We have been spending a lot of time in the garden lately. We have set up a vegie patch, planted some flowers in pots and have been enjoying the feeling of satisfaction that comes from having things grow.

I was delighted to come across the Yates May Gibbs Sweet Pea Fairy seeds and think I will have to spread some of these around. Although they won’t come up until Spring I can’t think of anything more gorgeous than a whole tribe of  little Sweet Pea Fairies in the backyard.

I think this is such a wonderful idea by Yates and the funds raised from the seeds go towards charities; the Northcott Society for Crippled Children and the Cerebral Palsy Alliance. And what a lovely way to combine reading an Australian classic and learning about nature.

More Charley Harper pretties available in our little store.

A friend asked me a while ago if I remembered the Barbapapa books and where she could get some… Of course I do remember this lovable family of characters, who are absolutely quintessential 1970s fun.

Originally published in French by Parisian couple Annette Tison and Talus Taylor, they were published in many languages. The French editions are still in print, but the English ones are not, to the benefit of eBay sellers! It’s hard to score a copy of one of these small staple-bound volumes here for under $40… I was lucky to pick up this copy of The Egg and Barbazoo recently for less – but a lot more than the price on the cover of 10c!

A Netherlands cartoon version of the Barbapapas was also produced and these days the characters have been wholeheartedly adopted in Japan, I found lots of gorgeous merchandise when I was there.

Barbapapas are blob-like shapeshifters. Each member of the family has a different passion and can turn themselves into all manner of useful shapes in line with that passion:  Barbalala loves music, Barbabeau loves art, Barbalib loves books. And Barbazoo? Well he loves animals! And in this story he finds some eggs.

He can’t find who they belong to so he changes himself into a chicken to sit on the eggs… Barbabelle features too…

Simple stories, somewhat quirky text and the brightest of naive illustrations contribute to the overall happy feel. The Barbapapas are also attributed with an environmental messages well before their time. Perhaps this is why they are such sought-after collectors’ items now. Anyone have any copies lurking in their shelves??

For some lovely Barbapapa links, check out these crochet cuties on Meet Me At Mikes and an AMAZING craft project building a house for the family on Playing By the Book.

The beautiful 24 minute film based on the book Varmints by Helen Ward and Marc Caste was nominated for a BAFTA and shortlisted for an Oscar last year. You can buy the book from we heart books and find out more on the film at the studio aka website here.

This really is a very important book and film, it’s message is something special to share with our children as our environment continues to be something we all strive to protect.

The complete original text with pop up illustrations = lovely.

||Available at the We Heart Books store||

I love your blog and have been following for a long time. As I do often with recommended titles, I checked Albert out from the library. My daughter (3.5 years old) ADORES this story and asks for me to read it over and over (and over). We finally returned it to the library and I was overjoyed to find it used at a local shop. My daughter has been walking around with a straw nest filled with wooden eggs and a felt cardinal for three days. Thank you so much for giving us Albert!

We always love hearing from our readers and especially when they get some joy from books we mention! I wrote to Kayte and asked if she would be willing to share a photo of the straw nest, wooden eggs and felt cardinal… And here is what she sent us -

Isn’t it beautiful? What an incredible interpretation of a book – and so lovely to think of it being carried into real life in this way.

Kayte also told me that the eggs in this photo had originally been handpainted by her and her daughter after they read An Egg is Quiet by Dianna Aston and Sylvia Long.

This is another beautiful book, one that celebrates eggs in all their shapes and sizes, and perfect for littlies interested in nature. I’m so impressed by Kayte’s efforts to creatively apply elements of these books!

Do other people create craft or activities based on picture books they read? We’d love to hear about them!

I wonder who had the job of being inside Grug?

Illustration by Marc Simont from A Tree Is Nice 1956.

Helen of Orange You Lucky talks about how her children love Charlie and Lola – Look After Your Planet and how proud she is of their recycling skills.

On the front cover of The Age newspaper today there is a stunning illustration and poem, ‘From the Shadows’, written in response to the Victorian bushfires by the amazing Graeme Base, author and illustrator of incredible picture books such as Animalia and Enigma.

Prints of the illustration can purchased through The Age’s photo sales department with all profits of the sales going to the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal 2009.

Why Is The Sky Blue? is a non-fiction book for the toddler to age 6 age group. It is published by Ladybird Books in Australia and is a real surprise package. It is gorgeously presented on 100% recycled paper, a fantastic initiative by Ladybird for the future and answers all those curly nature questions that fascinate children and adults alike.

Amy Schimler’s illustrations make this book really, really beautiful and interesting. Amy, a talented artist writes a lovely blog called Red Fish Circle on which she shares her illustrative work as well as fabric’s she designs and creative photography.

In Why Is The Sky Blue?, Amy’s illustrations are punctuated with flaps to lift, tabs to pull, and wheels to turn that reveal the answers to the BIG questions. The best question I think is ‘How do penguins keep warm?’ but others include ‘Why do flowers smell?’, ‘What do bird’s say when they sing?’ and ‘Do fish drink?’.

Quirky, fun and educational, this has all the elements of a great book. All these fantastic questions and answers can keep little ones entertained for hours and are sure to lead to bigger questions and queries.

||Why Is The Sky Blue? is available online from the we heart books store||