Spring Into Spring with The Ottawa Public Library

By Tracy Facchin, Children's Public Programming Public Service Assistant

Spring is here and with it come a whole slew of new and exciting books to read. So snuggle up with your little ones and take a look at these great reads suggested by our friends at the Ottawa Public Library!

The Inside Tree by Linda Smith

Kind-hearted Mr. Potter allows his dog inside to share his comfortable, cozy house and as the title suggests, he decides to bring a lonely looking tree inside, as well. Brimming with vocabulary, this humourous story will have little ones guessing what will happen next. The illustrations capture the craziness of the situation, with Mr. Potter singled out in a bright orange and red striped pattern on every page.

The Cat Who Wouldn’t Come Inside by Cynthia von Buhler

This story is based on the authors experience as she patiently earned the trust and affection of a stray cat.  The captivating illustrations are my favourite feature of this unique book.  The characters, their clothing, the tiny house, and all of its’ adorable miniatures have been created by hand.  The scenes were photographed using a variety of coloured filters, giving an indoor or outdoor feeling to each page.  The cumulative text will encourage youngsters to help with the storytelling.

The Berenstain Bears Inside Outside Upside Down by Stan & Jan Berenstain

This book is a favourite from my own childhood! It is a wonderful early reader, with lots of repetition and images that support the text.  The idea of being taken on a little trip somewhere by accident sparks the imagination, and could lead to an interesting conversation with a child about where the box could’ve ended up!

Scooter in the Outside by Anne Bowen

This is a fantastic read-aloud book, as the text is full of super-fun things to say!  Scooter the dogs’ wet kiss is a ‘SLOPPITY-SLURP’ and his wagging tail goes ‘THWAPPA-THWAPPA-THUMP!’ Poor Scooter gets more than he bargained for when he escapes out an open door headed outside on his own. Children will like Scooters curious nature and will learn about making careful decisions.  The illustrations are bright and cheerful and the story has a happy ending to an outdoor adventure!

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

The dedication in this book is ‘To children everywhere sitting in cardboard boxes’, and it is a sweet story about an imaginative little bunny that pretends a plain cardboard box is anything but!  The minimalism of the line drawn illustrations will appeal to even very young children, while the text will inspire readers to stretch their own imagination.  I love that the cover is brown and rough like a piece of cardboard!

Animals Home Alone by Loes Riphagen

Wordless books enhance creativity, vocabulary, and language development. In this book, the animals in the house go WILD when their owners leave! Their silly antics include a pig who hogs the T.V remote control, a cat who chats on the telephone and a goldfish that swims around in the dog’s water dish. There are so many things to look at and to talk about on each page and it is easy to use your imagination to create your own story.  At the end of the book, the author prompts the reader to recall what they have seen, with questions like ‘What is on Petey’s beak?’ and ‘Why is Katherine’s cage empty?’

A Dragon Moves In by Lisa Falkenstern

http://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/643864026_a_dragon_moves_in

Bringing home a newly-hatched stray dragon turns into a problem for Hedgehog and Rabbit, when their friend gets too big for their house!  Quirky characters and charming illustrations carry this story through to its happy ending.  Rabbit and Hedgehog problem solve and work together to build a castle big enough for all of them!  Their pet fire-breathing dragon thanks them with a fireworks display!

 

Building Our House by Jonathan Bean

This is a great book for inquisitive children who are interested in construction and about how a house is made from the ground up.  Based on the author’s own childhood experience with his parents and two sisters, the family gives up their city life to build a homestead in the country.  What I love most about the book is that everyone is involved in the building process; both the Dad and Mom (even with a round expectant belly!), all of the children, and even extended family and friends.  Teamwork, hard work and the importance of family are values that are ‘built-in’ to this story.

Review: My Pretty Playhouse

by Lara A few months ago I was given the opportunity to review a My Pretty Playhouse with the kids.

Having something for the kids to use as a little fort in the basement was great.  I found up to 5 kids in there at a time, reading stories, playing with toys, or pretending to nap :) They also loved that they were allowed to colour on it!

I loved the details on the house and how easy it was to put together.

If you had kids who are less rambunctious than mine (mine are VERY rambunctious) it would probably last longer than ours did.  That being said, we got a good two months out of it before it had been a little too destroyed to keep playing in.

For $34.99 it's a good value.  I remember seeing houses like these in the past that ran for double that so the price point on this one definitely appeals.

*disclaimer. I received the playhouse for free but didn't receive any compensation and all thoughts are my own.

Cruising with kids

by Lara

Kids on Carnival cruises

This February my husband and I decided to go on our first family vacation. We'd gone on a cruise just the two of us the year before and loved it so much we decided it would be fun for all five of us.

(A quick note here - we drove to Florida and back. That definitely added a whole other component to this trip which is very likely another post in and of itself :)

5-days in the Bahamas on Carnival

We took a 5 day cruise with three stops in the Bahamas. We all shared one cabin. We had a good time but I have a lot of thoughts and tips to share :)

- Food. The ship was a lot smaller than the one my husband were on last year. We really felt this in terms of the amounts of activities and especially food options. I expected food to be available all the time. Unfortunately all that was available 24 hours a day was lemonade, ice tea, pizza, deli sandwiches and ice cream. Not great for kids who need a mid morning or afternoon snack - especially when one can't have dairy. Solution: I started hoarding huge plates of plates of food in our room.

- Rooms. I was nervous about having all 5 of us in one room. Cruises aren't cheaper for kids, but each person's price goes down the more people you put in a room so all of us together it was! :)

All of us in one room went surprisingly well and the housekeeping attendants made it fun to come back to our room every night :)

not only did we get towel animals, our own friends got staged :)

- Camp carnival was an amazing option. My husband and I were able to get a break from the kids, which was much needed a few times :) Unfortunately the camp for kids 5 and under was 100% indoors - not exactly what I was hoping for from our trip to the Bahamas. We primarily took advantage of their evening program so that we could go and have a nice dinner. They came back tired and ready to go right to sleep.

swimming on board the carnival ecstacy

- Kid friendly? This ship definitely wasn't "un" kid friendly but the options for things to do with the kids were very limited. There was one pool and 3 hot tubs (our previous ship boasts 10 pools and hot tubs!) and it wasn't very big. The only other activity was mini golf which was beyond our three year olds. There was no place on the ship where I could let my very active kids get their energy out other than in a not very big pool that required us in the water with them 100% of the time. For this reason, I'm fairly sure an all inclusive resort with options for running around outside in big spaces, where you don't have to worry about disturbing others would be a better bet.

- Port stops. My kids LOVED the beach/ocean (all the more reason to try an all inclusive next time I think) and I loved that they had the space to run and play but other than that, we didn't do much (we did walk around Nassau for a bit). We especially loved Half Moon Cay and the public beach in Freeport.

playing on the beach in Freeport

Overall, we had a great time. But if you're asking me if I'd recommend it, I'd say unless you're going on a Disney cruise or your kids are at MINIMUM 6 years old, I'd skip a cruise and try something land based. Now... I just need an affordable all inclusive to try out next year! :)

High Tea at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier

***We updated this post! You can view it by clicking here!**

I’ve been hearing a great deal about the Prince and Princess Tea at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier for a while but never really gave it much thought. As the mom of two pre-teens, I have quickly learned that anything with the word “Princess” in it is taboo. However, since a friend had recently brought her older daughter there (just calling it High Tea) and had rave reviews, I omitted the word princess and brought my two girls there for High Tea.

Every afternoon, High Tea is served in Zoe’s Lounge. The decor in both the Chateau Laurier and Zoe’s is beautiful and posh. Just walking into the lobby of the hotel made my girls stand up a bit straighter and carry themselves a bit more grown up. In Zoe’s Lounge, all the staff were extremely attentive, and everything they served was presented so elegantly. Both my girls were amazed.  There were three different High Tea menus to choose from both my girls actually stuck to the Princess Tea menu since if offered more of what they would actually eat.   The scones, sandwiches, fruit salad and desserts served to us were delicious. We watched as the “tea expert” made her way around the room pushing a cart filled with so many varieties to choose from. Both my girls chose hot chocolate instead of tea but they did get to drink it from fancy china. The treats were endless. When our plates or cups were empty, they were quickly refilled and both girls were amazed at each and every new pastry and cookie offered to us.

Although my daughters aren’t strangers to eating in fancy restaurants, this experience probably topped the list. They both sat so quietly and politely, just watching everything that was going on around them. It was a treat to just be able to sit with them and hear about their day, school, friends and to speak with them as young women instead of just rushing them around from activity to activity. It’s something that I hope to do again very soon.

How old do you think your children should be before bringing them to a fancy restaurant where manners and decorum are important?

Kids in the Capital Welcomes Our Newest Sponsor: terra20

“In this new millennium, as the world’s population soars, it’s up to us to explore a more sustainable, earth-friendly lifestyle. The year 20-something will be the year we get it right.”

Last fall, terra20 opened in Ottawa in the Pinecrest Mall, beside the giant IKEA. terra20, the largest eco-friendly store in Canada, focuses on providing a straightforward, easy-going and enjoyable shopping experience for those who want to both educate themselves about sustainable living and buy strictly eco-friendly products - everything from cosmetics, baby toys, clothing, cleaning products and food. Before writing this piece, I thought it best to visit terra20 and see what they had to offer. I’m definitely glad I did!

terra20 is a big, bright and well-organized space that displays their eco-friendly products clearly along with full explanations of what you are buying. In fact, one of the most helpful features of terra20 is their ethics logos, which tell you about the environmental features of any product on their shelves. The logos, which are on each pricing label, tell you what you get clearly and simply. They represent: high-efficiency (energy / water saving), contains no bunnies (no animal suffering or byproducts), organic, made in Canada, waste reducing (recyclable or biodegradable), free of harmful chemicals, sustainable (products that impact the planet in a positive way), fair trade and green certification (given to products that are certified by verifiable environmental organizations).

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There was plenty of staff on hand to answer my many questions. And as a newbie to eco buying and sustainable living, I did have quite a few questions while browsing through their 12,000+ products. Before my visit, I was under the impression that the products would be overpriced and not necessarily worth the specific trip to the store. I was wrong on both accounts.

At the Eco Bar, the largest refill station for household products in North America, the cleaning products were dispensed in 1L, 2L or 4L refillable containers that allowed for bulk shopping. When you bring in your old containers to refill, you receive an in-store discount that allows you to reduce both the cost and the waste. And the variety could not be compared. Even in the cosmetic section, the products were modern, relevant and in colors that I would definitely use.

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All in all, I think that terra20 is worth stopping by if you are in the Ottawa area. I like the idea that they have done all their research about green, eco-friendly, bunny-friendly and fair trade products so I don’t have to. terra20 has everything, as long as it’s green and it allows me to focus on what I’m there to do - shop worry free and without thinking in a pleasant and environmentally friendly space. And, of course, the workshops are a plus too!