SPARK INTEREST WITH BOOKS AND OTHER LITERARY PARAPHENALIA
The Best Book Sellers in the World
There’s nothing better than visiting booksellers in all their many forms in cities around the world. Whether it’s a famous shop (like Shakespeare and Co. in Paris) or a tiny storage unit on a charming side street bursting with books, there are always incredible finds (and deals)! Europe is, of course, known for this. A love of books is engrained in the culture. Book shops aren’t complete without big boxes out front labeled “1 Euro” (or two at the most) with all sorts of books, pamphlets, and prints from which to choose.
Paris is the best city for finding books and beautiful, rare prints and postcards. Walking along the Seine is only made greater and more charming by the many, varied book stalls overflowing with paperbacks, prints, posters, and postcards.
NYC is known for its rare and used bookstores as well (most notably The Strand, Argosy, etc.). Go to Union Square (especially on the weekend) for the booksellers!
Literary Allure
Visually stimulating images and details attract us (especially children) to a book.
Why do these things make us want to read? If a book has an intriguing cover, this piques our interest, and curiosity usually gets the best of us. We must open the book to find out more!
The effectiveness of a book cover cannot be overestimated.
Some of the best, most beloved, and most popular book covers include:
- F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Great Gatsby” (cover art by Francis Cugat, 1925)
- J.D. Salinger, “The Catcher in the Rye” (design by E. Michael Mitchell, 1951)
- Harper Lee, “To Kill a Mockingbird” (cover design by Shirley Smith, 1960)
- Truman Capote, “In Cold Blood” (art by S. Neil Fujita, 1966)
- Mario Puzo, “The Godfather” (illustrated by John Kashiwabara, 1969)
Paraphernalia to help get your child/ren reading and writing:
Rubber stamps with letters are fun tools for children who are learning to read and write. Have them ink the stamps and create words on large sheets of paper, one letter at a time. The act of creating words with something other than a pen or pencil is unique, reminiscent of an old printing press, and will encourage children to think of writing as an artful act. Of course, reading and writing go together!
- Colored pencils and pens also help children with writing. Anything that is visually arresting, bright and colorful provides incentive and will encourage engagement.
- Fascinating illustrations are the first things we see in a children’s book and are what we usually always remember.
- Comic books and strips are, without a doubt, fantastic reading material for beginners. As we know, graphic novels are incredibly popular and are considered as literary as any novel without pictures.
Favorite prints and illustration plates inspired by literature leave a great impression and encourage a love of storytelling. Think of classic images from fairytales such as Edmund Dulac’s illustrations for “The Princess and the Pea” or Jessie Wilcox Smith’s incredible depiction of “The Goose Girl.”
- Postcards make us think of travel and adventure. We write them to send our love to family and friends back home, across thousands of miles of ocean. Interesting stationery is always a great impetus for writing, and the promise of receiving a letter or card in return doesn’t hurt, either.
- Cute notebooks and journals: having something attractive to write in always gives us great incentive to do just that.
Gifts from SGE
Explore with Spartan and the Green Egg and get excited about reading and learning with our exciting books and other gifts (including puzzles, stickers, and pins).
- Planet Puzzle 3D (240 pieces): puzzles help with hand-eye coordination in small children and are a good tool for teaching problem solving. This puzzle of the planet will inspire an interest in geography as well.
- Explorer Stickers and Pins (including—but not limited to—Earth and the North and South Poles, Oceans, flags, countries around the world, destinations, UNESCO World Heritage sites, etc.)
- Books: “A Trip to the Rainforest,” “The Reefs of Mindoro Island,” “Adventure at Wadi Allaqi,” “The Poachers of Tiger Mountain,” “Land of the Midnight Sun” all detail various adventures taken by Spartan with a little help from his friends and, of course, the magical green egg that transports them around the world.
To learn more about Spartan and the Green Egg (and the books published by Full Cycle Publications mentioned above), visit the links below and the website. For more information on what FCP has to offer, check out the website.
To read more about the book covers mentioned in this blog, click the links below:
https://lithub.com/the-25-most-iconic-book-covers-in-history/
https://www.spartanandthegreenegg.com/product/planet-puzzle/
https://www.spartanandthegreenegg.com/product/sge-explorer-stickers-set-1/
https://www.spartanandthegreenegg.com/product/sge-explorer-pins-sets-2/
https://www.spartanandthegreenegg.com/product/spartan-and-the-green-egg-book-series/
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