Kids and Teen Blog
Mom Minute- Bring out your inner Van Gogh this summer with Doodle Books!
by Crystal
Art & Photography + Kids + Parenting / June 22, 2011
This week I bring you another Mom Minute. Summer is here. School is almost out. Your kids need some great activities to keep them busy at home, on vacation, or on long road trips.
My suggestion? Doodle books! Bring out their inner Van Gogh with these fun activity books. One part coloring book, one part sketch journal, they are fun for audiences of all ages. Yes, I myself have one in my studio at home that I pull out when I want to bring out my inner creative child.
Want to give them a whirl? As a special treat I have two free downloadable doodle pages for you.
The first is from Johnny Joe's Coloring Book. Roz Streeten is the creator of the Rosie Flo Coloring books and now she brings us Johnny Joe who is a bit more appealing for a male audience.
Our second download is from PocketDoodles for Young Artists. These books are the perfect size to tuck in your back pocket or throw in a purse, bag or backpack to take on the go. Plus they come in a variety of themes. Your girly girls will love the PocketDoodles for Princesses, and look out for Monster Doodles for Kids coming this fall just in time for Halloween.
Want to download these doodle pages? Click on the photos to be brought to larger sized pdfs that you can print out!
Happy Doodling!
Crystal
Winner of our Art of Cars 2 Giveaway!
by Danielle
Contests / June 17, 2011
Congrats to Cameron! I've messaged you on Twitter! DM me!
And to the rest of you. Keep reading our blog for more give-aways!
Countdown to Father’s Day!
by Liz
Gift & Stationery + Kids + Picture Books / June 16, 2011
Father’s Day is this weekend!
Does he really need another tie? Why not give the best gift you can — quality time with the kids! Whether you want to encourage him to take the little ones outdoors with this handy pocket guide from Gibbs Smith:
Pitch your tent, build a cozy campfire, cook up some dinner, and tell some rollicking good campfire tales! This must-have guide gives kids everything they need for the perfect camping trip.
or just want to let him know where he stands a good book is the perfect fit.
... or just want to let him know where he stands in you and your children's eyes...
He's not a superhero..
but he is supergood at being a Dad
Your local bookstore will have the perfect gift for your little ones to give to their perfect dad.
Art of Cars 2 Giveaway
by Danielle
Contests + Events + Film / June 13, 2011
Hi there,
As a publicist I sometimes get movie passes for give-away. This time I worked with Disney for a cross promo with Cars 2 and a book from Chronicle Books, Art of Cars 2. Disney was nice enough to send me a few.
So, I have one here (admits 2) for the Vancouver premier on Wednesday June 22, 2011, 7PM at The Scotiabank Theatre on Burrard st.
I also have a book here that I will throw in as well!!
To be entered:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
“I entered to win The Art of Cars 2 Book and movie pass courtesy of #raincoastbooks #chroniclebooks & #disney!”
I will draw one winner at random from all entries on Friday, June 17th, at 12:00pm (PST). I will be in touch if I draw your name.
Please note: This draw is open to lower mainland residents. Please keep in mind to arrive early as seating is first come first serve and that this ticket does not guarantee you a seat.
**And you have to find your own way to get to the movie.
Good luck!
Event on Friday June 10- A Note From Janet Gurtler
by Crystal
Events + YA Fiction / June 08, 2011
Janet Gurtler, the author of I'm Not Her just sent me the below note and asked for me to pass it along to all of our readers. If you are in Calgary, Janet hopes to see you there!
Hello all!
I would love to invite you all to, the book launch/signing for I’M NOT HER this Friday from 7-9pm.
It’s at Chapters MacLeod Trail 9631 MacLeod Trail SW and will be set up at the back of the store.
Please bring your friends and family. I will have delicious cupcakes and some other treats. Kids are very welcome. The event will be casual so if you can not stay the whole time please just stop by and say hi!
I’M NOT HER has had some great reviews over the last couple of weeks, so hope that you will enjoy the book.
Thanks and hope to see you Friday night!
Janet Gurtler
Notes From A Children’s Book Publicist- Volume Five
by Crystal
Excerpts + Food & Drink + Kids + Parenting / June 08, 2011
For today's blog post, please allow me for just a moment to switch from my Children's Book Publicist hat to my Mom Minute hat and say
"Does everyone have as hard of a time getting their 2 year old to eat a well balanced diet as I do?"
Seriously. Some days it's impossible. What my daughter likes changes on a day to day basis. One day she will inhale a plate of salmon, the next week she will push it away. One meal she will delight in pretending she is a giant who is eating a forest of broccoli trees, the next meal we serve them to her she will wrinkle her nose.
The one thing that we can consistently get her to eat? Dessert.
Last spring when we went to Toronto to meet with editors the creators of Zoku Popsicle Makers had just sent out a bunch of their machines to editors and bloggers for them to test out. Everywhere we went our contacts were raving about this amazing little machine that lets you make popsicles on your counter in just 7 minutes.
Ever since I have been dying to have one. Then last week as I was eyeballing them on the Williams Sonoma website I thought "My birthday is in July, I should ask for one!" Ask I did and fingers crossed I will be getting a Zoku for my birthday.
So today, imagine my delight, when I found the beautiful new Chronicle cookbook Perfect Pops: The 50 Best Classic & Cool Treats on my desk. It is a beautiful sunny day outside, the perfect day for a popsicle and when I started flipping through the book I found a recipe for this gorgeous popsicle! The Striped Juice Bar Pop. And guess what? It's jam packed with healthy ingredients like beet and carrot juice but is sweet and so yummy looking that my kiddo will have absolutely no idea what she is eating except for that it is a popsicle and it is cold and delicious.
So hoping that there are other parents out there, reading this blog, struggling to get their little ones to eat what's good for them I give you this gift. The recipe for the Striped Juice Bar Pop from Perfect Pops: The 50 Best Classic & Cool Treats.
Striped Juice Bar Pops
This pop will remind you of a drink from your neighborhood juice bar. I came up with this combination for a party celebrating the birthday of a friend's daughter. My friend likes to give her kids healthful sweets, and this pop was a natural. (It is also her daughter's favorite color scheme.)
Ingredients
watermelon-beet juice
2 1/2 cups seeded watermelon cubes (from 1 1/2 pound piece)
2 tablespoons beet juice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons agave sweetenercarrot-apple juice
1 cup carrot juice
1/2 cup apple juice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons agave sweetener1. To make the watermelon-beet juice: Place the watermelon in a blender and process until liquefied. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl, pressing the pulp with a flexible spatula to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the solids. You should have about 1 cup watermelon juice. Stir in the beet juice, lime juice and agave sweetener.
2. To make the carrot-apple juice: In another small bowl, stir together the carrot juice, apple juice, lime juice and agave sweetener.
3. Using a small measuring cup with a pour spout, fill each ice
pop mold about 1/4 full with the watermelon juice mixture. Freeze until set, about 30 minutes. Fill each mold another quarter of the way full with the carrot juice mixture. Return molds to the freezer and freeze until set, 30-45 minutes. Insert sticks and repeat once more with each juice mixture to make four layers total. Freeze until firm, at least 6 hours or up to 1 week.
4. To unmold the pops, run hot water over the outsides of the molds for a few seconds, then gently pull the sticks.
That's it! What is your favorite treat to eat on a hot summer day?
Happy Reading (and popsicle making)!
Crystal
Change of Distribution: Blue Apple Books
by Siobhan
News / June 06, 2011
Effective July 1, 2011, Random House of Canada will be distributing Blue Apple Books.
The ISBN prefixes included in this change are: 978-1-60905, 978-1-59354, and 978-1-93470.
Returns on shipments made from Raincoast will be accepted by Raincoast until September 30, 2011.
If you have any questions please contact Raincoast customer service at 1-800-663-5714.
Notes From A Children’s Book Publicist- Volume Four
by Crystal
Kids + News + Picture Books + Vancouver + YA Fiction / June 01, 2011
There are oh so many reasons that I love my job. Please. Who wouldn't love being surrounded by fun kids books all day? Here are my top 5 reasons I love my job:
1. The people I work with. They really are super fab! These are just a few of them.
2. The insanely talented editors that I get to work with and the fun mail that they send me. For example check out the summer issue of The Magazine below, visit them online and pick up an issue on newstands now. Their are reviews of Cinderella Ninja Warrior, I'm Not Her, The Big Book of Spy Stuff, The Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure Everest and Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings.
3. The super knowledgeable stores that I get to work with. Check out the store front of Kidsbooks right now and their Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure Everest Window!
4. The authors, publishers and incredible publicity departments at those publishers. What other girl get's to say that she works with Chronicle, Gibbs Smith, Lonely Planet, Moleskine, New Harbinger, Silver Dolphin, Simply Read and Sourcebooks every day?
5. The books. Because really, at the end of the day, that is why I do what I do. Because of the mountains of beautiful, moving, funny, clever, magical books that transport me and anyone else who is a kid at heart to other worlds.
And that is why I do what I do!
Happy Reading!
Crystal