back in the day.

Once Upon A Time by Amy Weinstein was today's good find.

The book includes illustrations from fables, primers, pop-ups and other children's books. The illustrations are Victoria-era based and demonstrate animated tales, reflecting fond childhood memories. I love the idea of this book so much.

I love the authenticity of the illustrations. They are the type of illustrations you now find on a tea set or a greeting card. Here, they are presented as the real thing.

It would be really interesting to look at the illustrations in this book with children and look at similarities and differences between illustrations from history and present day. They just have 'the look' that make you aware they are 'old' but what is the reason for this? Colour.. artist tool availability.. context and what could and could not be included? It is something I would like to find out more about myself.

I'm sure you all know this tale..

Some really striking images. The only down side is that I will soon have to return the book to the library.. thank goodness for renewal!

Enjoy and happy Thursday!

these little lovelies are for you.

I love this image from Pink Olive - an adorable NY boutique.

breezy. sweet. vintage.

go on. in valentine spirit.

This morning (nearly afternoon I might add) I can't seem to stop 'blogging around.' So much love posted on so many blogs for this lovable day.

I wanted to post these gorgeous cards that have been designed by studio mela

They are adorable. childlike. and fun.

LOVE IS EVERYTHING.

any love I might add.

ALL AROUND YOU.

and where there's hope there's love.

YOU ARE MY VERY BEST FRIEND.

and you know who you are.

WHAT HAPPINESS FEEL LIKE.

I couldn't not include rabbits could I.

happy LOVE day.

x

love. love. love.

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. A little toy rabbit loved by a boy. A real toy rabbit.

Imagination, one of the most beloved traits of childhood.

The images speak for themselves.

On another note, happy valentine's day !

love. love. love.

The real thing.

This may be side-stepping just a little but it has to be done.

A real life dolls house in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Every child (and adults) dream I'm sure.

I love the soft colours and lighting.

So rural, so quaint.

I can just picture a little theatrical performance of life inside the house going on.

Ah. I just love it.

A new find

The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers is a book that I have not yet read. I recently saw images from the book in a children's literature study book and decided I NEED TO GET MY HANDS ON THIS!

There is something about it, it's quirky and just delightful. The story is about a boy who starts to eat books, hoping to become smarter. Apparently he becomes sick from eating too many books, and so decides to read them instead. I'm not sure how the story turns out, and I look forward to finding out.

What struck me about this book really was the pictures. The pictures are simple and contrast between minimalist illustrations of the boy on a detailed backdrop. The pages are made up of simple line and print, blending warm colours together. What I love about this, is that you could read the book as a quick story or really study its pictures for hours.

Maybe this is one you have read already? I look forward to finding it myself, that's for sure.

Daley B

I hesitate when posting about this special book. It's a childhood favourite and I almost feel as if it is too much of a secret to share. I love this book mostly because of what it means to me. Like many material things in life, you create associations. Simply from getting a glimpse of this book I feel so happy.

Daley B created by Jon Blake is, well yes, a rabbit. Gotta love them. Yet Daley B does not know himself that he is a rabbit. Daley B is discovering what he is, where he should live, and what he should eat. He tests out different possibilities, bringing light humour to the story.

If this book was used to educate, it could be used as a stimulus to introduce animal habitat and survival. Young children are fascinated by animals, where they live and what they do.

One of my all time favourite parts of this book is when Daley B is trying to discover why his feet are so big.

"Are they for water-skiing?" he said.

"Are they for the mice to sit on?"

"Are they to keep the rain off?"

These big feet come in handy at the end of the story. Ah, I just love how it unfolds. Daley B is so naive and lovable. The drawings created by Axel Scheffler, bring this to life.

What a little childhood treat.

The Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravett

Ah it feels good to be posting again.

Last time I was passing through an airport, I picked up this precious book. 'The Rabbit Problem' by Emily Gravett is just filled with exciting surprises (even for a 22 year old). There really is something about buying a book at an airport. It just feels like a treat - a new adventure to take with you.

The Rabbit Problem reminds me a lot of The Jolly Postman books by Allan Ahlberg that are full of exciting envelopes and new finds. The Rabbit Problem has a similar presentation to these. It includes a party invitation, a pattern brochure for knitting a jumper, a birth certificate, a ration book, a newspaper and a cookery book - all attached to the book itself, but easily accessed as if they were real documents. What a fantastic thought for children.

The amount of learning opportunities this book provides is crazy. The book could be used as a stimulus to look at any one of these documents above. For example if children are learning about world war II- the ration book is perfect. If children are looking at how to structure their writing, the cookery book could be used as an example of what should come first and how to make instructions clear to a reader. There are really endless possibilities for each of these documents mentioned above and this book is one that I am going to keep safe for future teaching for sure.

On top of all the individual surprises this book has to offer, there is a great overall message delivered. Each page of the book represents a different month. The book is sort of like a calendar. In fact, the book is hole-punched at the top - perhaps this is suggesting it can be hung up like a calendar - how adorable in a child's bedroom. The story is about rabbits (for some reason rabbits just do it for me when it comes to children's story books) and January starts with one lonely rabbit. This rabbit is unable to leave his field. The population of rabbits increases throughout the book and then finally at the end of the book (maybe I should not be saying this...) - well it's a good ending.

What is great about the content, is that it teaches children about population. It introduces doubling and well, maths. I for one have never been very good at mathematics. However with a book as great as this one, children could without a doubt be inspired to learn about numbers. All you need is a good stimulus, and I believe this book is one great example for this.

Let's not forget that (like every story book I choose) the pictures are of course adorable. They appear as watercolour and epitomize through their detail the story and emotion of every rabbit.

This book just makes me happy.

Why don't you be Lonely Rabbit's friend.