Darlings!
Do you know what day it is?
If you said “Friday” of course you are right.
If you said “Perfect Picture Book Friday” you are right AND a person of above average intelligence and superior interests 🙂
But it is ALSO (and I know this will really make your day) National Collect Rocks Day!
I am not making this up.
Although I think I could have.
I could have woken up in the still darkness that is once again 5:25 AM (I’m already missing the light at that hour and it’s only September!) and said to myself, hmmm….what ridiculous thing could I come up with to celebrate today? But I didn’t even have to, because, well, it’s National Collect Rocks Day. Need I say more?
But it turns out that is a perfect day for it to be because my Perfect Picture Book for today is all about counting.
And what better to count than a rock collection?!
See how neatly that works? 🙂
But seriously, this is one of the most beautiful books I’ve seen in a while. Really stunning. Have a look!
Title: 1 2 3 Dream
Written & Illustrated By: Kim Krans
Random House Children’s Books, September 27 2016, nonfiction
Suitable For Ages: 3-7
Themes/Topics: concept (counting), language (alliteration)
Opening: “1”
Brief Synopsis: A visual celebration of counting alliteration!
Links To Resources: take a walk and find things to count – ROCKS 🙂 or acorns or seashells, cars or houses or fire hydrants, dogs or squirrels or pigeons 🙂 ; think up other examples of alliteration with counting/numbers (e.g. one onion, two tomatoes), or with other word combinations like adjectives and nouns (e.g. purple parrot) or names (e.g. Peter Pan); enjoy with companion book ABC Dream also by Kim Krans; this book itself is a resource with a search and find feature at the back that invites you to pore over the beautifully illustrated pages and find a heart-shaped stone, a spiderweb, a forked tongue, and many more.
Why I Like This Book: One owl. Two turtles. Three thistles. Four foxes… but no written words. Not one! Just the numbers 1-20 and gorgeous detailed illustration after gorgeous detailed illustration that invite you to say what you see and then hear the alliteration your words produce. Seven starfish. Eleven elephants. Fifteen fireflies…. As you know, I’m usually more inclined to choose books on the basis of their words and story, but this one is enjoyable for the illustrations alone. A true feast for the eyes. The pen and ink drawings are exquisite. I’m a writer but words fail me to describe how beautiful this book is! So I’ll show you a couple spreads 🙂
Illustration copyright Kim Krans 2016
Illustration copyright Kim Krans 2016
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific links (and any other info you feel like filling out 🙂 ) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂
(And should you feel an irresistible urge to collect rocks, now you’ll know why 🙂 )
Susanna Leonard Hill 
What a beautiful book. Thank you for showing a few of the illustrations. I put a request in at my library. I can’t wait to read it.
It’s not much to read, Maria 🙂 but it sure is beautiful! And it really shows what you can do with an idea for a picture book even without words! I hope you enjoy it!
I’m not usually a fan of wordless books… or even sparsely worded books. But I agree with you. This is a beauty. I mean I didn’t need to point to the starfish and count them, but I did. It pulled me in and forced me! Great choice.
Glad you like it, Genevieve! I confess, I’m a puzzle person, so I love the search and find feature also. It’s fun to have the challenge of looking for specific things – like the I Spy Books!
Happy Rocky Day! And the artwork in your choice looks stunning. I love that it just has numerals.
I know, isn’t it cool? I think you should have Kim Krans on your illustrator interview series, Joanna – she is clearly a person of great talent!
Oh, this is so beautiful and perfect for young children. There are so many ways to use this book. Love it!
I know! It’s so pretty, isn’t it, Pat? 🙂
Like you, I generally look for the story then savor the illustrations. I can see why you love this book, though, and can imagine many happy eyes pouring over it. Happy Rock Day!
This one just begs to be picked up and enjoyed, Patricia – it’s so beautiful! It makes me wish more than ever that I could draw…at ALL…! I hope you find some pretty rocks for your collection today 🙂
Oh Susanna…that is great…Happy Rock Day!
What a beautiful book…I have a counting book out on submission, so I will be reading this one with special attention to see how they did it.
Happy Rock Day to you too, Vivian! 🙂 Actually, where I live, there are lots of beautiful rocks – most of them part of the landscape, though, and too big to pick up and collect 🙂 This really IS a beautiful book, very art dependent, but that doesn’t mean that as writers we can’t think up and describe ideas like this for a talented artist to illustrate. There is a lot to learn. You took art classes, right? Maybe you can illustrate your own! 🙂
The illustrations in this book are a feast for the eyes! So much detail for the eye to take in.
I’m still smiling about National Rock Day. I don’t have any rocks to count, but I’m sure I could get the numbers to add up quickly if I count the dishes in the sink or the clothes piled in the laundry room. Thank you for recommending this beautifully illustrated book.
It is a really pretty book, Leslie 🙂 And yeah… let’s NOT count dishes in the sink or clothes piled in the laundry room! 🙂
What gorgeous artwork! Happy Rock Day! I’ll let my dad know, as he loves to collect rocks. I’ll spend a bit more time appreciating rocks in my garden today, as I spade some of the beds in preparation for fall slumber (and one for garlic planting)
Glad you like it, Sue! And oh! how ambitious you are with your gardening! I love the IDEA of gardening, but I am truly the Black Thumb of Poughquag – definitely better off gardening rocks 🙂
Happy National Collect Rock Day! My kids have been collecting rocks lately. Unfortunately, their favorite place to collect rocks is from the rock walkway in our garden.
Your PPF selection has beautiful illustrations and I love that kids will likely discover the story’s alliteration with their own voices. Cool!
Your kids are just smart, Gabi! If they have a great selection handily located, why go out searching for something else?! 🙂 Hope you get a chance to look at this pretty book! 🙂
Wow! What a beautiful book, and it comes out on my birthday. Cool! Hmmm so you’re a puzzle book freak huh? Well I think I have the book for you. 😉 Happy Rock day.
Ooh! I think you need a copy for your birthday then, Diane! 🙂 Yes, I do love puzzles of all kinds! Jigsaw puzzles, of course, but also crossword puzzles, word searches, sudoku, search-and-find (like this book and I Spy), anagrams… well, you get the idea 🙂 Also any kind of game/challenge like on Sporcle 🙂
Beautiful, I’m taken by things that encourage us to Dream, as the title suggest, thanks for sharing this lovely book Susanna!
I hope you get a chance to see it, Michelle – it’s truly beautifully done! I’m in awe of art like that!
Oh that is so beautiful. It’s one of those stories where you can be quite interactive as reader and reade-ee by counting together and identifying what’s being counted 🙂
Yes, and it’s so pretty too! 🙂
Great choice! 😀
Glad you approve, Erik! 🙂