raincoast

Hundreds of free nature activities for families

by Hattie Garlick, with photographs by Nancy Honey

Packed with great photos of real families in the outdoors, Born to Be Wild contains easy-to-follow instructions for activities that require nothing more sophisticated than a small person's imagination and access to a little outdoor space.

Nature lays on magical materials for free each season, from fallen leaves and twigs, moulted feathers, sand and shells, to mud, puddles and rain. Everything else you'll need for these activities is already hiding in your cupboards at home. No expensive art supplies of outward-bound kit required. All you need are the toolkit items at the front of the book - ordinary household essentials like scraps of paper, string, glue, recycled food containers and an empty jar or two.

Along the way Hattie talks to families, organisations, and communities who have rebuilt their relationships with nature with extreme or inspiring results, and she introduces scientists, psychologists and other experts who explain why, as modern families, we should revive our waning relationships with nature, whatever age or stage we're at.

6.68 x 8.65" · 256 pages.  Softcover.

Printed by Bloomsbury, 2016.

Hattie Garlick is a former journalist for the Times and now contributes to the Guardian, the Telegraph, the Sunday Times, and Mother and Baby magazine. Hattie also interviewed all of the 100 Leading Ladies, photographed by Nancy Honey for her 2014 exhibition.

Nancy Honey has been a professional photographer for over thirty-five years. Her work has been widely published and exhibited. Her monographs include Woman to Woman, Entering the Masquerade, Poodle Parlour, and 100 Leading Ladies.

Helping Kids Cope with Explosive Feelings.

2nd edition.

By Christine Fonseca.

Teaching children how to manage their intense emotions is one of the most difficult aspects of parenting or educating gifted children.  Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students: Helping Kids Cope With Explosive Feelings provides a much-needed resource for parents and educators for understanding of why gifted children are so extreme in their behaviour and how to manage the highs and lows that accompany emotional intensity.  Presented in an easy-to-read, conversational style, this revised and updated second edition contains additional chapters addressing temperament and personality development, as well as expanded role-plays and strategies designed to show parents and teachers how to interact and guide gifted children in a way that teaches them how to recognize, monitor, and adjust their behaviour.  Updated resources and worksheets make this practical resource a must-read for anyone wishing to make a positive and lasting impact on the lives of gifted children.

Softcover, 217 pages.

Prufrock Press, Inc.

Printed in the USA.

2 notebook set. 2 lined notebooks.  96 pages each.

With a white peacock on one cover and iridescent hummingbirds on the other, this beautifully adorned pair of notebooks will add flair to any desktop or bag.  Each notebook features lined interiors and shimmering gilded page edges.

Michelle Morin is an artist who lives and works on the seacoast of New Hampshire.  Her richly detailed paintings of flora and fauna reflect her love of art, horticulture, and the natural world.

Softcover.  14.9 x 1.3 x 21.6 cm (5.5 x 8.5 inches).

Printed in China.

A notebook for visual thinkers.

144 pages of blank graph paper, plus charts, infographics, tables, and other scientific resources for the curious mind.

Sketch, plan, thumbnail, dream, note, list, and develop within the pages of this sturdy journal. Featuring an assortment of eight repeating graph paper designs interspersed with an eclectic array of scientific charts on everything from the laws of motion to carpentry joints and geometric theorems, Grids & Guides is a handy desktop tool for right-brainers and left-brainers alike.

146 x 210 mm.  5.75 x 8.25 inches.

Princeton Architectural Press.

Printed in China.

A notebook for visual thinkers.

144 pages of blank graph paper, plus charts, infographics, tables, and other scientific resources for the curious mind.

Like its black and red predecessors, this deluxe, cloth-covered Grids & Guides notebook offers 160 pages of varied graph paper (including some new grid designs) interspersed with engaging charts and infographics, this time in full color—from the human circulatory system to the geologic time scale. This is the perfect notebook to carry everywhere, for your sketches, plans, dreams, lists, and data.

146 x 210 mm. 5.75 x 8.25 inches.

Princeton Architectural Press. Sept 2016.

Printed in China.

The bestseller is now available in red! Grids & Guides with the red cover promises another 144 pages of varied and unusual graph paper (including some new grid designs), interspersed with more engaging charts and infographics—from knot tying to logic expressions—for right- and left-brainers alike. If your designs, notes, or other visual thinking need a splash of color, this is the answer. Encased in the same sturdy, cloth-wrapped cover, this time in a bright new shade.

Charts & Infographics included:

• Phylogenetic Tree
• Perspective Projection
• Knots
• World Atlas
• Logical Connectives
• Musical Sound
• Unit Equivalents
• Fibonacci Series and the Golden Equivalent

146 x 210 mm. 5.75 x 8.25 inches.

Princeton Architectural Press, 2015.

Printed in China.

30 Activities on sturdy cardstock.

Illustrated by Nina Chakrabarti; Designed by Anna Claybourne

Can you identify a tree from its seed? How is a frog different from a toad? And where can you find the Big Dipper?

Explore the natural world around you using these new activity cards based on the book Hello Nature by Nina Chakrabarti. Take them with you while walking in the woods, holidaying on the beach or just pottering in your own back garden.

With over 40 fun activities to try, from making feather quill pens and boats made of nutshells, to creating helicopter-seed dragonflies, there is fun for all the family.

40 illustrations on 20 thick sturdy cards in a nice tucked box.  173 x 126 mm.

Laurence King Publishing. Published April 2018.

About the Author:

Nina Chakrabarti studied illustration at Central Saint Martin's College and The Royal College of Art, London. She uses line drawing to explore her love of the decorative arts, inspired by her past in Calcutta, India, where she grew up, and the exuberance of London, where she now lives and works.

Anna Claybourne is a children's author who has written many non-fiction books on a wide variety of topics.

by Helen Friel and Ian Friel

Henry Hoakes has gone missing and Hoakes Island Amusement Park is in grave danger.  This notebook, a hastily assembled collection of diary entries, notes, puzzles and clues, is the only key to find out what’s happened to Henry and stop the dastardly developers who want to knock down the park.

Solve the puzzles and discover keys and clues as you travel around the island on a quest to rescue Rita the anteater, Granville the gorilla and the rest of the talking animals who live there.  It’s a race against time that only a puzzle master can win!

This ingenious and immersive puzzle adventure comes with a fold-out map of Hoakes Island and a special red lens to discover secret messages and clues. Can you solve the mystery and save Hoakes Island?  We’re counting on you!

• Quarterbinding with PLC (hardcover)
• 115 illustrations
• 64 pages
• Size: 255 x 185 mm

Recommended for ages 7-11 years (grades 2-5).

Hardcover.  Published by Laurence King.

Please note that this version of Hoakes Island is in English, but it is available elsewhere in German.  One may also purchase the book in English, and refer to the online version of the map in German, for German language study, found here.

About the Authors:

Helen Friel is a freelance paper engineer and illustrator, living and working in London.  Her commercial clients include Vogue, The Telegraph, Ted Baker and Time magazine.  She is also the author of Midnight Creatures: A Pop-Up Shadow Search.

Ian Friel became a freelance writer and historian in 2007, after a long career in museums.  He has published several books on maritime history, and has co-written Billy Bow, a musical set during the Napoleonic Wars.  Hoakes Island is his first children’s book, written with his daughter, Helen Friel.

Why Disciplining Your Child Doesn't Work and What Will

by Shefali Tsabary

Every parent wants the golden key to raising well-behaved, academically gifted, successful, happy children. Embedded in the collective psyche is the notion that discipline is the cornerstone to achieving these goals. Out of Control offers a never-before-published perspective on why the entire premise of discipline is flawed. Dr. Shefali Tsabary reveals how discipline is a major cause of generations of dysfunction. The author goes to the heart of the problems parents have with children, challenging society's dependence on discipline, daring readers to let go of fear-based ideologies and replace them with an approach that draws parent and child together. The key is ongoing meaningful connection between parent and child, free from threats, deprivation, punishment, and timeouts - all forms of manipulation. Parents learn how to enter into deep communion with their children, understanding the reasons for a behaviour and how to bring out the best in the child. Far from a laissez-faire, anything goes, approach, this is how a child learns responsibility and takes ownership of their life, equipped with character and resilience that flow naturally from within.

Softcover, 6.34 x 8.96". 225 pages.

by Namaste Publishing, 2014

Shefali Tsabary, Ph.D., received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University, New York. Dr. Shefali was exposed to Eastern philosophy at an early age and integrates its teachings with Western psychology. This blend of East and West allow her to reach a global audience and establishes her as one of a kind in the field of mindfulness psychology. She lectures extensively on mindful living and conscious parenting around the world and currently has a private psychotherapy practice in New York City. She has a strong following on social media, posts regularly on Huffington Post, and can be seen on uTube and Ted Talk. Her books include It's a Mom: What You Should Know about the Early Years of Motherhood and The Conscious Parent, which has been heavily endorsed by Oprah Winfrey. She lives in New York City.

by Mark Bolitho.  Photography by Brent Darby

With the increasing popular interest in mindfulness, and seeking quiet in the tumult of modern life, origami, the centuries-old practice of paper folding, has enjoyed a tremendous resurgence. With origins possibly dating to sixth century Buddhism, the art of creating shapes from pieces of paper offers an appealing combination of calming concentration and the opportunity to create small works of art with our own hands. This mind-bending collection of geometric origami includes twenty-seven inventive shapes, from simple one-piece pyramids to beautiful and intricate starbursts, each carefully designed and explained with illustrated step-by-step instructions. Also included are thirty-two sheets of origami paper to get you started.

Softcover, 128 pages.

8.15 x 9.15 inches.

Princeton Architectural Press.

Printed in China.

Mark Bolitho has been involved with origami for thirty-five years and is the former chairman of the British Origami Society. Having worked for many years as an accountant, he now devotes his time to origami, from creating and authoring books and kits to undertaking commissions for large-scale exhibitions.

Escapades for Your Life of Epic Adventure

by Caroline Paul; Illustrated by Wendy MacNaughton

 A New York Times Bestseller

From the author of You Are Mighty, a real-life derring-do woman, a collection of exhilarating stories, activities, and tips to inspire girls to pursue a life of adventure and excitement.

Why should girls miss out on the joy of adventure? They can jump off rocks, swing on ropes, and climb trees just as well as boys can. But girls often allow fear to stand in their way.

In The Gutsy Girl, author Caroline Paul emboldens girls to seek out a life of exhilaration. Once a young scaredy-cat herself, Caroline decided that fear got in the way of the life she wanted--of excitement, confidence, self-reliance, friendship, and fun. She has since flown planes, rafted big rivers, climbed tall mountains, and fought fires as one of the first female firefighters in San Francisco. In The Gutsy Girl, she shares her greatest escapades as well as those of other girls and women from throughout history, and offers engaging activities such as confidence-building stances, creating a compass, positive self-talk, and using crickets to estimate outside temperatures. Each section includes a place for girls to “journal” their adventures, thus encouraging a new generation to develop a zest for challenges and a healthy relationship to risk. The Gutsy Girl is Lean In for young girls, a book about the glorious things that happen when you unshackle from fear and open up to exhilaration. Fully illustrated and enlivened throughout by bestselling illustrator Wendy MacNaughton's whimsical pen-and-ink drawings.

Hardcover, 160 pages. Black and white illustrations throughout.

Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2016.

Reviews

From Nest Owner, Lisa Di Lorenzo: "After signing this book out of the library the third time, I decided that I just had to carry it in the shop. I read aloud to my son, 6 yrs at the time, the story of how she collected 2L milk cartons, made a large, layered, duct-taped milk carton raft with her father, and convinced other kids to sail it down river with her. There's the call to abandon ship as it's starting to sink after not too long, but it's absolutely hilarious and like all her stories, we felt in an adventurous and very free state of mind, and we had some great laughs while reading. This is a wonderful book to have in the home for all children, in my opinion! I do think that as a young girl, I'd have especially appreciated it, and I wonder if having books like these in our home library opens up the world a bit and the paradigms that we tend to think in. Overall, the book is very well-written, illustrated, edited, and printed. It's chockfull, and a great book to gift/ own for inspiration and laughs."

"A Modern Manifesto for Bravery, Perseverance, and Breaking the Tyranny of Perfection. A former firefighter and lifelong adventurer’s clarion call for the joy of adventure in a culture obsessed with risk-averse achievement." -Maria Popova, BrainPickings.org

“The perfect book for young feminists, or really any woman who needs a dose of inspiration in her life . . . Viva la Gutsy Girl!” – Buzzfeed

“Part high-energy how-to guide, part hilarious memoir, and part interactive adventure journal designed to help girls of all ages build confidence, pluck, and bravery by venturing outside.” – Outside Magazine

“Delightful . . . There's a lot here that will thrill any girl--or boy--of any age.” – San Francisco Chronicle

“Caroline Paul's inspiring and sometimes astonishing stories of the adventures that she and other great women have undertaken, alongside Wendy MacNaughton's beautiful illustrations, make The Gutsy Girl the book of the year for daredevils, doers, and dreamers of all ages.” – Cheryl Strayed, author of WILD

“Paul encourages readers--girls, specifically--to pursue lives of excitement in a book that blends elements of memoir, guidebook, and journal.” – Publishers Weekly

“If Pippi Longstocking and Sheryl Sandberg got together and penned a book for tween girls, this brilliantly written and illustrated gem would be it.” – Parent.co

“An incredible book for raising 'gutsy' girls and a must-read for adventurous women . . . Paul's book will convince any woman that she, too, is destined for a life of epic adventure--whether it's in the woods or in the boardroom.” – Quartz.com

“A must for inspiring girls of all ages--young and young at heart.” – Stanford Magazine

“Paul's exuberant prose is made even better by Wendy MacNaughton's charming illustrations, which help place us in the adrenaline-fueled scenes . . . An adventure tome, field manual, journal, and self-help book all in one, Gutsy makes an excellent gift for girls graduating elementary school, though it's a good read for anyone. The book aims to help young women widen their comfort zone, face fear, and manage insecurity.” – Sierra

“[Lost Cat] is revelatory . . . it moves easily and hilariously from one sentence and chapter to the next . . . it's ingeniously crafted . . . a fiercely charming narrative that sneaks up on a reader, just as the best fantastical books do . . . Lost Cat is an incredibly endearing work, a snapshot of the madness of loving and agonizing over and chasing after animals.” – Jillian Steinhauer, The Los Angeles Review of Books, on LOST CAT

“An uncommonly charming and wise tale.” – Alexis Madrigal, The Atlantic, on LOST CAT

“This playful, quirky book is like a cat that climbs into your lap and purrs; it's impossible not to love it.” – Gayle Brandeis, San Francisco Chronicle, on LOST CAT

“A tender, imaginative memoir infused with equal parts humor and humanity . . . an absolute treat from cover to cover.” – Maria Popova, Brain Pickings, on LOST CAT

Colour your way through the year!

A weekly diary featuring Moomintroll, Snorkmaiden and all your favourite Moomin characters. Record your day-to-day activities and thoughts, then bring them to life by colouring Tove Jansson's original illustrations, which include inspiring quotes and moments of Moomin wisdoem to take you from January to December.

Softcover.

MacMillan Children's Books.

Printed in China.

By Marianne Dubuc

Mrs. Badger, an avid collector and naturalist, takes a weekly journey up to Sugarloaf Peak, greeting her friends on the way and sharing her discoveries with them.  One day she meets Lulu, a very small cat, who wants to go with her to the top of the mountain.  On the way, Lulu learns to take care of the natural world, help those in need, and listen to her intuition.  Rich in wisdom and beautifully illustrated, Up the Mountain Path offers a profound story full of lessons about love, generosity, and following one's heart.

Recommended for readers ages 3-7 years.

Hardcover with jacket, 72 pages, with 80 colour illustrations. 

7.5 × 9.5 inches (19.1 × 24.1 cm).

Princeton Architectural Press.

Montreal-based Marianne Dubuc is an award-winning author and illustrator of more than ten picture books, including The Fish and the Cat and The Lion and the Bird.

by Fiona Daly

This book is a comprehensive guide to frame loom weaving for the complete novice as well as those who have already discovered the frame loom weaving craze.  It includes a brief history of weaving, useful tools and terminology, and a natural fibre index.  The step-by-step tutorials cover everything from setting-up the loom through to finishing techniques and are accompanied by clear illustrations.  Techniques include traditional rug making techniques of rya knot and soumak stitch; tapestry techniques of weaving curves and diagonals making shapes; as well as how to weave a variety of weave structures such as plain weave, herringbone, twill and rib.  It also contains patterns for five contemporary projects designed specifically for this book including table placemats, wall hanging, a cushion cover and even a tubular woven totebag with no seams.  Throughout the book, each technique is introduced with some background history.  There is an emphasis on natural materials as it includes a fibre index for natural materials giving some background as to how these grow.

- Enjoy many hours with this meditative traditional craft while creating contemporary projects for your home and yourself. Weaving is known to be calming and satisfying, while opening up your creativity. Frame loom weaving is easy to do at home, with no major time dedication and with simple and easy-to-find tools and materials.

- By following the step-by-step tutorials and complete project guides, you will learn all you need to know about frame loom weaving. Everything from setting-up, handweaving through to finishing. With technical step-by-step guides to patterns and techniques, both the novice and experienced weaver, will find this book rewarding. This book will arm you with the technical skills you need and inspire you to create your own woven projects.

"My motivation for this book was to combine my knowledge from more advanced types of weaving and apply that to frame loom weaving, to try to push the boundaries of what is possible to weave on the frame loom, primarily different weave structures and patterns. Also the products I designed as the Projects. Inspired by my own weaving practice, the content of the book has a focus on using natural materials and gives some background on these."

144 pages - Paperback - 21 x 1.2 x 27cm

-Natural fibre index and info on yarn

-How to design your own woven project

-Weave structure drafts

-History behind traditional techniques used as well as step-by-step guide

-Patterns for 5 Contemporary Weave Projects

Princeton Architectural Press

Make Your Own Mini Looms & Weave 25 Exquisite Projects

by Harumi Kageyama

Learn how to make your own portable weaving loom with everyday materials like cardboard, paper, pins, tacks, wood, and nails. Step-by-step instructions illustrate how to construct four handcrafted loom designs with ordinary tools. Use a cardboard cake box to make a circle loom and weave friendship rings. Create a little loom with a picture frame and weave a colorful purse.

Featuring 25 cute projects like bags, jewelry, table-mats, and pouches, all projects are friendly for weaving with both traditional and unconventional fibers. You can try different materials, from classic yarn to more novel materials like ribbon, suede and pipe cleaners -change it up for a whole different look!

These do-it-yourself looms are perfect for crafting on the go. They are small enough to take with you as a portable travel craft or outside pastime. With basic materials you’ll be weaving on your handmade loom in no time!

Paperback.

Zakka Workshop.