults anyway (my daughter has received several "baby versions" of friends' favourite books and from an adult perspective, it's thrillingly adorable! If you have a young child and a friend who loves Moby Dick, expect to see this book under your tree at Christmas.

Hit the jump for Magda's Take and more pictures from the book!

Balloon Toons: Pooltime, by Ethan Long

Balloon Toons: Pooltime

Author: Ethan Long

Publisher: Blue Apple Books

Publication Date: June 26, 2012

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This cute, inoffensive comic book style story would be perfect for an elementary school aged child during the summer break. It's a day in the life of three friends--an elephant, an alligator and a bird--as they try to stay cool at the pool. Only the bird should probably watch her back in case that alligator gets hungry... There's not much to say about this book. It's a solid B-. Nothing life-changing or even that challenging for an early reader, but it's cute and funny. Plus, there's even a little bit of word play at the end.

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Balloon Toons: Prickles vs. The Dust Bunnies, by Daniel Cleary

Balloon Toons:

Prickles vs. The Dust Bunnies

Author: Daniel Cleary

Publisher: Blue Apple Books

Publication Date: October 25, 2011

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You know how sometimes when you go to a family restaurant and the kids' place mats have little games and comics on them, and they're always really lame but it doesn't matter because they're just going to get covered in ketchup in a minute anyway? This book reminds me of those 
comics. It's cute, but not that cute. It's funny, but not really. And honestly, considering it's about dust bunnies under the couch uniting to try to take over, it's more than a little disgusting. Ick.

Hit the jump for Magda's Take and more...