It’s another beautiful Perfect Picture Book Friday!
And by beautiful, I mean the frost is on the pumpkin! It got cold last night!
Before we get to today’s book, I have three things to say:
Number One: The lucky winner of Laura Sassi’s giveaway from last week of a copy of Pumpkin Day for Boo and Belle is. . .
Danielle Hammelef!!!
Congratulations, Danielle! Enjoy this adorable book! Please email me so I can get your snail mail info to the publisher and get your copy to you!
Number Two: we also have a giveaway this week! Author Melissa Stoller is offering a signed copy of HAZEL AND MABEL: Two Hearts Apart! All you have to do to put yourself in the running to be the randomly selected winner is leave a comment below by Thursday October 16 at 3 PM Eastern. (If you would also like to help Melissa out by sharing her book cover or this post on social media, I’m sure she would be grateful! 😊)
Number Three: I’m not going to pin myself down to a specific day and time, (you never know when my skunk-loving dogs are going to require more time-consuming bathing!) but the guidelines for this year’s Halloweensie Contest will go up this weekend! I KNOW!!! It’s that time!!! HALLOWEENSIE!!! 🎃🎃🎃 So keep an eye out!!! (Your own, or an eye of newt… whatever works for you 🦎)
Now! Are you ready for today’s wonderful book?
Title: Hazel and Mabel: Two Hearts Apart
Written By: Melissa Stoller
Illustrated By: Anita Bagdi
Publisher: Gnome Road Publishing, September 30, 2025, fiction
Suitable For Ages: 4-6
Themes/Topics: friendship, long-distance friendship, problem solving
text copyright Melissa Stoller 2025, illustration copyright Anita Bagdi 2025, Gnome Road Publishing
Opening:
“Hazel and Mabel knew
they would always be
best friends.
Even if Mabel grabbed
the last gumdrop.
Even if Hazel snored
during sleepovers.”
text copyright Melissa Stoller 2025, illustration copyright Anita Bagdi 2025, Gnome Road Publishing
Brief Synopsis: [from the publisher] “For many years, Hazel and Mabel were inseparable. Then, Mabel moved away. When Mabel returns for a visit, Hazel is thrilled. They will pick up right where they left off… won’t they? They take turns suggesting activities – cartwheels, skipping stones, tossing a ball – but nothing works for both of them. Just when they think they have nothing in common anymore, both friends rediscover their love of imagination and stories.”
text copyright Melissa Stoller 2025, illustration copyright Anita Bagdi 2025, Gnome Road Publishing
Links To Resources: Today, we’re lucky enough to have some resources from the author, Melissa Stoller herself!
First, a little bit about her inspiration for this book, and then, an activity!
HAZEL AND MABEL: TWO HEARTS APART is about what happens after someone moves away, but when they come back for a visit, things don’t feel the same. In the story, Hazel and Mabel must use their imaginations to get their friendship back on track. Anita Bagdi’s incredible illustrations show the creativity that Hazel and Mabel use to get the heart of their friendship beating again.
I was inspired to write this book based on real-life experiences of watching friends move away over the years. And also, my children had experiences where friends moved and their friendships changed. I wanted to show with this book that friendships can shift but you can still find common ground. And, even if a friendship is different over time, it can still be wonderful.
Activity: Letter Writing Project
In this book, Hazel and Mabel love writing letters back and forth to each other. After reading the book, try this letter writing project.
Supplies:
Paper
Cards
Crayons/markers/pencils/stickers
Scissors
Glue
Directions:
Choose a recipient for the letter – a friend or family member, a classmate, a neighbor
Discuss words or images you can include in your letter (whether in writing or through pictures) such as: Friend, family, classmate, neighbor
An activity like basketball, swimming, walking, jumping
An emotion like: happiness, joy, sadness, surprise, feeling silly, peaceful, shy
Have each reader decorate a piece of paper as their letter. Use crayons, markers, stickers, and other supplies to decorate.
Send the letter or exchange letters and plan to write letters back and forth, just like Hazel and Mabel!
Connect with Melissa:
Visit Melissa’s website at www.MelissaStoller.com for a complimentary curriculum guide that includes questions for discussion, activities, and craft projects that will enrich the reading experience.
Thank you, Melissa!
text copyright Melissa Stoller 2025, illustration copyright Anita Bagdi 2025, Gnome Road Publishing
Why I Like This Book: This sweet story is one that will resonate with lots of young readers. Hazel and Mable have been friends forever and imagine that they will continue to be friends always. But when Mabel moves away, things change a bit, and the two friends find themselves on uncertain footing when they finally get to see each other again. What was once so natural and effortless feels lost. But their friendship is strong and deep and they are not ready to give up on it. Before long, they have remembered the things that haven’t changed and found their way back to each other. While the book is specifically about a friend moving away and the challenges of maintaining a friendship across distance, there can be times in all relationships when people grow and change and there can be emotional distance, even if a friend has physically gone nowhere, and the strategies modeled here can be helpful then too. Hazel and Mabel are sweet, likable characters, and their friendship and the problems they face feel believable and real. Their struggle is relatable, and its resolution is positive and encouraging. The art is charming and appealing and combines perfectly with the text to make this a book kids will love and one that belongs on every shelf!
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 blog 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! 😊 Remember to keep an eye out for the 2025 Halloweensie Guidelines!
And remember, your comment on today’s post puts you in the running to be the randomly selected winner of a signed copy of HAZEL AND MABEL: Two Hearts Apart if you leave it by Thursday October 16 at 3 PM Eastern!
Melissa Stoller is the author of the chapter book series The Enchanted Snow Globe Collection – Book One: Return to Coney Island and Book Two: The Liberty Bell Train Ride (Clear Fork Publishing, 2017 and Spring 2019); and numerous picture books including Scarlet’s Magic Paintbrush, Ready, Set, GOrilla! (Clear Fork, Fall 2018), Sadie’s Shabbat Stories (Clear Fork 2020) and Hazel and Mabel: Two Hearts Apart (Gnome Road Publishing, Sept. 20, 2025) Melissa lives in New York City with her husband, three daughters, and one puppy. When not writing or reading, she can be found exploring NYC with family and friends, traveling, and adding treasures to her collections.
Visit Melissa’s website at www.MelissaStoller.com for a complimentary curriculum guide that includes questions for discussion, activities, and craft projects that will enrich the reading experience.
Susanna Leonard Hill 
Morning Susanna, Just a heads up the form link on the week’s $PPBF post isn’t working. It just says “Form Link.” Sorry, Maria
>
Thank you, Maria! I just realized I was so tired last night I forgot to put it in! I will do it right now!
Hopefully it’s working now! Thank you again!
This book has been on my radar – as a serial mover, I can relate to how friendships change when you’re no longer seeing each other on a regular basis. Congratulations, Melissa, on writing about this important topic. It looks lovely!
It IS lovely, Patricia! You will love it 🙂
Melissa’s book looks like one I would love to own. So relatable and kid friendly. Looking forward to the Halloweensie contest!
It’s such a lovely book, Rose! So accessible to kids on this important topic. And I’m looking forward to Halloweensie, too! There are going to be some great prizes this contest season 🙂
What a sweet premise! Having taught most of my career near a military base, I know many kids will relate to friends moving away. And yay! It’s almost Halloweensie time!🎃
I really think this book is one a LOT of kids will relate to, Kim! It’s so nicely done! And YAY! I’m excited for Halloweensie! 🙂
uplifting, funny, relatable and so inportant in today’s busy ever shifting world! Life-skills of accepting and allowing that people and things change, doesn’t have to mean only loss and disruption. New ways of being together can be joyful! thank you for this lovely book!
So true, Carol! And this book is so helpful in giving kids a way to see that!
The cover alone is SO adorable! And as we will all have a friend move away at some point, I’d love to read this.
I know, Barb! Isn’t it so appealing? I love the art, and it complements the text so well!
Oh, this looks adorable! And so many children move away from their friends (or vice versa). Can’t wait to read this. Congratulations, Melissa! Adding this to my to-read list!
You will love it, Angie! Thanks for adding to your TBR list!
Ah, yes, the tenuous relationships of friendships challenged by distance and time. A dynamic that many kids (and adults) can relate to. I’m glad they find something in common again. Thanks for this terrific review and rec, Susanna!
A very different type of book from the one you shared this week, Jilanne! But both of them are so perfect in their own ways! That’s what I love about PPBF!
I’ve been thinking a lot about character name choices lately and I love these and that they are in the title too!
ps, I also want in on this letter-writing club!
I love them, too, Julie! I was also struck by that. The names go so well together – they’re fun to say and to hear!
This book already resonates with me–my best friend of many years informed me 2 weeks ago that she is moving back to Japan to care for her aging father and help transition the family business into her leadership. I am going to miss her very much and hope we can stay connected across the world and time zones.
So sorry your dear friend is moving away, Danielle! I’m sure you’ll find a way to stay connected, but it’s not as easy as when people are close by, is it. 🩷
I hope children don’t lose the art of letter writing. I already often get email thank-you pictures instead of the traditional note. There’s something about handwritten messages that brings a smile.
That is so true, Wendy! I miss the days when there was actually something to look forward to in the mail instead of just a pile of recycling that makes you weep for the planet as you shuttle it off to the recycling center!
I love the premise of the book, even going beyond moving, addressing shifting relationships with friends. The language and art are delightful! I look forward to reading the whole book. Congratulations!
So glad you like it, Claire! I agree – I think there is a place for this book in a lot of kids’ relationship situations, not just moving away!
This is such an important message, one that often surprises kids (and adults), who assume nothing will ever change. Great pb subject. One I can’t wait to read. Congrats, Melissa!
Looking forward to reading this PB. It certainly delivers a great message.
Thanks for sharing it! ❤️📖
Distance between good friends is challenging for sure. So many kids will relate to this situation and perhaps gain a better understanding about how relationships evolve but can still remain special.
Congratulations, Melissa!
I can say definitively as someone who recently moved 2000 miles away from my best friend this book is absolutely the best! I have already read it to my best friend on video chat and on the phone since the book arrived. It’s a story that really has touched both our hearts and the illustrations are magnificent! Rarely have I felt more seen.
What a sweet book, indeed!
I love the theme and the characters are adorable. This is a must read, as I just reconnected with a high school friend. Thank you and congratulations!!!
I love everything about this special book – the story, art, and letters. So much heart! Thanks for this lovely interview with Melissa.
Love the theme and characters. Just reconnected with a high school friend. It’s fun to see how we’ve changed, besides aging! Congratulations! ♥️
❤️❤️❤️sounds like a sweet sweet book!Sent from my iPad