Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, Everyone!
And happy first day of May! 🙂
I have SUCH a cute book to share with you today! You know me – I always love a good true animal story with a happy ending 🙂 I’ll just warn you in advance that I went hog wild with the photos 🙂 Enjoy!
Title: Kate And Pippin: An Unlikely Love Story
Written By: Martin Springett
Photographs By: Isobel Springett
Henry Holt & Co, February 2012, Nonfiction
Suitable For Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: Friendship, Love, Animals
Opening: “The fawn lay still and quiet. She was alone and afraid as she waited for her mother to come back.
Every little deer needs its mother to protect it from the many dangers of the forest.
But her mother did not return, and three long days passed.“
Brief Synopsis: When a fawn is abandoned by her mother, a nearby couple takes her in, hoping to save her. Their Great Dane, Kate, though she has never had puppies of her own, knows just what to do to raise a baby deer.
Links To Resources: talk about friendship – what qualities do you look for in a friend? what makes a good friend? who can be your friend? Talk about family – what makes a family? Talk about wild animals – what should you do if you see a baby animal by itself? when should you leave it alone and when is it a good idea to try to help it? http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/injured_orphaned_wildlife.html
And here’s a bonus video of a mama cat who adopts an orphaned squirrel… and it learns to purr 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHT1nAX46dM
Why I Like This Book: I love true animal stories. And I love cute baby animal pictures 🙂 And I love happy endings. This book has them all. The story also serves as a lovely model for acceptance, tolerance, and different kinds of families, and allows for discussion about what makes a family and/or what are the important qualities in a friend. The couple who took Pippin in make no effort to keep her. She returns to the wild and lives a free and independent life. But she comes back to visit 🙂
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you! I always look forward to each new week’s list of fabulous books!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
http://www.simply-linked.com/listwidget.aspx?l=15cb8c51-db46-4c68-b395-650055c2eeb2
Susanna Leonard Hill 
I love stories about unlikely friendships. Koko and kitten… and now Kate and Pippin. If different species can become friends, it gives me hope that people can become friends with others who are much different than them. It also helps explain why we love our companion animals.
Wonderful that they were able to capture the unfolding of this relationship in photos so that we too can marvel at what nature knows better! Thanks for sharing it, Susanna!
AAwww! So cute! I Just LOVE unlikely friends and this lesson that families come in all kinds of ways is so true. Reminds me of a viral thread I put on my Edmund Pickle Chin facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/ViralThread/videos/542210582587455/?fref=nf
Enjoy!
I love this book! We keep seeing stories about unlikely animal bondings. Thank you for sharing.
I love animals books, too! This one is lovely, Susanna. Somehow I posted my PPBF twice…I don't think I can fix it, but I'm sure you can. 😉 Happy May…Happy No Snow…Happy Writing, everyone!
The pictures are so sweet. People can learn so much from watching animals relate to each other.
Oh, this one looks adorable. I also love true animal stories. 🙂
Okay, I definitely want to read this book. But even more than that, I want Kate!! Or another Great Dane of my own (wouldn't want to take their gorgeous dog away). Not sure how my own pooches would feel about adding another one to the mix, but they're such noble and beautiful dogs, aren't they?
Kate & Pippin looks like a great find, thanks for sharing it with us Susanna! But… You really take the cake for sharing the video with mama cat taking in a baby squirrel, Amazing!
Oh, this looks precious! Thanks for sharing, Susanna! Hope to have a PPBF up next week 🙂
I just got a little teary-eyed reading about this story. You can't help but love different animals bonding, building relationships, and the happy ending of that relationship being a life-long joy to behold.
well this is weird – I linked Spectacular Spots on Friday Morning – but it somehow fell off the list. so here it is again, a bit late….
This is an AWESOME book. I love reading about animals that are unlikely friends. I saw an elephant and a dog, a tiger and a cat, a horse and a kitten – this is very sweet. 🙂 I'll have to look for it!
Aww….what a wonderful friendship….I'd like a Pippin….oh and the book! So lovely! Great choice! 😊