It’s almost been two weeks since the Great Canadian Blog Bash took place, and it was fantastic! I have to be honest, I have yet to respond and visit all the blogger that attended the week-long celebration. But the great thing is that the list is still available and I will make my way through all the great posts during the summertime. So if I haven’t responded to you – I will!
For those who hadn’t seen my post on Twitter, @SowDandelions was the winner of my personal giveaway for TGCBB! Since she and I were in between family holidays, I told her I would help pick some books that would best please her children and her family. Here’s what she gave me to work with: Elementary school teacher turned SAHM, @SowDandelions has a seven year old and a five year old who both adore crafting and drawing. Her seven year old loves cats and writing stories, while her five year old loves imagination. She also mentioned that they as a family like the Little House on the Prairie era, and do not like anything scary.
As soon as I read her information, lights went off in my head! Usborne Books has just recently published some fantastic books (as always) but there was one that I knew I would have tell @SowDandelions about:
The Usborne Write Your Own Storybook is jammed with fantastic inspiration for young writers. The illustrations that border the pages are filled with creativity and there are actual references about how to create a story from start to finish. As a freelance writer who studied English Literature, I was thrilled to see this new addition to the Usborne Books collection! This book will be perfect for @SowDandelions‘s seven year old, as well as all children who are aspiring to be writers.
As for the young writer’s love of cats, I had these in mind:
Little Book of Cats and Kittens of the Little Books series is a nice book to have for any cat lover. These are educational books that are filled with fun facts, as well as information on how to care for a cat and how kittens grown up into cats. Another great feature about this book is that it has internet links about cats that children can go check out for more information. So even though the recommended age of this book is five years old, it is a nice reference book that can expand with the internet links.
The Cats Sticker Book is also a fun book to have for children who like cats. Children can learn about all the different breeds of cats by matching the over 90 stickers to the pictures. Each cat picture has a small description. And again, once this stickers have all be placed, this becomes a nice reference book for a cat lover.
And finally, Big Cats from the Discovery series is a great book for children seven years and up (as recommended by Usborne). Also with internet links this is a great book to show cat lovers what lions and tigers are all about.
For the five year old that likes imagination, I first went back to the crafting and drawing ideas. Since they would be a hit for the whole family, I wanted to find something that the five year old could do as well, instead of it being too difficult. This book will definitely spark imagination. Tons of drawing techniques will lend a hand to great creativity! This will be a nice partner to the winning book 365 Things to do with Paper and Cardboard:
Stella Baggott is quickly becoming my favourite illustrator in the Usborne activity books. Her pocket size doodling books are a hit with everyone that lays eyes on them. I just purchased this for my children and I know they are going love this, as I’m sure anyone who loves drawing and crafting will:
The Usborne Big Colouring Book is a new addition and I purchased this one as well, because it is less busy with lots of room for children to draw themselves. It’s beautifully illustrated by four illustrators and is the perfect first book for creative children.
As for Little House on the Prairie era…I had one book pop up in my head: Classic Stories for Little Children. The collection book includes The Wind in the Willows, The Wizard of Oz, The Secret Garden, The Railway Children and Heidi. Instead of getting the books separately, this collection book gives you more for your money and is sure to be a treasury in the years to come.
Of course there are tons more that I could suggest, but this post would be WAY too long (it already is!). So instead I’ll leave it as is, and look forward to chatting with @SowDandelions again. I will let you all know her final decisions!
If you are looking for something for children you love, please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to post another suggestion write-up!
1 comment
Thank you so much for the great suggestions!!! It’s going to be a hard decision to make since I know my kids would love so many of these books!!!