Roost Books

Who are the pollinators? Did we know that creepy crawlies are actually our hardworking friends and predators help to keep the balance of nature?

Find out about the amazing tricks plants play on insects and how to call nature’s very own SOS team in to give our nectar-sipping buddies (and us) a helping hand. 

Get an up-close look at the buzzing, fluttering, and squirming life teeming in your garden.  Bees, Bugs & Butterflies explores the world of pollinators — the bugs that help plants thrive.  Discover ways to attract the fascinating creatures that pollinate your fruits and vegetables, control pests and diseases, and even get rid of your organic trash.  Learn how to create an environment friendly to butterflies, bees, ants, and bats; build habitats for garden allies like ladybugs and lacewings; and gain an appreciation for the complex food web right outside your door.

Included inside:

• A visual guide to how bugs, bees, and butterflies can help your garden grow
• How to build a bug apartment block and other hands-on projects to help your garden thrive
• Pull-out activities, including a Garden Heroes game, a Pollinator’s Wheel (turn the dial to match the plants to their pollinators), a beetle mask, and four sheets of stickers

Hardcover with neat 'screw' binding, 48 pages.  8.25 x 7.125 inches.

Roost Books.

About the Author:

Ben Raskin is the Head of Horticulture at the Soil Association in the UK, and a father to two.  He runs courses and training on organic growing and launched the Soil Association’s flagship Organic Apprenticeship Scheme in 2007.  Ben developed an interest in gardening while working on an organic vineyard in northern Italy and has worked in horticulture for eighteen years.

Hardcover with neat 'screw' binding, 62 pages.  8.25 x 7.125 inches.

Roost Books.

About the Author:

Ben Raskin is the Head of Horticulture at the Soil Association in the UK, and a father to two. He runs courses and training on organic growing and launched the Soil Association’s flagship Organic Apprenticeship Scheme in 2007. Ben developed an interest in gardening while working on an organic vineyard in northern Italy and has worked in horticulture for eighteen years.

By Kazuko Aoki

Inspired by the wonder and beauty of nature, the embroidery motifs offered here evoke wildflower meadows and woodland walks.  With lifelike yet whimsical weeds and flowers, as well as mushrooms, leaves, trees, and birds, this collection of flora and fauna offers a charming range of motifs.  As a gardener, horticulturalist, and accomplished embroiderer, Kazuko Aoki brings life to her designs through intricate detail and a passionate eye for natural beauty.

With artistic photographs, clear step-by-step instructions, and detailed diagrams, Embroidered Wild Flowers offers a wonderful variety of embroidery patterns that can be enjoyed by novice and experienced sewers alike.

Softcover, 96 pages.  7.5 x 8.25 inches.

Roost Books.

• A visual guide to the world of plants—what they need to grow, how to care for them, and more
• Grow your own pizza! How to plant for a recipe, with fruits and vegetables in pots or a whole vegetable garden
• Pull-out activities including a runner-bean growth chart, a Fruit Pairs game, Rainbow Taste Wheel (turn the dial to find out which vitamins are found in each fruit and vegetable), and four sheets of stickers

Hardcover with neat 'screw' binding, 80 pages.  8.25 x 7.125 inches.

Roost Books.

About the Author:

Ben Raskin is the Head of Horticulture at the Soil Association in the UK, and a father to two. He runs courses and training on organic growing and launched the Soil Association’s flagship Organic Apprenticeship Scheme in 2007. Ben developed an interest in gardening while working on an organic vineyard in northern Italy and has worked in horticulture for eighteen years.

By Susie Ghahremani

By Sarah Olmsted

For children, potential is limitless, curiosity is an electrical current, and every moment is open to the possibility of the unexpected.  Day-to-day life is filled with adventure.  Road blocks are invitations to try new routes.  And the world is vast and expansive.  This book is a celebration of childhood through the crafts and activities that invite wonder and play.  The twenty-five projects and activities in this book are meant to speak to the way children engage with the world.  These projects are not about what is produced in the end (although that part is fun too) but rather they are stepping-off points—activities that spark curiosity, an adventure, or an investigation.  They’re about the process of getting there.  They’re about the conversations that happen while making things together.  They’re about getting to know the world inch by inch.  They’re about exploring imaginary universes and running through real forests.  They’re about living in childhood . . . regardless of your actual age.  They’re about being a kid.

Softcover, 240 pages.

7 x 8.5 inches.

Roost Books.

"I have two responses to reading these pages: (1) I want to run directly to my toolbox and start making stuff, and (2) I want to run outside into the woods and spend hours playing. This book is a must have for every parent’s exploration toolkit!" —Keri Smith, author of How to Be an Explorer of the World and Wreck This Journal

"Reading Imagine Childhood was like finding a guidebook into the brilliant and vast galaxy of a child’s mind. The book is brimful of projects and springboards that help you nurture a creative, sensitive, and wonder-filled child in the best possible way." —Sharon Lovejoy, author and illustrator of Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars and My First Bird Book & Feeder

Handmade Toys & Crafts for Growing Imaginations

by Joel Henriques

Delight young children and encourage play through unique handmade toys. From sewn and stuffed musical instruments to interlocking paper building blocks and wooden animal figurines, the projects in this book are meant to encourage open-ended play. Organized by kid-loving subjects, the toys here follow the themes of Zoo; House; Blocks, Cars & Trucks; Dress-Up; Music; and Art. Overall, the projects here are meant to stimulate imagination, build confidence through success and enjoyment, and enhance the bond between family and friends through the creation of unique, artistic handmade toys and crafts. 

The thirty-five projects in this book include a variety of crafts, from drawing to sewing and light woodworking. The toys presented here are made out of wonderfully tactile materials—repurposed fabrics, wood, and paper—and invite opportunities for creative and imaginative play. Every project is easy to complete, made with accessible materials, and requires little time to make. The projects are simple enough that endless variation can come from the making of each, leaving enough room for you to make the item to suit your own personal interests.

With a design aesthetic that is clean, simple, and modern, each project is presented with full-color photos and hand-drawn instructional illustrations and templates. Projects include:

   • Modern Doll House and Doll House Furniture
   • Portable Zoo Animals
   • Abstract Vertical Puzzle
   • Wooden Nature Scene
   • Bottle-Cap Tambourine
   • Exploration Cape
   • Modern Alphabet Game
   • Shadow Puppet Theater
   • And more!

Softcover, 208 pages.

Printed in the United States by Roost Books.

Calling On My Inner Science Nerd to Help Navigate the Ups and Downs of Parenthood

by Lynn Brunelle

Science is the ultimate parenting tool. After all, it’s really all about observing, asking questions, solving problems, making mistakes, and trying again and again and again—just like being a mom or dad! Come along with Lynn Brunelle as she initiates you into the joys of geek-style parenting. A proud geek mom herself—and an Emmy-winning writer for the show Bill Nye, the Science Guy—Lynn has had a love of science from the time she was a child. When she had her own kids, science became like a friend she could lean on for support, helping her make sense of the joy, pain, and uncertainty of parenting. Join her as she infuses her days with science, and shares it, in all its geeky wonder, with her kids.

Each chapter offers the chance to laugh aloud along with Lynn, and then a neat and do-able experiment or exploration for your kids.

What do armpit farts, ear infections, and grass stains have in common? For geek mom Lynn Brunelle they all spark the part of her that is gleefully curious about how things work. Join her as she explores the intersection of parenting and science, where the terror of swallowing a magnet or catching lice is transformed into the heart-soaring excitement that comes from exploring the wonder of science. With great humor, Brunelle takes ordinary episodes of parenting and infuses them with a scientist’s perspective. In doing so, she shows us that science isn't just for geeks. It's the stardust that makes common things glow. Why not pass that magic along to the kids?

Lynn Brunelle is a four-time Emmy Award–winning writer for the television series Bill Nye the Science Guy, with over twenty years of writing experience. A former classroom science, English, and art teacher for kids K–12, as well as an editor, illustrator, and award-winning, best-selling author of over forty titles, Brunelle has created, developed, and written projects for PBS, NPR, A&E, the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Disney, and ABC. She is a regular presenter of science and art projects in classrooms and schools. She lives on an island off the coast of Washington.

Softcover, 240 pages. 6 x 8.5 inches.

Roost Books.

Check out Lynn's website here.

Praise:

"Lynn loves being a mom, and she loves science. She relays tale after tale of how she engages her kids in wonder after wonder of the world around them—and around all of us. Her science enriches their lives and saves her sanity. Mama Gone Geek will do the same for you." —Bill Nye, the Science Guy

"A wonderfully hilarious romp through Lynn Brunelle’s world, complete with directions on how to turn the most awkward and smelly aspects of parenting into teaching moments. Mama Gone Geek is a memoir and a how-to book on its surface, but it is also—and more importantly so—a testament to the undying love, joy, faith, and protectiveness a mother feels for her family. Brunelle’s ability to see her world anew, even as she knows precisely how to describe it to her children, is refreshing, touching, and, ultimately, very gratifying. Brava!" —Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

"Lynn Brunelle is the love child of Erma Bombeck and Mr. Wizard!" —Susan Wiggs, author of The Apple Orchard and The Beekeeper's Ball

"Mama Gone Geek is my favorite book of the year. Funny and touching. Every parent can relate to her stories. I’m buying it for all my friends." —Suzanne Selfors, author of The Imaginary Veterinary series

Reviews

Develop Your Child's Sense of Joy and Wonder by Mariah Bruehl

Children are natural scientists, artists, mathematicians, authors, and scholars.  From the time they are born they seek out information about the world around them in an effort to construct meaning and further their development.  While children have an inherent drive to make sense of their reality, parents have a unique opportunity to harness their children's curiosity and channel it into a love of learning.  Playful learning is the magic that takes place when we meld a child's sense of joy and wonder with thoughtfully planned learning experiences.  Through easy-to-implement, hands-on projects you can engage your child in fun and creative ways that encourage learning and impart the joy of discovery.  With a little bit of information and forethought, you can play a pivotal role in the cognitive and creative development of your child. 

Mariah Bruehl has worked in the field of education for over a decade.  She has taught in the classroom, developed curriculum in many different subject areas, trained teachers, and implemented programs across many grade levels.  She is the mother of two girls and the owner of Playful Learning, a retail space and education center in Sag Harbor.

Softcover. 240 pages, 7.25 x 9.25"

Roost Books, 2011.

Check out the website of Playful Learning here.

By Mariah Bruehl