When it comes to first friends, how many of us can count a specific stuffed animal? There is something special about the relationship that kids develop with their toys. The idea has launched countless franchises (hello Winnie the Pooh!) because it is something that we are all familiar with. Today, we had the opportunity to check out a beautiful new children’s book about bravery, friendship, and teamwork that celebrates the relationship between child and toy, and shows how that friendship can lead to important lessons.

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Brave Enough for Two was written and illustrated by Jonathon D. Voss. This heartwarming tale follows a young girl named Olive and her lovable stuffed owl named Hoot. One day, Hoot takes Olive out on a grand adventure, and though she is scared, he assures her that he will be brave enough for both of them. As they continue on their journey, they learn important lessons about courage, teamwork and friendship.

The story is accompanied by breathtaking illustrations. The beginning pages include simple sketches in the sidebar, as the pair prepare to venture out. As they begin their adventure, the colorful paintings blossom out over the pages, creating large full color spreads. I love the sweet story told by these two, and a few of the lines between them may be among my new favorites to say to my daughter. The artwork is also absolutely incredible, making me look forward to more stories about these two adorable characters.

Celebrate Your Family Adventures

Balloons Chart – As Hoot and Olive learn, you can accomplish great things when you work together. Let their story inspire your family to reach new heights and try new things together. Use these free printable stencils to create a family goals board based on the story.

Cut out the basket shape and attach it to a canvas board or a piece of cardstock. Next, cut several balloon shapes out of different colors of construction paper. Each time your family tries something new or helps someone to face a fear, write it out on a balloon and attach it to your display. The more adventures you embark on, the more full your board will become!

Set Sail with Hoot and Olive!

Boats Experiment – In the story, Hoot and Olive use a basket to travel down the river. This brought up a fun conversation about what kinds of things we could use as a boat! We decided to use this as an opportunity to test different toys and objects and find out how “sea-worthy” they are. Have kids gather a bunch of toys and objects that they would like to try using as boats.

Fill a small inflatable pool or sensory bin with water and try floating your makeshift boats. Talk to them about buoyancy and what makes one item float better than another. Once you find a few toys that work as boats, slowly add other small toys to them to see if they can carry items on the water. We had a lot of fun adding animals to our boats and seeing which boats were able to hold them.

Adventures can be found in books as well as the real world!

Balloons Bookmark – While Hoot enjoys adventures out in the world, Olive prefers adventures in the pages of a book. This fun bookmark project encourages kids to enjoy their literary adventures, while also reminding them of the fun that can be had outside the covers of a book. Use your camera to take a photo of your child jumping in the air with their hands clasped over their heads (like they are holding a bunch of balloons).

Print the photo and cut out your child’s body. You will also need to cut out a balloon shape from cardstock or construction paper. Place the photo between two sheets of contact paper, so it is sealed inside. Cut the image out, leaving a small border of contact paper around it to seal it.

Poke a hole in the image of your child’s hands and thread a string through it. Lay the ends of the string onto the balloon shape and seal both in two more pieces of contact paper. Finally, cut around the balloon shape, leaving a small edge.

You’re Never Lost

Discussion – This sweet story not only celebrates the special relationship between a child and toy, but also provides some heartwarming ideas about togetherness and teamwork. When the characters in the book are frightened, they comfort each other by explaining that they are never lost as long as they are never far apart. Reinforce this idea to your kids by discussing the idea that you are never lost, as long as you have each other.

Show how you can be brave enough for two!

This book also shows how Hoot and Olive’s friendship allows them to be strong when they need to be. They are able to get past their fears and be brave when the other needs them. Talk to kids about ways that they can be strong for their friends in need. How can they get outside their comfort zone and help someone else? Come up with a list of service projects that you can try as a family to help others, even if the idea is a little out of your comfort zone.

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