Ed Emberley's Children's Books

This is a wonderful book for developing
geometric art projects for very young
students.

      Edward Randolph Emberley (born October 19, 1931) is an American artist and illustrator, best known for children's picture books. He studied art at the Massachusetts School of Art in Boston (now Massachusetts College of Art and Design), from which he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting and illustration. He also studied at the Rhode Island School of Design.

      Emberley is best known for his children's book work - particularly instructional drawing books. His drawing books for children feature clear step-by-step instructions employing numbers, letters, and shapes graded to the early elementary school level. For example, the book Ed Emberley's A.B.C. uses this style of instruction, presenting a single letter-based drawing for each letter of the alphabet. He has also illustrated or contributed to over 50 books, many of which were first published between the 1960s and 1980s. Renewed interest in Emberley's work has come from adults who first encountered his books as children and now are purchasing them for their own children. His most recent book,The Red Hen, was released on October 26, 2010; like his preceding work, Chicken Little (2009) it is a collaboration with Rebecca Emberley.

      Emberley's first book, The Wing on a Flea (1961), was an ALA Notable Book and made the New York Times list of best-illustrated books for that year. He was sole runner-up for the 1967 Caldecott Medal, as illustrator of One Wide River to Cross, written by his wife Barbara Emberley. Next year he won the Medal for another collaboration with Barbara, Drummer Hoff. The award by children's librarians annually recognizes "the most distinguished American picture book or children". Drummer Hoff was also named to the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award list.

• Welcome to edemberley.com
• A Current Listing of Mr. Emberley's Books In Print
• An Extensive Listing of Ed Emberley's Books
• Ed Emberley, Children's Book Illustrator Video

"Product reviewed: Ed Emberley's Drawing Book of Animals My goal is not to promote or hinder the sale of any product, but to help other parents make informed decisions. My reviews might also give a few ideas for birthday gifts to those who aren't sure what to buy for young children."

How to Draw: A Cow

Step-by-Step way to both fold paper to draw a cow's head and also how to draw
details of the cow's features.

Directions for Drawing A Cow: Fold a square sheet of paper from corner to corner in every direction before drafting the proportions of this cow's head. This simple exercise teaches young students to use basic geometry to draw a cow.

The Cow

by Robert Louis Stevenson

The friendly cow, all red and white,

I love with all my heart;

She gives me cream with all her might,

To eat with apple tart.

She wanders lowing here and there,

And yet she cannot stray,

All in the pleasant open air,

The pleasant light of day.

And blown by all the winds that pass

And wet with all the showers,

She walks among the meadow grass

And eats the meadow flowers.

How to Draw: The Head of A Horse

Many young students love to practice drawing animals even though it is near to impossible to give them opportunities to do so from real life in a classroom environment. Above is a simple step-by-step, how to exercise in drawing a horse up close that educators may either print out or project on to a white board. This exercise uses triangle shapes to determine proportions of the horses head.

Use a Light Table to Teach About Colors and Shapes

Above is the light table in our early learning center. The table is softly lighted with special bulbs that do not harm
the children's vision. This is a lovely center idea but I think that a number of games should be developed to
compliment the device. Our students often appear disinterested in it. Sometimes teachers must become
more proactive in centers in order for small children to get the most beneficial use from educational props or aids.

      In our classroom we have a center for teaching colors and shapes that is a little unusual I think. It consists of a light table (very soft light) and a basket containing wood framed, plastic shapes. These shapes glow with luminous color when placed on the light table. Students can move the shapes around to build pictures; teachers can point to the colors and shapes to identify them verbally. I think it is fitting for a church preschool center. The shapes remind me of stained glass. Our church windows also have similar shapes and colors. Perhaps I should invent some sort of treasure hunt or find the shapes/colors game for my young students that will utilize this table more and also introduce them to seeing colors and shapes in the environment that shelters them?

More Methods To Teach About Colors and Shapes:

• Why Colors and Shapes Matter
• Teaching Colors and Shapes to Young Children Through Music
• Teaching color and shape vocabulary with games
• Learning Station Idea for Colors and Shapes
• Color Wheel for Toddlers and another aid for increased manipulative difficulty
• Teaching shapes and colors Christmas theme
• Color sorting and matching for toddlers using pom-poms
• Gumball Machine Color Matching with Craft Pom Poms
• Color Sorting and Matching Activities for Toddlers
• Tot School - Red
• toddler "busy bag" swap!
• Sorting Colors and Shapes
• Shape Monsters
• Five fun ways to teach with tape

Tangram Cats

      If more than one set of tangrams is used to make a single figure, the combinations are almost endless, but one set to each figure is the rule. Sam Lloyd, the famous puzzle man, managed to get some very fair representations of animals with them. Here are some of his ideas of what cats look like:

      Perhaps with this much of a hint, you will be able to arrange these little black forms so as to resemble a horse or a dog. To make a fox, with its sharp ears, something like a cat's should not be difficult. If you happen to get some outlines that you think are very good, Send us a link and let other youngsters have a look at them.

      Here are two more of Sam Lloyd's cats, which might be entitled "Before and after drinking:

Tangram Stencil

       One of the oldest and most fascinating puzzles comes, like so many quaint things, from the Far East where, over four thousand years ago, a learned Chinese man named, Tan, made the invention which forty centuries have been unable to improve or alter. Worthy of a civilization that invented Chess, Tan's puzzle has lived on unchanged through the ages, affording amusement and thought to men of such ability as Napoleon, who during his exile on St. Helena, used to spend hour after hour with the little black geometric figures.

        Print cut and trace around the Tangram pattern below using sharp scissors and black craft paper. Now you will be ready to assemble the Tangram figures below.

Tangrams, a recreation that appears to be at least four thousand years old, has apparently never been dormant,
 and has not been altered or "improved upon" since the original was first cut out the seven pieces shown above
 in diagram 1. If you mark the point B, midway between A. and C., on one side of a square of any size,
 and D, midway between C. and E., on an adjoining side, the direction of the cuts is too obvious to need
 further explanation.

       All these seven pieces must be fitted against each other, never overlapping, in order to make the figures of men, beasts, houses, or the like.

Where does the second man get his foot from?

The cocked hat puzzle with answer on the right.

Lady holding her skirts high puzzle and answer.

The representation of a depressed cat puzzle and it's answer.

The gentleman tired of life puzzle and it's answer.

Tan presenting a puzzle to his wife, answer just right.

Chinese tea set made from Tangrams