In our story, "Foggy's Big Fright", Jean-Cloud's dog Foggy is very frightened at Halloween. Many pets really do find this time of year stressful. So while we're getting ready to get out and trick-or-treat and have a great time, let's remember to make things easy on our dogs and cats.
Here are some shareable safety tips: spread the word and have a fantastic Halloween!
When Jean-Cloud said he was going to be a tennis racket for halloween, we thought he meant a tennis player, but sure enough, he dressed as a racket. If that's your bag, you'll need a large sheet of cardboard, and X-acto knife, some string, cloth duck tape for the handle and some fluorescent tempera paint. You might also want a co-operative dog willing to dress as a tennis ball to accompany you, but they're trickier to come by.
If you'd rather be a tennis player you just need some white clothing, a pair of sneakers and some terry bands. If you cannot find the right stripes for your whites, draw them yourself with a sharpie (on the socks, too). It's much easier than you would think. If it's chilly where you live, a white V-neck sweater is always appropriate on the courts. Pictured here: a little inspiration from Wes Anderson.
Pro tips: mind your footwork on dark streets, use a powerful forehand to extend your treat bag, and please, try not to make too much of a racket out there.
We've transformed our interactive Halloween story, Foggy's Big Fright into a YouTube episode perfect for watching. Find it on our new channel. We'll be adding new videos each month, so don't forget to subscribe!
And here is a sample of the bonus games which come with Foggy's Big Fright. The story and games are available in French, too.
These pretty paper cicadas showed up at our Oak Street studio again. They were originally made for our book Foggy, but we couldn't fit them into the book. Someday we'll find a way to sneak them in :) The paper is great to work with, it's Mujizome origami paper.
Speaking of cicadas, this beautiful field is at the edge of Helliwell park, on Hornby Island and it's full of real live cicadas. Our sound designer, Brady, did some field recordings for our summer episodes here this week. The scent of this field is amazing, by the way. It is: sweet grass, cedar, pine and sage with sea breezes blowing through. I wish we could bottle it to take home. Perhaps someday the clever programmers will find a way to program it into our interactive storybooks :)
Post by Jean-Cloud and Foggy, Campsite
We use the International Marine Alphabet (also known as flag semaphore) to send secret messages. Would you like to learn it, too? Send your secret messages by holding flags or handkerchiefs in different positions. You can print out this little pocket guide to help.
Post by Judith & Robin, near the sea
We published these recipes for muesli to celebrate the release of our fourth book, Foggy. Jean-Cloud and Foggy camp by the ocean. In the morning, their favourite breakfast is muesli.
Muesli is a good recipe for children to make — it's simple, healthy and flexible and doesn't require heat. Foggy's Muesli is ready right away, while Jean-Cloud's is prepared the night before and rests overnight in the fridge to become soft and creamy.
We are very grateful to Chef Heidi Fink, super healthy chef and mom, for these recipes. A printable version is available at this link (PDF). Or read below for the recipes.
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