The LEGO Animation Book
A guide to making LEGO movies.
In the latest LEGO book from No Starch Press, readers learn everything they need to turn their LEGO creations into impressive animated movies.
The LEGO Animation Book (No Starch Press, $19.95, 4C, 216 pp., October 14, 2016) is a comprehensive guide to creating stop-motion animation with LEGO. Expert brickfilmers David Pagano and David Pickett share their insight from over twenty years behind the camera and introduce readers to the basics of animation before walking them through the creative process step-by-step.
This one is a must for any Lego Fan! I highly recommend for Tweens, Teens and Young Adults!
Readers learn how to:
- Use animation principles like exaggeration, timing and spacing, and overlapping action
- Convey action and emotion with plastic characters
- Add detail and scope to films by building in different scales
- Create special effects like explosions and flying minifigures
- Build camera dollies and rigs out of LEGO bricks
- Light, frame, and capture consistent photos.
Look for it in Bookstores near you!
My Mindful Book of ABCs by Kathy Walsh is a must if you have young children!
Kathy Walsh, award-winning children’s author and mindfulness expert, is ecstatic to announce the release of her new book, My Mindful Book of ABCs. While simultaneously helping children learn the alphabet, this new book assists families in creating a lasting foundation for a mindful home.
Kathy’s other best-selling children’s books on mindfulness include 30 Days to a Mindful Home, Raising Peaceful Kids and Today an Elephant I Will Be. Walsh’s books seek to bring mindfulness, peace, and positivity into the homes of families across the world. “I wanted to inspire children and parents alike,” she explained. “Mindfulness is a conscious choice and one that takes a great deal of work to achieve. With this book, parents can begin to discuss the concept of mindfulness with their children”.
Written by Kathy Walsh and illustrated by Clare Wassermann, My Mindful Book of ABCs takes children on a magical carpet ride down the ABC slide where they learn how mindfulness can be connected to each letter of the alphabet. Walsh recommends that parents spend time teaching kids the values represented by each letter. This practice helps parents instill the values associated with a mindful life into their household.
My Mindful Book of ABCs is part of the Joyohboy book series created by Kathy Walsh. All Joyohboy books aim to inspire children and their families to lead a peaceful life filled with love and mindfulness. In addition to the educational books, Joyohboy provides parents with additional mindfulness resources including meditations, songs, and eBooks for on-the-go reading.
For more information on My Mindful Book of ABCs and Joyohboy Books, please visit www.joyohboy.com
Looking for a Holiday book that isn’t your typical Holiday book?
Very Christmas by Simone Mets is a delightful story!
When Santa’s workshop is destroyed by a ferocious storm, even the richest man in the world is stumped for a way to save Christmas. Just when everyone seems to give up all hope, the unstumpable Ava Buttons, together with her friends, discover a way to make Christmas wishes come true. Motivated by a desire to help others, Ava converts even her naughtiest friend, Rowdy Meyers, from an enthusiastic getter to a champion giver.
Very Christmas is a refreshing departure from the typical holiday picture book. Featuring a unique design without pagination or chapter numbers, children are encouraged to remember pages based on a memorable font, word, or page color. The characters throughout the book are purposefully not illustrated so readers have the freedom to dream them up and see themselves reflected in the story. There’s no evil character and, in fact, the story is all-inclusive: the lessons throughout apply to every gender, class, race, and age.
I like that this one leaves room for imagination and I highly recommend for families this Holiday season!
Learn more about Very Christmas at www.verychristmasbook.com, Facebook, and Instagram.
Very Christmas is available to purchase at www.verychristmasbook.com, Amazon, Walmart.com, and the Farmhouse Store in Princeton, NJ.
Have a Tween or a Teen that is an aspiring Architect?
| Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., is pleased to announce the release of The Future Architect’s Tool Kit by Barbara Beck, Architect featuring an architectural tool kit with workbook, graph paper, architect’s scale, pencil, and eraser.
Children with dreams of designing buildings will discover how architects actually work in this workbook, which builds on the concepts introduced in The Future Architect’s Handbook. It walks readers through the drawings created by Aaron, a young architect building his own home. Going a step further, children will learn the steps necessary to create their own drawings and build a model of their design, using an included tool kit consisting of graph paper and an architect’s scale, pencil, and drafting eraser. Finally, readers are challenged to design homes for an eclectic group of clients. Freehand pen-and-ink drawings bring the instructions to life. This book is the perfect introduction to what an architect does at work and why buildings look and function as they do. Ideal for middle grades ages 8–13, but creative adults will also find it inspiring. Price is $29.99. I really like this one because it is perfect for ages 8-14 and I can even see high school students learning something from it! I like how it is easy to comprehend and encourages readers to design.~SoCal City Kids. |
About the Author Barbara Beck is a licensed architect in Annapolis, Maryland. She shares her studio and home overlooking the Chesapeake Bay with her husband, Rick, and dog, Tommy. Originally from St. Louis, she grew up with a pencil constantly in hand. Even at a young age, her first drawings were of houses. Barbara earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Kansas before running off to sea to become a competitive sailor, and her love of sailing and adventure continues to this day. She is also a dog lover, leading her to establish Artful Dogs, Architecture for Man’s Best Friend. Her unique doghouses inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, Antonio Gaudi, and Andrea Palladio have been featured on HGTV and in newspapers and magazines. Visit Barb at www.futurearchitectshandbook. |
| About the Publisher Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. is a family-owned, independent publisher of high-quality books. Since 1974, Schiffer has published thousands of titles on the diverse subjects that fuel our readers’ passions. From our traditional subjects of antiques and collectibles, arts and crafts, and military history, Schiffer has expanded its catalog to publish books on contemporary art and artists; architecture and design; food and entertaining; the metaphysical, paranormal and folklore; and pop and fringe culture, as well as books for children. Visit www.schifferbooks.com to explore our backlist of more than 5,800 titles. 
This next Picture Book is really refreshing and great for modern times! Isabella: Girl in Charge follows the purple-haired title character as she imagines herself as five powerful females who broke barriers in American politics in a bid to get her mom and dad out the door for a big event. This book features some amazing women in political history such as Sandra Day O’Connor—first woman appointed to the Supreme Court. I also really like that there are extended biographies and a timeline of women in U.S. politics at the end of the book. |
Isabella: Girl in Charge is also available on Put Me In The Story, the #1 personalized book platform in the United States.
This one is great for ages 4-8.
About the Author:
Jennifer Fosberry is a science geek turned bestselling children’s book writer. She is the author of My Name Is Not Isabella(Sourcebooks, 2010), Isabella: Girl on the Go (Sourcebooks, 2012), Isabella: Star of the Story (Sourcebooks, 2013), and My Name Is Not Alexander (Sourcebooks, 2011). After running away to Costa Rica for a few years, she returned to the San Francisco Bay area with her husband and three children to read, write, and try to get out of doing housework. Visit Jennifer at www.jfosberry.com.
About the Illustrator:
Mike Litwin is a New York Times bestselling illustrator who creates scenes that serve the imagination and education of children. In other words, he’s a big kid who draws pictures for a living. He currently lives in Greenville, North Carolina, with his wife and three daughters. Visit Mike at www.mikelitwin.com.
Looking for a cool book series for children ages 7-9?
These two books are fun to read!
These chapter book are published by Sky Pony Press and I highly recommend!
This series comes from internationally bestselling children’s book queen Nancy Krulik (author of the Katie Kazoo series), her daughter Amanda Burwasser, and veteran illustrator Mike Moran.
The PROJECT DROID series follows Logan Applebaum, a normal young boy whose inventor mother informs him that she has created a robot cousin, Java, for him. In SCIENCE NO FAIR: PROJECT DROID #1, Logan and Java compete in the school’s third grade science fair, and in SOCCER SHOCKER!: PROJECT DROID #2, Java joins Logan’s soccer team, the Purple Wombats.
The PROJECT DROID series is a must-read for all young readers! Do you have a young reader who doesn’t want to read? Hand them one of these books! I guarantee you will either hear giggling or loud laughing out loud!
SCIENCE NO FAIR!: Amazon, B&N, and IndieBound
SOCCER SHOCKER!: Amazon, B&N, and IndieBound
Coloring is all the craze now-a-days and this one is a Beautiful one to color your way around the world!
‘Tis the Season! Holiday-Inspired Illustrated Children’s Book Emphasizes Universal Power of Hope.
This feeling of goodwill is the soul of the children’s illustrated novel The Book of Kringle – Legend of the North Pole, by Derek Velez Partridge with Mary Packard.
This is a magical book that teaches about kindness and having faith. It also teaches that we are all unique and have our own special gifts. The book is also beautifully illustrated and is a joy to read. It’s not your typical Santa book and is a true must-read for all children! ~SoCal City Kids.
The book is available on Amazon.com.
Self Disclosure: I received free copies of the above books to facilitate this post. Photos and info were also provided.
Speak Your Mind