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December is a time for friendship, and what better way to demonstrate friendship to children, than through a picture book?  Here are a few of Sylvan Dell’s favorite books about friendship with fun and easy activities that you can do this holiday season.

Newton and Me – While at play with his dog, Newton, a young boy discovers the laws of force and motion in his everyday activities. Told in rhyme, Lynne Mayer’s Newton and Me follows these best friends on an adventure as they apply physics to throwing a ball, pulling a wagon, riding a bike, and much more. With the help of Sherry Rogers’ playful illustrations, children will learn that physics is a part of their world. They will realize that Newton’s Laws of Motion describe experiences they have every day, and they will recognize how forces affect the objects around them.

Activity: Help you child get to know their friends. Start a conversation and learn about their family pet or favorite toy. Encourage your child to ask questions.

Moose and Magpie – It isn’t easy being a moose. You’re a full-grown adult at the age of one, and it itches like crazy when your antlers come in! In Bettina Restrepo’s Moose and Magpie, young Moose is lucky to find a friend and guide in the wisecracking Magpie. “What do the liberty bell and moose have in common?” the Magpie asks as the seasons begin to change. Then, when fall comes: “Why did the moose cross the road?” Vivid illustrations by Sherry Rogers bring these characters to life. Laugh along with Moose and Magpie, and maybe-just maybe-Moose will make a joke of his own!

Activity: Comedy hour – give your child and friends a “microphone” and encourage them to tell jokes. Make sure they know not to tell jokes at their friend’s expense.

Home in the Cave – Baby Bat loves his cave home and never wants to leave it. While practicing flapping his wings one night, he falls, and Pluribus Packrat rescues him. They then explore the deepest, darkest corners of the cave where they meet amazing animals—animals that don’t need eyes to see or colors to hide from enemies. Baby Bat learns how important bats are to the cave habitat and how other cave-living critters rely on them for their food. Will Baby Bat finally venture out of the cave to help the other animals?

Activity: Prepare a winter scavenger hunt for your child and friends. They can go on an adventure together and the reward can be a cup of hot coco and talking about their fun adventures of the day.

Habitat Spy – Let’s spy on plants, insects, birds, and mammals in 13 different habitats. Told in rhyming narrative, Habitat Spy invites children to search for and find plants, invertebrates, birds, and mammals and more that live in 13 different habitats: backyard, beach, bog, cave, desert, forest, meadow, mountain, ocean, plains, pond, river, and cypress swamp. Children will spend hours looking for and counting all the different plants and animals while learning about what living things need to survive.

Activity: While running those busy errands this season turn off the radio and play “I Spy” in the car while driving around town.

The Giraffe Who was Afraid of Heights – Imagine if the one thing that keeps you safe is what you fear the most. This enchanting story tells of a giraffe who suffers from the fear of heights. His parents worry about his safety and send him to the village doctor for treatment. Along the way, he befriends a monkey who is afraid of climbing trees and a hippo that is afraid of water. A life-threatening event causes the three friends to face and overcome each of their fears. The “For Creative Minds” section includes fun facts and animal adaptation information, a match-the-feet game and a mix-n-match activity.

Activity: Sending out holiday cards? Help your child make a holiday card thanking their friends for their help and friendship throughout the year.

Champ’s Story: Dogs Get Cancer Too! – Children facing cancer—whether their own, a family member’s, a friend’s, or even a pet’s—will find help in understanding the disease through this book. A young boy discovers his dog’s lump, which is then diagnosed with those dreaded words: “It’s cancer.” The boy becomes a loving caretaker to his dog, who undergoes the same types of treatments and many of the same reactions as a human under similar circumstances (transference). Medical writer and award-winning children’s author, Sherry North artfully weaves the serious subject into an empathetic story that even young children can understand.

Activity: If a good friend is sick and children do not understand Champ’s Story is a great conversation starter. Give your child crayons and a piece of paper help them express their feelings through art.

These and many other fun books and lessons are available for the holidays at www.sylvandellpublishing.com.

Here's a bat with a rather odd Snout... Figured I'd put some spumco style colors on him, just to play around a bit... Happy Halloween to all my friends here at SFG!!
EAT CANDY!!!

Hope you dig...
P

meet alex and his friend andy...they are ready for a little "tricking and treating"!
i thought this piece fit illustration friday's theme of 'disguise'. it's an older piece, but it's definitely appropriate. besides...it's never too early for cute halloween art. in my opinion anyway...;)

I got yer hats here!! 3 of them! Two on the kids and one on the baseball player. I'd say the bases are loaded! HA!

I’m struggling to make a “cute” bat. Maybe there’s no such thing, eh?

LITRO (UK), a free fortnightly publication (20,000 circ.) distributed at London underground stations and shops, seeks pieces that will "appeal to someone who is on their way to work." No set theme; stories do not need to be about the underground. Nothing too gratuitous, horrific, or abstract. Fiction: 2500 words max. No payment. More details...

The Capilano Review (BC) seeks experimental and adventurous writing for open and themed issues. Themes: Collaborations and North Shore. Submit poetry (4 pages min.) and fiction (6000 words max.). Payment: $50 per published page to $200 max. Deadline: ongoing. More details...

Dark Scribe Press (US) seeks short story submissions for an anthology of queer horror tales: Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet (publication: late 2008). Looking for edgy, provocative dark genre fiction – horror and dark psychological suspense only. No sci-fi/fantasy/mystery. Seeks stories about those terrors that populate the closets of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. Length: 1000-7500 words. Email queries only to: [email protected]. Deadline: May 15, 2008. Once query receives a green light, the submissions deadline is June 30, 2008. Payment: US$.05 per word upon acceptance. More details...

Arsenal Pulp Press (BC) seeks short stories for an upcoming collection: Queer Utopias: A Science Fiction Anthology (publication Spring 2009). Looking for stories from science fiction writers who want to explore the implications of sexuality or for stories rooted in a queer/feminist background that are imagining a desirable (or perhaps undesirable, to some or all) future. Actively interested in submissions from non-North American writers, but preference given to Canadian writers. Story length: 10000 words max. Submission instructions: Title the file with author's last name and story title in the file name: Surname-Title.doc; include name, mailing/email address, and bio within the .doc file with your piece (submissions will be separated from emails to be read); and submit as an attachment in .doc format, to [email protected]. Payment: honorarium and one copy of the book. Deadline: May 15, 2008.

Queen's Quarterly (ON) is accepting submissions of articles, reviews, short stories (2500-3000 words) and poetry (up to six poems). Payment determined at time of acceptance and paid upon publication. More details...