New stuff: Henry Helps!

Toddlers absolutely love helping. It's a fact. I'm pretty sure everyone knows that. Granted, their help isn't necessarily helpful in the true definition of the word, but getting toddlers and preschoolers involved in household tasks serves more than just putting them to work. It's actually the best predictor of their future success, according to a study done at the University of Minnesota. (Props to the awesome ECFE teacher who mentioned the study during parent time!)

I'm the parent of a very helpful nearly-three-year-old, so when I heard that, I knew that thinking up great ways for my kid to help was one easy way I could help instill important values in my child. Sam helps me bake bread (I measure the flour and let him add it a spoonful at a time, and we knead together until he gets bored). He mops and "flashes" the kitchen floor—I'm not sure what the "flashing" is accomplishing, but to him, it's an important part of the job. He sets the table. He shovels snow. He puts away his books. He puts the toppings on pizza and greases muffin tins and stirs (a lot). He even has his own special safe knife for chopping vegetables. Helping has not only given him confidence in his abilities, but it's also given us a great, fun way to spend time together and make routine parts of my life a little more interesting. 

Plus, it seemed like an awesome idea for a set of books. And thus, Henry Helps was born. It's a series of four books (with more to come) featuring Henry, a helpful little boy who loves being involved in his family's daily chores. Like all little kids, Henry loves to help. He helps with his baby sister. He helps with the dog. He helps his dad prepare dinner. And he helps his mom do the laundry. The tasks Henry completes are totally manageable for most little kids. But they're actual important parts of each process. Sure, it takes a bit longer to rely on a three- or four-year old to mash up an avocado for guacamole. And you might end up with more of a mess if your toddler is helping to give the dog a bath or sort clothes for laundry day. Your kid can't feed and burp a baby, but he can fetch a burp cloth or a bib for you. 

Becoming part of a home's rhythm is a very important part of a little kid's development. And creating a home rhythm is an important part of being a family. Check out all of the Henry books on our website.

Chicago!

I just got back from a wonderful trip to Chicago for the HOW Design Conference. What an amazing, exhausting and inspiring experience! It was a huge conference, with a couple thousand designers in attendance. There were over 30 speakers, including Gael Towey, Chief Creative Director of Martha Stewart Living magazine and her husband Steven Doyle, who designed the Martha Stewart Living logo (he carved the letters by hand, I should add, which is amazing!). I could go on for paragraphs about all of the great design work I saw, and the inspiring sessions that I attended, but instead I will leave you with a few photos.

An evening with Chip Kidd

Last night, some of the design and editorial staff were lucky enough to attend a lecture by the infamous design rock star/legend, Chip Kidd. This was my first time seeing him speak and what a presence he has! He is extraordinarily multi-talented, a designer, writer and a wonderful speaker who has the ability to make the audience gasp, as well as fall over with laughter. 

I think the most fascinating aspect of his presentation was the series of book covers he designed that he personally loved, but had been rejected by the publisher or the author. It's always nice to see someone as amazing as him, share work that didn't make the cut. Even Chip Kidd, with years of experience and credibility, still has concepts that people don't fall in love with immediately. 

It was energizing to hear someone speak so passionately about design and the publishing industry. I walked out of the auditorium inspired, and armed with a couple of autographed books-how could I not?!

To see more of Chip Kidd's work, check out his website, here.

And Thanks for All the Monsters!

Author Martin Powell reminds me that this week is the anniversary of Ray Harryhausen’s birthday (June 29, 1920). Harryhausen was the creator of some of Hollywood’s first, best, and oddest special effects. He made all those creepy, Claymation creatures in such Grade-B classics as Jason and the Argonauts, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. Martin grew up on these movies, like I did, which partly explains his love of the horror genre, as well as his talent for fast-paced thrills and adventure. Martin was nominated for an Eisner Award for his Sherlock Holmes/Dracula page-turner, Scarlet in Gaslight. We were lucky enough to have him pen several graphic retellings for Stone Arch Books, including The Hound of the Baskervilles, Rumpelstiltskin, and Red Riding Hood. He knows scary! Thanks, Martin, for telling me about Harryhausen’s birthday. I remember watching his The 7th Voyage of Sinbad on TV as a kid. I always screamed for my mom to come and stand in front of the screen whenever the giant Cyclops came on. That monster scared the pudding out of me, but I couldn’t bring myself to turn off the TV. Boy, I haven’t thought about that movie for years. . .

Maybe I should call Mom.

What's scary?

Michael touched on scariness with his post last week, and I was thinking about it again yesterday while a bunch of us were at Wild Rumpus (a great Minneapolis children's bookstore). They have a special spooky cottage toward the back of the store, where all of the scary books are kept--I spotted the Twilight books, There's a Monster at the End of This Book, and The Graveyard Book, among many others. If you look down while you're standing in the spooky cottage, you can see the store rats through a special clear floorboard. It's a really cool place--perfect for raising some goosebumps while you look for that great scary book.

While my colleagues and I were perusing the shelves, I noticed a little girl standing with us--I think she was probably about four. She seemed perfectly comfortable with the books themselves, but when she looked up and realized that she was surrounded by grown-ups--none of whom were her mother--she started to cry. I helped her find her mom and little brother, and she seemed to be relatively untraumatized, but it got me thinking--for a little kid, so many different things can be scary, and not all of them are the ones we grown-ups expect them to be. Some things--like scary books--aren't scary at all; they're exciting. But looking up and seeing a bunch of strange grown-ups (all of whom, I might add, are on the bookish-nerdy-quiet end of the spectrum)? Nightmare.