Create Your Own Monster!

-

CREATE YOUR OWN MONSTER features 15 different monster templates, 12 of which have been illustrated by influential artists, plus three blank DIY sheets for your own designs. CREATE YOUR OWN MONSTER is from Laurence King, a London based house that publishes books for students, professionals and the general consumer on advertising, art, fashion & textiles, animation, graphic design, interior design, photography and product design. In 2011 Laurence King Publishing launched a line of gift and children's books that reflects the design and production skills as well as the creative range of their line of technical art books. While I didn't recognize any of the artists who contributed to this monster kit, I am sure that they have gravitas based on the other books and gift items Laurence King Publishing has made.


The monsters to be created are easy to assemble and capable of participating in all kinds of imaginary play. The made-by-you monsters come in three very cool shapes and are ready to be drawn on, glued and glittered, wrapped and ribboned and maybe even get stuck with a few googly eyes.



 The monsters below were designed by Camilla Engman and Greg Abbott.


And these monsters were designed by Nomoco.

While I would probably give CREATE YOUR OWN MONSTER to a creative kid first, it seems like an infinitely versatile gift. I could also see this kit as being a very cool present for a little kid who likes imaginative play. I could totally imagine this set keeping a kid busy, spread out on the floor, as dinner is being prepared or mom and dad are having some adult time. Or maybe you know a quirky college student who has a dorm room that needs decorating? The possibilities are endless!


And, just in case you know someone (like me) who adores robots, be sure to check out Make Your Own Robot. The construction is a bit more involved, but SO COOL!!!










Popular posts from this blog

Fox + Chick: The Sleepover and Other Stories by Sergio Ruzzier

-
Image
Fox + Chick : The Sleepover and Other Stories  by Sergio Ruzzier Review Copy from Chronicle Books Friends. Opposites. Inhabitants of a pastel-hued, water color world that is vaguely surreal, Fox and Chick are back for a third installment of their inviting, if curious, easy-to-read stories. In "The Sleepover," "The Hammer," and "The Surprise," Chick's odd logic is once again upending Fox's life. Happily, Fox responds with patience and even wisdom at times. To these unforgettable characters and luminous illustrations, Ruzzier brings a sublime simplicity that makes this series perfect for emerging readers, adding books with character and intelligence to the often dull world of beginning reader books. If you aren't familiar with this delightful duo, definitely check out my reviews of the first two books (links below) where I put the greatness of Ruzzier's work into historical ( Frog & Toad ) context. Then check out ALL of Ruzzier's p
Read more

Be a Tree! by Maria Gianferrari illustrated by Felicita Sala

-
Image
Be a Tree! by Maria Gianferrari illustrated by Felicita Sala Review Copy from Abrams Kids I picture-walked Be a Tree! three times before I actually read the words. Felicita Sala's illustrations for Maria Gianferrari's poetic text are mesmerizingly immersive and richly colorful within a palette of earth tones. Throughout the text, Gianferrari, who shares her inspiration for this book in the author's note ( Peter Wohleben's The Hidden Life of Trees ), gently maintains the human connection to trees and the connections (and communications) trees share with each other.  Be a Tree!  begins exuberantly, inviting the reader to "Be a tree! Stand tall. Stretch your branches to the sun. Let your roots curl, coil in the soil to ground you." From your spine/trunk to your skin/bark and your heart/pith, the words carry you inward and then zoom outward and up to the canopy and ultimately, the forest. "You are one of many trees," and our roots "twine with fung
Read more

Reading Levels: A Quick Guide to Determining if a Book Is Right for Your Reader

-
Image
While I wrote an article titled Reading Levels: How I Assign Reading Levels to Books, How the Publishers Do It and How You Can Help Your Reader Find the Right Book at the Right Time that discusses how reading levels are determined by professionals and amateurs like myself, there is more on this subject to discuss. Determining the reading level of a book from the children's section is never easy, mostly because there are several different standardized methods of determining reading levels. Add to this the fact that knowing their children's reading level is most often the only tool a parent is armed with when exploring the bookstore, library, website, etc, and the job becomes even more difficult. While I think that knowing a child's reading level is a very valuable tool if your child is reading below grade level, I think that it is a secondary consideration when finding books for children reading above, especially well above, grade level because, in most cases, content app
Read more