Cats & Dogs in Space

Two new books from Boyds Mills Press celebrate imagination with tales of cats and dogs in space. Not real space, and not real rockets - but the kind that kids can relate to.

themes: space, imagination, pets

Space Boy and his Sister Dog
by Dian Curtis Regan; illus by Robert Neubecker
32 pages; ages 3-7

"Niko lives on Planet Home with his dog, Tag, and his copilot, Radar."

He has his very own spaceship, a delightful construction of boxes, old tires, and a flower pot and every day he heads out on missions. One day he finds a flyer for a lost cat. Niko believes the cat is lost on the moon (did I say he is imaginative?) - and so they blast off.

But after landing, they discover a stowaway. His sister. She is NOT supposed to be there.

Does Niko find Mrs. Jarabaldi's cat? Does he really abandon his sister on the moon? And, more importantly, will they all make it back home in time for dinner?

Meanwhile, across town (or in some other state)...another pet of a different stripe gets into trouble her own adventure in....

No, No, Kitten
by Shelley Moore Thomas; illus by Lori Nichols
40 pages, ages 3-7

"Kitten wants a basket. Kitten wants a pillow. Kitten wants a blanket. Kitten wants..."

With a first page like that, you just know that whatever Kitten wants, it's going to end up being trouble. And when Kitten turns the fishbowl into a space helmet, you know you've got an out-of-this world adventure. But first, Kitten needs a spaceship. And a copilot (the puppy).

When they return from space, things settle down until Puppy wants.... a bowl, some kibble, a bone. Wait! What kind of bone is that! (oh no!) 

What I like about these books: They are fun to read. Niko doesn't really land on the moon, and Kitten doesn't really blast off in a shoebox spaceship. But they could - if you let your imagination run wild. And there's the fun. What could you do if you allow your imagination to run wild? And would it involve cats, dogs, siblings? 

Beyond the book: 

Build your own spaceship using things you find around the house. It could be small (like a shoebox or empty soda bottle) or large (like a refrigerator box or the space underneath the kitchen table). Don't forget a control panel. 

Dress like an astronaut. Make a helmet out of a plastic gallon milk jug, paper bag, or box covered with foil. Turn two large soda bottles into an oxygen tank and you're ready to blast off. 

Make some paper rockets that flutter in the wind. Instructions here. 

Make some glittery galaxy play dough. Instructions here. 

Build your own Space Mission with help from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab - choose the kind of mission you want to go on, create a rover, and blast off. Interactive game here.

Today is PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copies from the publisher.

Click

Click!
by Jeffrey Ebbler
32 pages; ages 3-6
Holiday House, 2015

It's time to go to sleep. Yawn.

Click. With a pull of the chain, the lamp turns off and the room goes dark.

But wait! What's that? A noise? a drip, drop, dripping noise coming from somewhere down the hall. Maybe down the stairs.

It sure is hard to get to sleep with all that noise. Never fear because there's a hero on the loose. A hero who, with a tip, tap, click, click will find that leaky faucet and tighten it so the drip, drop, drip stops. Ah-h-h. Now we can roll over and...

But wait! What's that flap? Rustle? Creak? Never fear. Click is here.

What I love about this Nearly Wordless Book: Jeffrey's bold illustrations. And the bird-like lamp that goes wandering about the house, light shining from his belly to illuminate the way. This is just plain fun to read, and you'll never see your reading lamp in the same light again.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Clink ~ and illustrator interview

Clink
manufactured by Kelly Dipucchio and Matthew Myers
32 pages; ages 4-8
Balzer & Bray, 2011

theme: friendship, robots

opening:   As far as robots go, Clink has his fair share of problems. He was rusty (even his dust had rust). He was squeaky (even his creaks made squeaks). And a day didn't pass without something falling off.

Clink is an "old-school" robot. He doesn't make cookies, fix hair, or do the laundry. He burns toast... and nobody, it seems, wants a robot that burns toast. Except one boy for whom Clink is "just right".


What I like about this book: Clink is fun to read. He is a klutz and he needs more than cosmetic repair, but he's got a good robot heart. I love the kid who takes him home... we see him and Clink in the garage workshop, with notes tacked to the walls: "New Head Ideas for Clink" and "Radio stations Clink can play".

I also love the end pages; they are blueprints for a "Clink Domestic Automaton (patent no. 0169432-Z)". White drafting and notes on a blue background, with side views, front views, rear views.

I love the end pages so much that I just had to ask illustrator Matthew Myers about them. He was kind enough to answer Three Questions:

Sally: How did the blueprint-like end pages evolve?

Matthew: Since Clink was my first book, I had no idea what was possible. Donna Bray, our editor, asked if there was anything I wanted to do for end papers. "What are those?" I asked. Blueprints seemed like a natural choice, since I had illustrated the book by then and had supposed Clink was created in 1938 (see title page of the original packaging). The general notes are from the engineer - tips on how best to utilize the robot. I imagined a stoic engineer writing these notes in all earnestness.

Sally: What sort of research did you do for your illustrations?

Matthew: Robots are so much a part of my visual vocabulary that I didn't really need to do any research. I grew up in the 60s, and clunky robots were on TV all the time. I grew up with tools, so Milton's workshop is not a stretch for me. My dad was always building things, so of course I wanted to pound and saw and drill, too.

Sally: What sort of media did you use for your illustrations?

Matthew: I drew the blueprints with pen and then tidied up in Photoshop. All the others are oil paint on illustration board. I work larger than final illustration (about 120%) so when the art is reduced to fit the book it looks crisper. You can check out how I work over on my website, myerspaints.com

Beyond the book: Check out the book trailer. Then have fun with these robot-related activities.

Draw a robot: If you love robots, draw a design for one. You could make a set of blueprints that show the systems and parts, or just draw (and paint) what your robot would look like. Make sure to include some user-tips from the engineer.

Make a Robot Suit: All you need is a large paper grocery bag, a box for a helmet, some buttons, bottle caps, and stuff to glue on, scissors, crayons and markers, duct tape (of course) and maybe some foil. Get ideas for a paper bag vest here, and robot helmet here.

Make a Balancing Robot out of cardstock. You can download a free printable design. Then color, cut out, and add some pennies for weights. Balance your robot on your finger, your nose, the tip of a pencil, a clothesline...

Make a Mini-Robot out of stuff from the junk drawer. This is for kids (and parents) who like to mess around with batteries, motors... directions and inspiration here. 

Today is PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copy from the library.