RETRO ROCKETS AND MORE

THIS IS THE LAST DAY YOU CAN ENTER MY SEPTEMBER GIVEAWAY - be sure and leave a comment or click here for details about my drawing for BOB BOOKS SIGHT WORDS. Contest ends at midnight tonight - winner announced tomorrow, Sept. 30, 2011. CONTEST OVER.  Giveaway winner: Theron Mathis!  Congratulations, Theron, send me an email with your address so I can mail you the sets. 

Today I'd like to showcase a unique book, THIS IS THE WAY TO THE MOON, by M. Sasek.  It's one of those books that grabs your attention with its bold, retro artwork. This title was first published in 1963 as This is Cape Canaveral, then later as This is Cape Kennedy. It was reissued in June 2009 as This is the Way to the Moon. Why so many titles?

Cape Canaveral was renamed Cape Kennedy after the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963. However, since the new name wasn't popular with local residents, the former name was restored to the area of Cape Canaveral in 1974. But the NASA installation base there goes by the name Kennedy Space Center, so you can see why this gets confusing!  The new title is a neutral way of describing the space center and the surrounding area.

Miroslav Sasek (born in Prague in 1916, died in 1980) was a Czechoslovakian author/illustrator of nonfiction for children.  From 1959-1974, he published his THIS IS... series.  These wonderful books are full of nostalgia and introduce children to great countries, cities, and landmarks in an entertaining and understandable way. (More about the other titles from his series in a future post).

But back to today's book, THIS IS THE WAY TO THE MOON... it is an awesome historical record of the perceptions and attitudes during the '60s about space (included in this edition are footnotes of facts and figures that have changed since they were first printed).

Kids of all ages (but especially 4-8 year olds) will enjoy the bold, colorful illustrations of giant missiles, huge antennae, astronauts (human and non-human) and even a chocolate space shuttle, all recreated with amazing detail. THIS IS THE WAY TO THE MOON will also jog the memories and delight the souls of those adults who may remember it from their own childhoods.

BEYOND BUZZ LIGHTYEAR:

If your kids love space and the cosmos, you can find more fun book recommendations (fiction and non-fiction) from my past post HERE.

Have you ever wanted to make a child's quilt with a space theme? Check out the adorable fabric at the FAT QUARTER SHOP.

Don't sew? Don't worry - go to The Pat a Cake Baby to order RETRO ROCKET RASCALS themed baby gear HERE.

What about throwing a rocket/astronaut themed birthday party?  CLICK HERE for ideas and a DIY tutorial for making jet pack favors for the attendees. Of course you'll need a rocket ship birthday cake - find a step-by-step recipe HERE from Parenting.com.

Invitations? How about these nifty printable retro rockets from Etsy...

PARTIES WITH A BOOK THEME...

A month ago, I helped throw a baby shower for my niece, who is expecting a boy any day now! She and her husband already have two adorable beagles and decorated their nursery with puppies, so we went with the theme, "Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails".  I found an adorable card on Etsy, that I built the "boy theme" around: we decorated with natural tones and blues and...books!

I love this set of miniature Golden Books!

The unfinished wooden toys were purchased at a craft store.

We decked out the tables with small children's books, plants, stuffed animal puppies, and wooden toys.  On the invitation, we asked everyone to bring a picture book in lieu of a card.  I purchased a cute ex-libris puppy rubber stamp and as they arrived, each guest made a bookplate to adhere in their "book/card" to the baby.

This all got me thinking about the endless possibilities for book-themed baby showers and birthday parties!  You could go with general Nursery Rhymes or specific stories: Peter Rabbit, Curious George, Dr. Seuss, Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan... the choices are endless.

Martha Stewart has some really cute ideas for a book- themed baby shower with a Mother Goose Menu on her WEBSITE.
For tons of ideas from parents for parties based on children's books, click HERE.

Think of all the fun food inspiration you could get from picture books at a  Storytime Tea. You could match refreshment choices to favorite children's book titles, displaying the books next to the treats. Then read Miss Spider's Tea Party as an activity. Let me know if you have more ideas.

MENU IDEAS (WITH ACCOMPANYING BOOKS):
Cake!
The Duchess Bakes A Cake


Blueberry Muffins or Scones
Blueberries for Sal 



Madeline tea cakes
Madeline



Chocolate desserts or candy
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory



Strawberries and whipped cream
The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear!


Chocolate chip cookies
If you Give a Mouse a Cookie


Crustless jam sandwiches
Bread and Jam for Frances


Melon balls (watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe) - served in a halved out watermelon
The Very Hungry Caterpillar



Baby carrots and dip...
The Carrot Seed

NEW BEGINNINGS

January always gets me thinking about New Beginnings - a chance for assessment and resolutions, a time to appreciate the past year in retrospect and to anticipate the upcoming year and the change we will strive for in our lives.

Perhaps because we have also just celebrated Nativity, the New Year brings to mind new birth and hope.

These two children's books reflect that appreciation and anticipation of new beginnings - in the birth of babies...

JANUARY'S CHILD by Andrea Alban Gosline, illustrated by Lisa Burnett Bossi. 

"You were born in your very own month of the year and the world was waiting to welcome you here with daydreams and wishes and circles of love and in turn you brought a gift from above...." 

Every day is someone's birthday, which January's Child celebrates with creative attributes for each month of the year. More positive than the traditional "Monday's Child" rhyme, and geared for families to share among youngest and oldest members, this is a beautifully illustrated treasury, perfect as a gift for birthdays or new babies.

ON THE NIGHT YOU WERE BORN by Nancy Tillman.

On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered, "Life will never be the same..."

The sweet rhyming text of this book celebrates and praises the uniqueness of a newborn.  Creation - polar bears, giraffes, geese, the moon, the wind - is shown as jubilant in the poetry and rich illustrations of this beautiful book (also a wonderful baby shower or birthday gift)!