Friday, October 7, 2011

Alissa's Book

In case you're interested in making a book for a youngster in your life, I offer my process and ideas.  It makes a great gift for your special child.  I used old magazines like Country, something with colorful pictures.  For the cover page I used a 4 x 6 cute picture of a small girl feeding ducks in a deep puddle of water, and at the top I wrote To Alissa Rose, and at the bottom of the picture I wrote From Grandma Elaine, for your 2nd birthday, August 3, 1999.

I cut out cute pictures of animals, ducks, little children playing with lambs, puppies, chicks, piggies, and a fawn.  There was a picture of a toddler laughing hard as he fed a calf milk from a bottle. Cats were engaged in interesting activities and poses, and earth-covered brothers that looked like they'd been mud-wrestling.  I had pictures of kids smelling flowers, playing with rabbits, eating watermelon, playing in the sandbox; pictures of honeybees, butterflies posed on flowers, vegetables and fruits.  I included family pictures, woodchucks, a raccoon, a horse, a picture from a TV show she liked called Zaboomafu; a tiny kid playing with a water hose and getting all wet, and a tiny mouse peeking out from a hole in the ground.  I used tiny stickers like smiley faces, farm animals, fruits and vegetables.  I found a drawing of a man using a hand saw to cut a board.  I included a picture of a small town nestled in a valley with big puffy clouds overhead and a forest with autumn leaves and a mountain in the background.  There was a picture of a toddler laughing hard as he fed a calf milk from a bottle.

On the right hand side of each page (I put pages together, front and back, when I had them copied) I centered two short verses of poetry, then put the pictures I wanted around that.  The poetry is as follows:

Who made the flowers
That smell so sweet?
And the cute little birds
That go, "Tweet, Tweet"?

Was it the turtle
Who hides in his shell?
No -- it was Jesus!
He made lambs as well.

Who made the piggies
And the fluffy baby ducks?
Who made soft puppies
And the hen that clucks?

Was it the fish
That swims in the sea?
No -- it was Jesus!
And He sees me!

Who made the trees
And the buzzy, buzzy trees?
Who made the carrots
That grow from tiny seeds?

Was it the spotted cow
That gives me milk to drink?
No -- it was Jesus!
He gave me brains to think.

Who made the clouds
That float in the sky?
Who made the butterfly
Flitting by?

Was it my grandpa
With his hammer and saw?
No -- it was Jesus!
He made them all!

Who made red apples,
The banana, orange and pear?
Sweet grapes and the purple plum,
Warm sunshine and fresh air?

Was it Uncle Darren,
Or perhaps my uncle Doug?
No -- it was Jesus!
Give me a great big hug!

Who made my daddy,
My mommy and me?
My grandpa and my grandma --
One happy family?

Was it the monkeys
That swing on the vine?
No -- it was Jesus!
My Friend all the time!

For the next posting I want to include a poem I wrote about my own children and the feelings I had about them growing up.

Copyright © 2011 Elaine Beachy

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