Encyclopedia Mythologica: Gods & Heroes

Encyclopedia Mythologica: Gods & Heroes
 (A Pop-up Novelty book)
by Matthew Reinhart, Robert Sabuda


Mythology being an ever-fascinating topic, the 7-year old zoomed in on this book at Powell's where she hoped to use the gift cards her friends had given for her birthday several months ago.

(And, rather than splurge it all on herself, I was glad to note that she bought something for Oggie, something he'd like - a DK Ultimate Sticker Book of Space.)

With just 6 pages, Encyclopedia Mythologica: Gods & Monsters might seem like a quick read, but the book has been entertaining her for hours, over days, on and off. [Much like the How To Find Flower Fairies book did does]

From Ancient Egypt, Greek, Norse, Eastern and Polynesian to relatively modern Native American, the powerful deities conjured up and revered by the various civilizations are presented in quite a dramatic manner that easily arrested the attention of the young reader.

The paper cut-out centerpiece on each page is surrounded by text on fold-out/pull/pop-up novelties. The text flows in a direct narration sharing some intriguing stories from mythology, qualifying clearly enough that these were the beliefs of the time.

There are a few other books in this series by the same team: Encyclopedia Mythologica: Dragons & Monsters, Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Sharks and Other Sea Monsters, Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Mega Beasts.

[image source: amazon.com]

Kids Art: Bubble Print

I remember introducing Bubble Printing to Ana when she was a pre-schooler. And since then we've done it quite a few times and Og has watched or participated.

But, one weekend morning, when we were done with our Walk Around The Block, I was looking for something to keep Oggie engaged while I attend to things that needed attending.

Since it kept him excited and  happy for a good part of the morning I wanted to dedicate a post to this awesome activity again.

Assembling the items needed is a big part of the project and possibly the first step. I make a list of things needed and he gathers them on the work table.

Items Used: Tempera paints (Red, Blue, White, Yellow), dish soap, water, straw, stirrer/whisk, container, card stock paper, butcher paper, a pan to hold the spills, towel

Color mixing: I squirted the colors Oggie wanted in each container - not more than 2 colors to keep it from getting muddy. Plus a squirt of dish soap. Stir, stir stir.

Punch a tiny hole in the straw at the blowing end to prevent sucking in the paint to the mouth. Pick up the straw and blow bubbles.

Make a print by placing the paper on top of the bubbles and lifting it up as the bubbles settle back down.

Squeals of , "Look, Mama! It looks like the Antartic!", "This one looks like ice is cracking up!" punctuated the bubble-blowing and stirring as I made the prints and laid them out for drying.

And after an hour or so of dedicated bubble blowing the activity took a life of its own when the colors got poured into another container, and mopped up with hands and drizzled on paper and self...

As usual, I saved the best prints to use as cards and tags for special occasions.

The others are saved in our Textured Papers collection to make collages.

Imaginary Menagerie, Mythological Creatures

Imaginary Menagerie
A Book of Curious Creatures
Poems by Julie Larios
Paintings by Julie Paschkis


The gorgeous illustrations attracted me to this book in the library; and as I flipped through the pages, I knew the 7-year-old would love reading this collection of poems about mythological creatures as she gazes at the colorful illustrations by Julie Paschkis.

Fourteen of the most enigmatic and awe-inspiring beings that make myths so attractive and yet hair-raising in some sense, are presented in this collection by the team who brought Yellow Elephant: A Bright Bestiary, a book of colorful animals.

From Dragon to Troll, Centaur to Firebird, Sphinx to Phoenix, Will o' the Wisp to Hobgoblin, Cockatrice to Thunderbird, the short poems are presented on the left of a double page spread with the paintings on the right.

Cockatrice
I'm a snake-tailed rooster,
I'm a rooster-headed snake.
All it takes
to turn you to stone
is one look from me.
Ki-ki-ri-ki-ri!
Should I crow or should I hiss?
S-ss-sss-ssss-sssssssssssss...

Some poems can be frightful, like the Trolls which claims, "...Troll arms will grab you and put you in a pot-" or the Sea Serpent which invites, "Tonight when you sleep, why don't you swim with me through the water?" but for the most part they are delightful and lyrical, like the Centaur, "Can he be half gallop, half-walk? half dream, Half-real? Half neigh, half talk?..."

Mythological Creatures being the current subject of interest, the book was much relished and read several times over by the 7-yo. However, I did not think the resident 4-yo was ready for it so I decided to wait a year or two to read it with him.

Last page has More About the Imaginary Menagerie which provides a short paragraph about each of these creatures drawn from various cultures and folklore.

Also by Julie Paschkis - Through Georgia's Eyes and Bottle Houses.

[image source: www.juliepaschkis.com]

Mythological Creatures
A Classical Bestiary
by Lynn Curlee

"In ancient Greece people told wonderful stories about a magical world."

The Prologue appealed to me as it sets out to explain how some of the most the wondrous and terrifying beasts were probably conjured up in people's imagination and were brought forth in poems and sculptures and paintings which survived as the myths we know today. Stories about real and imaginary animals were collected and studied in the Middle Ages in books called bestiaries.

Each double page spread has a picture on one side and a page of text dedicated to such beings as Chimera, Cerberus (which unavoidably got nick-named "Fluffy" in our house), Gryphons, and Sphinx, as well as Gorgon Medusa, Talus, Argus, Minotaur and the usual.

The Epilogue adds how the Greek myths were handed from generation to generation until it was absorbed and morphed by the conquering Romans and eventually forgotten until the Renaissance period when it all came alive again and became a fascinating study.

[image source: http://curleeart.com/books.php#myth]

Good-bye, Twt!

"Until one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened. "
-Anatole France

Our sweet kitty Twt (Welsh, pronounced "Toot") left us forever yesterday.

As I watched Ana's inconsolable bawls simmer down to convulsive sobs only to begin the cycle again triggered by another memory, I focused on channeling Oggie's restiveness by helping him write a book about Twt hoping for a cathartic experience to help us through this loss.

I am sure the book will grow as our collective minds extract another sweet memory that we want to celebrate and record, and will be cherished and read as often as needed.

Struwwelpeter

Struwwelpeter
by Heinrich Hoffman

In our increasingly global world, as we teach our children to respect themselves and others, as we impart positive messages of compassion and fairness, as we cast away the preconceptions and prejudices, leaving behind the distasteful practices of the past and embracing a thoughtful approach to creating an immaculate future, it seems imperative that a peek into the past, if only to reiterate the unacceptability of its repetition (or a grand chuckle at its absurdity), is of vital educational significance.

All that is to say, every once in a while, even if it is considered horrifying in today's context, it has been a worthwhile excursion to allow the kids to experience a book (age-appropriate) from the past replete with its dated views (which were consistent with its times, naturally) and shocking bluntness.

Struwwelpeter,  written in 1844 by a German physician Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann (1809-1894), was a Christmas gift for his three-year-old son Carl Philipp. Tired of boring children's books, he wrote this for his son's entertainment (and possibly education!) - from 1851 onwards he specialized in psychology and staunchly stood by this book despite the strong criticism and disapproval it received. The book has been translated into several languages, and the fact that it is still in circulation 150+ years later must account for its strength.

There are 10 cautionary tales, told in verse, some long, some short, all of them incredibly bizarre and yet quite delightful in a horrifying sort of way.

I love Struwwelpeter! The English translation is reminiscent of some of the children's books/magazines I grew up with - no sugar-coated politically correct phrasing or story.

And when Nana gave Struwwelpeter in English Translation (100th edition) to Ana for the fun of it, it instantly became her favorite, nicknamed,  the "Weirdo Book". Knowing my child and what she is able to discern and discard at her age, it was not a tough decision to allow her to read it, although I will be reluctant to share it with any other child quite as young.

When right above the Copyright information on the first page, we read
NOTE: Dover Publication regrets the potentially offensive content of "The Story of the Inky Boys" but has retained the story to avoid censorship of a work considered to be classic.
it is clear that there must be something about that story that must be inconsistent with today's values.

If the cover image is intriguing, it goes with the title story 'Struwwelpeter' or Shock-headed Peter.
Just look at him! There he stands,
With his nasty hair and hands.
See! his nails are never cut;
They are grim'd as black as soot;
And the sloven, I declare,
Never once had comb'd his hair;
Any thing to me is sweeter
Than to see Shock-headed Peter.

And this is possibly the tamest one in the collection.

The Story of Cruel Frederick can be quite disturbing to a sensitive child, but, Ana took it fine, knowing it is just a story and is written expressly to discourage such behaviors.

The Dreadful Story About Harriet And The Matches says it all - of course Harriet is victim to her own curiosity about matches.

The Story of Little Suck-A-Thumb is my favorite despite its sad outcome.

The Story of Johnny Head-in-the-Air and The Story of Flying Robert were Ana's favorites, they are rather silly and comical.

Stuwwelpeter 2000  by Colin Blyth, Heinrich Hoffmann, Georgina Roche and Valerie Blyth includes the original German version, plus some edits to the stories to give a happier ending, to make them more agreeable with today's parents and children.

A later version, Struwwelpeter by Bob Staake and Monte Beauchamp showcases Staake's unique skills as he puts a modern-day spin to these potentially nightmarish tales where nasty things happen to children who don't listen to the warnings given by their parents for their own safety. Take for example the thumb-sucking Conrad. Jarring as it might be that the scissorman came, its extreme approach allows for the comical to materialize.

[image source: photo of my personal copy]

Books: Japanese Transcendence

On and off, we choose a theme and try to read as much as we can (as our interest and time permits) on the subject. These days, I let the kids guide me about what they want to learn about and just go with the flow. Books, plus online resources, make a wonderful combination to encourage the curious minds. 

However, sometimes I come across some wonderful books that urge me to sneak some interest by strategically placing them in the kids' vicinity and bringing up the topic at dinner conversations and such.

Yet other times, we get lucky enough that dear friend(s) send(s) a few hand-picked books, and Nana sends a few gems our way as well, so, an interest is automatically generated.

Here are a few books embodying the much-valued Japanese elegance of finding beauty through simplicity. By no means an exhaustive list, this is just some that we read a while back, some of it the second time over for Og since Ana liked them a few years ago, that I didn't get a chance to share until now.

Wabi Sabi
by Mark Reibstein
art by Ed Young

Wabi Sabi: Finding beauty through simplicity. The book introduces this complex concept at the beginning and then sets out to explain it via a cat's journey through the country to discover the meaning of its name, Wabi Sabi.

The cut paper collage art work is deceptively simple-looking yet elegant and gorgeous. The pages are arranged vertically with a straight telling of the cat's journey. Plus, spare haiku placed next to the illustration complements the illustration and furthers the unfolding of the story.

There's text in Japanese on each page, which though we could not read, was transliterated and translated at the back of the book, which was fun for the 6 yo to read.

The tough part of reading this book was to hold it vertically and behold everything the page offers.

The 6 yo could understand an outcome of the story - of being content where you find yourself, of acceptance and harmony - after some informal chats. But, the book appealed more to me than to her at this time, which am sure will change as years roll by.

(Thanks, R, for giving us this book ages ago!)

[image source: brainpickings.org]

Suki's Kimono
by Chieri Uegaki
illustrated by Stephane Jorisch

A beautiful X'mas present from a dear friend R (yep, the same one who gave us Wabi Sabi), Suki's Kimono immediately appealed to the 6 yo, reading it back-to-back a few times right after the first read.

The illustrations are beautiful, bright, cheerful. Suki wants to wear her kimono for her first day of school, the kimono her grandma gave her. Her older sister disapproves - the sisters go to the same school. Suki wears it anyway.

Suki gets to share the beauty of her outfit and her wonderful summer experience at a street festival with her grandma, who incidentally gave her the kimono.

A gentle book with gorgeous watercolors, which inspired us to make a simple craft: Japanese Girls in Kimono, using origami paper, glue, scissors and Popsicle stick.

[craft resources and inspiration: Ningyo tutorial and Asian Art education]

[image source: amazon.com]

Origami Master
by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer
illustrated by Aki Sogabe

Shima, an origami master, lives up in the peaceful mountains, all by himself, enjoying what he does. One day he folds a paper elephant but later he finds one folded with such simplicity and elegance like he has never seen before. This goes on for a couple of days, where his every origami creation is outdone by someone, thus intriguing Master Shima.

He hides and discovers a gentle warbler out-folding him with its melodious notes and simple beauty. He traps the bird and cages it hoping to find out its secret. However, the warbler is miserable and doesn't sing its hoohokekyo...hoohokekyo... any more and refuses to do its wonderful origami.

The master eventually sets it free realizing how much he misses its warbles and knowing how much the bird wants to be free.

The illustrations are gorgeous. With just 2 characters, the a profound story is quite impressive. There are instructions for making an origami bird at the back of the book.

[image source: Author Nathaniel Lachenmeyer's website]

The Paper Crane
by Molly Bang

Molly Bang's books are much-loved by kids and respected by adults alike. This book tells the simple story of how a paper crane changes the fortune for the better when a stranger pays for his meal at a wayside restaurant with it.

The illustrations are almost 3-D like with a combination of cut paper collages and paintings. The story, while rather simple and open-ended, had its own elegance that most folk-tales from around the world command.

[Browse Inside: Harper Collins Chidren]
[image source: harpercollinschildren.com]

The Funny Little Woman
by Arlene Mosel
illustrations by Blair Lent

Tiki Tiki Tembo led us to this book that was a birthday present for Ana a couple of years ago (thanks, Nana!)

A little old woman, who laughs oddly, is content making dumplings and eking out a living by a river bank. One day, one of her dumplings rolls away. As she chases it down the river she meets some cunning Oni who want enslave her, only so they can be fed on a regular basis. With her cleverness, the woman escapes with the magic paddle and ends up becoming a rich woman.

The Oni did scare the then five-year-old, but they just amuse her now as she realizes they weren't really going to harm her except have her cook for them at all times, even if they looked fearsome.

The illustrations are wonderful, but the text didn't flow with the story as it did with Tiki Tiki Tembo, but still a good read.

[image source: paperbackswap.com]

Peach Boy and Other Japanese Children's Favorite Stories
by Florence Sakade
illustrated by Yoshisuke Kurosaki

A collection of classic stories from Japan, as the title suggests, the book was much-enjoyed by the kids. Some full-page and smaller illustrations lend color and complement the stories well.

Much like English translations of Indian folktales I grew up reading, the text in this book is from a different era but appealed to the then 6 year old anyway; while a slightly edited simpler text for some of the stories that I read aloud to the 3 year old was well received.

[image source: barnesandnoble.com]

Zen Shorts
by John J Muth

"There is a really big bear in the backyard."

We, (and the three children), are introduced to Stillwater thusly.

Three ancient Zen tales are retold in context to the three children as they visit their neighbor, a giant and wise panda.

The illustrations are wonderfully elegant, breathtakingly beautiful. The tales offer a different perspective, much like The Three Questions (thanks, Nana for that book!) something to think about, for the young and the no-so-young alike.

Author's note shares some basic Zen principles and the sources for the stories Stillwater shares.

[image source: childrensbooksguide.com]

Fishing for the Moon and Other Zen Stories
by Lulu Hansen

Nine classic Zen stories are shared in this gorgeous pop-up book which might not appeal to kids as much as it does to adults.

Unlike Zen Shorts which easily engaged the kids, I found this book with the tiny print narrating one short profound-and-succinct story per page to not exercise the same charm, even though it did raise a lot of questions prompting a few discussions.

With no clear-cut answer that I could give them, or that they could arrive at, I am sure this book will grow with the kids and reveal its beauty to them as time goes by.

I loved it (thanks, R!) and think of my dear old friend who sent it for the kids' birthday last year, possibly knowing how much I needed it and would derive from it myself.

[image source: amazon.com]

First Eleven Dollars and Thirty Cents

It was a blazing afternoon, one of those rare dry-hot summer days we get here. Only so much of splashing about in the little inflatable pool helps, after which, a compulsory shutdown happens when the body just wants to vegetate.

Not the mind, though. There was a sizzling of energy as a virtual light-bulb flashed its existence over Ana's head revealing the determined look of a girl with a purpose.

Step stool and basket in hand, she went to the backyard; ten minutes later, reappeared with the basket full of plums, minus the step stool, and proceeded to meticulously sort and wash the plums, pat them dry, and count them.

"Wow, I can make 28$ if I sell each plum for 1$", she squealed, puffing up with the exuberance only a child can muster.

Bursting her bubble was a tad bit heart-breaking, I admit, but needed to be done - there is no point in raising false hopes and removing the reality. "I wouldn't pay one whole dollar for one of those tiny plums, Ana, and I don't think that is a fair price for it."

Finally, from 28$ for the basket full, the young mind shifted enough to accept $2.80, if only she can spread the word and make the sale.

A driven young girl disappeared into her room for a while and came out with a scrap piece of paper with the words, "Home Garden Plums 10c each", requesting some help with making a bigger sign to put up on the street corner.

Scary though it may be, being tough and strict comes rather easily to me at times (especially with my little girl) so I drove a hard bargain: "I'll draw the picture for the sign, but you must make the rest of the sign. And if you make at least 15$ from all your sales, 5$ of it must be set aside for charity." And we discussed a few options of which OHS (Oregon Humane Society) was settled upon as the beneficiary, if at all.

Chalk pastel plum tree came about in 5 minutes as I sipped tea, and the suggestion to throw in "Organic" and "Italian" was dutifully incorporated, and the sign was ready within 20 minutes.

"We can make a copy and put it in our front yard too!" cheeped the happy voice, eyeing the sign with a mixture of joy, hope, and pride.

How to canvass the buyers?

Not being business-minded (would have had an etsy store by now if I was), Papa was brought in to counsel the budding entrepreneuse. "Diversify. Sell apples and plums, give people a choice."

After nailing the sign on a tree on our street, a copy of it was pinned to the home-made felt board and placed strategically in our front yard.

Of course, living on a quiet street does have its disadvantages in situations like these. Not much foot traffic. Not many eyeballs on the sign. But, the girl persevered, waiting patiently under the umbrella for about 2 and a half hours, with home garden plums and Jonagold apples.

After which, I felt sorry for her and suggested to leave the signs out but close up shop. "People would know to knock on our door and ask for it if they want it", I added reassuringly.

And so it was, that the next day, when she was out attending camp, an anonymous buyer stopped by seeing the inviting sign and bought 10 plums and 2 apples for $1.30. (No points for guessing this anon. buyer.)

Her first sale! And she wasn't even there. (Thankfully!)

As luck would have it, in a few days, her uncle stopped by - first time in over a year - with no inkling of any impending sales pitch, hoping to drop something off for us to deliver to somebody else. He generously bought 10$ worth of plums that she had restocked!

(The said uncle, of course, had disposable income having recently won a few hundred dollars in video poker, but, he could've easily bought just $1 worth and left it at that.)

So, there she was with her first eleven dollars and thirty cents from her little enterprise!

A short vacation intervened and sales dropped abruptly. And then, school started.

So, finally, a few days ago, the sign on the tree was reluctantly pulled down knowing there won't be many more buyers, or many more plums for that matter.

I could sense a mixture of desperation and euphoria as she clutched the beautiful sign - desperation to reach the 20$ goal she had set for herself and euphoria at having made a whopping 10$ in one sale (which seemed a highly unlikely scenario when she set out.)

I hope next year when you see a young entrepreneuse or entrepreneur with a hand-made sign and wholesome goods to sell, you'll be moved to encourage their passion.

Kids Art: Chalk Pastel Study of Birds

Ever since Lang Elliott's The Songs Of Wild Birds came into our lives, the kids and I have been sighting birds everywhere just for the fun of it.

After Glue-resist Chalk Pastels and Mondrian-inspired chalk pastel works, kids have been using the brilliant chalk pastel colors on and off for various ad hoc in-house art work over the last couple of years.

And then, one weekend, inspiration hit us and we wanted to draw birds - close-up of them in brilliant colors from the photographs published in Lang Elliott's book.

Oggie is still working on his drawing skills but loves coloring, so, we teamed up so that I draw the bird and he colors it in - and as I draw I point out the shape, the colors, the background, and then leave him to it.

Items Used: Drawing/Sketch Pad papers, Pro-Art student grade chalk pastels, fixative (optional) - I use Blair® Clear Matte

First was the ubiquitous American Robin. Next came the Thrush (Swainson's Thrush was the inspiration). "Notice how it is lighter at the horizon and gets darker blue as we go up in the sky." "Notice the white breast and the brown spots on it."

He noticed I am sure, but decided to color it in as he pleased anyway, which is just fine. Actually, more than fine as this is my favorite of all the ones we did as it embodies Og's spirit, his passion, his zest and gusto.

Then, he picked the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. This time, I colored in part of the bird as he pointed out the parts and the color. "Some grey here, mama. Black here. Red here on its chest." He took charge of coloring the background - blue for the blue, blue sky, green for the grass and leaves.

And then the gorgeous Scarlet Tanager. This time, he was more precise with the colors and I added the finishing touches.

Ana decided to work independently.

She chose the American Robin first, just as Og and I were working on it together.

Her touch was to add the clouds in the sky using a technique we had watched in youtube: use an eraser to lift off color to reveal the white of the page.

I adore this Robin, she has character and spunk, and the clouds are quite whimsical.

Next was the Wood Thrush. "Notice the sort of squarish head; notice the big belly; notice the spots on its white breast..." was all she heard from me.

I like the way this wood thrush's tail is all cute and curly, very much Ana's signature.

In order to simplify it even further, my suggestion was to place each bird such that we don't have to worry about precisely showing its feet - foliage covers it strategically.

Of course, I would have preferred to frame each and every one of them. But, satisfied myself by laminating them and using them as place mats for everyday meal time and enjoyment.

I did spray a fixative (outdoors) and let it dry so the protective coating will preserve the work and the chalk pastel won't rub off on our fingers as we handle them.

All in all, a very entertaining, delightful, and satisfying weekend spent studying a handful of birds in their full glory as we listened to their bird song in the background thanks to Lang Elliott's CD that came with the book, and looked them up in the computer.

Now, will I remember much about the birds? I doubt it, my memory being what it is. Will I remember this experience of basking in their joy in creating these colorful treasures? Of course!