Britney’s birthday book

Last week we were asked to make a book for Britney Spears containing the birthday wishes from her fans that were tweeted to her. The book turned out beautifully, and of course who wouldn’t want a book full of people saying nice things about you?

What’s really interesting about this, however, is that it’s a traditional book made with content from social media. We’ve all heard the moaning about how new technologies such as the Kindle and Google Books signal the death of the good old cloth-bound version. No one is going to want to spend money on an actual book when they can download it, right?

That may be true for your average trashy novel or how-to guide, but for the books that have emotional resonance nothing will ever be quite as good as words printed on paper. On my bookshelf I’ve got the story of my life in books – my original copy of Macbeth with my chicken scratch 9th grade notes in the margin, my Constitutional Law textbook from my first year in law school, and hundreds of novels and classics that have meant something to me over the years. None of these books could ever be replaced by an electronic version, and I’ll cart them with me from house to house wherever our family may move.

Tweets from your fans are nice, but putting them into a book gives them a power and permanence that a web page can’t provide. Most of us aren’t lucky enough to be able to fill an entire book with birthday wishes from people we don’t know; if you happen to be one of the few who is, then put those great words in a book and keep it on your coffee table.

You can see more of Britney’s book on her website:

POP ART Classes for Spring Break

This week kids studied Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Claes Oldenburg and Keith Haring with teacher Adam Davis and created their own pop art pieces, which were captured in a book.

You can do your own Warhol portrait at home – print the same black and white photo in 4 squares, at high contrast, and have your child color each one differently.

We love the idea of using known artists as a jumping-off point to develop creativity and skill.

And the kids had a great time!

Scribble Press now selling books by kid authors

We have a small but growing collection of wonderful books by kid authors created right here at Scribble Press. You can visit the store to flip through these books and buy your own copy, or you can order a copy from our website.

From “Jack the Dino” by 5-year-old CJ, to “Sophie Goes to London”, a beautifully illustrated travel tale, we have some great offerings and can’t wait to see the books your kids can create.

Thanks to all the grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, friends, teachers and fans who have already ordered these great books!

FEB-MARCH EVENTS AT SCRIBBLE PRESS

FEB 13-14 BRING A DATE FOR VALENTINES DAY – we’ll have the snacks and the festive decor!

FEB 21 – FAMOUS ARTISTS WORKSHOP – learn about Matisse and Picasso with our renowned teacher Adam Davis. Discuss their styles and try your hand at creating something similar. Ages 7 and up. Cost is $60 and includes a book of your finished artwork.

SCRIBBLE KIDS BOOK CLUB is reading THE WESTING GAME for March 1! Cost is $20 and includes a copy of the book. For kids 8-12, 2-3:30pm. Come in to sign up and get your copy of the book.

MARCH 6 – ME AND MY DAD – 20% off any project when you come in with your dad. 3pm-6pm.

MARCH 13 GRANDPARENTS PLAYDATE – 4-6pm. Create a narrative art project with teacher Julie, working together to have fun and be creative. $40 for each grandparent-child pair, includes all materials

MARCH 15 – SONGWRITING WORKSHOP WITH CATHY HELLER 1-4pm Join songwriter Cathy Heller to create and record your own song, and make a book with the music and lyrics! $95 per child – filling up so reserve your spot now!