Glenn Perrett

Boxed Sets for Young Children

Rupert Bear Pocket Library
Egmont UK Limited
2008
ISBN: 9781405238410
ages 2+

Young children will enjoy the six miniature board books that comprise Rupert Bear Pocket Library. In a small boxed set are the books Rupert Bear, Ping Pong, Bill Badger, Raggety, Miranda and Edward Trunk. The simple stories of eight pages introduce children to Rupert Bear and his friends Ping Pong who lives with her pet dragon, Bill Badger who at five and three quarters is the "grown-up in the group", Raggety who is a tree elf, Miranda, a Mermaid and Edward Trunk who is an elephant. Small in size, this library can fit into a pocket  making it convenient for parents on the go.

A Little Books Boxed Set
Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace
Chronicle Books
2009
ISBN: 9780811870542
ages 2+

A Little Books Boxed Set features three good board books for young children: Little Pea (28 pages), Little Hoot (28 pages) and Little OInk (24 pages).

Little Pea is a funny story about Little Pea and his parents Mama Pea and Papa Pea. Little Pea likes playing with his friends and father and snuggling with Mama Pea, but he doesn't like having to eat candy for dinner - which is what peas eat. By eating up all of his candy, Little Pea is able to have dessert - spinach!

Little Hoot is about a happy owl who goes to school and plays with his friends. One thing Little Hoot doesn't like is bedtime because owls have to stay up so late. He wants to go to bed earlier like his friends.

Little Oink describes a young pig who doesn't like to make a mess. Before being allowed to go out and play Little Pig has to make a mess. When he is allowed to go outside and play, he plays his favourite game - house, where he cleans up his tree house.

Besides the three board books, this boxed set has places on the back and front cover where photos can be placed.

Celebrating Snow!

I love snow. As I grow older, I do tire of the cold white stuff as winter drags on. By March I'm ready to welcome spring. But in November or early December I admit to getting excited the first few times that fluffy white flurries tumble out of the sky providing an impressive dance as they make their way to the ground. With snow forecast in the coming days, I thought some children's books about snow were appropriate. *         *              *                                  *                                  *

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When Snowflakes Fall
Carl R. Sams II & Jean Stoick
Carl R. Sams II Photography, Inc.
2009, 14 pages
ISBN: 9780977010899
ages 2+

When Snowflakes Fall is a beautiful nature board book that looks at how various animals will deal with the coming winter. Young children will learn how animals such as mice, hummingbirds, butterflies, chipmunks, deer, woodpeckers and polar bears prepare for winter. Beautiful photographs of the various animals will hold a child's interests and teach them about nature.

The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter's Wonder
Mark Cassino with Jon Nelson, illustrations by Nora Aoyagi
Chronicle Books
2009, 34 pages
ISBN: 9780811868662
ages 7+

The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter's Wonder is a fascinating book that describes how snowflakes begin and grow before falling to Earth. Did you know that snow begins with a speck? Specks are in clouds and are a variety of things: ash or soot from a volcano or fire, salt from the ocean, pollen from a flower or a particle of soil. This speck becomes the centre of the snow crystal. Various factors are responsible for the shape of snow crystals which can be stars, plates or columns.

Filled with numerous, beautiful illustrations and photographs of snowflakes, this interesting book will answer questions pertaining to snowflakes and is ideal for children to read on a winter's day. An informative section at the end of the book describes how to catch and observe your own snow crystals!

Jan Brett's Snowy Treasury
Jan Brett
G.P. Putnam's Sons, Penguin Young Readers Group
2009
ISBN: 9780399254017
ages 4+

Jan Brett's Snowy Treasury is a nice collection of four stories by Jan Brett: Gingerbread Baby, The Mitten, The Hat and The Three Snow Bears. 

Gingerbread Baby is a funny adventure that has a boy, Matti, making a Gingerbread Boy. The instructions say to leave the cookie in the oven for eight minutes - and not to peek. When Matti looks after only five minutes, out runs a Gingerbread Baby who no one can catch.

The Mitten is a Ukrainian folktale about a boy, Nicki, who loses one of his mittens. A mole goes inside the mitten and he is joined by numerous other animals including a rabbit, a hedgehog, a badger and a bear. Can the mitten hold all of these animals? What will happen next?

The Hat is another story of animals using a person's clothes. This time the person is Lisa, but the results are equally amusing. 

The last story in the collection is The Three Snow Bears who help an Inuit girl and her dogs.

All of the stories occur in the winter and involve snow. The stories are entertaining for young children and the illustrations are excellent.

More Christmas Stuff for Kids

Jan Brett's Christmas Treasury
Jan Brett
G. P. Putnam's Sons
2001, 256 pages
ISBN: 0399237410
ages 4+

A nice treasury can keep children entertained in the days leading up to Christmas. Jan Brett's Christmas Treasury contains seven of Jan Brett's books: The Mitten, The Wild Christmas Reindeer, Trouble with Trolls, The Twelve Days of Christmas, The Hat, Christmas Trolls and The Night Before Christmas.

The Mitten (adapted and illustrated by Jan Brett) is a Ukrainian folktale about a boy who loses one of his mittens only to have several animals borrow it.

The Wild Christmas Reindeer sees a girl responsible for getting Santa's reindeer ready for Christmas Eve change her teaching ways to help the reindeer prepare for pulling Santa's sleigh.

The Trouble with Trolls sees a girl, Treva, attempting to visit her cousin. Treva is accompanied by her dog, Tuffi, who the trolls keep taking. Will Treva be able to get Tuffi back from the trolls?

The Twelve Days of Christmas is the popular Christmas carol enhanced by Jan Brett's beautiful illustrations.

The Hat is a funny story about a hedgehog who happens to wear, by accident, a girl's stockings.

Christmas Trolls has Treva and her brother Sami attempting to get many of their Christmas items back that have been taken by two trolls - Mig and Tig. In getting her items back, Treva helps Mig and Tig understand what Christmas is about.

The Night Before Christmas is the popular Christmas poem by Clement Moore which Jan Brett has beautifully illustrated.

Jan Brett's Christmas Treasury is a beautiful collection of seven books that children of all ages will enjoy reading each Christmas.

Merry Christmas, Splat
Rob Scotton
Harper
2009, 33 pages
ISBN: 9780060831608
ages 3+

Splat the cat has asked Santa for a "really big present for Christmas" but then begins to wonder if he has been good enough to receive such a gift. In order to be sure, Splat decides to help his mother get everything ready for Christmas. When he is tired Splat goes to bed and waits for Santa. When Splat doesn't meet Santa he assumes he hasn't been good enough and Santa hasn't visited Splat's family. Has Santa avoided Splat's house or has Splat just missed seeing him?

Olive, the Other Reindeer Notecard Set
J. Otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh
Chronicle Books
2009
ISBN: 9780811869812

Technically, Olive, the Other Reindeer - Notecard Set isn't a book, but it is, as the title implies, a really cool set of notecards. There are 16 notecards, envelopes and stickers inspired by Olive, the Other Reindeer. The cards are excellent as are the envelopes and they're ideal for thank-you notes, invitations or letters.

These Books Are For the Birds!

The Backyard Birdsong Guide: A Guide to Listening
Donald Kroodsma
Chronicle Books
2008, 192 pages
ISBN: 9780811863421

Every fall we put out several bird feeders and suet for our feathered neighbours. Besides our usual cast of characters, we always get a few new bird species visiting. The Backyard Birdsong Guide: A Guide to Listening is a wonderful guide that features not only information, range maps and illustrations, but also the birds' calls and songs! In all there are 75 birds from Eastern and Central North America along with more than 130 sounds from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Information on why birds sing, where the birds get their songs and the key to good listening are also included.

The Backyard Birdsong Guide will be enjoyed by anyone who has an interest in birds.

The Bird Watching Answer Book
Laura Erickson
Storey Publishing
2009, 388 pages
ISBN: 9781603424523

Wow! If you want to learn more about your feathered neighbours check out The Bird Watching Answer Book. This little book is packed with interesting information. Written in a question/answer format, the book is divided into chapters on bird feeding, bird watching, solving bird problems, protecting bird populations, bird behaviour, bird vocalizations, bird migration, bird reproduction, how birds work, how birds perceive the world, feathers and how birds fly.

Each chapter has lots of questions and the answers are usually fairly extensive. For example, regarding a question about why "bird lovers" are so paranoid about cats, Erickson mentions the devastation outdoor cats have on bird populations (in the USA conservative estimates are that cats kill close to a hundred million birds every year), including migrating birds, how she has cared for hundreds of birds attacked by cats and how outdoor cats adapt well to indoor life (she has taken in five stray felines).

The Bird Watching Answer Book would make a nice gift for the birding enthusiast on your Christmas list.

Festive Children's Books

If You Take a Mouse to the Movies: A Special Christmas Edition
Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond
Harper
2000, 2009, 72 pages
ISBN: 9780061762802
ages 3+

An entertaining book is If You Take a Mouse to the Movies: A Special Edition. This festive story looks at a mouse who, if he goes to the movies, will want popcorn, which he'll string together and which he'll want to hang on a Christmas tree - which you'll have to buy for him. Other things that the mouse will want include building a snowman, building a snow fort, taking a nap, listening to Christmas carols along with various other festive activities.

Besides the fun story, the book contains various activities, recipes, songs, and a CD which includes two songs and a reading by Jason Alexander of If You Take a Mouse to the Movies.

The Christmas Magic
Lauren Thompson, pictures by Jon J. Muth
Scholastic Press
2009, 34 pages
ISBN: 9780439774970
ages 4+

The Christmas Magic is a delightful book that shows where Santa Claus lives along with the reindeer and how he prepares for his journey when the Christmas magic arrives. Santa knows when the Christmas magic is near as the nights are longest, the stars are brightest and he "feels a tingling in his whiskers." Santa prepares the reindeer providing them with parsnips and berries and he gets his sleigh ready for the trip too. After checking his list and toys, Santa is ready for his annual trek.

A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens, illustrated by Brett Helquist
HarperCollins
2009, 36 pages
ISBN: 978006165
ages 6+

Illustrated by Brett Helquist, this picture book for children is a nice adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic story of Ebenezer Scrooge. Children of all ages will enjoy visiting with Scrooge, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Christmas Yet to Come along with Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim and all the others.

This version of A Christmas Carol is a good one to introduce children to Charles Dickens' timeless classic story. The story has been significantly reduced without losing the main parts and the illustrations are excellent.

There's nothing Bah Humbug about this book!

Ghosts, Plants & Heists!

The Maiden Heist (E1 Entertainment, Rated PG)

A funny crime movie, The Maiden Heist sees three honest security guards turn into criminals when they learn that their favourite artworks are being sent to another museum in Denmark. Their plan to steal the pieces of art is a good one and involves switching them with fakes. All is going well until a mistake is made. Will these first time thieves overcome the glitch in their well thought out plan or will they be caught?

The Maiden Heist is an entertaining movie with a very good cast that includes Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken, William H. Macy and Marcie Gay Harden.

The Ghost of Greville Lodge (VCI Entertainment)

An entertaining movie our family watched recently was The Ghost of Greville Lodge. When a teenager, James Greville (Jon Newman), goes to live with a distant relative, a Great Uncle (George Cole) for a trial two-week holiday at his uncle's country manor (Greville Lodge), he begins to discover many secrets that the lodge, a beautiful old home set in the English countryside, has kept hidden for decades.

While at the lodge, James spends most of his time exploring the big, rambling, old house. He discovers the door to the west wing has been sealed shut for many years. One night, James finds that the door is open and once he enters the west wing he discovers the many mysteries of Greville Lodge.

The Ghost of Greville Lodge is a fun ghost story.

The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World (PBS)

Based on the bestselling book by Michael Pollan, The Botany of Desire looks at the history of four plants - the apple, the tulip, marijuana and the potato and why our species wants them. In looking at these plants and how our species desires them for such qualities as their sweetness, beauty and intoxication, you gain considerable knowledge of the plants, where they originated and how we use them. Topics such as pesticides, monocultures and organic farming are also looked at. The documentary takes the viewer to various places around the world including Idaho, Peru, New England, Asia and Amsterdam.

Special features include deleted scenes, "Bring Back Hard Cider" and "How the Delicious Apple got its Name" and additional interview footage with Michael Pollan.

If you enjoy plants, gardening or natural history then chances are you will enjoy this interesting 2-hour PBS documentary.

3 Books That Make Good Gifts

It can be difficult finding a good present for some people. Books are often a good choice when you're not sure of what to get. Below are three books that make good gifts.

Pat the Beastie: A Pull-and-Poke Book
Henrik Drescher
Workman Publishing
2009, 22 pages
ISBN: 9780761156109
ages 3+

Paul and Judy have a pet named Beastie. Together Paul and Judy pull Beastie's fur, jiggle his eyes, tickle his feet, play peekaboo with him, they pull Beastie's worm boogers and they make his belly squeal before reading a book made by Beastie. Does Beastie react to this treatment? You bet he does!

Pat the Beastie: A Pull-and-Poke Book is one of the best interactive children's books that I've come across. Young children can join Paul and Judy or, they may not want to if they "know what happens when you're not kind to pets."

Pat the Beastie is a great bedtime book for children.

Guardians of Being
Eckhart Tolle and Patrick McDonnell
New World Library
2009, 126 pages
ISBN: 9781577316718

Guardians of Being is a collaboration between spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle and Patrick McDonnell the creator of the comic strip Mutts. The result is a nice collection of important thoughts about life and the importance of nature and animals as teachers as to what is important and how we should live.

Observations such as "True happiness is found in simple, seemingly unremarkable things." and "Everything natural - every flower, tree, and animal - has important lessons to teach us if we would only stop, look, and listen." combined with McDonnell's characters (Shtinky Puddin, Earl, Mooch and Woofie) from Mutts results in a nice keepsake of important ways to live life.

The Complete Peanuts 1973 to 1974
Charles M. Schulz
Fantagraphics Books
2009, 323 pages
ISBN: 9781606992869

Each year I look forward to the latest collection of Peanuts cartoons published by Fantagraphics Books. Charles M. Schulz is arguably the best cartoonist of all time. Peanuts is funny, entertaining, occasionally thought-provoking and appropriate for the whole family. No matter how bad your day is reading Peanuts often makes things seem a little better. Charles M. Schulz and his funny cast of characters including Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and Lucy has that positive effect on people.

I grew up, along with millions of others, reading Peanuts in the newspapers and watching the Peanuts television shows and The Complete Peanuts 1973 to 1974 takes the reader on a nice trip back to Schulz's comic strips of 1973 and 1974. During these years many things are happening with the Peanuts gang including games of tennis (Billie Jean King wrote the Foreword), Snoopy has turned into a writer and of course there are the other sports of football, baseball and hockey.

The Complete Peanuts 1973 to 1974 makes a great gift for young and old alike.

Three Fun Movies for Kids of All Ages

While it is fun watching holiday movies in the weeks leading up to Christmas, it is also good to watch other family movies. If you need a break from watching festive films, you might take a look at these entertaining flicks from Fox Home Entertainment.

Aliens In the Attic (Fox Home Entertainment, rated PG)

Aliens In the Attic is a fun adventure movie featuring the Pearson family who have gone to spend a summer vacation at a lake house - much to the disappointment of the children who are bored - until little green aliens crash onto the roof. The aliens' goal is to take over the house and the Earth! Their only obstacle is the children in the house who rise to the challenge of protecting their vacation home and the planet.

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (Fox Home Entertainment, rated PG)

Last summer our family enjoyed Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs at the drive-in. Recently we watched it again and enjoyed it a second time. Ice Age 3 sees Manny and the herd discover a lost world where dinosaurs still exist. Sid finds three eggs and attempts to raise the babies while Manny and his wife are expecting a baby of their own. Of course Scrat is in the movie as he falls for the beautiful Scrattle as they both attempt to get that elusive acorn.

Night At the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Fox Home Entertainment, rated PG)

Another movie we watched at the drive-in last summer was Night At the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), who was the former watchman at the museum where exhibits come to life at night, returns when he learns that some of his museum friends are being put in the archives of the Smithsonian Institute. An Egyptian Pharaoh also plans to take over the museum keeping Larry busy. This funny film features an impressive cast that includes Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, Hank Azaria, Amy Adams and Ricky Gervais. Night At the Museum is also available in Blu-ray.

2 Christmas Novels

The True Gift
Patricia MacLachlan, illustrated by Brian Floca
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
2009, 83 pages
ISBN: 9781416990819
ages 8+

When Lily and her younger brother Liam make their annual trip to their grandparents' farm for Christmas, they notice that White Cow is all alone. Rosie the donkey, who is White Cow's friend, has gone back to her home leaving White Cow by herself for much of the day. White Cow's loneliness upsets Liam who sets to work, with his sister's help, finding a companion for White Cow.

The True Gift is a wonderful, heartwarming Christmas book about the importance of family, friends and thinking of others. Highly recommended!

The Christmas List
Richard Paul Evans
Simon & Schuster
2009, 353 pages
ISBN: 9781439150009

Richard Paul Evans has just had another entertaining, thought-provoking Christmas novel published - The Christmas List. The story is sort of a modern day A Christmas Carol which sees James Kier, a wealthy real estate developer, take a look at his life, his ruthless business dealings and their results and try to make amends. What causes Kier to return to the thoughtful, caring man that he once was? An article in a newspaper that mistakenly reported him killed in a car accident had a lot to do with it.

As Kier revisits his past to try to right his wrongs and deal with his broken relationships with his wife and son he discovers many things including the true meaning of Christmas.

The Christmas List is a good novel to read during the holidays.

Note: One thing about The Christmas List that I didn't like was the waste of paper. I counted approximately 90 blank pages throughout the book. When you include the pages where only the chapter number was written the number was more than 130 pages. Multiply this by the number of books published and you have a staggering waste of paper - something the species of our planet, and the planet itself, can't afford.

Bon Appetite!

Cast Iron Cookbook
Joanna Pruess
Skyhorse Publishing
2009, 224 pages
ISBN: 9781602398030

As a vegan I didn't expect to find a lot of recipes I could use in Cast Iron Cookbook. I enjoy cooking with our old cast iron frying pans and I was looking more for ideas and ways to use our iron skillets. And there are lots of recipes and ways to cook with cast iron ware.

Joanna Pruess has divided the recipe book into sections on "Luncheon and Other Nibbles", "Vegetables and Other Sides", "Main Courses" and "Desserts" where you will learn how to create everything from deep-dish vegetarian pizza, glazed carrots with cranberries to a raspberry-blackberry crisp using your cast iron ware.

Besides the recipes there is information on the benefits of cooking with cast iron as well as cleaning and maintaining cast iron cookware.

New Vegetarian
Robin Asbell
Chronicle Books
2009, 144 pages
ISBN: 9780811865791

The subtitles to this book is "More Than 75 Fresh, Contemporary Recipes for Pasta, Tagines, Curries, Soups & Stews, and Desserts" and that is a good description. New Vegetarian is divided into chapters on: appetizers and light meals, salads, soups, main courses and desserts. Some of the interesting sounding recipes that I'm interested in trying include pineapple-tofu summer rolls, kimchi dumplings with pine nut dipping sauce, easy split pea soup and Jamaican veggie patties. Maybe I can cook some in my cast iron frying pans!

Interesting and informative sections on the benefits of a vegetarian diet, the different kinds of vegetarianism, protein and other nutrients and a "Source Guide for Unusual Ingredients" is also included.

Vegan Yum Yum: Decadent (But Doable) Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaining & Every Day
Lauren Ulm
Health Communications, Inc.
2009, 290 pages
ISBN: 9780757313806

If you are looking for more compassionate cooking recipes you will want to look at Lauren Ulm's book Vegan Yum Yum: Decadent (But Doable) Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaining & Every Day. Ulm has provided lots of information on making healthy meals, appetizers, sauces, spreads, dips and drinks. The book is divided into chapters on "Breakfast and Brunch", "Main Dishes", "Appetizers", "Salads", "Side Dishes and Light Meals", "Soups", "Pasta", "Desserts", "Cheers to Delicious Drinks" and "Sauces, Dips, and Spreads."

Not only are the recipes impressive, but they aren't too difficult to make. I also like the format of the book. The recipes have a nice photo along with the ingredients list and an easy-to-follow set of steps to complete the recipe. While I haven't attempted any of the recipes yet, I am enjoying perusing the various dishes. Some of the recipes I'm going to try soon include: Blueberry Waffles with Lemon Icing, Lemon Cranberry Muffins, Tofu Scramble with Seitan Sausage, Three-Spice Potatoes, Spicy Tomato Chickpea Soup and Vegan Worcestershire Sauce.

We have several vegan cookbooks and Vegan Yum Yum promises to be one of the most referred to in our house!

Pita the Great
Virginia T. Habeeb
Workman Publishing
1986, 176 pages
ISBN: 0894800396

For those who like pitas, Pita the Great by Virginia T. Habeeb contains lots of recipes featuring the "...lightly leavened round loaf (measuring anywhere from five to nine inches) with a soft crust and generally a hollow center." Besides numerous pita recipes, Habeeb also has information on "Secrets to Baking Perfect Pita" as well as a recipe for "Basic Pita" and "What To Do With Pitas If They Don't Puff". A glossary of food items is also useful.