'How we Make Stuff' at the Royal Geographical Society

I thoroughly enjoyed giving the annual children's lecture at the Royal Geographical Society on Saturday on How we make Stuff. So many great questions about rubber ducks, elephant poo paper and the link between gorillas and mobiles phones! And the children made brilliant Christmas decorations out of recycled stuff.

Many thanks OZY for the great review!

A great review from the online magazine Ozy about my work and latest book 'How Animals Live'. Thank you Ozy!

http://www.ozy.com/good-sht/christiane-dorions-eco-conscious-kid-lit/32579.article

Lottie's favourite animal!

A gorgeous drawing from Lottie, age 10, who enjoyed reading 'How Animals Live'. I love the bright colours and the panda is also one of my favourite animals!

Thank you Lottie!







 

Northern Lights

Paddy (age 10) read 'How Animals Live' and sent be this beautiful drawing of the Northern Lights in the North Pole. Thank you so much Paddy! I love it!

If you enjoyed my books and would like to send me your drawings, I will post them on my blog for everyone to share.

Thank you
Christiane

Home-made plastic!

Lewis and Finley made their own plastic with the recipe from How we Make Stuff. They said that it turned out a bit more crumbly than it should have done, but it was fun! Thank you so much for the picture!

Here is the recipe if you want to have a go:

What you need:

• 1 cup of milk
• 4 tablespoons of white vinegar
• A bowl, a sieve and a spoon
• A microwave or hob

With the help of an adult, heat the milk in the microwave for two minutes or in a pan until it is hot, but not boiling. Add the vinegar and stir. Pour the mixture through the sieve - careful, it will be hot! Spoon the lumps out of the sieve, then let them cool. When the mixture is cool enough, you can mould it into different shapes before it hardens.

Let me know how you get on!
Christiane

Very best wishes for a happy New Year!

I am thrilled to introduce my new book 'How Animals Live'. Why is the rainforest so popular? How do polar bears keep warm? Which creature is so tough it has survived in outer space? The book takes children on a world tour to find out how animals have cleverly adapted to life, from the scorching deserts to the coldest places on earth. I hope the children will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

 

'How we Make Stuff' wins an award!

'How we Make Stuff' has won the English 4-11 Picture Book award for the non-fiction 7 to 11 category! We were so thrilled to be invited to the rather beautiful (and architecturally impressive) British Academy to receive the award from the English Association.

It was wonderful to get such a nice review of the book:
'A book from the same author / illustrator combination that brought award success and recognition for 'How the World Works', 'How We Make Stuff' has the same appeal, combining engaging presentation with flaps and pulls; it is the sort of book that surprises and has the reader desperate to share some interesting nugget - Guess why we say, 'As mad as a hatter!'.  Thought provokingly written, it transmits powerful messages about the environment without preaching.  One can well imagine a huddle of heads in a book corner, poring over this book, fascinated and transfixed!'

'How we Make Stuff' is currently out of print but it will be back on the shelves at the end of October!