How To Measure Everything - DK Canada

Little Guy is at the age where he questions everything - why and how and more. He loves to 'find out things.'

How to Measure Everything from DK Canada is a great learning tool for measurement. Height, length, weight, volume, time, temperature and the calendar.

How to Measure Everything has been published as a board book. The pages are sturdy and able to stand up to repeated (and not always gentle) use. That format also allows for some great surprises on many of the pages! There are lift the flap windows on most pages (questions/answers), a movable clock and a wonderful pop-up at the end.

As with every new book, Little Guy likes to start with the cover and talk about what we might find inside. The cover is bright and colourful with pictures that illustrate what measuring is. The rulers on the cover are a clever border. Explanations of what each measurement is are part of each category's page. Once the concept has been explained, there's the fun of answering the questions on the top of the lift up flap. And the answers are underneath the flap. And the last page covers all the principles using a pop up bedroom scene. Clever!

We decided to read one category - starting with weight - and then go around the house guessing what things might weigh, what might be heavier etc using everyday objects (and a lot of toys.) The kitchen and bathroom scales got a lot of use. But I loved that his curiosity was piqued. This is how we learn.

As always with DK publications, the book is bright, colourful, well laid out and appealing. The information within is perfect for a 4-7 year old.How to Measure Everything fits perfectly within the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) focus of learning in school systems today. Have a peek at what's inside below. Check out other titles in DK's Hands-on Learning with STEM boutique.

This was a five star, thumbs up read for Gramma and Little Guy.

An Anthology of Intriguing Animals from DK Canada

I usually stop and appreciate a cover before opening a book. The cover of An Anthology of Intriguing Animals from DK Canada is so beautiful. A rich dark turquoise with gold title and images. Take the time to look at the pictures on both front and back - they're quite detailed. Little Guy and I had fun picking out the different animals pictured. The edges of the pages are also gold. We couldn't wait to see what was inside!

And what we found was absolutely wonderful! One hundred and four creatures from the animal kingdom - sky, land and water - are profiled. Each animal is showcased on a double page layout. A full colour, detailed photo accompanies the text. (The photo of the mandrill is stunning.)There are two paragraphs of what Little Guy likes to call 'interesting facts' for each animal. Those 'interesting facts' also include stories and myths. The amount of information provided is just right for small ones. And I was thrilled when I heard him sharing some of what he learned with Mom.

We decided to start at the beginning and use the built in satin bookmark to mark our progress. Little Guy was able to identify many of the creatures, but there were a few new to even Gramma - the viscacha, pangolin and the loris. The facts were fascinating - and yes, Gramma learned as well! Did you know that elephants can recognize themselves in a mirror? And also remember the faces of elephants they have not seen for years. Hence the phrase 'elephants never forget.'

There's a Tree of Life layout at the end of the book that explains mammals, invertebrates etc. A glossary covers key words such as herbivore, blowhole etc. and there's on last visual guide on each animal.

As with all DK books, they layout and information is just right and the photos are amazing. You could call it a coffee table book for kids!  An Anthology of Intriguing Animals would make a wonderful gift for any child - one that would be treasured for years to come. Adults will be leafing through it as well. An Anthology of Intriguing Animals is also a Chapters Indigo "Heather's Pick".

Celebrate Nature with DK Canada

I'm one of those people - I try to get my Christmas shopping done long before December. I love giving books as they give back.

Do you have a nature lover on your list? DK Canada has a great selection of books for both adults and children in their 'Celebrate Nature' boutique.

Peek and Seek, illustrated by Charlotte Milner caught my eye - and Little Guy's.

The cover is bright, colourful and has animal faces peeking through the cut outs on the cover. The title page lets you see who those face belong to. There are six 'find it' double page entries - birds,  monkeys, wolves, ants, fish and rabbits. Each entry asks the read to lift the flap or the fold 'to see'. On our first read through, Little Guy and Gramma guessed what we might find under the flap before opening it. What we found were intricately detailed drawings of each of the five animals presented. He had to look at the entire picture first And then we read the facts about each animal category that accompanies the images. Little Guy learned quite a bit from these snippets.

But that's not all you'll find under the flaps. Each panorama also has a 'seek and find' list that asks the reader to find other creatures hidden in the drawing. There are 28 to find on each double faced page. Depending on the attention span that day, we would find a few and come back the next day to finish the list. Little Guy really likes 'finding' books as he calls them. The last pages house an additional 'fact file' about the six animals.

This book stayed 'fresh' for a long time as there's much to see and do in Peek and Seek. This is a book that will be read many times.

As always with DK books, the colours are bright, appealing, there's much to learn and things to do. The book is in board book format only - it's quite sturdy. Which was good, as Wee Sis decided she needed to read it too. She's quite young, but she too was quite happy that she could find things too. (The larger images)

Peek and Seek gets a big thumbs up from Gramma and Little Guy. This would be an excellent addition to a 3-6 year old's library. Have a peek at the pages below.

Play With Art - DK Canada

Who doesn't love being creative? I've always enjoyed creating and making. And so does Little Guy!

I thought Play with Art from DK Canada would be a title he would enjoy exploring. Check out the other titles in DK's Celebrate the Arts boutique.

Little Guy always likes looking at the cover before he opens a book. The cover of Play With Art is colourful and inviting. The inner flyleaf is covered in fingerprints with faces drawn on. I quite liked this one - I can see framing a set for Gramma. So, he wanted to know how to do that one right away.

We made it to the table of contents. He loves tables of contents, so we had to read out the name of every craft within before looking at pictures. The crafts are broken down into: Painting and Printing, Paper Craft, Drawing and Coloring, Make and Create.

I know I used some of these techniques and crafts with my own children when they were little, but I had forgotten many of them until I saw them again in Play With Art.

Make dinosaur tracks by dipping a plastic toy in the paint, use nature items - flowers, leaves, fruits and veggies as your brush. (But we'll hold off on the 'use your feet' until we can do it outside!) There's many more ideas in this chapter.

Cutting paper is fun when you've mastered the art of scissors. Paper chains, free form scuptures, tracers, shadow puppets and more in the Paper Craft chapter. Do you remember wetting down crepe paper for a watercolour picture?

Drawing and colouring. I'm always fascinated by what Little Guy chooses to portray in his drawings. Remember scratch art? Colouring, then covering it with black paint, then scratching in a picture.

Make and create. Save those empty rolls and cardboard boxes - staple elements of 'making things'.

Play With Art has some good, basic ideas (50) for creating for the 3-5 year old crowd. It also fits nicely into the STEAM educational approach to learning. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) There's no right and no wrong in creating and imagination is a wonderful thing. As is the satisfaction of making something. This one's going to wait on Gramma's bookshelf for Little Guy's next visit. See below for a peek inside.

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.