Invitation to Learn Pirates

A Learning Lifestyle

My preschoolers are officially not preschoolers any more. As we step into Kindergarten and 2nd grade, and as a family new to "officially" homeschooling, I recently bought writing curriculum from BraveWriter and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

The guidance offered essentially advocates for 1) focusing on creating an environment filled with books, music, and experiences; and, 2) a language-rich lifestyle - one where you listen to your child, respond thoughtfully, and pursue ideas together. (This builds on what we know about how preschoolers learn, too. ) She, of course, weaves writing lessons into the day and provides structure so parents don't have to come up with everything on their own. (Whew!) 

Books, Music, and Experiences

Despite being regulars at the library, I often find myself scouring the catalog and shelves for books that might work to answer my child's question or delve deeper into the subject du jour. It is no wonder why lists are some of the most popular blogs in the world. You know the ones: "101 Books to Read Before Kindergarten," "10+ Children's Books to Inspire Kindness," and my own  "24 Books for Preschool Engineers."

A Smaller, More Approachable List

The problem is that sometimes we want a smaller, more approachable list. One with fewer books that includes other things. I just want a few good books, a CD, and a video, perhaps a toy. Something like a thoughtful little themed basket.

Invitation to Learn

It is in the spirit of having a small sampling of one topic that I am writing Invitations to Learn. Each invitation grows from our homeschool life and is a pint-sized unit of study for the DIY crowd. With this list, I am inviting you to learn alongside your child and giving you a small amount of guidance for creating a rich learning environment in your home or school.

Read a book one day; listen to an audiobook another day; watch a movie a different day; go on a field trip a different day. By offering one great thing at a time, you are inviting your child to learn with you and enjoy learning with you! Over time you and your child will consider the topic in several different ways, using different materials, have different but related conversations about it, and you will grow your knowledge in wonderfully robust ways.

INVITATION TO LEARN PIRATES

It is "Talk Like a Pirate Day" so I've collected treasure from the far reaches of the high seas (the internet). If you accept this Invitation to Learn about Pirates then grab your 'scopes (paper towel rolls) and set off to learn about lenses, map-making, and adventures on the high seas.

I have found some of these at the library or for free online. For your convenience, I will also include affiliate links when available.

Books

I always love to start with a book (or two or three). 

Pirate Pete's Talk Like a Pirate by Kim Kennedy  (Author), Doug Kennedy (Illustrator)

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
• Lexile Measure: AD790L (What's this?)
• Hardcover: 40 pages

Popular Pete is Perfect for Talk Like a Pirate Day!  

Following the success of Pirate Pete and Pirate Pete’s Giant Adventure comes a new book by the celebrated brother-and-sister team of Doug and Kim Kennedy. In this new adventure, Pete has a wonderful new ship, but no crew. But not just any crew will do. As Pete explains:  

“Ye gots to be stubborn and mighty cranky, Ye gots to be dirty and awfully stanky!Ye gots to load a cannon and know how to fire it,But most of all, ye gots to talklike a pirate!”  

One by one Pete interviews his potential crew, and one by one they get the boot! Whoever will he find to help him sail the high seas? A hilarious and fun-to-read-aloud book that will have every child talking like a pirate. 

We're also HUGE fans of the VNHLP (Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates). You can get started today with the audiobook version of the first book in the series titled "Magic Marks the Spot"!

Magic Marks the Spot (Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates) by Caroline Carlson  (Author), Dave Phillips (Illustrator)

• Age Range: 8 - 12 years
• Grade Level: 3 - 7
• Lexile Measure: 900 (What's this?)

Pirates! Magic! Treasure! A gargoyle? Caroline Carlson's hilarious tween novel The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates: Magic Marks the Spot is a seafaring romp like no other. The paperback features an Extras section containing an interview with the gargoyle, Hilary's application to the Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates, and a sneak peek at the second book in the series, The Terror of the Southlands.

Then you might want to give yourself a pirate name. 

Go to the Quiz, which will give you your name and a horoscope-type description of your swash-buckling ways.  http://www.piratequiz.com/ Or just make one following these simple instructions:

Pirate Activity Books 

There is a big selection of pirate-themed books published by Usborne Books and More. I'm a HUGE fan of their activity books like Build Your Own Pirate Ships (building with stickers), Pirate Maze Book, and the Wipe-Clean Pirate Activity Book. 

Make a Telescope

You will likely need a 'scope of some sort before you head out on an adventure. So surf over to National Geographic for how to use these items to make a 'scope:

• Two paper towel tubes
• Scissors
• Masking tape
• Paint (any color you like)
• 2 convex lenses (you can get these from a pair of magnifying glasses or order them online)

(Of course, just a paper towel roll to peer through could be enough for preschoolers.)

And for a little extra check out this video by Mr. Wizard!

Mapmaking with Preschoolers

Go into the backyard and count your paces between objects (door to the sandbox, from one side to the other, etc.). Use blocks to model the couch and TV in the living room. Or color a picture of your child's bedroom. The possibilities for rich discussions that touch on STEAM are endless. And if you talk like a pirate then it is even more fun! 

For more ideas go to EcoBabySteps...

"Sobel shows in Mapmaking for Children that developmentally appropriate mapmaking for children progresses through scope (home > neighborhood > community > nation) as well as through methods of representation (models > pictures > panoramas > contour and aerial maps). The more open you make your request, the more naturally your child can move through the stages of thinking about and representing the world."

...or check out a picture book that can help it come alive.

Follow That Map!: A First Book of Mapping Skills by Scot Ritchie  (Author, Illustrator)

Maps are about far more than getting from a to b. Maps can help children understand and explore both their everyday environment and faraway places. With an appealing search-and-find technique, Follow That Map! is an interactive picture book that explains and demonstrates key mapping concepts. Kids will enjoy following Sally and her friends as they search for Max and Ollie, a mischievous dog and cat on the lam from the backyard. Sally and friends take an imaginative trip through the neighborhood, city and country, around the world and beyond. Kids can join in the search for Max and Ollie, who are hiding somewhere in every map. An activity at the end of the book shows children how to make a map of their bedroom.

Time to Burst Your Bubble

In an article from National Geographic, historians shed some light on the truth about pirates.

"Brace yourself for a barrage of "salty dogs," "scallywags," and "swabbies." Tuesday is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, a parody holiday and general nerdfest ginned up on an Oregon racquetball court in 1995 to honor buccaneer speech of the 17th and 18th centuries. 

But did pirates really "arr" and "avast" all the time? Probably not, experts say, though it's tough to say exactly how most so-called Golden Age pirates really talked. 

"There isn't much in the way of scientific evidence in regards to pirate speech," said historian Colin Woodard, author of The Republic of Pirates:Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down."

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/09/120919-talk-like-a-pirate-day-news-history/

Invitation to Learn Multiplication

A Learning Lifestyle

My preschoolers are officially not preschoolers any more. As we step into Kindergarten and 2nd grade, and as a family new to "officially" homeschooling, I recently bought writing curriculum from BraveWriter and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

The guidance offered essentially advocates for 1) focusing on creating an environment filled with books, music, and experiences; and, 2) a language-rich lifestyle - one where you listen to your child, respond thoughtfully, and pursue ideas together. (This builds on what we know about how preschoolers learn, too. ) She, of course, weaves writing lessons into the day and provides structure so parents don't have to come up with everything on their own. (Whew!) 

Books, Music, and Experiences

Despite being regulars at the library, I often find myself scouring the catalog and shelves for books that might work to answer my child's question or delve deeper into the subject du jour. It is no wonder why lists are some of the most popular blogs in the world. You know the ones: "101 Books to Read Before Kindergarten," "10+ Children's Books to Inspire Kindness," and my own  "24 Books for Preschool Engineers."

A Smaller, More Approachable List

The problem is that sometimes we want a smaller, more approachable list. One with fewer books that includes other things. I just want a few good books, a CD, and a video, perhaps a toy. Something like a thoughtful little themed basket.

Invitation to Learn

It is in the spirit of having a small sampling of one topic that I am writing Invitations to Learn. Each invitation grows from our homeschool life and is a pint-sized unit of study for the DIY crowd. With this list, I am inviting you to learn alongside your child and giving you a small amount of guidance for creating a rich learning environment in your home or school.

Read a book one day; listen to an audiobook another day; watch a movie a different day; go on a field trip a different day. By offering one great thing at a time, you are inviting your child to learn with you and enjoy learning with you! Over time you and your child will consider the topic in several different ways, using different materials, have different but related conversations about it, and you will grow your knowledge in wonderfully robust ways.

INVITATION TO LEARN MULTIPLICATION

These are things we found at our library. (We stream many audiobooks for free.) For your convenience, I will also include affiliate links to Amazon.

Multiplication and Our Bodies

The Three-Headed Monster
We have a trail near our house that we call "Coyote Trail" because of the wildlife that scurries around out there. With two young children exploring the wildnerness, it is common knowledge in our neighborhood that we need to educate them about how to be as safe as possible when sharing the space with snakes, coyotes, and other creatures. The simplest thing to do: look big.

Looking big is hard to do when you are three years old though and so the three of us decided it would be better to stick together so we look like a three-headed, six-legged monster. Staring at the shadow our three-headed, six-legged monster cast on the ground, we have the opportunity to see part of the 3s multiplication table:

• 3 humans x 1 head per human = 3 heads, and 
• 3 humans x 2 legs = 6 legs. 

I have said before that there is no need to do worksheet math with young children. But talking about math in these organic situations is invaluable.

Fingers & Toes 

Using fingers (and toes) to count presents a unique opportunity to learn preschool multiplication, too. With your child you can use just hands to learn the 2s times tables:

• 2 hands x 1 finger per hand = 2 finger
• 2 hands x 2 fingers per hand = 4 fingers
• 2 hands x 3 fingers per hand = 6 fingers
• 2 hands x 4 fingers per hand = 8 fingers
• 2 hands x 5 fingers per hand = 10 fingers

Add toes and learn 4s!

• 4  extremities x 1 digit per extremity = 4 digits
• 4  extremities x 2 digits per extremity = 8 digits
• 4  extremities x 3 digits per extremity = 12 digits
• 4  extremities x 4 digits per extremity = 16 digits
• 4  extremities x 5 digits per extremity = 20 digits

Ready to add some books and music to explore Multiplication? Read on...

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox, Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

"There was one little baby / who was born far away. / And another who was born / on the very next day. / And both of these babies, / as everyone knows, / had ten little fingers / and ten little toes." No matter which part of the world a baby comes from—born on the ice or in a tent—that baby has “ten little fingers / and ten little toes,” the pleasing refrain of this wonderful, rhyming tribute to the chubby, sweet universality of babies of all colors. Helen Oxenbury’s soft, rounded babies are captured perfectly in soft, rounded watercolors.

Recommended age: 3+

"Moose in a Treehouse" by Brent Holmes

Counting Cookies by 1s, 2s, 3s, and 4s. I can't imagine a more enticing way to bring times tables into the lives of our young people!



Moose Multiplication Video

My kiddo and I loved the Moose in a Treehouse song so much that I made a little video about it... Includes imagery to see how the multiplication tables stack up!




10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle

"Ducks overboard!" shouts the captain, as a giant wave washes a box of 10 little rubber ducks off his cargo ship and into the sea. The ducks are swept away in various directions. One drifts west, where a friendly dolphin jumps over it. A whale sings to another. But as the sun sets, the 10th little rubber duck is left all alone, bobbing helplessly on the big wide sea. Small readers and listeners will empathize with the little duck's plight—and will rejoice at the heartwarming surprise ending.

In this poignant and funny story, illustrated with strikingly designed collages, Eric Carle takes readers on an exciting voyage of discovery. Following the little ducks as they float to all parts of the globe, young explorers can see for themselves the meanings of directional words and learn simple math concepts, such as counting and the use of cardinal and ordinal numbers. Each creature the ducks meet is seen in its own habitat and behaves in a true-to-life manner, offering a very simple first view of biology and geography.

"A wonderful read-aloud for storytimes or one-on-one sharing. It's a definite 10," commented School Library Journal in a starred review. "Beautifully composed illustrations," said Booklist. "As sublimely simple and endearing as the playthings it portrays," agreed Publishers Weekly.

This board book edition with sturdy pages is perfect to share with toddlers. Note that this edition does not include a squeaker at the end.

Recommended for Preschool - Kindergarten

Lift-the-Flap Times Tables by Usborne

Lift-the-flaps to find tips, tricks and practice questions to help you learn all the times tables up to 12x12. You can discover why the tables are so helpful, use the number machine to answer any tables question, and test your knowledge with the times tables challenge.

Recommended age: 6+

LEGO and LEGO-like Bricks

The nature of LEGO bricks make them perfect for doing a lot of maths learning, including multiplication. I am a fan of just letting children build with them and letting them get a visceral understanding of quantity.

For our smallest learners there are MEGA Blocks:

Duplo is a LEGO brand and the bricks are smaller than MEGA Blocks but bigger than LEGO originals.

And, of course, LEGO. There are sets that build something specific or just boxes of bricks for free play...

So get playing with multiplication! I'd love to hear how it manifests in your life!

Terrifying Tools: A Preschool Engineer's Halloween

Squash season brings with it a unique opportunity to let our children wield tools. I have to admit that my blood pressure goes up any time hammers and nails are around but that doesn't mean I don't find times and places for my kids to try them out. Finding the right combination of materials is key...

Wood is "Too Hard"
Both of my children have had plenty of opportunities to hammer nails into wood. But oftentimes I find myself starting all the nails and then letting them pound them in. And the removing nails from wood is pretty hard to do, too.

(Not to say that it isn't worth trying.)

Play-doh is "Too Soft"
Play-doh is so soft that the children don't need a hammer to push pegs, nails, or golf tees into it. They can just push them in.

(Not to say that is isn't worth trying.)

Pumpkins are Just Right
Pumpkin flesh is a unique material for taking nails.  It is not as hard as wood; it isn't as soft as Play-doh.

Here are a few ideas to get you started...

JUST POUND AWAY

You can start by just letting your child pound nails or golf tees into a pumpkin. A pumpkin riddled with nails is an oddly satisfying thing to see.

Just Pounding Nails at I Can Teach My Child

MAKE HAIR

If you offer a face already drawn on the pumpkin, then the nails or golf tees might become hair.

Hair at Choices for Children

STRING & RUBBERBAND BLING

Add string or rubberbands to kick it up a notch.

Nails and String at the Magic Onions

Nails and Geobands and Little Bins for Little Hands

PLIER PATROL

Hand your child a pair of pliers and let them try pulling the nails or golf tees out of the pumpkin. Then hollow it out to create a starry-night pumpkin.

Remove Golf Tees with Pliers at Time for Play

And more.... 20+ Pumpkin Hammering Activities at Living Montessori

24 Books for Preschool Engineers

I recently realized that I have reviewed a handful of books for Preschool Engineering and I have a list of my favorite books at my aStore and our favorite truck books but I don't have a list of great engineering books on the blog yet. Wait no longer.

Trucks

For us the path to Preschool Engineering began with the wheel and rapidly moved into working trucks like the Front End Loader and Grader. That is why I'm starting with a list of our favorite truck books but I'll limit the list to books about creative work...

Three books by Sally Sutton: Construction, Demolition, and Roadwork.

There’s lots of noise and excitement involved in building a library! Preschoolers will clamor to take a close look. Award-winning duo Sally Sutton and Brian Lovelock are back with another rhythmic read-aloud full of bustling illustrations and sound words that beg kids to join in.

From the huge crane with a swinging ball (crack! ) to the toothy jaws that ram the walls (thwock! ), this rambunctious demolition, reverberating with sound words, is guaranteed to have small kids rapt. Bright spreads showcase the gargantuan machines in all their glory, and a pictorial glossary explains what each one can do.

There are many big machines and busy people involved in building a road, and this riveting board book follows them every step of the way. From clearing a pathway (screek! ) to rolling the tar (squelch! ) to sweeping up at the end (swish! ), Roadwork is sure to delight young truck-lovers with its rambunctious rhymes and noisy fun.

Tip Tip Dig Dig by Maria Garcia.
Emma Garcia's popular debut title, Tip Tip Dig Dig, is now available as a chunky board book with moving parts on every spread, including the cover! Watch as each colourful vehicle does its own job as all the machines work together towards a surprise ending. 

The simple mechanisms in this new board book edition are prefect for little hands. Tip Tip Dig Dig has been shortlisted for the Read it Again! and the Southampton Favourite Book to Share picture book awards in 2008.

Tools &Machines

Next to trucks, tools and other machines have been of particular interest around here. At the top of our list are books by Gail Gibbons:

Tool Book, The Art Box, and Clocks and How They Go.

Basic tools and how they are used to make things.

Describes the many different kinds of tools and supplies which artists use to produce their work.

Describes the weight clock and the spring clock and how they work.

Thinking Outside the Box

A lot of what I see as preschool engineering work involves thinking outside the box, creating something out of nothing, and seeing the world with creative intention. Here are four books about thinking outside the box:

Meeow and the Big Box by Sebastien Braun

Start with an ordinary brown box. Get out the red paint. Add a chair and a mug. Then, watch as Meeow works his magic, transforming everyday objects into an amazing fire truck. What a clever kitty!

Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg
A life lesson that all parents want their children to learn: It’s OK to make a mistake. In fact, hooray for mistakes! A mistake is an adventure in creativity, a portal of discovery. A spill doesn’t ruin a drawing—not when it becomes the shape of a goofy animal. And an accidental tear in your paper? Don’t be upset about it when you can turn it into the roaring mouth of an alligator.

Red: A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall
Red has a bright red label, but he is, in fact, blue. His teacher tries to help him be red (let's draw strawberries!), his mother tries to help him be red by sending him out on a playdate with a yellow classmate (go draw a nice orange!), and the scissors try to help him be red by snipping his label so that he has room to breathe. But Red is miserable. He just can't be red, no matter how hard he tries! Finally, a brand-new friend offers a brand-new perspective, and Red discovers what readers have known all along. He's blue! This funny, heartwarming, colorful picture book about finding the courage to be true to your inner self can be read on multiple levels, and it offers something for everyone.

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

Award-winning author and illustrator Ashley Spires has created a charming picture book about an unnamed girl and her very best friend, who happens to be a dog. The girl has a wonderful idea. ?She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work. All she has to do is make it, and she makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!? But making her magnificent thing is anything but easy, and the girl tries and fails, repeatedly. Eventually, the girl gets really, really mad. She is so mad, in fact, that she quits. But after her dog convinces her to take a walk, she comes back to her project with renewed enthusiasm and manages to get it just right.

For the early grades' exploration of character education, this funny book offers a perfect example of the rewards of perseverance and creativity. The girl's frustration and anger are vividly depicted in the detailed art, and the story offers good options for dealing honestly with these feelings, while at the same time reassuring children that it's okay to make mistakes. The clever use of verbs in groups of threes is both fun and functional, offering opportunities for wonderful vocabulary enrichment. The girl doesn't just ?make? her magnificent thing --- she ?tinkers and hammers and measures,? she ?smoothes and wrenches and fiddles,? she ?twists and tweaks and fastens.? These precise action words are likely to fire up the imaginations of youngsters eager to create their own inventions and is a great tie-in to learning about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

People

These three books feature children who wrestle with the life of a creative person. They are persistent, creative thinking, generous people. They solve problems. Rosie, Iggy and Molly Lou serve as role models for the community of preschool engineers.

Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
Rosie may seem quiet during the day, but at night she's a brilliant inventor of gizmos and gadgets who dreams of becoming a great engineer. When her great-great-aunt Rose (Rosie the Riveter) comes for a visit and mentions her one unfinished goal--to fly--Rosie sets to work building a contraption to make her aunt's dream come true. But when her contraption doesn't fl y but rather hovers for a moment and then crashes, Rosie deems the invention a failure. On the contrary, Aunt Rose inisists that Rosie's contraption was a raging success. You can only truly fail, she explains, if you quit.

Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
Iggy has one passion: building. His parents are proud of his fabulous creations, though they’re sometimes surprised by his materials—who could forget the tower he built of dirty diapers? When his second-grade teacher declares her dislike of architecture, Iggy faces a challenge. He loves building too much to give it up! With Andrea Beaty’s irresistible rhyming text and David Roberts’s puckish illustrations, this book will charm creative kids everywhere, and amuse their sometimes bewildered parents.

Have Fun Molly Lou Mellon by Patty Lovell and David Catrow
Molly Lou Melon's grandma taught her to be happy with herself no matter what, but  that's not all she learned. Molly Lou heard all about how her grandma didn't have fancy store-bought toys when she was little. She made dolls out of twigs and flowers and created her own fun in her backyard. 

So Molly Lou does just that, proving that the best thing to play with is a huge imagination!

The Sun, the Wind, and the Rain by Lisa Westberg Peters and Ted Rand

While Elizabeth builds a mountain out of wet sand, the geological concept of mountain formation is clearly explained and impressively illustrated. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Big Ideas

These books feature the problems that engineers aim to solve.

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Long before saving the earth became a global concern, Dr. Seuss, speaking through his character the Lorax, warned against mindless progress and the danger it posed to the earth's natural beauty. 

The Apple-Pip Princess by Jane Ray
*Starred Review* Ray celebrates the transforming power of growing things in this beautiful, original fairy tale. A once-green kingdom turns into a barren dust bowl after a queen’s death. The king, concerned about his land’s future, challenges his three daughters to “do something to make your mark.” The creator of the best project will rule the kingdom. Two princesses build towering structures, but the youngest, Serenity, plucks a tiny apple seed from a box of nature’s treasures that belonged to her mother. That seed’s sprout inspires more planting, and soon the kingdom becomes a lush paradise, and Serenity is named the new ruler. Ray’s rich language and sure pacing create a winning read-aloud, but it’s the shining collage artwork that really stands out. Mixing color photos into her typically fine, elaborately decorated illustrations, Ray creates dramatic scenes of a kingdom’s renewal while highlighting the close ties among the brown-skinned princesses and the kingdom’s diverse people. Link this celebratory story Claire Nivola’s Planting the Trees of Kenya (2008). Preschool-Grade 2. --Gillian Engberg

Dream Invent Create

• The first 32 pages refer to the many disciplines of engineering, using colorful and whimsical illustrations and fun, engaging poetry and rhymes.
• Kids will learn that engineers create rockets, sky scrapers, video games, robots, sports equipment and much more. 
• They will see that engineering is all around us, and that engineers make the world a better place.
• Fun facts about each type of engineering discipline wrap around the borders of the pages, providing more information for more advanced readers. 

Interesting Books

The last category of great preschool engineering books are ones that a mechanically interesting in and of themselves: pop-up books and touch-me books.

These two are our favorite books for tiny fingers. "Fish Eyes" features tiny little holes on each page. A young child can stick his or her fingers into the holes, inspecting how the finger tips "appears" on the back side of the page. I highly recommend the board book version of this one!

  Fish Eyes by Lois Ehlert
Now toddlers can dive into counting with this board book edition of one of Lois Ehlert’s most popular books. With cutout fish eyes to touch and an energetic fish friend to guide them, they’ll have so much fun they won't even notice they’re learning!

The Poke-A-Dot books feature "Pop-a-tronic" technology. Each circle is a a piece of plastic that makes a snapping sound when it is pushed. (See the video of my daughter poking the dots, below.) My only gripe about these books is that they are sooooooo loved that the pages are torn apart and carried around individually.

Poke-A-Dot by iKids

Once you start popping, there's just no stopping! These fun, tactile books help kids learn to count--without losing count! Raised buttons pop in on every page so kids can press them as they count in this casebound book with ten spreads and 30 poke-able dots. How many animals does Old MacDonald have on his farm? Count them all with this one-of-a-kind """"pop-at-tronic"""" book. This poke-able popping dots book lets kids keep track of how many animals are on each page. It's a great way to learn to count to ten!

Pop-up books are very very mechanically interesting. Opening pages reveals three dimensional artwork. The only trouble with these books? The youngest and touchiest readers will likely destroy them. Consider these books for four and five year old children.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Pop-Up Book by Eric Carle
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of one of the most popular children’s books ever created, this pop-up edition of The Very Hungry Caterpillar is the perfect new platform for the classic caterpillar, who literally pops off the pages of the book—crawling along branches, munching through food, and in one of the most memorable climaxes ever, emerging vibrantly as a three-dimensional beautiful butterfly.

This is a stunning, tour-de-force pop-up that no fan of Mr. Carle’s work will want to miss.

ABC3D by Marion Bataille

"Easily the most innovative alphabet book of the year, if not the decade... Beyond clever."―The Washington Post

Prepare to be amazed. From the lenticular cover that changes with the angle of your hands all the way to the Z, ABC3D is as much a work of art as it is a pop-up book. Each of the 26 three-dimensional letters move and change before your eyes. C turns into D with a snap. M stands at attention. X becomes Y with a flick of the wrist. And then there's U...Boldly conceived and brilliantly executed with a striking black, red, and white palette, this is a book that readers and art lovers of all ages will treasure for years to come.

ABC3D is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Books by Robert Sabuda. We have and enjoy Winter's Tale and The 12 Days of Christmas.

Winter's Tale is Robert Sabuda's most spectacular original pop-up story yet. The simple, elegant text is illustrated with breathtaking artwork and extraordinary paper engineering. Stunning visual effects of foil, glitter, and a twinkling surprise further capture the magic of winter. This is a must-have for everyone's bookshelf.

A true holiday classic literally comes to life in this stunning pop-up edition of a seasonal favorite. With a partridge popping, snow scattering, and lords a-leaping off the page, this lavish book is a gift for readers of all ages. For this special anniversary edition legendary paper engineer Robert Sabuda encloses his own gifts to the reader: extra pages with a pop-up Christmas tree with real lights aglow, and a beautiful pop-up ornament of two turtledoves. The ornament is packaged with the book and is perfect for adding a celebratory touch to your tree. This beautiful anniversary package is one to treasure!