Artist utilizes Playmobil toys to make topics interesting for young readers

**A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free**

Photographer Richard Unglik has developed an artistic niche by recreating the works of famous painters, memorable movie moments, and other well-known visual scenes entirely with characters, accessories and decors from the Playmobil toy line.  Now Unglik is using his passion for Playmobil to inspire young readers through two new children's books: Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles and Journey Around the World.

Sherlock Holmes detective stories are brilliant mysteries but the writing of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle can be weighty material for children to comprehend and devote their attention to.  Unglik portrays Sherlock Holmes in a manner more suitable for children aged 6 through 12 years old to appreciate as he recreates the world of Sherlock Holmes using Playmobil action figures and scenery.

Follow along with Playmobil Sherlock as he solves the classic story of The Hound of the Baskervilles.  Readers delve into a haunted tale of suspense and mystery told from the perspective of the familiar, heartwarming Playmobil characters that have been delighting children since the toys originated in the 1970s.  While published as a children's book, this 96 page reenactment of Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles is an enjoyable and interesting read for kids as well as kids-at-heart.  Readers of all ages will enjoy flipping through the pages and viewing the Playmobil depictions.

Journey Around the World encourages children to learn more about the world beyond their doorstep.  Unglik also uses Playmobil figurines and scenery to engage children's interest in learning about history and geography by depicting different parts of the world and its exotic peoples and places.

More than 25 countries from around the globe are portrayed through double paged sections in this book which also includes a large, pull-out map of the world.  Each double page spread showcases a country, city, or civilization along with its traditions and customs.  Journey Around the World is a heartwarming atlas that will inspire children to explore and discover.  As with Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles, this book is full of wonderful pictures featuring Playmobil toys that even adults will want to flip through to enjoy.

These books are available at a variety of retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million.  For more information about these books and their author, visit quartous.com.

Richard Unglik's Playmobil books get A Geek Daddy nod of approval for taking topics that kids might not otherwise be very interested in and making them interesting through fun toy inspired visuals which draw young audiences into reading.

Little Passports: Month Deux

Last month I posted about receiving our introductory package from the Little Passports program (Little Passports opens up the world of travel to little ones).  Little Passports is a subscription service that sends your child(ren) a package in the mail each month with fun and informational items focusing on either highlighting a foreign country or spotlighting two of the states in the USA.  We choose the USA package for our 4 year old twins.  Here's the reveal of what came in the mail this month:

This month's Little Passports package featured the states of Arizona & Rhode Island.  It contained a booklet with historical facts, informational tips, and workbook activities like connect the dots, puzzles, and word games about these two states.  Also included were stickers reflecting important things from Arizona & Rhode Island and a post card from each state.

The items that my kids were most excited about and had the most fun with were cardboard a cardboard lighthouse and cactus that we could build together.  There were two sides of the coin when it came to building these projects though.  It was nice that these weren't tab insert constructions - you have to follow instructions and GLUE these creations together - so they are pretty sturdy once you've completed putting them together.  That being said, the other side of the coin when it comes to these projects is that it does take some time, effort, and GLUE to put them together versus being able to quickly and easily snap together tabs.

Unfortunately, this pack was a little too "mature" for my 4 year old preschoolers, but it was a well packaged kit that I believe any elementary school aged child who is studying geography would be excited and thrilled to get as a special little extra something in the mail.  My opinion overall of Little Passports from the first two packages we've received in the mail is that they really do a nice job of making education fun through their monthly mailings that help promote to kids an interest in geography, history, culture, and travel.  The product is probably best suited for children 7 - 10 years old.

For more information about Little Passports, visit their Web site:  www.littlepassports.com

Disclaimer: I was provided with a complimentary 3 month subscription of Little Passports United States Edition from Little Passports.  The views and opinions in this article are my own.  

Little Passports opens up the world of travel to little ones

We received our first package in the mail from LITTLE PASSPORTS (www.littlepassports.com) and everyone was excited to rip open the package and see what we got! Little Passports is a subscription service that sends your kids a package in the mail each month to help promote an interest in geography, history, culture, and travel.  The premise behind the concept is that two children, Sophia & Sam, are traveling the world.  They want to include your kids in their travels so each month they send you a package filled with fun and informative stuff from the various locations Sam & Sophia have visited recently.  They also tie-in access with your subscription to online games that are associated with each month's package theme.

There are two subscription choices you can select from: World Edition or United States Edition.  If you select the global option each month you receive a package with a focus on 1 country. If you decide to tour the United States each month you get a package with a focus on 2 states.  We chose the United States Edition. Be aware that there are age guidelines for each of these categories. Little Passports World Edition is recommended for ages 5 to 10 while the United States Edition is suggested for ages 7 to 12 years old.  We didn't realize this when signing up and from our first impression it does seem that our 4 year old twins are a little too young for the materials that are being sent.

The first month you receive a welcome package to introduce you to Sophia & Sam and that will prep you for your Little Passports adventures.  I've posted a video that has us opening our first Little Passports package with our kids and than goes through its contents.  Out kids were excited to get something in the mail and had some fun with the contents.  I found the materials that are sent were nice to use as parenting tools to spend some quality time with my kids that is both entertaining and educational.  In future months the packages we get in the mail will focus on specific states.  Next month I will post a video and blog post on our first state specific package that comes in the mail - both the kids and myself are really curious what our first 2 states will be and will be keeping an extra special eye out for the mail carrier in March.

If you are interested in some creative tools to interact with your children that will help you encourage learning in a positive light check out Little Passports.  You can join the program for a monthly fee of $11.95 that you can cancel anytime. CLICK HERE for more information.

Here are the actual descriptions of the programs from Little Passports website:

Every month, follow our characters Sam and Sofia as they embark on a new country adventure. Your first month’s Explorer Kit arrives in a suitcase and contains everything your child needs to get started: a letter from Sam and Sofia, a map, a passport, stickers, access to online games and more. Country specific packages filled with fun souvenirs, letters, stickers, photos, activity sheets and more arrive every month thereafter.

With your USA Edition subscription, Sam and Sofia travel to and experience the wonders of all 50 states. Kick-off your USA adventure with the first month’s Discovery Kit which includes a letter from Sam and Sofia, a USA Field Guide, a USA scratch book, a map, and a camera. Sam and Sofia then travel to two new states every month and send an activity-packed travel journal with stickers, postcards, pop-out models and access to online activities.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a complimentary 3 month subscription of Little Passports United States Edition from Little Passports.  The views and opinions in this article are my own.