Keeping it Real: Minibeasts

Welcome to our 10th edition of Keeping it Real: A Nonfiction Reading Adventure. I can't believe how fast the last 10 weeks have passed by. 

We recently read Flip the Flaps: Minibeasts by Karen Wallace and illustrated by Tudor Humphries. My son loves learning about insects and exploring our garden to see what minibeasts we can discover, so when I saw this book at the library, I knew James would love it.

Minibeasts covers six different insects including ladybirds, ants, butterflies, honeybees, spiders and dragonflies. Facts about each of the insects are shared through questions on one side of the flap, with the answers provided once you flip the flap. This was definitely an engaging way to learn about the insects. Before we turned the flap over, we would try to answer the questions ourselves. Sometimes we got it right, other times we were a little off track.

We also loved the flaps because once you flipped them the illustrated scene changed too. For the ants, you first see the outside of an ant mound and once you flip the flap you can see the cross section of the mound. These little details from Humphries' illustrations certainly adds an interesting element to the book.  

Reading adventures of our friends:
We love our local library and the librarians who work there are awesome! Pen Pals and Picture Books shared Miss Dorothy and Her Bookmobile, which is the true story of Dorothy Thomas, a rural librarian. 

Join us in Keeping it Real:
We would love you to join us in Keeping it Real! You can share your nonfiction reading adventures with us by linking up a blog post below or if you don't have a blog you can always post photos of your adventures on our Facebook page or use the hashtag #nonfictionadventure on Instagram or Twitter. You can find out more information about Keeping it Real link up here.

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Here's how it works:

• Please link up your nonfiction reading adventures. They can be new or old posts, but please link to the specific post and not your general blog page.
• Grab my Keeping it Real button and place it somewhere on your post or your blog, linking back to us, so that others can share in the fun too.
• Please note that by linking up you are giving permission to Honey Bee Books to Pin or feature your photos on a future Keeping it Real post.

Review of How to Catch a Monster and our Yummy Choc Chip Cookies

How to Catch a Monster, written and illustrated by Christina Bollenbach is a beautiful story of a young boy with the courage to face his fears.

Lukas waits on his bed each night for the monster to come. The monster is enormous with big white teeth! Then, one day Lukas decides that he's had enough of hiding under his blankets, being frightened of the monster. He has a plan. With a box, a stick and a 'super-duper, yummy tummy chocolate chip cookie', his trap is set.

The next day, Lukas soon finds out that the monster isn't as scary as he thought it was. Everything seems so much scarier in the dark. The monster is really quite nice and they soon become good friends. They play all day long and then at the end of each day make more super-duper yummy tummy chocolate chip cookies.

The lovely story, paired with Christina's stunning illustrations make this book a joy to read. They illustrations are vibrant and full of little details that explore the vivid imagination of a child. Lukas' planning for making the monster trap would have to be my favourite illustration of the book. The monster is totally adorable and the antics of Lukas and the monster once they become friends are hilarious.

Book Details:

Author/Illustrator: Christina Bollenbach

Publisher: Scholastic Australia

Publication Date: May 2013

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 9781742832791

Age: 4+

RRP: $24.99

Yummy Tummy Choc Chip Cookies
I always love baking with the kids, so of course we had to make some choc chip cookies too. How else were we going to catch our own monster? 

The recipe we used is taken from The Australian Women's Weekly's The Big Book of Beautiful Biscuits, and it's the same recipe my Mum used when I was a kid. She would make a batch at least once a week!

Ingredients:
125g butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cups self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
125g chocolate chips

Instructions: Cream together the butter, sugars and vanilla. Add lightly beaten egg, gradually, beating well after each addition. Mix in sifted flour and salt. Add Choc chips and mix well. Shape teaspoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on a greased baking tray. Bake in a moderate oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

The original recipe also included 60g chopped walnuts, but I left these out, since my kids aren't too fond of walnuts.

They were delicious and didn't last long!

Catching our own monsters
Now we had some choc chip cookies, we had to set a trap to catch a monster too! I didn't have any big boxes laying around, but we did find some shoe boxes, so a mini trap would have to do.

We made ours the same as Lukas' trap, with a box, a stick and a delicious choc chip cookie to entice our little monster.

Our cookie must have been pretty appealing, because we caught three little monsters:

I can highly recommend How to Catch a Monster, especially for any child who has a fear of monsters. It might just help them to build the courage to face their fears too.

Have your children been afraid of monsters or the dark? How did you help them with their fears?

Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of this book for review by the publisher. I was not obligated to review this book and, as always, my opinions are my own.

We are linking up to:
TGIF at 123 Homeschool 4 Me
Kids Co-op at Reading Confetti
Read.Explore.Learn at JDaniel4's Mom

Keeping it Real: Portrait of Spain for Kids

Welcome to this week's edition of Keeping it Real: A Nonfiction Reading Adventure!

Our reading adventure this week included another of the nonfiction books shortlisted for the 2013 CBCA Awards, Portrait of Spain for Kids.

Portrait of Spain for Kids was published by the Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art as part of their exhibition, 'Portrait of Spain: Masterpieces from the Prado'. The exhibition consisted of  collection of Spanish art on loan from the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid. Ten of the paintings from the exhibition are explored in this book.

The adorable and very lovable, Pepe the rabbit, guides the young reader through the book and helps with the pronunciation of the artist's names, as well as providing interesting facts about the artist, the painting itself or Spanish history and culture.

Pepe brings the art works to life, sharing a range of fun and interesting historical facts. He shares details about the fashion of the royal court, food of the period, and even how the artists mixed their paint colours. James was fascinated by the fact that they mixed in burned bone to create black paint and urine was mixed to make a bright yellow! Lots of 'eewws' and 'yucks' were muttered.

Along with the full page colour plates of the paintings themselves, the layout of this book is a stunning visual feast! It is full of rich, luxuriant red, orange and gold colours, reflecting the opulence of the period. 

Not only does this book explore Spanish art and artists but it also immerses the reader in the culture and history of the period. It encourages children to take a deeper look at the paintings rather than a cursory glance, providing a wonderful way of introducing children to the art world and art appreciation.

You can get a sneak peak inside this beautiful book here.

Nonfiction Adventures of our Friends:
Reshamad from Stacking Books shared two beautiful biographical books that I can't wait to read.

 

• For the Love of Music: The Remarkable Story of Maria Anna Mozart, explores the other musical prodigy in the Mozart family, Wolfgang's older sister, Maria Anna.
• Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes shares the heartbreaking and inspiring story of Sadako, who is diagnosed with Leukemia after the Hiroshima bombing and her remarkable spirit in trying to fight the disease by folding a thousand paper cranes.

Join us in Keeping it Real:
We would love you to join us in Keeping it Real! You can share your nonfiction reading adventures with us by linking up a blog post below or if you don't have a blog you can always post photos of your adventures on our Facebook page or use the hashtag #nonfictionadventure on Instagram or Twitter. You can find out more information about Keeping it Real link up here.

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Here's how it works:

• Please link up your nonfiction reading adventures. They can be new or old posts, but please link to the specific post and not your general blog page.
• Grab my Keeping it Real button and place it somewhere on your post or your blog, linking back to us, so that others can share in the fun too.
• Please note that by linking up you are giving permission to Honey Bee Books to Pin or feature your photos on a future Keeping it Real post.

Keeping it Real: Drawing Dinosaurs

Welcome to another edition of Keeping it Real: A Nonfiction Reading Adventure. 

This week I was originally going to review another of the Shortlisted books for this years Nonfiction CBCA Award, but after this afternoon's creativity, I've postponed that review to share a wonderful vintage how to draw book. We spent the afternoon drawing dinosaurs with the book How to Draw Dinosaurs by Syd Hoff. I found this book at a recent garage sale and I was immediately attracted to the easy to follow diagrams and vintage feel (it was published in 1981). I thought James might enjoy it, and boy was I right!

Hoff provides a simple step-by-step guide to drawing 20 different dinosaurs, with diagrams that are easy to replicate. It also includes how to pronounce the dinosaurs' names and a brief description of them. This book was ideal for James (5yrs) who has recently become interested in drawing and loves dinosaurs.

Syd Hoff was a cartoonist and children's book author. He wrote a series of children's early readers in Harper Collins' I Can Read series and was best known for his book, Danny the Dinosaur. 

James spent all afternoon following the instructions to draw the dinosaurs. You know a book is good when it can hold their attention for hours! 

Here is one of the dinosaurs he spent a lot of time on this afternoon. It is a Scolosaurus. He was very proud of the results:

Join us in Keeping it Real:
We would love you to join us in Keeping it Real! You can share your nonfiction reading adventures with us by linking up a blog post below or if you don't have a blog you can always post photos of your adventures on our Facebook page or use the hashtag #nonfictionadventure on Instagram or Twitter. You can find out more information about Keeping it Real link up here.

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Here's how it works:

• Please link up your nonfiction reading adventures. They can be new or old posts, but please link to the specific post and not your general blog page.
• Grab my Keeping it Real button and place it somewhere on your post or your blog, linking back to us, so that others can share in the fun too.
• Please note that by linking up you are giving permission to Honey Bee Books to Pin or feature your photos on a future Keeping it Real post.

Our Favourite Five Books About Owls

It has been a while since I shared a Favourite Five book list and after our fun counting with felt owls last week, we have been reading a variety of owl theme books. 

So here are our favourite five books about Owls:

1. Sam and the Firefly

Sam and the Firefly was written and illustrated by P.D. Eastman and it was a favourite of mine when I was a child. Sam the owl longs for a friend to play with but all the animals are fast asleep. Then he meets a cheeky little firefly called Gus. They have fun making words together in the dark using Gus' light trail. Then Gus takes this fun a little too far and starts playing bad tricks. He eventually learns the error of his ways when he is captured in put in a glass jar and then he actually saves the day when his captor's truck becomes stuck on a railway track. This is such a lovely story about right and wrong and I adore the blueish night illustrations with the bright yellow words. 

2. 10 Hooting Owls 

10 Hooting Owls by Ed Allen and illustrated by Simon Williams is an adorable counting book that is a 'hoot-a-licious' version of the song Ten Green Bottles. The owl antics become funnier as you count down, from dressing in disguise or hip hop dancing. Something wacky always happens to one of the owls, like falling out of the tub, catching chicken pox or distracted by a smoothie. This is a wonderful counting book which includes a hidden number  on each page. Williams' illustrations are so vibrant and absolutely hilarious. It's the little details that add so much to the story.

3. Owl Moon

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen and illustrated by John Schoenherr is a beautiful story about a father and his young child going owling in the woods on a cold and snowy night. The child is perfectly happy to be spending time with her father and the journey is just as special as the goal of finding an owl. If you are patient you will be rewarded in the end. Yolen's poetic language is purely magical and makes you feel like you're walking along side them. She is able to bring the landscape to life around you. Schoenherr's watercolour illustrations perfectly portray the splendour of the wintery night and adds to the poetic beauty the text provides. Upon closer inspection of his illustrations you find that there is other wildlife hiding in the woods.


4. Owl Babies


Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and illustrated by Patrick Benson is such an adorable book. Three baby owls are siting in their tree waiting for their mother to come home. Like many children, the owl babies are anxious about the Mother returning and scared and worried that something has happened to her and she won't come back. "I want my Mummy". The illustrations of the fluffy baby owls are simply adorable and while the night is so dark, their tree it is still warm and comforting. This is an ideal story for any child who may be experiencing anxious or concerned when separated from their parent. 

5. Not So Loud, Oliver!

Not So Loud, Oliver! by Tony Maddox was one of the first books I purchased for James when he was born and we have read it so many times that I know it off by heart! Emily adores it too. While all the animals on the farm are sleeping, little Oliver owl is not sleepy and practises his singing. However, all the Mamma animals tell him to be quiet because he will wake up their babies. He tries so hard to be quiet, but it's never quiet enough. Oliver's loud singing, however, ends up saving the day when Foxy Fox comes to the farm looking for his evening meal. The illustrations are adorable and we always have so much fun Too-Wit Too-Wooing!

You may also like our Felt Owls or browse through the owl crafts ideas I have pinned on my O is for Owl Pinterest Board.

Do you have a Owl book? What would you add to the list?

Review of 10 Hooting Owls and Some Felt Owl Fun

Now that school is back, Emily and I have been enjoying our one-on-one time together. We have been reading our favourite books, crafting, gardening and having a LOT of tea parties. 

One of the books we had fun reading this week is 10 Hooting Owls by Ed Allen and illustrated by Simon Williams, which is a new release from Scholastic Press.

Book Details:

Author: Ed Allen

Illustrator: Simon Williams

Publisher: Scholastic Press 

Publication Date: May 2013
Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781742836980

Age: 3+

RRP: $13.99

10 Hooting Owls is a super adorable counting book and so much fun to read aloud. It is EVEN more fun to sing aloud, as this is a 'hoot-a-licious' version of the song Ten Green Bottles.

Ten hooting owls lounging in the sun.Ten hooting owls lounging in the sun. And if one hooting owl should go off for a run. There'll be nine hooting owls lounging in the sun.

The owl antics become funnier as you count down, from dressing in disguise, knitting winter socks or hip hop dancing. Something wacky always happens to one of the owls, like falling out of the tub, catching chicken pox or drinking a smoothie (which was Emily's favourite part, she said) Thankfully all the owls end up back at the nest in the end, safe and sound, although looking a little weary.

This is a wonderful counting book and provides a fun way to practice counting back from ten. On each page there is also a hidden number to be found, which adds another fun element to this picture book and great for number recognition.

Simon Williams' illustrations are so vibrant and absolutely hilarious. It's the little details that add so much more the story. In my opinion, his illustrations make this book so lovable. I really enjoyed how Williams is able to convey so much humour in those big owl eyes. One of my favourite illustrations is the two hooting owls dancing hip hop! James loved the illustrations too and he could not stop laughing when he saw what one owl gets in his eye!

I decided to make a set of 10 owls to play with as we were counting along with the book. I had a pile of felt scraps that I found at an op-shop and thought it would be perfect for this little project. 

I searched for an owl template and found an easy and very cute owl shape from Craft Jr.

Here is one of the gorgeous little owls. I cut out all the felt pieces and Emily was in charge of the glue brush. I just used PVA glue, because it was all I could find at the time but it worked perfectly, although we had to wait a little while for it to dry.

We have a great felt board which made a lovely backdrop for our little owls. Lots of fun was had taking the owls away as we counted down from ten, just like the story. 

One thing I like about this little owl project of ours is that we now have super cute new additions to our felt board collection. They will no doubt be included in our felt board story telling sessions. 

For more gorgeous owl craft inspiration, check out my O is for Owl Pinterest board.

Do you have a favourite book about owls or favourite counting book?

We are linking up to:
Read.Explore.Learn at JDaniel4's Mom
The Sunday Showcase at Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas
The Children's Bookshelf at What Do We Do All Day?
It's Playtime! at Kids Activities Blog


Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book for review by the publisher. I was not obligated to review this book and, as always, my opinions are my own.

Keeping it Real: Topsy-Turvy World: How Australian Animals Puzzled Early Explorers

Welcome to this week's edition of Keeping it Real: A Nonfiction Reading Adventure.

Our nonfiction reading for this week is another book from the CBCA Shortlist for 2013. We read Topsy-Turvy World: How Australian Animals Puzzled Early Explorers by Kirsty Murray, which is published by the National Library of Australia.


When the Early Europeans came to Australia, everything was new and all topsy-turvy. Christmas was in summer instead of winter and the animals were nothing like they had at home. This book explores the real stories of the misunderstandings the Europeans had in trying to identify 15 of Australia's native animals. For each animal covered, there is also a Fast Facts section, which shares information like the animal's diet, habitat, life span, weight and size. Kirsty has also included a short biography of each of the Europeans mentioned throughout the book.

One of the things I loved about this book is that it doesn't just explore the popular animals, like the Kangaroo and Koala, but also included the not so well known Australian native animals like the Pig-Footed Bandicoot (now extinct) and the Grey-Headed Flying Fox. James loved hearing about the funny names that the Europeans originally gave to the animals in their attempt to compare them to the animals they already knew. His favourite was  the Zebra Opossom, which was the name they gave the Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger).

Another reason this book is so special is its beautiful layout. The contents page is a colourful double page spread which has an illustration of each animal covered in the book. The colours of the contents page reflect the colourful chequered squares of the endpapers. Throughout the book are the original early illustrations of the animals from the early explorers and scientists themselves. These illustrations help to highlight the misinterpretations they had made about these animals, like the wombat that was depicted walking on its hind legs and a Koala shown in a tree other than a eucalypt.

Topsy-Turvy World: How Australian Animals Puzzled Early Explorers is such a wonderful resource for children. A history lesson and a nature study all in one beautiful book. 

Nonfiction Adventures from our Friends:
Thank you to our friends who shared their nonfiction reading adventures with us last week. The Gifted Librarian shared a wonderful book called Endeavour's Long Journey by Dr. John Olivas, which brings the Endeavour's space missions to life.

Join us in Keeping it Real:
We would love you to join us in Keeping it Real! You can share your nonfiction reading adventures with us by linking up a blog post below or if you don't have a blog you can always post photos of your adventures on our Facebook page or use the hashtag #nonfictionadventure on Instagram or Twitter. You can find out more information about Keeping it Real link up here.

<center> <a href="http://honeybeebooksblog.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/keeping-it-real-new-nonfiction-weekly.html"><img border="0" src="http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g361/Honeybeebooks/Keepingitrealbutton3.jpg"/></a></center>

Here's how it works:

• Please link up your nonfiction reading adventures. They can be new or old posts, but please link to the specific post and not your general blog page.
• Grab my Keeping it Real button and place it somewhere on your post or your blog, linking back to us, so that others can share in the fun too.
• Please note that by linking up you are giving permission to Honey Bee Books to Pin or feature your photos on a future Keeping it Real post.