Diversity & Inclusion: The Circles All Around Us
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From the creator of Youtube's Kid President, Brad Montague took a poem his little babe read, and turned it into a book!
All about seeing the world that is bigger than our immediate circle, your little babe will come to understand that the kindness and love they put forth into their communities, spreads through many more communities.
Paired with a natural wood stacking house, this collection provides so much room for family discussions around community and kindness. The nesting houses are perfect for the motor skill development, and the open ended possibility of hours of play! You might see "houses" now, but it won't be long until they become tunnels or boats or castles!
PS. both the book and nesting houses are perfect for your nursery decor!
Change Makers Collection
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We are celebrating International Women's Day with a collection focused on highlighting Canadian change makers. Purple is the official colour of IWD and we carefully curated a list of empowering female go getters from past & present that will open up conversation and learning for yourself, your little babe and those around them.
Paired with one of our favourite collections, I Am One, you will have so much to talk about with your little babes or students. I Am One focuses on all the small actions that you can do on a daily basis which can have a lasting effect. All it takes is one small stone in to cause a ripple, one hello to start a conversation, one brick to take down a wall, to create and inspire change in your surroundings. Beautifully illustrated, with simple text, this story has made an impression on all ages. It is a favourite that we keep going back to on our shelf.
- Viola Desmond -- Civil Rights Activist whom challenged racial segregation at a cinema out east by refusing to leave the "whites only" section. Convicted of depriving the government of one cent of tax, Viola's trial case became one of the most notorious racial segregation cases in Canada.
- Nellie McClung - Social Activist and Feminist. It was because of her that women earned the right to vote in Manitoba, she was instrumental in opening Canadian boarders to Jewish Refugees, as well as championed enfranchisement for Japanese Canadians
- Hailey Wickenheiser - One of the greatest female hockey players of all time and the first to play full time professional men's hockey, currently a physician and head of player development for the Toronto Maple Leaf's. Hailey is a widely respected voice for her contributions to women's hockey both on and off the ice.
- Angela James - Consider to be the 'Wayne Gretzky' of women's hockey, Angela James was a pioneer of the sport in the 80's & 90's. Having led Canada's women's team to four world championships, she was one of the first three women inducted into the International Hockey Hall of Fame, as well as being the first black female, and openly gay, hockey player to be inducted into the Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame.
- Margaret Atwood - You may recognize her name as a result of the popular TV series the Handmaid's Tale, but Atwood is a decorated poet and author. She has received numerous honours and awards for her writing. However, Atwood is also a strong environmental activist, involving herself various campaigns bringing awareness to and encouraging rethinking of global practices. Check out her website for some of the ways she has committed to being "green" within her spaces.
- Autumn Peltier - An Anishinaabe Indigenous rights advocate from the Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island. In 2018, at 13 years old, Autumn addressed world leaders at the UN on the issue of water protection. In 2019 Autumn was named was named Chief Water commissioner for the Aniishnabek Nation. She advocates for the Universal Right of Clean Drinking Water driven by her cultural understanding of the purity within water.
Social Emotional Learning: The Rabbit Listened
The rabbit listened is a story that focuses on empathy. Taylor is visited by a variety of animals after Taylor becomes upset that her tower has fallen. Each animal offers something different, but it isn't until the rabbit appears that Taylor realizes what Taylor needs.
Helping your little babe identify big feelings as well as learning how to respond when others in their life have big feelings is one way to use this book. Paired with Shop Emmy Lou's handmade building blocks, your little babe can build, create and imagine right alongside Taylor.
Social Emotional Learning - The Crayons' Book of Feelings
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For some of the youngest little babes, this simple board book is perfect for naming all those big feelings felt on a day to day basis (sometimes all within the same hour!) Paired specifically with hand painted matching pegs, this collection is sure to provide lots of conversations and easy to identify feelings within your family.
A new common phrase for us is, "I'm feeling a bit purple today!"
Inclusivity & Diversity: We All Count, A book of Cree numbers
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From author & illustrator Julie Flett, We All Count is our first numeracy collection. We love how the book teaches numbers in both English & Cree (with pronunciation guides!). This board book gives us a glimpse into contemporary Cree life through Flett's beautiful illustrations.
We All Count: A book of Cree Numbers is an important addition to your library as it provides a window into Cree culture made accessible through Flett's story telling and images.
We have paired this book with our favourite natural wood counters. Each number is burned into the wood piece and protected with a beeswax coat for long lasting play. Ordering numbers, matching them to each page or using small objects as counters at home are all ways you can incorporate your little babes number learning with their reading.
Diversity & Inclusion - Our Skin: A first conversation about race
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Research shows that talking about issues like race and gender from the age of two not only helps children understand what they see, but also increases self-awareness, self-esteem. Intentionally paired with skin tone inspired, all-natural inspired dough, this book can help extend those difficult conversations to your little babes play. When you combine reading with play-based learning, you enrich their little world and inspire them to think critically and creatively while connecting these ideas to the world around them.
It's never too early to begin these conversations.
Welcome Baby Collection
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We know just how wonderful it is to be given a brand new book to add to a collection for your little babes so we've carefully considered a book that will be a hit to give families welcoming a new baby into their lives.
Wonderful You by Lisa Graff is a celebration of the anticipation and happiness a new baby can bring. We chose this book because of the diverse representation of families. From Single parent families, to families comprised of various faiths, sexuality lgbtq+ and skin colours, this book uses the familiarity of comparing the new baby to the sizes of different fruits and vegetables! Lyrical in nature, this book will sure be a new favourite and instant classic.
Paired with two of our favourite must-haves as new moms, we hope you love gifting this as much as we loved putting it together!
The Makers:
Little & Knotty - As a mom of three little girls, Autumn decided to launch Little and Knotty in the winter of 2020 after a year of planning and developing the business. As a mom who has tried virtually every type of fabric on her own babies she fell in love with Bamboo's soft texture and breathable nature when her youngest daughter developed eczema at only a few months old. She began to research the cause of her daughters eczema and during that research she found out that clothing (yes, even baby clothing) often contains a lot of unnecessary chemicals such as formaldehyde, phalates, BPA'S and more. Babies have such delicate and sensitive skin, and their skin will soak up those chemicals easily. She wanted access to more sustainable and ethical clothing that is toxic free, but also buttery soft and breathable. That's where her journey began... She created high-quality sustainable, non-toxic (Oeko Tex Certified) everyday pieces that YOU can feel good about wrapping your baby in.
Loved by Ollie - Alison is a new mom to sweet little Ollie. With a new baby during a pandemic, Alison had limited options for getting out and about. After being inspired by a community of like minded mompreneurs she decided to take the plunge and created Loved By Ollie. Inspired by her littles love of teething (ha!) she aims to create high-quality teethers that are free of all the nasties. Safety is her top priority. Loved by Ollie aims to use neutral tones and colours to modernize your little babes teething accessories.
*add on option:
pair this package with an oversized newborn bow from the makers behind A Baby Bowtique. This Hamilton based mom and daughter duo have been creating simple, classic oversized bows in efforts to raise awareness and founds for pregnancy and infant loss. Five dollars from this add on will go directly to PILSC Ontario
*Don't need a bow? Add on a +$5 donation to the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Center's Ontario Branch.
Inclusive & Diverse: We All Play
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We All Play by Julie Flett. Flett is a Cree Métis author-illustrator (perhaps you have Little You or Bird Song in your collection!) who’s latest book celebrates the wonderful ways in which we play. Connecting children to the natural environment with the different ways we all play, is the essence of this collection. Flett's simple illustrations enhance the playful nature of both children and animals. The connection between humans and wildlife is captured energetically through her images and story telling.
Paired with Jack & Sully 3D printed animals to represent the animals in the book, this pairing couldn't be more beautiful. With neutral and earth tone colours, these 3D animals can be incorporated into all kinds of play scenes. From matching them in the story, using them in sensory bins, adding them to creative play scenes your little makes (*ahem, in the stacking wood houses from our other collection ... swoon) you will have endless fun.
Jack & Sully is curating toys for children to spark play, imagination, discovery and learning. A family run business inspired by their children, we think this is a perfect pairing!
Diversity & Inclusion: The Proudest Color by Dr. Sheila Modir and Jeffrey Kashou
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"For me, brown is more than feeling proud. It’s the color I see when I see me."
Zahra sees the world in vivid color. When she’s happy, she feels a razzle-dazzle pink in her hands. When she’s sad, she feels a deep blue behind her eyes. But she isn’t quite sure how to feel about the color of her skin. Kids at school tell her she is different, but her mother tells her to be proud! From a diverse team and based on extensive research, The Proudest Color is a timely, sensitive introduction to race, racism, and racial pride.
As Middle Eastern Americans (Iranian and Palestinian) and as clinicians, Dr. Sheila Modir and Jeff advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion and work toward building resilience in children. Together they have advocated at the state and federal level for better mental health care policies, in addition to doing international work at a Red Cross refugee asylum in Belgium. They also consult on film and television productions, including for Disney and Freeform, to ensure that mental health is portrayed responsibly.
Paired with our popular play dough created by Burlington Based, Little Wonders Co. this book is sure to spark conversation around skin colour, race, racism and acceptance.
Social Emotional Learning: Big Bright Feelings Collection
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Does your little babe struggle with their big feelings? Understanding and naming emotions and how they feel in their bodies and minds is a huge learning curve for even adults! The books from the Big Bright Feelings series aim to bring this idea down to your little babes level.
Ruby finds a worry talks about how to overcome the feelings of anxiety with the simple message of talking about your worries! Perfectly Norman celebrates how feeling "different" can be celebrated for being exactly who you are meant to be.
These two books are a perfect pairing for your shelves, your learning and opening up conversations about big feelings.