very cute baby bookshelf

This adorable bookshelf looks perfect for holding Simply Small board books by Paola Opal, no?
Especially Ollie!

You can find it at DwellStudio Baby.

it's a book

A very cute video by Lane Smith!

bembo's zoo

Ooo la la. What fun!
Created by the graphic designer Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich Bembo's Zoo is an animated version of his picture book, "Bembo's Zoo: An Animal ABC Boo", in which letters form stylish animals. The animated, interactive site is amazing. Go to the page here and hover over the letters. Then click on one to see what happens! It's impossible to choose a single favorite letter/animal, but here are a few that I liked:







We love abc books at Simply Read. They are brilliant because they allow a talented illustrator to show off his or her style, or explore an interesting place, or an interesting concept.

Here are a few of ours:
ABC by Julie Morstad


ABC by Matthew Porter


Ryan Heshka's ABC Spookshow


Owls See Clearly at Night (Lii Yiiboo Nayaapiwak lii Swer) by Julie Flett


Runaway Alphabet by Kari-Lynn Winters and illustrated by Ben Frey


And... in the works:




One day it would be nice to do a gallery show of all the Simply Read ABC illustrations!

calling all animals

Just a few days ago the wonderful Betsy Bird at Fuse #8 reviewed our board book, Calling All Animals, by Matthew Porter.
As she says:
"One of the finest little board books the eye ever did see. They may be small. They may be short. They may not be overwhelming you with content. But board books are hard and Matthew Porter consistently gets them right. Something to be said for that."

The full review can be read here.

Calling All Animals is consists of collective animal nouns. In general, collective animal nouns are so interesting!
Here are some included in the book:






Some other awesome collective nouns include:
a charm of hummingbirds
a smack of jellyfish
a mischief of mice
a sneak of weasels
a prickle of hedgehogs
and...
a zeal of zebras

And why not make up more? A good collective noun for babies, I think (depending on their mood), would be a Giggle of Babies!

Also, if you don't follow Betsy Bird's blog, definitely check it out. It is an amazing blog, hosted by the School Library Journal, and she posts pretty much every day!

book cake

This is the best cake ever: a book cake.







Made by Cake Power Kids. As they say: "One of the sweetest things in the world is to make a kid's birthday cake--there is nothing like that look of wonder & happiness as the cake enters the room!"
Same thing goes with books. There is nothing like that look of a kid peacefully, happily reading.

around a camp fire

Spending some time around a campfire? Why not fry up some delicious bannock?
It's a combination of Scottish bread and First Nations' fry bread and is found throughout First Nations' cuisine, including the Metis people. In fact, bannock, in Michif, is called Gallet. Here is the illustration in Julie Flett's Owls See Clearly at Night:



Here is a recipe to try yourself!

Campfire bannock

2 1⁄2 cups of flour
2 tsp baking powder
1⁄2 tsp salt
3 tablespoons of butter or earth bound butter replacement
1 cup cold water (approximately)

Combine the dry ingredients into a bowl. Cut the butter in till well blended. Slowly add water to form a thick dough. Knead the dough on a floured board for less than a minute. Form the dough into one-half to one inch cakes and place into a warmed (greased) caste iron frying pan. Place on rack or prop into the coals of the campfire. Cook for approximately 10 minutes and turn, and then for another 10 (or until cooked in the middle).

Breakfast Bannock

Use the same bannock base, add a cup of berries and serve warm with molasses or maple syrup.

cutest interview ever

We've all seen author and illustrator interviews, but what about an interview with a doll? Not just any doll, but Cloudy, the co-star of Foggy, by Robin Mitchell-Cranfield and Judith Steedman.



The interview is on TV, on the Knowledge Network. You can watch it between kids programming on Knowledge Network, or find it online at http://knowledge.ca/program/cartographies-shorts

It is such a funny, cute stop-motion!
Check out Robin and Judith's blog too, Windy and Friends, which is chock-full of excellent crafts for kids.