Fall in Love with Nature

Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year. Cooler temperatures, autumn foliage, hot air balloons in the mornings (at least here in the Albuquerque) - these are what I start to look forward to as soon as the autumnal equinox rolls around (this year, September 23rd).  Now is the perfect time of year to build appreciation and understanding of nature for kids 2-8 with a craft or walking/observing adventure!  Here's some titles we recommend:

Lois Ehlert's Growing Vegetable Soup- work your way through the alphabet when you visit the farmer's market or grocery store vegetable counter each week.

Lois Ehlert's Leaf Man- collect leaves and press them, then create a picture with the leaves on wax paper and hang it in the window.

Jim Arnosky's Drawing From Nature explains how to observe and sketch nature, and his Crinkleroot series suggests ways to observe nature.

Also check out this subject search of nature crafts.

Here are some poetry books about nature for kids:

Jane Yolen's Shape Me a Rhyme: Nature's Forms in Poetry combines poetry and photographs to illustrate shapes in nature.

The book Stone Bench in an Empty Park, selected by Paul Janeczko with photographs by Henri Silberman, is an anthology of haiku accompanied by photographs reflecting nature  in the city.

Ralph Fletcher's Ordinary Things: Poems from a Walk in Early Spring recalls the sights and feelings experienced on a springtime walk--from home, through the woods, and back again. (Wrong season, but a pretty book.)

Betsy Lewin's Walk a Green Path has lush watercolor paintings to accompany poems whose green subjects range from the author's houseplants to lily pads in the Amazon.

Barbara Brenner's The Earth is Painted Green: A Garden of Poems about Our Planet is an illustrated collection of poems from around the world about various aspects of life on earth.

In our system, we also have the following authors who write books about nature which you might also enjoy:

Gail Gibbons - whether it's cats, kites, or farming, Gail Gibbons has written a book about it.

Bobbie Kalman - for books about colonial life, endangered animals, desert habitats, & everything in between.

Jerry Pinkney - writer & illustrator of books like A Starlit Somersault Downhill.

Nancy Tafuri - uses large pictures of animals which encourages description of details and unique body parts (ex: webbed feet on ducks for swimming).

Also look for juvenile literature about the seasons.

For kids interested in nature, there are also DVDs such as:

Wild Animal Baby Explorers
Young minds are introduced to nature and all its beauty, and a foundation is laid for a lifelong love of wild life, and places.


What nature crafts do you enjoy?  What are your favorite books about nature?

Penguin Threads editions

People who see books as art objects, Rejoice!, or perhaps bemoan the state of your pocketbook. Penguin, as part of their Deluxe Classics series, has commissioned a series of books to have covers based on hand sewn designs by Jillian Tamaki. These covers are embossed to resemble the embroidered originals. The three books in the Penguin Threads subseries, thus far, are Jane Austen's Emma, Anna Sewell's Black Beauty, and Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden. These books are scheduled to go on sale in October of this year. For larger views of the covers, view Jillian Tamaki's website.

Celebrate National Crochet Month!

Since March is National Crochet Month, why not try your hand at crochet? Easy to learn, fast to do, and versatile, this craft has its origins in the 19th century. It lends itself well to airy summer items, lacy scarfs and shawls, blankets, 3-D toys and hats, and much more!

The library system has plenty of helpful books on crochet. Some beginner titles include Crocheting for Dummies and The Happy Hooker: Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet. The “One Skein” books contain some very pretty crochet patterns. A new addition to our collection is Crochet Master Class which goes over different methods such as Hairpin and Broomstick lace. We also have some DVDs on crocheting. And if visual aids are your thing, you can also find many tutorials on YouTube.


A growing trend in crochet and a source of modern, beautiful patterns are Japanese crochet books. The books can be on the pricey side,but there are two sites with free Japanese patterns available - Pierrot and Clover. Pierrot has some patterns translated into English. Crochet charts are universal, however, which makes it easier to read foreign patterns, and there is a great translated help guide on SelectYarn.com.



There are also lots of free crochet patterns available at Ravelry.com. Pictured here is "birds of a feather" You can search for patterns based on popularity and difficulty. There is also a group called “Learn Crochet” which can help with any questions you may have.

And If you decide to try your hand at crochet, there are lots of craft group get togethers in the library system, where you can share your work.

Written by Tracy, a Cherry Hills Library staff member & talented crochet artist.

Social Knitworking (& Crochetworking!)

"Ravelry is a place for knitters, crocheters, designers, spinners, weavers and dyers to keep track of their yarn, tools, project and pattern information, and look to others for ideas and inspiration. The content here is all user- driven; we as a community make the site what it is. Ravelry is a great place for you to keep notes about your projects, see what other people are making, find the perfect pattern and connect with people who love to play with yarn from all over the world in our forums."-from Ravelry.com

If you are a knitter or crocheter, you must check out Ravelry, a free site made especially for knitters and crocheters. Create an account & you'll be reading the newsletter "where my stitches at? This Week in Ravelry" in no time. You'll have a notebook where you can: list yarns in your stash; projects you're working on; queue up projects you soon hope to be working on; search patterns on the site & save in a favorites folder; blog; meet friends & join groups; get your questions answered in the forums; & more!

For instance, my groups on Ravelry include Anglophiles, Learn Crochet, & New Mexico Knitters. Recently I posted on the forums, looking for a pattern for an Elsa Schiaparelli hat, & had quite useful responses by the next day. & my Ravelry use has been intermittent at best-one of my co-workers has used it to keep track of needle sizes & see the finished projects of a pattern to see if it'll look good or not, as well.

If you prefer to socialize in person, the library system has several drop-in stitch groups, including Cherry Hills Library's own An Itch to Stitch, which meets Tuesdays from 10 AM to noon. If you want to work on your stitching projects together with like-minded folks, asking questions and sharing experiences, this group is for you! All ages & skill levels are welcome! This month our display case will feature handmade crafts by members of the group.