By Super Kitty

There are lots of books out there about gardening, and plenty of them are aimed at kids, but how about a book not just for kids, but written by one? In Gardening with Emma, 13-year-old Emma Biggs gives young gardeners helpful advice on growing your own flowers and vegetables, planning your garden, and more, along with fun facts and interviews with other gardeners. And if you aren’t sure where to start, Emma also has plenty of suggestions for garden themes, like rainbow veggies, A-to-Z gardens, and how to create cool outdoor hideouts. Not to mention her list of the 130 tomato varieties she planted last year…

And books aren’t the only way Emma gets kids excited about gardening—she speaks at events and has appeared on radio shows, plus she has a blog (https://www.emmabiggs.ca/kids-gardening-blog) where she encourages young growers with advice and ideas!

Full of beautiful photographs and helpful step-by-step tutorials, Gardening with Emma teaches kids all the essential skills they need to create and maintain a garden, and, most importantly, how to have fun with it.

Disclosure note: Thanks to Storey Publishing for sending us this book to review! 

By Super Kitty

In this fascinating new book, Mary Jane Cryan (an American who has lived in Italy for over fifty years) explores the history of one ancient Italian building, or “palazzo,” in which she lives. She tells the stories of people who are now famous, along with those almost forgotten. Cryan creates an in-depth look at not only a single building but also of the town, Vetralla, and its colorful past. This book is illustrated with various photographs that contribute to this historical tale of events, people, and works of art.
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The author has clearly not just researched the town, she has lived in it—descriptions are written in vivid detail, and there is a sense of familiarity with the subject matter that makes the narration much more engaging than that of many other histories. And the fact that it’s written in both English and Italian is a particularly cool! Overall, I would recommend The Painted Palazzo Dipinto for readers interested in Italy, history, or art/architecture, from middle grade to adult!

By Piranha T. and Super Kitty

Sewing School Quilts offers a fun take on the classic art of quilting. Amie Petronis Plumley and Andria Lisle explain the steps of designing, sewing, and putting together fifteen quilts in easy-to-understand, informative text. The projects in this book span both traditional quilts, including a patchwork dog, a family crest, and Pocket Tic-Tac-Toe, and a spin on the classics with the Selfie Quilt, the I Spy Quilt, and the Say Anything Quilt. And for those who want something to snuggle up in, the Waterfall Quilt offers a cool project with a classic quilt look. Crafters are also encouraged to experiment on their own, and suggestions follow each project to help make the finished product even more original and fun.

Whether or not you know how to sew, Sewing School Quilts introduces you to the age-old art of quilting with modern twists. With skill builders, introductory lessons, and step-by-step instructions, Sewing School Quilts teaches crafters to successfully create impressive projects while having a good time.
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Disclosure note: Thank you to Storey Publishing for sending us this book to review!

By Piranha T. and Super Kitty

If you’ve ever wanted to learn fun and creative crafting skills, Stitch Camp is for you. It covers basic sewing, knitting, crocheting, felting, weaving, and embroidery skills. It is ideal for those just learning because of its step-by-step approach, wide range of projects and characteristically beautiful photos (which is one of the reasons we love craft books published by Storey Publishing), but the projects are also engaging for more experienced crafters. One thing which we particularly like about this book is that the projects featured are practical as well as fun, encouraging crafters to be creative and resourceful (what do you do with your drier lint and felt scraps?) Also, we really like  that the authors encourage readers to have a good time and enjoy the process of crafting, not just the finished product, thereby taking the focus off feeling like you need to get a “perfect” piece.

We are experienced crafters with some baseline knowledge of the skills covered in this book, and we found lots to enjoy here. It also provides a great resource for us to share with friends who are learning, as it teaches from a basic level without being boring. Additionally, this book teaches useful related skills, such as tying knots, winding balls of yarn, and making pom-poms with a fork.

Lots of pictures, step by step instructions, and a fun voice make this a craft book that we would highly recommend to crafters of all ages.

Disclosure note: Thank you to Storey Publishing for sending us this book to review!

By Super Kitty and Piranha T.

Have you ever wondered if there’s anything to do with all your empty milk jugs and shoe boxes? If so, Recycled Crafts Box is the book for you! Make Corrugated Castles, Foil Fish Mobiles, Bottle Bugs and more! Complete with recycling timelines, tips, and interviews with recycling artists, Laura C. Martin gives a new twist on recycling—and having fun, too.
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We have made several projects from this book, and have enjoyed them all—some of our particular favorites are the Corrugated Castle, Rag Bowls, and Bottle Bugs. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for earth-friendly craft projects that result in great decorations, toys, and gifts. Happy Recycling!

By Piranha T. and Super Kitty

As you know – we love books! So, we were excited by a recent opportunity to talk with the people from Storey Publishing in North Adams, Massachusetts. Some of our favorite craft books have been published by them (we love to sew, crochet, knit and spin, too – keep your eye on this page for some of our recommendations for kids looking for craft and DIY books). While we talked, they showed us some of their new and upcoming titles. The below book was one of these.

Wild for Horses is a great book for anyone who loves horses. It features over 40 different breeds of horses from Andalusians to Appaloosas leaping, splashing and frolicking on 24 full-color posters, with interesting facts, horse-inspired sayings, and a short paragraph on each horse on the back of every poster. In the back of the book, there are also 24 flashcards of different kinds of horses which include a picture, as well as the height, color, and other information about each breed shown on the reverse side. There are also 2 extra-large fold-out posters, finishing off this excellent poster collection full of facts, pictures, and plenty of horses.

If you like horses, you will like this book! Kids (and adults!) of all ages will enjoy the gorgeous pictures, and older children will appreciate the facts and quotes on the backs of the posters. Both Super Kitty and Piranha T. thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend it to kids of all ages.