This week is the first week of summer vacation. It has been absolutely glorious. We’ve worn pajamas half the day, driven almost nowhere, made cookies and even went out to eat once or twice! We finished Farmer Boy and have read lots of picture books from the library.
I also started (and finished) a new book by Erin and Philip Ulrich called, Begin. It’s the first in a new series about a bear named Growly (insert “awwww”!). Philip had this idea for a kids’ tv show about a bear who came out of the woods and helped a whole village of people. This idea turned into a CD and now a book series. Don’t you just love creative people?!
Growly is an almost-grown bear cub who sets off on a bear-y traditional 3 month solo adventure before returning home a full-grown bear. And Growly most definitely has an adventure–there is hang gliding, a monkey village, ziplines and thunderstorms! Plus, there is love and respect for parents, sacrificial actions for others and just a plain old good story!
I love reading stories of other worlds and this Bear world is so fun! I actually did start reading it to Lydia and she totally loved it—but I stopped because I wanted to finish it myself! Now that we’re done with Farmer Boy, this will be our new bedtime read.
source: oohamanda instagram
The illustrations in the book are by my friend, Annie from Be Small Studios who offered those beautiful Christmas prints on the Truth in the Tinsel blog last year. All of her work has a wistful, emotive feel to it. I’m so excited to be giving away a print of Growly and his bird friend today! Just use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter.
And oh! don’t forget to buy this Growly book! It’s a perfect read for filling up these summer days. Your kids (especially boys, I think) will enjoy the adventure of Growly. You buy the book at the Growly site. Of course, you can also snag it on Amazon for your Kindle and it’s even free if you’re an Amazon Prime member. (<–you remember how much I love that!)
source: be small studios
