Books, Glorious Books!

One of my favorite things about running The Barn is having an excuse to buy lots of beautiful children's books and art books. I have always loved books- old ones, new ones, book cover design, illustration, words, layout- you name it. One thing (of many) that I wanted to be when I grew up was a librarian. The wheel landed elsewhere, but I still get to play with books all the time.

If I were made out of plastic and 50 pounds thinner.

As some of you know, we often use books as inspiration for lessons and to help teach/reinforce/rein-fun (:-) I made that up) whatever we are discussing and creating at class. My Amazon account has been extremely busy lately, and I've found some great titles to share with the kids.

Each week of camp is going to include a day with an imaginary journey to a different region. Our itinerary includes: A Mediterranean Cruise, Carnival in the Andes, An Asian Adventure, Painting in Paris, and An African Safari. While researching fun books for the lessons, I discovered an amazing series, The Adventures of Bella & Harry. The series features two cute little world-traveling dogs, and has many volumes that show them going to Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Athens... you name it! It looks like a winner because of its beauty and simplicity. Gorgeous illustrations, fun and loveable characters, and non-wordy text. Too many words can backfire during rug time. I've got the t-shirt to prove it.

They're just so stinking cute!

Another camp theme will be Home Sweet Home. In addition to drawing and painting shotgun houses, learning about Victorian painted ladies, and creating adorable ceramic cottages, the children will design their own houses. The book If I Built a House, by Chris Van Dusen, will serve as unparalleled inspiration for this task. I read it yesterday and I couldn't help smiling. The illustrations are very 60's Jetson, and the rooms and ideas the child has for his house are utterly delightful.

What little boy wouldn't want a room like this?!

I've also procured the highly entertaining title, Iggy Peck Architect. We will break out the graph paper and have some fun! I have vivid childhood memories of drawing floor plans for houses. My dad was a draftsman (which he said was like being an architect without spending the $ for extra schooling) and drew house plans (pre-Autocad) for people in Mandeville/Covington/Wherever. He sat at his HUGE desk with his array of tools and accoutrements, my favorite being the rotating electric eraser that made fast work of annihilating any unwanted pencil marks. I also really liked the big roll of masking tape and the little stencils that showed the sink and toilet. But I digress...

A few more terrific titles on the way are: Puff the Magic Dragon (Mythic Creatures Day), Amelia Makes a Movie (You're a Star Day), Central Park Serenade (A Day in Central Park Day), Love and Roast Chicken (Andes Adventure Day), Kite Flying (Orient Express Day), and Sky Tree (A Journey Through the 4 Seasons Day). I can't wait to share these, and many more, with children at The Big Red Barn this summer!

PS- One of our camp days features PETE THE CAT! Squeal!!!!