Archives: Walter Foster Jr. Books

Introduce your children to Pilates with My First Book of Pilates and encourage them to get to know their bodies through flexibility, coordination, and play.
 
You are never too young for Pilates! Featuring colorful step-by-step guidance,My First Book of Pilates gives kids an introduction to the popular exercise program adults have enjoyed for so many years. A series of simple and fun introductory exercises, guided by familiar movements and illustrations, encourages children to get to know their bodies through flexibility, coordination, and play. This charming book encourages both children and their parents to get up and move, promoting physical activity, learning, and togetherness. A dozen poses have been specially selected for their efficacy and approachability, and each page compares one of the 12 poses to an example kids can understand, such as stretching like a swan, curling up like a hedgehog, or kicking like a frog.
 
Imagine that:

  • You are a boat floating on water
  • Your leg is a pencil
  • You are a hedgehog
  • Your hands can saw through wood
  • You are a swan swimming on a lake
  • You are a turtle hiding in its shell
  • You are a frog swimming on its back
  • Your legs are a pair of scissors
  • You are on a bicycle
  • You are on a bridge with water flowing beneath you
  • You are a mermaid sitting in the sandm
  • You are a seal clapping its flippers together

By learning about Pilates, kids can gain physical benefits such as better posture and improved strength and flexibility. But they can also gain a better awareness of their body, as well as develop a more relaxed state of mind by learning about this mindful practice. My First Book of Pilates is the perfect introduction to a balanced body for young children!
 
With endearing illustrations and mindful concepts, the ABC for Me series pairs each letter of the alphabet with words that promote big dreams and healthy living.

Introduce your child to Thornton W. Burgess' long-beloved Bedtime Stories, featuring such timeless characters as Peter Cottontail, Jimmy Skunk, and Paddy the Beaver. In The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver, Paddy Beaver arrives from the woods in the North and settles into the Laughing Brook. Strange things start happening, and everyone in the Green Forest is very curious. Who is stealing Sammy Jay's trees? Why is Jerry Muskrat's house suddenly out of the water? How early do you have to get up to outsmart Old Man Coyote?  

A dedicated naturalist, Burgess imbues his stories with the good humor, imagination, and fun animal antics that all children will enjoy reading during story time. These essential childhood classic stories also feature the original black-and-white illustrations by Harrison Cady, lending this edition a vintage feel. This volume will become a treasured classic on your bedtime story shelf.

Jumbo Stickers for Little Hands takes off to the outer reaches of the galaxy and beyond in the next fun installment of this successful series. With 75 jumbo reusable vinyl stickers to choose from, young children will spend hours sticking planets, aliens, astronauts, spaceships, asteroids, and more on the 22 pages of space-y scenery. These stickers are easy to pick up and provide endless fun for children with little hands and big imaginations.

Now kids can immerse themselves in the world of make-believe with stickers that are fun and easy to use. From gentle giants and fire-breathing dragons to brave knights and pretty princesses, these 75 jumbo stickers can be placed on any of the 22 magical scenes without muss or fuss.

REVISED AND UPDATED! Follow along with the story as you learn to draw favorite animals from the zoo, including a giant panda bear, a friendly monkey, a playful zebra, and a sleepy hippo. Each page features easy-to-follow instructions so you can draw all of the characters one step at a time. Use the flip-out drawing pad with prompts for a jump-start, and get rewarded with stickers to complete the story along the way! 

REVISED AND UPDATED! It’s easy and fun to learn to draw–especially when you get to read a story too!

Learn how to draw all the things girls love, including a magical unicorn, a busy bee, a wise turtle, and a beautiful butterfly. Just follow the simple steps on each page to draw all of the characters in the story, one step at a time. There’s a flip-out drawing pad with prompts too, and plenty of stickers to make the story even more colorful!

With the simple instructions and large, full-color photos in STEAM Play & Learn, preschoolers will love tackling the 20 fun, easy-to-follow step-by-step projects as they learn about science, technology, engineering, arts, and math.
 
The acronym STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. At the preschool level, this doesn’t mean trying to teach your kids robotics and engineering, but rather presenting them with open-ended projects that allow them to problem-solve, make mistakes, get creative, and most of all, have fun.
 
While most preschool-age children are not yet reading, STEAM Play & Learn is meant to be child-driven. The images, illustrations, and projects are meant to appeal to kids of their age and abilities. Let them be the guide as you explore the projects in this book. Topics include symmetry and how light bounces to create reflections with mirror mandalas, diffusion and capillary action with tie dye towels, structural framing and bracing with marshmallow structures, and electrical currents with salty circuits. Other projects include:

  • Color Mixing Lab
  • Frozen Goop
  • Sound Tubes
  • Citrus Volcanoes
  • Paper Bag Blocks
  • Egg Carton Geoboards
  • Pool Noodle Marble Run
  • Potions Lab
  • Balance Scale
  • Spin Art Tops
  • Marble Mazes
  • Tinkering Set
  • Pattern Projectors
  • Newton’s Cradle
  • Art Machine
  • Lime Light

The projects in this book fall into three difficulty levels: Easy projects require parents and teachers to do nothing more than set out the materials and offer a challenge to children. A few of the easy projects will need parents to assemble components in advance of presenting them to kids. Medium projects will require some adult assistance while the project is underway. Children should be able to complete some of the tasks while stopping periodically for an adult to assist in a step. Difficult projects are meant to be adult-led. This is an opportunity for parents to encourage their child to offer problem-solving ideas along the way, giving children a chance to help and make suggestions.

The cross-subject approach to learning in STEAM Play & Learn will prepare young children for the subjects they will soon learn in elementary school and beyond. These 20 projects will provide hours of fun education for both kids and parents!

Pairing simplified mindfulness principles with each letter of the alphabet, ABC Mindful Me features colorful illustrations of children and animals, as well as playful rhymes to explain each concept to toddlers (and their parents!).

From Awareness to Zen, and everything in between, take a deep breath, find some quiet space, and discover the magic of mindfulness! A fun read for the entire family, ABC Mindful Me is not only perfect for teaching toddlers their ABCs, but also for introducing them to key mindfulness tenets which promote physical and mental wellness through breathing, compassion, gratitude, and kindness.

These key concepts will help to grow young readers' concentration, listening skills, and ability to manage emotions, stress, and anxiety. And after the letters, learn more about mindfulness and how it can help you, as well as some additional activities to try, including:

  • Emotion rocks to help you express your feelings
  • Mandala art and nature art to help you focus and relax
  • Thankfulness tree to help you remember all you have to be thankful for!

 
The playful rhymes and charming illustrations in ABC Mindful Me encourage children and their parents to pay attention to the present moment, which will help to calm the mind and body in order to discover the peace and happiness within.

The ABC for Me series presents a world of possibilities from A to Z and everything in between! For all little kids with big dreams, the endearing illustrations and mindful concepts in this series pair each letter of the alphabet with words that promote big dreams, inclusion, acceptance, healthy living, and other key concepts important to emotional well-being. Other books in this series include:

  • ABC Yoga (2016)
  • ABC Baby Signs (2017)
  • ABC Earth-Friendly Me (2020)
  • ABC The World & Me (2022)

“an inspirational coach…Kids will close this book energized and empowered…” —Kirkus Reviews
“…a crafty addition to collections about advocacy for the tween set.”—School Library Journal
“…overflows with ideas for budding activists and, more important, makes them think…” —Booklist

Be the change you wish to see in the world! From the popular founders of Hello!Lucky stationary, Be the Change inspires and guides you to promote positive change within your community—with information and practical advice on how to take action, 16+ DIY projects and templates, and tear-out postcards and stationery designs.

First learn how to get inspired and how to inspire others, as well as the importance of embracing diverse perspectives and how to handle conflict diplomatically. Then discover how to channel your inspiration into creative outlets, such as organizing community events or meetings, using social media to affect change, and contacting your government representatives. Also get some great tips for generating creative ideas, running for office at school or getting involved with local government, and what to bring to protests. Quotes from famous leaders and thinkers provide inspiration throughout.

Once you learn about what it takes to effectively “be the change,” promote your ideas and events with style by creating the simple step-by-step projects, including:

  • "You for President" campaign poster
  • "Word on the Street" bumper stickers
  • "Teamwork Makes the Dream Work" team t-shirt
  • "Wild Feminist" stenciled tote bag
  • "Easy as Pie!" donation jar
  • "Sweet Charity" lemonade stand

With a little creativity and a positive outlook, you too can inspire change in the world!

Your purchase helps support the WE Schools program to empower young people with the tools to change their communities—and the world.

Love! Betrayal! Ambition! Tragedy! Jealousy! William Shakespeare's universal themes continue to resonate with readers of all ages more than 400 years after his death. 

This wonderful, fully illustrated book introduces children to the Bard and more than thirty of his most famous and accessible verses, sonnets, and speeches. From “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” to “O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!” and “All the world’s a stage,” the words and poetry of the greatest playwright and poet spring to life on the page.  

The next generation of readers, poets, and actors will be entranced by these works of Shakespeare. Each poem is illustrated and includes an explanation by an expert and definitions of important words to give kids and parents the fullest explanation of their content and impact. 

"An enticing entree to the glories of Shakespeare's verse." —Kirkus Reviews

"A richly illustrated selection of 31 poems and excerpts from Shakespeare's most popular works. The selected writings provide a fantastic scope of Shakespeare's oeuvre. … López's illustrations are intricate, dramatic, and moody; they help bring life and meaning to the words." —School Library Journal