Forest Life and Woodland Creatures - DK Canada

Earth Day was officially April 22nd - but truly, we should celebrate every day. Little Guy likes to go on walks to find and look at 'interesting things." Now that spring is finally here, there's lots to see!

Recently, we perused Forest Life and Woodland Creatures from DK Canada before starting off on one of those walks.

The cover is inviting for little ones with lots of colours and pictures. Little Guy always likes to guess what's inside a book by looking at the cover.

The first few pages played right into our walk - the two main types of trees, who might live in trees, new seedlings just poking through, what animals might eat, insects, bugs and more.We were able to identify many of these on our stroll. And here's something Gramma didn't know! A squirrel's nest is called a drey.

There are nature crafts interspersed throughout the book. Leafy bugs using modeling clay and found nature pieces. Making a 'nest' with a paper plate and found nature material. An owl using pine cones and a few more. A recipe for berry ice pops is one we'll try closer to summer.

As always with DK books, the colours are bright, the layout is good with facts concisely presented. Pictures accompany the facts, giving a small one a starting point for what is being discussed. I found the pages to be a little thicker than normal - a good idea for a children's book, especially for one that might be taken outside.

Forest Life is an great introductory STEM book for the 3-5 crowd. Have a look at the excerpt below.  And check out the other titles in DK's 'Earth Love' list.

Thomas and Friends Character Encyclopedia - DK Canada

Little Guy is a huge fan of Thomas the Tank Engine - dvds, television shows, magazines - and books. But the newly released Thomas and Friends Character Encyclopedia from DK Canada had him literally jumping up and down in excitement!

There's lots to see before even cracking the covers. See that little Thomas engine on the top of the book? Well, it's not a picture - it's real and rides back and forth on a little enclosed track! There are characters/engines portrayed on both the front and back cover, labeled with their names. We had to stop and look at each engine to see if we knew him/her. (I'm actually not surprised that he pretty much knew every one!) There are over 100 characters detailed within the book.

That detail includes a description of the character, a fun fact, an image of the real engine that was the basis for the toy train, a quote, a fact box, their home base, likes, dislikes and interesting things to note about each engine. All in full colour! The layout is what I've come to expect and love from DK - bright, appealing and easy to read.

Little Guy is a stickler for order, so we did start off reading from front to back. Subsequent readings though had us looking at the table of contents (a newly discovered item for him) and picking the page number he wanted to go to. There's also a glossary and index at the back.

Now Gramma has become fairly well versed in who's who in Thomas land, but I was quite surprised to discover how many trains there actually were. The encyclopedia includes railway friends like Harold the Helicopter and a few others.

The book held his attention for long periods of time - we read many a page at a sitting. Thomas and Friends Character Encyclopedia is a wonderful addition to his 'collection' and will be read again and again. Five stars and a big thumbs up from Gramma and Little Guy.

If you too have a little Thomas fan, you're going to want to pick up the Thomas and Friends Character Encyclopedia. Check out the excerpt below.

Birds - with DK Canada

Little Guy likes to take walks and find 'interesting things'. That curiosity for the natural world has focused on birds lately as he has just helped put up a bird feeder in his backyard.

Birds: Explore Nature with Fun Facts and Activities from DK Canada seemed like a good fit!

He's started noticing more about birds with the birdfeeder able to be easily seen from the backdoor. Different songs, colours and behaviour. Birds provides detailed drawings, actual photos and clear text boxes exploring and explaining feet, beaks, wings, flying - physical things that can be viewed. Using some binoculars brought things even closer or clearer. Bird talks about making a bird journal - drawing birds, noting when and where you've sighted, collecting feathers and other notations.

Nests, eggs, cleaning, hatchlings and different types of birds (city, tropical,shore, freshwater, sea, woodland, night etc are each covered on a two page spread.

The facts provided are interesting and many caught Little Guy's interest. The pictures are detailed and in colour, a must for younger ones. The activities mentioned are fairly basic and there are only five or six, with some of them only being suggestions with no directions. We do plan on making the feeding bell on a rope that was detailed.

Birds did feed Little Guy's thirst for 'interesting facts'. At 60 pages, it's a nice little introductory bird book. Check out the images below.

Good Night, Baby Moon - DK Canada

DK Canada has some wonderful new books coming out this fall for both adults and children. Here's one that Little Guy and I enjoyed - Good Night, Baby Moon.

The cover is beautiful - gold lettering and stars on an indigo background. A  cutout silhouette of rabbits is framed by the title. But here's the fun part - simply press the button in the upper right hand corner to 'light up' the moon in the frame. (Yes, it is battery operated. The battery cover is securely attached with a screw).

The inside pages are 'board book' thickness are of a rich, glossy stock. They too have a lovely nighttime background with rabbit silhouettes. Little guy had to count how many rabbits were on each page. The moon is full on one page, then half, then crescent, gone and back again on subsequent pages. This book is a good introduction for toddlers as to how the moon changes shape.

The text is in a rhyming format which I always enjoy reading. It seems to flow very easily and the cadence for each page becomes almost sing song. This is a 'gentle' read. The tones suggest night and sleep. It is fairly short at four double pages. Little Guy was fascinated by the light up button. We had to flip to the front cover many, many times to press the button yet again. I do wish there was some way that the inner pictures of the changing moon could have been highlighted by the light as well.

There's a Good Night Baby Moon 'toddler time' activity kit here that you can download as well.

Good Night, Baby Moon is a beautifully illustrated book, with that little extra (the light) that had Little Guy asking to read it many, many nights in a row. And he learned something too! See below for a peek inside.

My Encyclopedia of Very Important Animals - DK Canada

Little Guy loves visiting the zoo, farms, pet stores and more. DK Canada has a great selection of books in their All Creatures Great and Small Boutique that seemed like it would cover a wide variety of animals. And it did!

The cover was colourful with a mixture of real and drawn picture of various animals. It invited opening up to see what was inside. The boarding used for the covers was slightly padded, making it nicer for holding. The contents are divided between four categories: All About Animals, Amazing Animals, Animal Antics and More Very Important Animals. Now, while Gramma is a front to back reader, Little Guy is not. There is an attached bookmark to keep your place if you do manage to read front to back!

The first few passes through, he just picked pages at random, looking at pictures and stopping at what caught his eye. Subsequent readings slowed down. We would finish looking at each double paged entry. He happily pointed out those he recognized. The entries are a mixture of actual photos and drawings. The majority are photos, which Gramma preferred. The drawing are well done though and not 'cartoonish'. Little Guy loves 'interesting things.' (Yes he actually calls it that) It can be something he finds outside or something he learns. There are many interesting things to be learned in the entries of this book. Gramma learned too - did you know that Dalmatian puppies are born white and only acquire their spots as they grow? And a few new names for groups of animals....a flamboyance of flamingos, a prickle of porcupines.

The publisher recommends for ages 4-8. Best suited for the younger end of that I think. Thumbs up from both Little Guy and Gramma. Gramma's only dither is the title. I'm not sure about the VIP, but have no alternatives suggestions. Still, it was what was inside that counted. Read an excerpt of My Encyclopedia of Very Important Animals. 

Back to School with DK Canada

It's hard to believe that summer has sped by and that back to school is right around the corner. DK Canada (always!) has some great books to help with any project or subject.

Little Guy and Gramma thought that the Children's Illustrated Dictionary(Canadian edition) looked like a book we would like to explore further. The pictures on the cover immediately caught his eye, but he didn't know what the knight was. Perfect - let's go find out.

There are many ways to 'read' this book. You could start at the beginning and go page by page. Or pick a letter to explore fully - it's easy to choose as the letters are on the cut edge and the current one is highlighted. But Little Guy has no interest in being methodical. Instead he just started in the middle and stopped whenever a picture caught his eye. At first it was the ones he recognized and we would talk about it, with Gramma taking a quick peek at the text accompanying the picture to see if there was any additional facts I could mention. Now, not every entry has a picture, but as an example, a page with eighteen entries had thirteen images. The images are a mixture of actual and drawn. I do think having all actual images would be more 'real'. The drawn images are accurate, but not as appealing to view.

The words chosen are of course not what you would find in an adult discretionary, but they are words that would be appropriate for learning and confirming for a variety of ages. The recommended age says 5-9. I do think that some nine year olds may find this a bit juvenile. The explanations are short and sweet, but do convey the meanings well. Little Guy will be able to grow with this book. Right now, some of the words are above and beyond his vocabulary, but the sheer volume of pictures and things he does recognize and can name greatly appeals to him.

As always, the book is printed on good quality paper, with full colour images and easy to read type, well spaced and inviting to look at. Appendices included are abbreviations, spelling guide, word building, facts and figures and countries of the world - these are most definitely for older readers.

This was a good introduction to a reference book. And it's one that keeps him interested while Mom is making supper.

Maker Lab with DK Canada

Makerspaces. Have you heard the term before? I'm going to give you the library definition, as that's where my interests lie.

"A library makerspace is an area and/or service that offers library patrons an opportunity to create intellectual and physical materials using resources such as computers, 3-D printers, audio and video capture and editing tools, and traditional arts and crafts supplies. In the field of library science, makerspaces are classified as a type of library service offered by librarians to patrons."

Maker Lab - 28 Super Cool Projects: Build * Invent * Create * Discover by Jack Challoner looked like a great place to find some new ideas!

Maker Lab is divided into four sections: Food For Thought, Around the Home, Water World and The Great Outdoors.

Experiment! I remember making a version of Slime with my son when he was younger. Ingredients needed - everything you already have at home. Invisible ink - ah, yes - my son wanted to be a spy when he was younger. Do you know the science behind Baked Alaska? This one would be great to try - and eat. There's some more food based ideas as well. But my fave is using a lemon as a battery. This is one we've actually tried in the library. Making a kaleidoscope from a few beads, some paper, plastic wrap and a cardboard tube - easy and fascinating. How about a balloon rocket car from used water bottles? Summer is the perfect time to try the water ideas - a waterwheel or soap powered boat. Make your own bath fizzies! But I have to say my personal favourite was Sun Prints. I'm going to make a few myself for some wall artwork at home.

What I liked - full colour shot of each idea - one that will appeal to young maker. Clear concise instructions accompanied by pictures. The time needed to complete and the difficulty level are noted for each. Most of the ideas can be executed using items you already have. And the few you would have to purchase are very inexpensive. And this I really like - the science of how and why it works. Creating and discovering can be a group activity or one you do at home with your children. And the bonus is that they'll start coming up with their own ideas and experiments. There's also a glossary at the with definitions for many of the terms used in the book. Learning can be fun! See for yourself - here's an excerpt of Maker Lab.

Discover all the great STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) titles that DK carries! And remember, creativity isn't just for kids.