Tea Time

So if you've been around the blog any length of time, you know I love tea parties. I love herbal tea, I should have been English. I must have my tea just about every morning, and if you have scones. Simply smashing darling, truly.

Which brings me to today's topic. As a little girl I would spend hours on drawing dinosaurs.  I know many of you are thinking do what? What in the world do dinosaurs and tea have in common? That's it I'm outta here. Humor me and stick around for just a few more minutes... Pretty please, with sugar on top?

I have had a book on my Pinterest board "Worth Reading" for quite a while now. I saw it at Barnes and Noble and just had to pick it up. It's entitled Tea Rex by Molly Idle.

Now a bit about the author, we must pay tribute where tribute is due.

Molly Idle, according to the profile on her website; which can be found here, graduated from Arizona State University, and has also worked for the Dreamworks studio many years before jumping into children's literature and illustration. She now resides in Arizona with her family, and I can only hope that perhaps one day I can have a cup of tea with her.

 Now on to the story.

 

Tea Rex is about a children's tea party, and they have invited a larger than life guest. A Tyrannosaurus Rex. Now as you can imagine with a tea party, it has the best beginnings with the hosts showing Mr. Rex to the parlor, and offering a comfy chair. As you can imagine though, it is not long before havoc begins to break loose, and while Rex has all good intentions, well...he is after all a Dinosaur and must ROAAAARRR. Plus the size of the tea cup really should have been addressed before hand. In the end though a wonderful time was had by all, and there will be future tea parties, but perhaps next time at Rex's home.

This is truly a fabulous tale, and spun from the heart of a child. Who else would come up with having tea with a dinosaur? Okay, well besides the obvious answer of me your host.

This is a quick read, and perfect for bedtime... or a tea party tale, and I gladly recommend it to as many as will read it.

The Power of Pretend

Has it been over a month since I wrote to you my duckies? I am so terribly sorry. That is what happens though when you wander in Nevermoore. One can never tell when they will get back... Especially if there is tea to be had.

With Halloween fast approaching and the little one's running around trying to figure out what they will be for the Holiday. I am left with my thoughts and pondering of who determines what it is to be an adult? Certainly not me. To be an adult now is the same as it was to be an adult when I was little...You can do whatever you want.

Now I have diligently tried to lead you back down the road to becoming a kid again, with simple steps. In the end however it all boils down to one thing. You have to pretend again.

We all pretend to a certain degree. We daydream at work of the cute little cabana at the beach where we would sip on something cold...and for some of us it would always be 5'oClock somewhere. The mountains we would climb, the horses...(*ahem Unicorns*) we would ride off into the sunsets.

But this is not what I am referring to my darlings. What I mean is really pretend again! When you were a kid, did you ever want to something really awesome? I don't just mean a police man, or a firefighter...those are attainable with a little hard work...Well let's be honest! Anything we dream can be attainable with a little hard work.

Okay, so what I mean is did you ever want to be Batman? Or Superman able to fly and have laser vision? No....Some kind of mutant, like Jean Gray, or Wolverine?

 Guess what...The beauty of being an adult is that we can go back and revisit those things just like our kids do. And it will make play time all the more fun with them if Dad or Mom is a super-hero right beside them. Or a super villain that they can vanquish. (I mean come on... most of us in our childhood wished we could vanquish our parents, so why not have a little fun with it.)

This for me is what Nevermoore is built on, and will continue to be built upon. I hope to provide you with a world to escape through with books, and play food, and sketches that will capture your imagination again. I will be re-launching my Etsy store Friday 10/11/13. And hope you all will join me.

The blog will becoming more focused on the progress of new items for the store as well as my journey in and out of Nevermoore through the written word, and I am truly excited for you to meet the characters that run around in my head all day.  It is about time I give them a bit more leg room...it's getting a bit cramped up there.

Now you just have to remember that Pretend and Imagination is the secret. For if you can conquer these you truly have the Power...For this is where the Magic lies.

Super-Sized

I feel like I have been everywhere this summer! I'm exhausted, and I do apologize because it is you who follow me that suffer from lack of posts. :(

So as I had stated in a previous post, we had moved up to beautiful Washington, and on the way up we stopped at the Grand Canyon. Which brings me to todays post topic on how to remember and keep that childhood magic and wonder at the world alive.

DO SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU FEEL SMALL.

Yes I'm yelling it, because we often don't do this enough. For some of us feeling small makes us feel weak, but that is not what I am aiming for at all.

Now as you can see here, and have heard, the Grand Canyon is huge. Pictures really do not even do it justice and you really can't even put into words how massive the canyon truly is.

 

 

Another display of the huge rocks that are in the canyon here.

 

 

 

And if the previous two pictures were not enough, Look how small our family is compared to the Super-Sized Grand Canyon.

 

 

Now I will not continue to beat a dead horse; hypothetically of course, I would never beat a horse alive or dead...but I digress; by telling you exactly how huge the Grand Canyon is, but to stand beside it is simply breathtaking and it reminds us of how small we truly are. If you take in the vastness of the canyon, and then contemplate how small the canyon is compared to the ocean, and then compared to the Earth in it's entirety, you just become awestruck.

 

Now the Grand Canyon trip was actually almost a run by as we had gotten lost and had gone about two hours in the wrong direction and then had to double back to take it in. But it was definitely worth the six hours behind schedule we had gotten.

 

A bit less of a rush was our recent trip to Mt. Rainier. This gorgeous always snow covered beauty is upwards of 10,000 feet. Talk about a Super-Sized mountain. 

 

 

We hiked for quite a while at Paradise Valley which is one of the spots most visited by tourists. It's no wonder why it's the most visited as the flowers were blooming and there was still snow on the ground. Plus being able to walk comfortably with Summer clothes. Well worth it. While on one of our two hikes my daughters spotted a tree with a hole at the bottom and demanded pictures. Well of course I'll oblige pictures of you poking your head out of the tree looking like a little sprite, or elf.  (and for those of you who are concerned, we did check the tree before allowing her to climb in...no snakes, skunks, spiders, etc.)



 

 

Then there were these wonderful little flowers called Western Pasqueflower, which I didn't know until we returned from our hike, and looked them up. We had a blast though referring to them as Trufulla Trees. They really did look like miniature little Trufulla Trees from Dr. Suess' The Lorax.

 

 

 

We hiked quite close to the snow covered portion of Mt. Rainier but still it loomed so far away, and so massive. This is again another reminder of how small we truly are when compared to the Earth as a whole.  Sometimes we need to be reminded of the fact that we are small. It tends to humbles us as well as make us think twice before stepping on something smaller than we such as an ant just because it is in our way. We all have our own individual purpose here, whether we be an ant, a Moose, a Tiger, or a Human and we have to learn to live with one another. By being reminded of being small we know how our children feel, and can better understand the way they think, and what they feel, for they often feel quite small, and as a parent, sometimes it can be quite easy to remind children of how they are not old enough to do something, or are to small to help.

 



But being small can make us happy. Think of when you were a child, you were small enough to fit in spaces adults couldn't, and always had the best hiding places. As a child you're hand was small enough to fit in the Pickle Jar resulting in whichever Pickle was the fattest instead of settling for the one on top. There are so many wonderful things that come from being small so take the time to remember to be small, and visit someplace Super Sized.

Fictional Bucket List

Ever think to yourself I watch too much television? Ha! Well I know I probably watch a bit too much, but it just gets my imagination flowing even more, and sometimes you just have to have a break from all the fresh air. Well okay, so sometimes it's raining here in beautiful Washington state, so I get caught up on all of my favorite shows. :D

 

So my fist pick would be Castle on ABC. Now Castle was actually my Captain before he was Castle, love Firefly, and I still think it's a shame they cancelled that show, but unfortunately it seems to happen far to often to the good ones. But I digress...

 

I simply love the chemistry between Beckett and Castle on the show. They simply feed off of one another's energy. While Castle does have some crazy theories at the beginnings of each episode they always solve the case together by the end. Though it's a fictional show, I would love to work with them toward catching the baddies.

 

Though this may never occur, it's definitely going on my bucket list and who knows...perhaps I could write some interesting spin off fan fiction based on some of those far fetched theories of Castles.

 



Another favorite television show of mine would simply have to be Once Upon a Time. Though I am a bit behind missing all of Season 2 (thank goodness it comes out in August) I would still love to just jump right in the television and help Henry with Operation Cobra. Wouldn't you?

Now since I am a serious bookworm, you didn't think I was going to forget about books I would like to jump into did you.  I mean if I had a super power, I would really want it to be the ability to jump inside any book and live it just like it was real life.

Now one of my favorite series would have to be the Chronicles of Narnia. I was just tickled to death when they released new movies of the Narnia books, and thought they did an amazing job. I only hope they will eventually release the rest of the series. So on to my last fictional bucket list item for today.

What about you. Do you have any fictional bucket list items? I would love to hear about them, and even create an image for your Pinterest bucket list like the ones above. Until next time. Don't be afraid to let that child-like imagination show, and DREAM.

Cephalopods and Book reviews: Brian Kesinger

Evening post for you all today and a book reveiw of a more specialty styled book from Brian Kesinger called Walking you Octopus a Guidebook to the Domesticated Cephalopod .

I fist discovered Mr. Kesinger's work when I was considering entering a T-shirt conest for We Love Fine. I believe it had been a steampunk contest, and his entry was a piece I just fell in love with called Walkies for Otto. Needless to say, I felt my own art doodles were not quite up to par with his, and I chickened out and didn't enter. Shame on me...But sometimes that happens...Okay let's be honest, most times that happens. Be I'm working on it. I double dog... pinky promise...swear to you.

Now I wanted to wait to share this particular book review with you until after I had completed one of the hats for my sisters Hats for the Hearts project so I could couple them together...similar themes and all, more info here.

 Brian Kesinger is well know for his animation, writings, and art work with Disney for over 15 years, but perhaps he is much more well known for his creation of the Tea Girls quite often featuring the lovely Victora and Otto. His work can be found here http://www.bkartonline.com as well as on DeviantArt and Facebook.

His first book Walking Your Octopus a Guidebook to the Domesticated Cephalopod is an adorable story for children, and of course the child at heart as well.

Now while the idea of having an octopus or any cephalopod may seem a bit silly, you have to use your imagination, and if you have ever attended or plan to attend any type of Steampunk or Cosplay event you know that this is not that strange of an occurrence.
 

I absolutely love the copy of Walking Your Octopus from the time I opened it from it's hardback cover (yes I know, I'm a bit of a book snob) to the metal corners, and Mr. Kesinger's signature inside. I felt at first that the book was a bit of an odd size and photos of the book are a bit deceiving. It is a rather strange length for a book measuring in at 7" x 14", but once you open an understanding on the size dawns on you as his work is showcased wonderfully well on the more panoramic styled pages.

In regards to the content of the book, I found that it makes a quick read for bedtime stories as well as an educational experience. I know, I see a few doubters and naysayers in the crowd saying "how is a book on having an Octopus for a pet actually educational?", but just give me the benefit of the doubt.
 

The book covers points on how you should train and raise your Cephalopod, everything from feedings, and bath routines, to training, habitats, a few fun facts and my favorite the very last page which covers ensuring you and your pet get enough sleep. Though Mr. Kesinger has written each of these items as if the Victorian Gentleman or Lady were raising his/her own Cephalopod each item truly can be related to any type of pet and makes a wonderful addition to the home library.

 

 

 

Now if you like the adorable cephalopod hoodie, or Scoofie as I should say, the pattern is available through the PinkAvenger on Etsy. I did make adjustments in the fact that instead of crocheting the eyes and suckers I added buttons, so I changed the pattern a bit to suit myself.

 

Also please remember that Google will be dropping the Google reader portion of Blogger tomorrow 7/2/13, so if you would like to keep receiving my feed, or even if you haven't followed me yet, but would like to you need to find a third party app. Personally I have switched over to BlogLovin, and I know several of the blogs that I follow have as well.

 

 

I'm off for now to don a Cephalopod on my head and have tea with my fabulous little darlings so until we meet again don't be afraid to let you inner child out to play. I promise the sandbox is big enough for all. 



Summer time Staples

 

 

Summertime is one of my favorite seasons when there is green grass and tree's in abundance. Especially the beginnings of summer, when the evenings are just cool enough to start a small fire in the backyard and enjoy the stars. And what better way to do that than with S'MORES!

 

 

Now most of us have had the plain old chocolate, regular marshmallow, and graham cracker kind that are delicious in their own right, but I have made something special, and as you can tell from picture, they are not the regular s'mores at all.

 

Well lets get right down to it shall we!



 

 

With the above ingredients I made, Key Lime Pie S'mores, Lemon Meringue Pie S'mores, and PB&J Smores, also not pictured which we tried were Rainbow Sherbert S'mores. (excuse me while I recover from my sugar coma)

Ingredients:

Key Lime Flavored Marshmallows (campfire brand)

Lemon Meringue Marshmallows (campfire brand)

Strawberry Flavored marshmallows

Vanilla (white chocolate)

Peanut Butter Cup's

 

 

With any of the S'mores you know you have to toast the Marshmallows to a wonderful golden brown over the red coals. (or if you are impatient to a blackened crisp over the flames, this is purely your choice, I would recommend golden brown, but as my crew is impatient...well you know which we end up with. LOL)

 

These are super simple to make so I'll just let you know what goes together for each.

 

Key Lime Pie S'mores

1 Graham cracker broken in half (for a top and bottom to your S'more -  like a sandwich)

2-4 key lime marshmallows

1 Vanilla chocolate square (we used Ghirardelli Vanilla Dream squares...delicious, but any white chocolate should work)

 

Smoosh (very technical term :) )  together when marshmallows are toasty.

 

Lemon Meringue S'mores

1 Graham cracker broken in half

2-4 lemon meringue marshmallows

1 Vanilla chocolate square

 

Smoosh together when marshmallows are toasty

 

*On a side note, you have to watch the Campfire brand Marshmallows as they tend to melt off the stick, so you've gotta be quick when you toast these lovelies.

 

PB & J S'mores

1 Graham cracker broken in half

1 Strawberry Marshmallow (if someone knows of some grape marshmallows these would be    outstanding as well, or if you make your own...)

1 Peanut Butter Cup

 

Smoosh together when marshmallow is toasty

 

Rainbow Sherbert S'mores

1 Graham cracker broken in half

1 Strawberry Marshmallow

1 Lemon Meringue Marshmallow

1 Key Lime Marshmallow

1 Vanilla chocolate square

 

Smoosh together when marshmallow's are toasty

 

I hope you enjoy these. The kids loved the PB & J ones as they are exceptionally sweet, while the adults liked the pie varieties better.

 

Bring out your inner child and sing camping songs with your kids around a bonfire, and enjoy summer.

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Summer

So I know many of you must think that I took another Hiatus. Well sort of...I'm working on moving to beautiful Washington state, and on top of that Summer has begun, and I have been a bit tied up with college, and trying to make sure I spent tons of time with my kiddos.

 

My husband and I made a welcome to summer sign for the kids to run through when they came home. They were excited about it, but kept trying to duck under it instead of just running through it. My neat freak kids (we're talking about kids who try to open birthday and Christmas gifts with scissors to save the paper though. At least they are frugal).

 

The below photo is what met them on the steps.

 

 

Those are fluffy stuff snowballs in the red metal bucket. My husband and father were waiting on them out back with additional snowballs and water bombs. Both of which can be found on my Pinterest page Successful Kiddo projects here.

 

The kids had a blast, and everyone ended up covered snowball dust, or drenched from the water bombs. To play like no one is watching is a wonderful feeling and truly makes you get in touch with your inner child again.

 

So as always, I encourage you to go make your own magic, and get in touch with your inner kid. He/She is longing to get out and show you just how happy you can truly be.

 

 

Walking among Giants

I took a trip to Washington state with my husband so he could start the process of being hired with a company in Tacoma, and we decided to make it a family trip as well.

On the way back we decided to stop at a couple of places as I've never been to the West Coast before. So we stopped at Multnomah Falls in Oregon, and drove through the Redwood National Forest in upper Cali on the way home.

Let me tell you. If you are questing for that childhood magic, go back to nature! If you are close enough to these huge wonders visit them as you will get that tiny kid feeling no matter how old you are, but not just that. There is a magic in the forest, and in nature that just cannot be described.

 

I stood at the base of the falls in wonder at how tall the waterfall was. Feeling the spray on my face and hearing the water crash against the mountain wall was literally so beautiful and majestic that I just wanted to cry at how happy I was.

We looked at the sign next to the falls, 1 mile to the top. I can do that I thought, I walked that about a week ago with the kids at Walmart (literally, I tracked it on my phone with my Charity Miles app which is wonderful, I encourage everyone to put this on their phone and use it.) You can keep track of how far you walk, run, or bike, and for every mile walked, ran, or biked Charity Miles will donate money to the charity of your choice, such as Feed America, Wounded Warriors, etc.

Back to the story though, about halfway up the mountain, I didn't think I could make it. My bum leg was giving me fits, and my knees felt like they had turned to powder about four bends back, but I had this amazing energy that kept pushing me, and I had to make it to the top. And it was so worth it at the top. We breaked, soaked up the beauty of the Columbia River pre falls, and basked in one another's company. We even managed to find two 4-leafed clovers among the shamrocks.

Though my legs felt like jello on the way back down the mountain, I felt so proud of myself that I hadn't let my injuries get the best of me, and I could feel that little spark inside my chest again, the one that I felt when I was a kid and had brought my mom flowers that I had picked in the forest. The one when you look up with your innocent eyes and her smile is just beaming back down at you.

But that wasn't the only child like wonder this day felt. Towards the end of the day I knew we were approaching the Redwoods, but the trees were still fairly small, so I kept picking at my husband about the trees don't look like they are getting any bigger to me!

Boy was I wrong. Darkness set in, but the trees were getting huge, and he (the Hubs) said they would be even bigger in the morning. I watched with my nose and hands pressed against the side window as tree trunks the size of my car whizzed by. OH! I could hardly contain myself. I was bouncing in my seat, and grinning from ear to ear.

Yet, as awestruck as I was already at the size of the tree's we drove through at dark, I was even more astounded by the ones we stopped to hug, and wander beneath the next day. These trees were huge, and over 3,200 years old. I felt as if I had fallen into Wonderland and had taken a sip of that liquid shrinking elixir.

And I discovered again that that is where the magic lies, right there in that inability to contain excitement. The innocent pleasure in something magnificent that dazzles us. It could be the old gentleman sitting in the photo department who does a slight of hand magic trick with a plastic coin, or having tea time with George the Clown (my crocheted stuffed clown from childhood) in the garden, or standing beneath a tree that you cannot wrap your arms around, but it's there. We have to allow ourselves this pleasure, this simplicity without the addition that comes so many times when we are adults. We have to stop the negativity of ourselves the inner hate that say's "well, it was just a slight of hand trick that con-artists use, or it's just a stuffed toy, this is stupid."

We must enjoy the moment, and accept the innocence and simplicity of the moment in order to feel the magic. So take the time to meditate if you will, find a quiet spot, and tune yourself into yourself and find that inner child, and let the magic flow.

It's Not A ...

What better way to re-awaken that childhood magic than to remember the things we did as a child. When I was a kid, my parents tell me that I used to run around the yard with a large stick yelling "I am She-Ra, Princess of Power!" Which my dad would promptly follow up with, "It's going to be Power of Stick if you don't quit running around with that." Of course I didn't, and some how managed to not puncture anything and I still have both my eyes.

This of course got me to thinking of some of the best memories that I had as a child, and some of the best ones I've made with my children with the simplest of items such as boxes and sticks. Which brings us to a couple of my favorite books by Antoinette Portis, Not A Box, and Not A Stick.



First a little on the author: Antoinette Portis attended the UCLA of fine arts and is a former creative director at Disney Consumer Products. This is the only information I have found on Ms. Portis but if you would like to visit her site click on her photo above.

Not A Box is exactly what it sounds like. It's a very simple book which tells us the many things a Box can be used for such as a race car, or a mountain. Just a little bit of imagination and a box can become anything.

The illustrations are very simple which enhances the message of using your imagination. It is also a quick story for those really busy days when you want to read your child a story, and don't think you have time to. It is also a book that can spark creativity and a project for you and your child.

For one of my daughters birthdays, we actually took large boxes and created Star War's Pod-Racers from the boxes, and then all of the kids took turns racing them.

 

 The next book I was so excited to find because I had loved the first book, and of course with my own memories of play with my stick sword.

Similarly to the first, it is a very simple book that details what a stick can become with a little bit of imagination. Such as a sword or a fishing pole. It also has the same simple styling's, and again is a really quick read, and your children will remember that you took the time to read to them, no matter how long or short the story was.

 

Now I haven't given to much of the stories away because they are really short and quick, but sometimes it is the simplest things that stick with the heart the longest.

 

So I encourage you to pick up one of the above books, and allow it to lead your imagination to your own creations, and remember to keep that childhood magic alive until next we meet.

Fictional Bucket list - New additions

This is a new installment of the fictional bucket list that I started. My daughter made me a paper tardis at school included in her 3d tardis was a paper sonic screwdriver and Dalek. I feel like I should post a twitter feed about you know your a Whovian when...

But back to the inspiration. Her gift made me think, what if I could go back in time, what are some of the things that I would want to do? Two things came to mind. I would love to study with Da'Vinci and talk with Orson Welles. Love that man's voice. He is truly missed at least by me...

So I give you my time traveling:

But of course there are also more books that I would love to jump into such as those written by R.A. Salvatore and the tales of Drizzt.

And who wouldn't love to jump in the novels of Sherlock and banter with him and Moriarty. Okay, so I'd have to have Sherlock check my tea for poison first, but I think it would be worth it for the conversation.

Now I have a favor to ask as well, and if anyone knows the actual name of the artist that painted this image of Sherlock Holmes, I would love to give them credit and link their site to mine. Thank you.

If you have any fictional bucket list items that you would like to see put up, I would love to hear from you. Again, please feel free to use these on your FBL as well, just link back to me, and remember to keep that childhood magic alive.

2012 Year in Review

2012 by Joni Chism | Make Your Own Book

So this is a shorter post than usual. I spent most of December, and part of January creating a family book, and just had to share it with all of you.

One of my greatest inspirations for being able to keep the childlike wonder and magic alive is my own children and the adventures we have together, the games we play, and just general bonding and quality time with one another.

So this is our 2012 year in review, I hope you will be inspired to keep the childlike magic alive in your own home and be inspired by some of the projects we've worked on together.

Fictional Bucket List

So a while back I began creating a Bucket list of all the places in the world I would love to visit before I die. Things I would love to see in person or do. Of course I placed this on my Pinterest page, because where else would I put it? ;D Then I created an additional list of Bucket List Kickers so I could move the things over that I want to accomplish once they were accomplished.

Pretty plain and simple, and a great way to keep a log. But then it occurred to me. I spend so much time in my fantasy worlds, what if I could do anything I wanted to, but in all actuality could never accomplish. What if I had the power to jump inside of books, and movies?

Well I ended up beginning to create my own Fictional Bucket List for just that purpose.

True, I will never be able to do any of these things, but it is a way to help me remember my dreams, and isn't that what helps keep us child like? The ability to imagine?

So here are the ones I have created thus far, feel free to use them for your own fictional bucket lists.

 

So until next time...Remember to keep the magic alive and become childlike with wonder a new.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unicorn Sneezes and Goblin Bogies

So with school and the holiday schedule I have fallen a bit behind in posting. I apologize, one day I will be consistent with this, I promise...just probably not any time soon as an overwhelming load of college will be crashing down on me next week again. :(

But not to be discouraged, as I will be trying desperately to keep you updated on how to keep yourself young with that childlike happiness, and magic.

So to start out April, why don't you do something you haven't done in a while, or at the very least, try something new. Which is what the family and I did a few days ago. We made some wonderful homemade squishy Slime.

 

Isn't it absolutely fabulous? The girls had great fun with how slimy it was, and the fact that if they squished a lid down over it the most wonderful "fart" noises came out. I've pinned instructions for it up under my Pinterest board Successful Kiddo Projects. 

 

Now while playing with this stuff I had an epiphany that goes with the items that I will be placing in my Etsy shop (hopefully before Christmas). What would be better than wonderful Unicorn sneezes and Goblin Bogies? And of course their is the re-moistening agent of Troll Drool! Delightful if I do say so myself. Okay, perhaps I am a bit odd you are thinking to yourself, but this is what I am talking about this is the kid in me. The things that as a child I would have loved playing pretend with. (Okay well perhaps I wouldn't have pretended to play with Goblin Bogies, but I bet there is a little boy out their somewhere chasing little girls with something gooey on the end of a stick yelling "run princess or the goblin will snot on you!")

 

But as I was saying. These will be up in my shop as soon as I do field testing on them to see how long they are good for. I mean we wouldn't want moldy Unicorn sneezes now would we?

 

I have quite a few ideas that I will be working on as I take another leave of absence from you my wonderful followers. But I will give you a bit of a sneak at what will be coming up:

 

Dragon, Griffon, and Wyvern Eggs, fairy food and semi-live stories on YouTube! Keep your eyes peeled for the next few months, because I plan to be super busy, and I hope you will be involved with my escapades. So until next time...

 

Remember to keep the magic alive and become a child again.

The Guardians of Childhood, William Joyce

Now a great way to connect with our inner kid and experience that wonderful happiness that sinks down deep in the heart and runs from the tip of our toes to the tops of our heads is to read great children's books.

You don't have to be a kid to read a great book especially one so wonderfully illustrated and a story told so well as that of The Guardians of Childhood series by William Joyce.

Hailed by Newsweek as one of the top 100 people to watch in the new millennium, William Joyce's distinct and striking drawings and imaginative story telling depict a world full of whimsy, fun, and adventure. (Joyce)
                                                                                



 

Joyce has had his hand (say that three times fast) in many works including George Shrinks, and Rolie Polie Olie which has won three Emmy's for its animated series of the same name. Most recently though you may have heard of him as the co-Producer to the animated movie that was released around Christmastime of 2012 entitled Rise of the Guardians; which is based on The Guardians of Childhood series. Now no one ruin it for me if you have seen the movie, as I haven't but if his books are any indication of his talent, I'm sure the movie is outstanding.

 

I will be reviewing the first two picture books in The Guardians of Childhood series.

 

Book One: The Man in the Moon

Book Two: The Sandman

 

Recommended ages: 4 and up



 

 

I actually stumbled upon this first picture book purely on accident. The movie Rise of the Guardians hadn't even been released (well to my knowledge) yet. I was perusing the bookshelves in the kids section as my two oldest tried to figure out which book or series they wanted to start next, and there is sat on the shelf beckoning me to pick it up with it's wonderful copper embossed title hinting at an illustrated work that must be close to what a  Jules Verne tale would look like if drawn.

 

I flipped through the pages there in the store amazed and awed by the detail of the illustrations, but not until I took it home and read the story to my children that night did I truly appreciate the magnificence of the start of this series. It tells of how MiM (the man in the moon) came to be; from a baby aboard the Moon Clipper to a protector of the children of Earth.

 

Though the tale could get a bit scary for the younger readers; as Pitch the Nightmare King attacks the Moon Clipper, and Nightlight defeats him resulting in an explosion that kills MiM's parents; the overall feeling of the story is one of hope and protection. Children of any age will feel safe as they are tucked in at night knowing that the Man in the Moon is there to protect them just as Nightlight protected MiM so long ago.

 

 
Another copper foil embossed title pulled me over as I discovered that the second installment of Joyce's The Guardians of Childhood series had been released. So I snatched it up without even looking inside because I knew without a doubt that this one would be just as wonderful as the first story.

I was not let down. The illustrations are again magnificent. And tell the tale as much in their own rights as the words Joyce has placed along side them. This installment tells the story of how Sanderson (Sandy) Mansnoozie came to be known as The Sandman.

Joyce fantastically ties this tale back into the first book of MiM by the shooting star.

The only fault I have with the second book, is in the first Pitch is defeated (or we are led to believe) by Nightlight, and in the second Pitch attacks Sandy's shooting star ship. If this was the case, why didn't MiM see the shooting star sooner, or had Pitch attacked the star ship prior to attacking Sandie's ship? A minor thing that children will not happen to pick up on, and I probably wouldn't have either if I wasn't trying to become a writer as well as having just read both stories back to back. But it is their either way, make your own judgments there on. Back to my reviewing.

The tale builds up and you discover that Sandy is entrusted to watch over the children when MiM is unable to. Those times when the moon is dark such as cloudy days, or during the New Moon, though this is not outright stated. You find fantastic creatures on The Sandman's island, and I loved the idea that seashells learn of our "secret joys and sorrows" as we hold them to our ears and then deliver those to the Sandman.

A truly wonderful addition to the first story of The Man in the Moon with attention to every detail from the cover to the inside flaps, and storyline continuation.

These picture books will no doubt bring out the happiness you felt as a child when you first discovered that special gift left by Santa, the first wish you made upon a star, or the time the tooth fairy left you change beneath your pillow.

The Man in the Moon available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million, and other locations where books are sold.

The Sandman available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million, and other locations where
books are sold.

If you are up for a bit of website hopping you will not be disappointed at William Joyce's the Guardians of Childhood website so please take a look there and stop by the extras.

Fireflies

You may remember back in January I did a post in regards to my birthday and posted a memory that I had from my days working at the Sheriffs office as a dispatcher. These are two additional images that I created to go with that original cake and firefly image. If you are not familiar with the story it can be seen here.

I do apologize for the watermark, but I am considering selling these as prints. I would love to hear what you think about this idea. Enjoy the images.