Singapore Things, By Thomas

Thomas is 4 years old and lives in an island country called Singapore. He usually goes to school by car, but lately he has been doing a bit of walking.

Here are the Singapore things he's been spotting while he's been out in the world ...

Thomas is 4. And he's a boy. So what did he find first? A stick, of course!

A tiny pink clover, like in Horton Hears a Who. Can you see the speck?

A little gooey seed thingy

Boots? What are they doing here?

A dinosaur footprint!

Gnome with mushroom (perhaps he's reading Ten Tiny Things?)

Bananas!

  

Tiny Chinese men looking for their own tiny things

We found Batman!

A fairy garden on the kerb. The sign says "Stop and smell the flowers." We did.

Nice work, Thomas. We can't believe you found Batman! And a dinosaur footprint! I wonder what kind of dinosaur made a mark like that? Maybe it was so big and toothy that it scared someone right out of their boots ...? Maybe he didn't realise that Batman would protect him?

Or maybe we're just making up stories (we do like to do that a bit). But we do love your tiny things. Thanks for sending them all the way from Singapore!

Tiny City Things

Somewhere in the heart of the city, two intrepid librarians went for a walk. In the nooks and crannies of the Perth Cultural Centre, they found ten tiny things.

Thanks to Sam and Erika from the Better Beginnings team for sending these in.

 X marks the spot! Is there buried treasure here?

Did the queen from Snow White leave this apple here?

Tiny meteorites must have hit this wall!

We think these must be little red eggs. We hope miniature flying cows hatch out of them.

How many fish can you count?

The Little Red Hen got lost

A tiny street of houses for tiny little people.

Who left their pretty little kitty behind?

What do you think this unlocks? Someone very clever must have painted this.

What kind of creatures would live under a mushroom this small? Perhaps slater bugs and very hungry caterpillars?

Aren't they excellent tiny things? When I asked Super Librarian Sam what had led them out on a walk during their busy work day, she replied:

a) we love the book!
b) we were inspired by the art workshops.
c) we were very excited about the book launch and wanted to celebrate early.
d) librarians love little details.

Aren't they excellent reasons? I think my favourite might be d). I love the idea of librarians out wandering through the world with their eagle eyes peeled for hidden treasures. I wonder what gets you out walking ...?

Rotto Things ...

Recently, a bunch of children's writers and illustrators went to Rottnest Island for a retreat. Rottnest is a brilliant place for a retreat, partly because even though it's close to Perth, once you're there, it feels like you're a long way away, actually retreating. But also because things move slowly there. You can't take your car to Rottnest; no private vehicles are allowed. That means you mostly get around by either walking or riding your bike.


And that means you notice all kinds of things. Here are some of the things our slow-moving bunch snapped during their time on the island:

Rotto beachcombing (spot the piece of polystyrene that wishes it were a shell)

Frangipani under the eaves

Maybe this gate would make a good raft?

  

A sudden splash of red

Watch out, crows!

Surfers live here!

Spinning in silence

  

All aboard!

A tree? A twisted face? Both?

The most Rotto-ish "tiny thing" of all

We bet you've been out and about over the school holidays. Have you seen some tiny things? Or even some slightly larger "Things We Wouldn't Have Seen If We Had Been Driving"? If you haven't, why not slow down and see if you can spot some this week?

Launching Ten Tiny Things

Come along and help us celebrate the launch of Ten Tiny Things, the new picture book by Meg McKinlay and Kyle Hughes-Odgers.
To be launched by Frané Lessac. 
When: 6pm Thursday 26 July 2012 
Where: The Place, The State Library of WA 
RSVP by 23 July: admin@fremantlepress.com.au or 08 9430 6331

Ten Tiny Things from hidden studio on Vimeo.