Richard Scarry's Best Board Game EVER

The best Concept books ever are written and illustrated by Richard Scarry. His Busytown series is amazing for both knowledge and comprehension. The Busytown board game takes all of those concepts and puts them into one clever Eye Found It! game. While playing this game you’re working on numerical understanding, vocabulary and deductive reasoning skills (since part of the game is finding objects hidden within the board). The game Clue is much the same and offers the same benefit, but I doubt it would keep my 6 year old’s attention; nor did Candy Land for that matter. This game, on the other hand, kept her engaged for quite a bit.

The object of the game is to get your pieces to the end of the board before the pigs eat all the food at the picnic. You spin the spinner and can advance in one of two ways. You can move forward the numerical amount listed, or, if you land on the goldbug symbol, you can draw up a card. The card has an object that you must find in a timely fashion, allotted by a sand timer. Then you may advance the numerical value set forth by however many objects you are able to find within the board. If you spin a pig symbol, the pigs get to eat one of the food items at the picnic. Those are the rules, but The Boog and I always see room for improvement and almost always will end up playing a second time making the rules up as we go along. Sometimes the Hubby will get in on the Busytown madness and voila!, family time is created.

I have written about Richard Scarry quite extensively in the past (here) and I am quite a fan. Not too long ago I sold a Look and Learn Boxed set (here) to pay for The Boog’s summer camp program a couple years back. Although I miss it immensely, and hope it found a great home, I do have many of his titles that remain in print. They seem to have redesigned some of the images and changed a few characters, but The Boog is none the wiser. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing, but Richard Scarry remains one my favorite illustrators to date.

P.S
You will need a lot of floor space since this game is set up like a puzzle of sorts and is a bit on the loooooong side. :)

Update: The Kissing Hand

The Kissing Hand
By Audrey Penn
Illustrated by Ruth E. Harper and Nancy M. Leak
1994

*A Previously Published Post: A very dear story of the bond between parent and child and the courage to let go.*

This month’s Barnes and Noble Online Story Time features The Kissing Hand, narrated by author Audrey Penn.(Check it out here.)In this story little Chester Raccoon is getting ready to start school for the first time, but he is bit anxious to leave his home. Chester’s Mother lets him in on a little secret, a secret that has been passed down from her mother and grandmother, that will make his nights away at school feel just as cozy as his days at home. Behold the Kissing Hand. She takes his paw in hers, fans out his tiny fingers and leaves a kiss right in the middle of his palm. She goes on to tell him that whenever he feels lonely all he has to do is press his hand to his cheek and remember, “Mommy loves you. Mommy loves you.” And that the kiss will fill him with toasty warm thoughts. Ironically after Chester gets comfortable leaving for school, he gives his mother a kiss on her hand.

This story is a great way of letting your child know that your love will always be with them no matter what and is the perfect book for any little one about to head off to preschool or daycare for the first time. Plus the book comes with little heart stickers so you can make a kissing hand of your very own and if your craving some raccoon and hearts fun:

The Kissing Hand Felt Story Board
By Glitterful Stories

Pocket Hand Warmers
By Worme Woole

Raccoon Mask for children
By Mahalo

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The Twiddlebugs' Dream House

The Twiddlebugs' Dream House

Story by Pat Tornborg

Photographs by Alan Gelman

Miniatures by Pat Tornborg and Alan Gelman

1983

The most magical thing about Sesame Street are the Muppets! Sure, that's fairly obvious, but just once in awhile Jim Henson takes it a step further. The world of the Twiddlebugs is a great example of taking "an ordinary Muppet" to the next level by creating an already imaginary world and putting another within it! Every Muppet has it's own unique story, but none more fantastical than Ernie's resident insects, the Twiddlebugs.

Don't Be a Grouch! Be A Happy Sesame Street Watcher!

While working on next week's scans I came across this advertisement featuring my beloved Oscar The Grouch! The year of publication is 1983.

The cast was very fashion forward!



Helga's Dowry: A Troll Love Story

Helga's Dowry: A Troll Love Story

Story and Pictures by Tomie dePaola

1977

Hey Kiddos! My last Tomie dePaola post was Strega Nona, which is about a magic pasta pot and the mayhem that ensues when it falls into the wrong hands. I have several Tomie dePaola books but none more charming than Strega Nona, that is, until I added Helga's Dowry to my collection. Helga, in particular, has charmed it's way from mommy's bookshelf onto the Boog's. Admittedly, I will pretty much buy anything with his name attached to it, making Mr. dePaola one of my most fave illustrators. (Number one on my list being the late Maurice Sendak) I have gotten quite good at spotting them on my thrifting excursions. Although, after laying eyes on one of his illustrations you will pretty much agree that his work is quite unmistakable.  

Helga is the loveliest troll in three parishes but, after being orphaned as a troll child, she was also the poorest. This became a problem for her when handsome Lars asks for her hand in marriage, for it is troll law that Helga must posess a dowry. With moonstruck eyes, Lars tells Helga he will go ask old Rich Sven for some advice.

Sven's Advice? Why, marry his daughter Plain Inge. With 30 Cows, 3 Chests of Gold and a mountain pasture, Plain Inge would make him the richest troll in the land! (with the exception of the troll king of course)

Upon hearing this news, Helga decides to take maters into her own hands! She writes Lars a note asking him to wait for her and she decides to go make her own fortune to supply herself with a suitable dowry.

"SOME PEOPLE ARE ARE LAZY, SOME PEOPLE VAIN,

SOME PEOPLE ARE GREEDY;

IT'S ALL HELGA'S GAIN!"

She goes into the Land of People and bargains her way into a dowry of 35 Cows, in exchange for laundry, 4 Chests of Gold in exchange for everlasting beauty and, after clearing out the timber, a Pasture of her very own!



Upon learning that Lars was not going to wait for her and had intentions of marrying Plain Inge in her stead, she dismisses him.....

Only to receive a purposal from the Troll King himself, who is no need of riches and certainly in need of a hard working Troll wife!

What is really funny about this story, is that the Troll King has been interested in Helga all along! You can see him hiding within most of the illustrations watching Helga hard at work.



Also By:
Strega Nona

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Crictor

Crictor

By Tomi Ungerer

1958

A very lovely book about a woman, Madame Bodot, and her pet snake, Crictor; however, Crictor is no ordinary snake! He goes to school and even finds time to apprehend a cat burglar terrorizing his neighborhood. The Boog's favorite part of the book is when Crictor is delivered to Madame Bodot in a very peculiar O-shaped box! 

Folks are so very impressed by Crictor, they award him with a medal, a statue is resurrected in his honor and a park is named after him.

A little interesting tidbit from one of Tomi's illustrations is depicted on page 21, there is a drawing of an octopus to represent the #8; however, the animal is drawn with only 7 legs..... Very Curious Indeed!

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Where the Sidewalk Ends

Where the Sidewalk Ends

the poems and drawings of

Shel Silverstein

One of his most famous books that I owned as a child. (in truth, it was the ONLY Silverstein book I owned/read until I came across The Giving Tree in my early twenties) It was my first time in a new school and I sat there mesmerised as my third grade teacher read to us. It's amazing the things you can forget as time goes by. I had forgotten how this book made me want to be a writer and how I spent countless hours pouring over it's poems, always finding solace in the upside down crazy world Shel illustrated. There it sits in my collection, unread for what must be years; and yet, when I pick it up, it's familiar words take me back to a time when life was simple and days were long.

A few nights ago I came across this familiar poem which prompted me to pick up my copy. So many poems jumped out at me and I thought I would share some with you.

I think perhaps a Where the Sidewalk Ends weekly poem is in order. I wouldn't mind getting reacquainted with some old favorites.

Also By:
The Giving Tree

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Book Labyrinth: aMAZEme

aMAZEme Book Labyrinth

aMAZEme intends to WoW the audience at The London Festival 2012. The installation will be compiled of 250,000 Books and it's 13 foot walls will be built solely by the public. (Volunteers are encouraged to join in on the construction via Craigs List.)  

 

An interactive element will be added in the form of live readings and quotes hidden within the confines of the 5,000 square foot maze; offering the audience creative license to make the experience truly unique unto themselves.

Are You A Country Mouse Or A City Mouse?

The Hubby and I are definitely City Mice.... but this past week we decided to surround ourselves with country-like surroundings at a local farm. . . . .

 

We took a trip to Lamb's Farm this past week and schmoozed with the animals, visited their antique market and rode the carousel about a million and one times! Great fun was had by all, but mommy was happy to be home after such a long hot day spent in the sun.

As a tribute to our fun on the farm, I'd like to share a past post from the GooGooGallery's Archives:

Best Stories Ever
The Country Mouse and The City Mouse
Richard Scarry
1971
 

Earlier in the year I picked up a Little Golden book copy of The Country Mouse and The City Mouse along with two other short tales which include The Fox and The Crow and The Dog and His Bone. All three stories happen to be in the Best Story Book Ever as told by Patricia Scarry (who is not credited in the Best Story Book version) and of course illustrated by the wonderful Richard Scarry. Unfortunately, I don't think its in print any longer. I may be wrong, but after a quick look on Amazon I didn't see any new copies available. Anyhoo, we all know the story so I'll spare you the details and go straight to the illustrations, my favorite of which involves a cat!






Enjoy your Weekend Kiddos!

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