Grapat Perpetual Calendar
GRAPAT 17-167C
Regular price $82.00 Sale price $73.80 Save 10%The set contains 12 Nins (peg dolls) in 12 colours according to the Waldorf pedagogy, both to determine the month and its season of the year. 1 bowl of natural beech wood, two natural beech wood cubes with the numbers of the days printed, and a platform distributed in 4 sections that determine the seasons, stamped with the months of the year. (Can be chosen in 10 languages. Català, Spanish, English, Welsh, Italian, French, Dutch, German, Galician, Basque). Please note that the calendar here is for sale in English, and we also stock it in French. For other languages from those listed, please make a special request with us by email.
22.5 cm diameter of ring when assembled.
Recommended age: +12 months
Annual manipulative and active calendar that allows the child to touch the year and understand the passage of time through the experience.
Made in Spain by Grapat.
Grapat Perpetual Calendar in Spanish (by special order)
GRAPAT 17-167 spanish
Regular price $82.00 Sale price $73.80 Save 10%It contains 12 Nins® in 12 colours according to the Waldorf pedagogy, both to determine the month and its season of the year. 1 bowl of natural beech wood, two natural beech wood cubes with the numbers of the days printed, and a platform distributed in 4 sections that determine the seasons, stamped with the months of the year. (also available in English, French, and German)
Annual manipulative and active calendar that allows the child to touch the year and understand the passage of time through the experience.
Recommended age 3+
GRAPAT provides material without instructions, open-ended and autonomous play. Their only premise is to let children play, slowly, without time limits. Grapat hand crafts materials that encourage, invite and stimulate the creation of invented little worlds. Grapat is made following traditional processes, in the old way, with thick soft raw materials, natural dyes which let the wood veins be seen and vibrant coloured waxes and oils that slightly shine. The products are painted by hand, homemade, surrounded by nature and many children nearby that inspire the makers daily.
The wood we use comes from sustainable forests. Grapat uses beech and birch. Wood is the source that inspires us daily. It is robust, soft and hard, it is warm, it sounds good and it smells good.
The dyes are based on water and non-toxic that comply with the European safety regulations of the Toy EN / 71-3: 2014 + A1: 2014 / 2013. Working with dyes and not with acrylic paints allows Grapat to continue having contact with the wood. The dye does not jump from the wood when it falls to the ground or when time passes because it penetrates deep inside the piece. Sometimes it can happen that by an excess of pigments some piece loses some colour when coming in contact with the saliva, no problem, they are absolutely safe and non-toxic.
Grapat workshop is located in the countryside, and being close to nature can make some tones and colours have variations. Depending on the humidity or if there is wind the dye can impregnate one way or another in the wood. The finishes are made with waxes and oils of vegetable origin. The oils can have a strong aroma at first, but it loses it with the days. We love it!
Each piece that passes through Grapat’s hands is unique. Each one is painted by hand. And since from Grapat we defend the value of nature, we accept imperfection. It is beautiful and makes the material even more valuable. The cloth bags that are included in some of the products come from big companies that discard material when they have a small defect. As Grapat produces the bags by hand they can take advantage of them by removing those defects and giving them a second life. The fabrics vary and do not match with the photos of the products.
Care Instructions: If you clean Grapat wood products only use a damp cloth. Do not submerge in water and do not use disinfectant or hot water.
Made in Spain.
Julián is a Mermaid
ISBN 9780763690458
Regular price $22.99Written & Illustrated by Jessica Love
Winner of a 2019 Stonewall Book Award
In an exuberant picture book, a glimpse of costumed mermaids leaves one boy flooded with wonder and ready to dazzle the world.
While riding the subway home from the pool with his abuela one day, Julián notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train car. When Julián gets home, daydreaming of the magic he’s seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies in his own fabulous mermaid costume: a butter-yellow curtain for his tail, the fronds of a potted fern for his headdress. But what will Abuela think about the mess he makes — and even more importantly, what will she think about how Julián sees himself? Mesmerizing and full of heart, Jessica Love’s author-illustrator debut is a jubilant picture of self-love and a radiant celebration of individuality.
Recommended for young readers 4-8 years old.
Hardcover, 40 pages.
Candlewick Press.
Praise
This is Jessica Love’s debut picture book, and every choice she makes — the spare text, a color palette both muted and lively, full-bleed pages that make even subway cars and apartment rooms feel as expansive as the ocean — imbues the story with charm, tenderness and humor…Alongside Julián, readers learn that anyone can be a mermaid: All it takes is love and acceptance, a little imagination and a big swishy tail.
—The New York Times Book Review
Love couples the spare narrative with vivid, imaginative, and breathtaking illustrations. A heartwarming must-have for one-on-one and small group sharing.
—School Library Journal (starred review)
Refreshingly, Spanish words aren't italicized. Though it could easily feel preachy, this charmingly subversive tale instead offers a simple yet powerful story of the importance of being seen and affirmed.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
[Julian] is, in a word, fabulous. Love lets an anxious beat pass before Abuela takes Julián by the hand, leading him to what some readers may recognize as the Coney Island Mermaid Parade. “Like you, mijo,” says Abuela. “Let’s join them.” Love’s deep empathy for her characters and her keen-eyed observations of urban life come together in a story of love, understanding, and embracing the mermaid within us all.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
The luminous, lovely, and layered art is what really makes the book...The concluding parade is a confectionary wonder of marine fantasy that many kids will yearn to join, and it might prompt adults to set up their own in- library mermaid celebrations. More importantly, though, those who’ve been shy about their love for dazzle and showmanship will love the idea of a formidable grandparental ally, and they will find this encouraging and empowering.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)
Julián’s emotional journey takes on depth through small but important details: a wary look in the mirror, a slight inward slump of the shoulders, a chin held high while marching down the street. Love uses vibrant watercolors with gouache and ink and a lively style to create scenes that splash and swirl to life on the page.
—The Horn Book (starred review)
Across her watercolor, gouache and ink spreads, Love captures the transformative power of being seen...Love's affecting combination of the literary and the visual results in a powerful affirmation of individuality, creative expression and unconditional acceptance.
—Shelf Awareness for Readers (starred review)
Love’s painted scenes glow against muted backgrounds, with saturated, opaque tones tracing the graceful shapes of the figures. They’re especially striking when Julián gets swept away in a vivid underwater fantasy: a school of sea creatures whirls around him as he transforms into a mermaid. That scene is nicely replicated when he arrives at the parade, which is populated by scores of people in a wide variety of inventive costumes. The affectionate depiction of a broad range of body types and skin tones makes this particularly cheery.
—Booklist
This beautiful book is one of the very few picture books about a gender non-conforming child. Yet it feels like a celebration of all children who want to do things differently than the parental figures in their lives—and a love letter to the grownups who deeply understand them.
—Gothamist
There is nothing about this book that is forgettable. In fact, you may have a hard time not thinking long and hard about it after you put it down. A book for mermaids and boys and girls and parents and teachers and booksellers and librarians and . . . Let’s just simplify things and say it’s a book for the human race.
—Betsy Bird
Jessica Love’s vivid watercolor and gouache illustrations are made even brighter by her decision to paint on brown paper; the richly colored palette pops off the pages, and abundant character is conveyed via the subtlest of facial expressions and body language. Also subtle—and terrifically poignant—is the eloquent encouragement of Abuela’s spare words. A book for the ages, Julián Is a Mermaid is going to make a big splash.
—BookPage
The illustrations couldn’t be more beautiful, and I love how Julián’s grandmother accepts him for exactly who he is...I’m so grateful for books like these that help foster acceptance and understanding from a young age.
—A Cup of Jo (blog)
Julián Is a Mermaid makes a fine addition to the best LBGT children’s books.
—Brain Pickings (blog)
Groundbreaking...here’s a happy picture book that challenges traditional gender stereotypes, rendering one boy free to be himself.
—San Francisco Chronicle
Right now, I just finished reading ‘Julián Is a Mermaid,’ by Jessica Love, which is an awesome picture book, one of my favorites, and I won’t spoil the end for you, but it has something to do with the mermaid parade.
—Charles George Esperanza, The New York Times
It’s a story of a little boy who is taken with some elegant costumes, and decides to fashion one of his own. It’s that simple, but it makes a big impression; I can’t recommend it highly enough.
—The New York Times Book Review e-newsletter