Category: Raincoast books

#PlayTestShare with Raincoast Books This Spring Break

Raincoast Books

Raincoast Books is back with an excellent assortment of books to keep your child (and you) busy during the spring break and through the months to come. The #PlayTestShare collection has a great selection of activity books, games and early literacy books, all with the goal of having you and your child reading and having fun together.

#PlayTestShare with Raincoast Books

Here is the Raincoast Book #PlayTestShare round up:

#PlayTestShare with Raincoast Books This Spring BreakOld MacDonald Had a Truck Bingo

A classic family-friendly game gets revved up with a winning combination of construction vehicles and farm animals, featuring artwork from the picture book Old MacDonald Had a Truck . This set includes six illustrated, double-sided game boards plus a set of colorful bingo calling cards and chips.

Old MacDonald Had a Truck Bingo is the ultimate Bingo game for family night! The game boards are large, thick (making it hard for little hands to break them) and use pictures under each letter. This is a huge bonus for children that are still learning and want to participate in games. The pictures on the board game are so cute (a pig painter and construction worker) we were so tickled over them. The game comes in its own box that helps to keep everything together, there is nothing worse then losing chips or cards to a game. This Bingo game will definitely be coming out every family game night.

#PlayTestShare with Raincoast Books This Spring BreakCrystal Menagerie Colouring Book

Welcome to the creative kingdom of artist Michelle Waldie, where beloved animals become magnificent geometric wonders to color. This fresh new coloring book renders foxes, birds, hedgehogs, and more with a prismatic look that makes them as cool to display as they are pleasing to color. With just the right level of detail, these unique designs can easily be completed in one sitting if so desired, but those who want a more involved coloring session can opt for a 3-dimensional look-and make these animals leap off the page. Crystal Menagerie sets the imagination running wild and will bring coloring fans hours of immersive creative relaxation.

I love to colour, it helps to unwind me after a busy day at work, puts me in a great space mentally and helps me to refocus. The Crystal Menagerie Colouring book takes a whole new spin on colouring books with a geometric twist. The book is large, almost letter page sized and each animal image takes up the whole page. Each design is literally turned into a unique design with geometric shapes designed into the animal. They do it in such a unique way that it doesn’t take away from the animal – you can fully see what the image is supposed to be. The designs allow you to go traditional with your colouring or add some pops of colour to be unique – don’t forget to practice your shading! The shapes give you great practice for this. Each page is thick and removable which is a huge bonus if you want to display your art (which is of course you will, you should always show off your work!).

#PlayTestShare with Raincoast Books This Spring Break642 Things About Me: Young Writers Edition

A new offering in the wildly popular 642 series, this unique journal encourages young creators to dive deep into the subject they know best-themselves! Packed with quirky, thought-provoking, and imaginative drawing and writing prompts, 642 Things About Me: Young Writer’s & Artist’s Edition is a fun way for kids to document their lives, jump-start their creative talent, and produce a memorable keepsake-or the first draft of their bestselling memoir.

#PlayTestShare with Raincoast Books This Spring BreakMighty, Mighty Construction Site

At last-here from the team behind the beloved international bestseller comes a companion to Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site . All of our favorite trucks are back on the construction site-this time with a focus on team-building, friendship, and working together to make a big task seem small! Down in the big construction site, the crew faces their biggest job yet, and will need the help of new construction friends to get it done. Working as a team, there’s nothing they can’t do! The millions of fans of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site are in for a mighty good time with Mighty, Mighty Construction Site!

#PlayTestShare with Raincoast Books This Spring BreakSpace Playing Cards

Launch into your favorite card games while immersing yourself in deep space! Each playing card features extraordinary NASA photography and two Pantone colors on beautifully designed card backs. Includes a complete 52-card playing deck, plus 2 jokers.

#PlayTestShare with Raincoast Books This Spring BreakTouchThinkLearn: Fly

A bird arrives, alights on a tree, finds a mate, and builds a nest. Soon its eggs will hatch and one brave hatchling will embark on its first flight. A deceptively simple and joyful celebration of the natural cycle of life, this book adds the bonus of removable-and movable-characters and scenery to the bestselling TouchThinkLearn format, featuring the hallmark production technique of glued-on pieces dovetailing with die-cut openings. In this first narrative title in the series, the movable pieces invite and involve the reader in a meaningful and multisensory participation in the story.

#PlayTestShare with Raincoast Books This Spring BreakThe Towering Tree Puzzle

Join adorable critters as they navigate the seasons and make new friends in their towering tree. Imaginative play and puzzle logic intersect as each interlocking branch of this innovative puzzle tells a new story, providing hours of entertainment. Adventure is just a branch away!

#PlayTestShare with Raincoast Books This Spring BreakBirds of the World

With their colorful feathers, beautiful songs, power of flight, and dinosaur ancestry, birds are truly astonishing creatures. But did you know that the huge variety of known species includes daring acrobats, inconsiderate noisemakers, ruthless hunters, wonderful swimmers, and blazing runners? Or that the tiniest bird in the world measures just two inches long?

Beautifully illustrated by Olivia Cosneau, Birds of the World introduces aspiring ornithologists to these and other fun facts through a range of coloring activities, removable stickers, and a short quiz. In the process, children learn about the rich variety of birds living in our world, including nightingales, swallows, hummingbirds, pelicans, penguins, parrots, toucans, and flamingos, among others.

#PlayTestShare with Raincoast Books Giveaway

The Ultimate Book of Cities

Where does the Express bus take you?

How many swans are in the lake at the park?

What replaces the shoe repair store?

The Ultimate Book of Cities reveals the answers to these questions and much, much more in an oversized fact- and action-packed look at life in the big city! Featuring 59 flaps, pop-ups, pull tabs and movable parts, this all-you-need-to-know guide provides detailed information about what makes a city tick: from the different ways of getting around and what goes on in all the big buildings, to what traffic signs mean and who are all the people who keep the city in tip-top shape! It is a must-have volume to add to a young reader’s library of The Ultimate Book series.

The Giveaway!

My Canadian readers can now enter to win one of the above books from the #PlayTestShare collection. Enter via the rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received two of the books mentioned above in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Show Your Love with Books from Raincoast Books

Raincoast Books

There is no better way to show your love for your children and the special person in your life then with a book. Books take your children on an adventure, teach them a moral lesson and give them a chance to learn and explore. You can literally find a book for every occasion, whether it be birthdays, holidays or special occasions. As you prepare your gifts for your loved ones, think about adding a book in with the chocolates, flowers, gift card or toy – they make lasting memories for your child.

This Valentine’s Day, Raincoast books has rounded up their top four picks of special books that showcase love, strength, believing in yourself and grace.

Shower Your Love One with Books from Raincoast Books

The Fox Wish

This story follows two children who go looking for their jump rope and discover that a group of foxes have claimed it as an answer to their wish. With classic illustrations and lyrical text, here is a subtle, sensitive piece of magic that proves to sisters, brothers, and foxes alike that the trusted familiar often lives right next to the truly extraordinary-if only you have the eyes to see it.

Kimiko Aman is one of Japan’s leading children’s book authors and her fantasy tales are loved by all generations. Her books have won awards such as the Noma Children’s Literature Award, the Shogakukan Literature Award, and-for this book-the Japan Picture Book Award. She lives in Kyoto, Japan.

Komako Sakai has illustrated numerous award-winning books for children, many of which have been published in the United States, including Emily’s Balloon . Her illustrations have garnered such awards as the Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava Golden Apple and the Nati per Leggere. She lives in Tokyo, Japan.

Show Your Love with Books from Raincoast Books

Love Is

Perfect for Valentine’s Day or any tender moment, this story of a girl and a duckling who share a touching year together will melt the hearts of old and young a like. In this tenderly funny book, a girl and a duckling grow in their understanding of what it is to care for each other, discovering that love is as much about letting go as it is about holding on tight. Children and parents together will adore this fond exploration of growing up while learning about the joys of love offered and love returned.

Diane Adams is the author of Two Hands to Love You, among other picture books. She lives in California.

Claire Keane is the author and illustrator of Once Upon A Cloud and is also known for her development art for the movies Tangled and Frozen . She lives in Venice Beach, California, with her husband and kids.

Show Your Love with Books from Raincoast Books

Leave Me Alone!

A 2017 Caldecott Honor Book that The New York Times calls both classic and ultra contemporary,” Leave Me Alone! is an epic tale about one grandmother, a giant sack of yarn, and her ultimate quest to finish her knitting.

One day, a grandmother shouts, “LEAVE ME ALONE!” and leaves her tiny home and her very big family to journey to the moon and beyond to find peace and quiet to finish her knitting. Along the way, she encounters ravenous bears, obnoxious goats, and even hordes of aliens! But nothing stops grandma from accomplishing her goal – knitting sweaters for her many grandchildren to keep them warm and toasty for the coming winter.

Vera Brosgol’s slyly clever and unexpectedly funny modern folktale is certain to warm even the coldest of hearts.

Vera Brosgol was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1984 and moved to the United States when she was five. Her first graphic novel, Anya’s Ghost, was published in 2011 by First Second. Her picture book Leave Me Alone! was a 2017 Caldecott Honor book. She drew storyboards for the animated films Coraline, ParaNorman, and The Boxtrolls . She lives in Portland, Oregon, and at last count has knit twenty-two sweaters. Vera Brosgol was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1984 and moved to the United States when she was five. Her first graphic novel, Anya’s Ghost, was published in 2011 by First Second. Her picture book Leave Me Alone! was a 2017 Caldecott Honor book. She drew storyboards for the animated films Coraline, ParaNorman, and The Boxtrolls . She lives in Portland, Oregon, and at last count has knit twenty-two sweaters.

Show Your Love with Books from Raincoast Books

Gracious

From New York Times bestselling author of Adulting: How to Become a Grown-Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps Kelly Williams Brown comes a funny, charming guide to modern civility.

Graciousness is practicing the arts of kindness, thoughtfulness, good manners, humanity, and basic decency. As a bonus, it makes your life and even the world much lovelier.

It’s not about memorizing every rule of traditional etiquette to a T (though there is so much there to explore!) or spending all your time maintaining a spotless house. It’s about approaching the world with compassion, conviction, self-confidence, and whole-heartedness, whether you’re at the Met Gala or saying good morning to a convenience store clerk.

Throughout the book, she provides tips on how to deal with the people and circumstances that challenge even the most socially graceful among us, advice on how to practice graciousness in everyday life, and thoughtful discussions on being kind to those around you without ever losing your sense of self. With the wisdom of gracious folk ranging from celebrities to the author’s mother-in-law, this book explains the perspective, actions – and, sometimes, inaction – that help us move smoothly and effectively through whatever life tosses at us.

So as you finish up your Valentine’s day shopping, it’s not too late to pick up a great story of love, inspiration and strength to add to your gift and to show your love for the special person in your life. Make the gift even more personalized with a special note written on the inside cover that they can cherish for years to come.

Wishing you all the best this Valentine’s Day!

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Celebrate the Holidays with a Book Giveaway from Raincoast Books

Raincoast Books

The holidays are a wonderful time for families to come together, spend quality time with each other and share the happiness of this season. But it’s not all about keeping busy or shopping that is for sure! It is important to pause during this hectic time and take time out to nurture our minds and relationships. I love spending our nights reading with our boys (especially a great Christmas tale) as it gives us time to unwind from the day and to just enjoy each other’s company.

Celebrate the Holiday Season with a Book Giveaway from Raincoast Books

Raincoast Books has a great assortment of holiday treasures for you and your family to enjoy this upcoming season. From Little Blue Truck’s Christmas to Pigloo to The Wish Tree to How to Catch an Elf, they have a wide variety of children’s books to delight, inspire and encourage. Here are my top two choices for you:

Celebrate the Holiday Season with a Book Giveaway from Raincoast Books

Little Blue Truck’s Christmas

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Little Blue Truck is spreading cheer by delivering Christmas trees to his animal friends. Can you help count each green tree from one to five and back again? Don’t forget to save one for Blue! Beep! Beep!

My youngest and I fell in love with Little Blue Truck’s Christmas. The book comes with a hard cover (perfect for little hands) and beautiful, bright and bold illustrations. The wording of the story is perfect to read aloud and easy for young children to read along with. I loved the almost rhyming nature of the story. Little Blue Truck is a special story about a little truck with a big job at Christmas time – delivering all of the Christmas trees to his animal friends! It is so easy to become lost in this warm tale while reading with your child. The last page is even more special as the page literally lights up with coloured lights! Talk about a magical book for children and adults alike.

The Wish Tree

The Wish Tree

Charles wants to find a wish tree. His brother and sister don’t believe there is such a thing, but his trusty companion Boggan is ready to join Charles on a journey to find out. And along the way, they discover that wishes can come true in the most unexpected ways. The poetic text and heartwarming illustrations evoke the true essence of the holiday season and will inspire wishers everywhere. This gem of a book deserves center stage year round.

The Wish Tree is one of those beautiful stories that become a family favourite for years to come. It  is well written and full of gorgeous illustrations about a young boy with a kind heart. He wants nothing more than to find a wish tree, his siblings don’t believe in his dream and don’t support his search. He heads out with his trusty companion and meets many new friends on his special journey. The story was kind and warm, all of us just truly loved the turn of each page in Charles’ adventure to find his wish tree. You just keep hoping and praying that he finds his wish! The end was the perfect finish to this fantastic book.

Now my Canadian readers can enter to win their own holiday book giveaway from Raincoast Books! Enter via the Rafflecopter form below – GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received the above two books in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Top Children’s Book Picks From Raincoast Books for the Holidays

Raincoast Books

I love books – my family tease me daily about my obsession with reading. It started when I was a child and my parents could find me curled up on the sofa with a great book. I want my children to have and know this love of books. Books are magical – they take you on adventures, they help you escape, help you to learn and understand the world around you. Children’s books do this in a very special way and the best part is you get to experience this with your child as you either read along with them or read the story to them.

Here are four of my top children book picks from Raincoast Books for this holiday season:

The Wish Tree

The Wish Tree

Charles wants to find a wish tree. His brother and sister don’t believe there is such a thing, but his trusty companion Boggan is ready to join Charles on a journey to find out. And along the way, they discover that wishes can come true in the most unexpected ways. The poetic text and heartwarming illustrations evoke the true essence of the holiday season and will inspire wishers everywhere. This gem of a book deserves center stage year round.

The Wish Tree is a beautiful story with gorgeous illustrations about a young boy with a kind heart. He wants nothing more than to find a wish tree, his siblings don’t believe in his dream and don’t support his search. He heads out with his trusty companion and meets many new friends on his special journey. It was a truly beautiful, heart warming story that made the perfect bed time read.

The Story Book Knight

The Story Book Knight

In The Story Book Knight even dragons love a good story. Leo was a gentle knight in thought, word and deed. While other knights liked fighting, Leo liked to sit and read. When Leo’s mom and dad pack him off to fight a dragon, he takes a shield, a sword-and a pile of his favorite books. But can a story be as mighty as a sword?

The Story Book Knight is a truly special story about a gentle knight who sets out to change the image of knights and how to be mighty. He loves his books but it just doesn’t quite fit in with the picture of what a knight should be. He sets off on his first and very important mission to fight a dragon and meets many creatures along the way. Instead of using his sword, he uses his love of reading and books to save the day. A truly special book to show children they are all special in their own unique way – we don’t have to use strength and power to save the day. Instead love, compassion and kindness are the most powerful gifts of all.

The Truth About My Unbelieveable Summer

The Truth About My Unbelievable Summer

What really happened over the summer break? A curious teacher wants to know. The epic explanation? What started out as a day at the beach turned into a globe-spanning treasure hunt with high-flying hijinks, exotic detours, an outrageous cast of characters, and one very mischievous bird! Is this yet another tall tale, or is the truth just waiting to be revealed? From the team behind I Didn’t Do My Homework Because . . . and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to School . . . comes a fantastical fast-paced, detail-rich illustrated summer adventure that’s so unbelievable, it just might be true!

The Truth About My Unbelievable Summer is a fantastic read for young readers a like. It reads like a conversation that children can relate to and has excellent illustrations. I found we could easily use silly tones in our voices and get very serious to help draw our boys into the story. They were giggling throughout the whole story and trying hard to guess what would happen next.

Curious George

Curious George, 75th Anniversary Edition

This treasured classic is where it all began for the curious, loveable monkey. Special anniversary cover with foil and spot gloss make this edition a must-have for any children’s book collection. Includes bonus downloadable audio read by the actor, producer, and director John Krasinski. Access code can be found inside the book on page two for the bonus audiobook.

Curious George is a classic that all children love – as well as adults! It brings back so many great memories for me from my own childhood! This edition covers George as he leaves Africa with the man with the yellow hat and sail to the big city. Get ready for laughs as George gets caught up in antics that only George can get caught up in.

What do you look for in children’s books? Happy reading this holiday season!

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned books free of charge. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Fall Activities with Raincoast Books #PlayTestShare

Raincoast Books

As we enter back into school and the cooler weather, it becomes time to be more creative with our indoor play and activities with our children. We want to keep them entertained, learning and having fun  all at the same time. Raincoast Books has an excellent section of activities for your child to learn and have fun with. We were able to try out their Animals Matching Game and Make & Move: Monsters over the last few weeks and had a blast trying out the game and creating puppet shows.

#PlayTestShare Fall Activities with Raincoast Books

Alain Gree Animals Matching Game

It’s an animal menagerie! Kids will delight in this classic matching game, featuring the timeless art of beloved French picture book illustrator Alain Gree. It’s the perfect opportunity to identify favorite animals, and to discover new ones. Large, sturdy cards are ideal for small hands, and the game play of discovering 18 different animals builds memory, concentration, and matching skills.

Our Thoughts

Our family LOVED this matching game! There were plenty of cards, which were made out of a sturdy material so you know your child wont be able to rip them or bend them in their excitement – which can happen! The cards were brightly coloured, easy to recognize pictures and also contained the name of the animal, which is great for learning. When we first opened up this activity, we ended up playing five games in a row – our youngest LOVED it that much! The rules came with the game but our youngest seemed to enjoy making up his own rules to this game (pretty much every turn is his turn!!!). Even with these little game alterations we had a super fun time with the matching game.

#PlayTestShare Fall Activities with Raincoast Books

You can purchase a copy of this game on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

#PlayTestShare Fall Activities with Raincoast Books

Make & Move Monsters

Have fiendish fun with this collection of creepy critters, from graveyard ghouls and villainous vampires to spooky skeletons and slippery deep-sea monsters. Create fantastic model comes with easy-to-follow assembly instructions, and no scissors or glue required! Contains nine ready-to-play monsters, plus three to color in with your own fantastic designs.

Our Thoughts

Pop up monsters that your child can make move – all of which can be created without glue and scissors? YES PLEASE! There are nine monsters that you can make in this activity book. There are instructions in the beginning of the book, these are very easy to follow but I think this activity would definitely be geared to a slightly older child. While our youngest couldn’t wait for his monster to be made, he definitely would not have been able to make it himself. While made out of paper, the ways the monsters are folded and bend into place made them quite sturdy for play and less likely to rip. The monsters also moved when you pulled on one section of them to create a pretty cool open mouth or a lifting arms effect. The monsters took probably about ten to fifteen minutes to put together and then we were able to act out monster attacks after, our youngest loves Hotel Transylvania so this was just like bringing the characters to life for him!

Make and Move Monsters

You can purchase a copy of this activity book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

What are your favourite fall activities to do indoors?

Disclosure: I received each of the above mentioned activities in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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