Woo hoo! It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday!
And guess what I did?
I updated the Perfect Picture Books Master List! (a task I get around to a few times a year but not every week)
We should probably have a little contest in which you all try to guess how many books are on the list, but since all you have to do is go look at it, it wouldn’t be very challenging 😊 so I’ll just tell you.
Through our group efforts over these many years, we are up to 3,386 perfect picture books on our list! (And that’s not even counting the vast majority of the books I have reviewed because I always forget to add them to the list. I’m trying to be better about that.)
3,386 sounds like a lot to me!
And every single one of them has been carefully chosen, thoughtfully reviewed, and accompanied by resources for parents, teachers, and homeschoolers to expand on the use of these wonderful books at home and in the classroom. To me, that seems like an amazing resource for anyone who loves and reads picture books, or who writes them and needs mentor texts.
So thank you all for your incredible contribution to our picture book loving community! ❤️
And now, I have the most beautiful, irresistible picture book to share with you today!
I took a little break from my lyrical picture book kick, but this is the last of the ones I had in mind at the time and I had to come back to it because it’s a can’t miss book. I hope you will love it!
Title: Berry Song
Written & Illustrated By: Michaela Goade
ISBN#: 978-0316494175
Publisher: Little Brown Books For Young Readers, July 19, 2022
Suitable For Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: gratitude, nature, living on the land, generational
text and illustration copyright Michaela Goode 2022, Little Brown Books For Young Readers
Opening:
“On an island at the edge of a wide, wild sea,
Grandma shows me how to live on the land.”
Brief Synopsis: [from the publisher] “On an island at the edge of a wide, wild sea, a girl and her grandmother gather gifts from the earth. Salmon from the stream, herring eggs from the ocean, and in the forest, a world of berries.
Through the seasons, they sing to the land as the land sings to them. Brimming with joy and gratitude, in every step of their journey, they forge a deeper kinship with both the earth and the generations that came before, joining in the song that connects us all.”
text and illustration copyright Michaela Goode 2022, Little Brown Books For Young Readers
Links To Resources: the back of the book has a wealth of information about the Tlingit people’s way of life, speaking to the land, and taking care of the land; look for local pick-your-own farms and pick your own berries, vegetables, pumpkins, apples, etc. (being respectful and taking only what you need) and try making jams, pies, and meals that use the things you pick!; find a way to take care of the land around you – perhaps pick up litter to keep the earth clean and animals safe.
text and illustration copyright Michaela Goode 2022, Little Brown Books For Young Readers
Why I Like This Book: I love everything about this book, from the lyrical text to the gorgeous, luminous illustrations, to the message it conveys about respecting and caring for the earth and being connected through the generations of our families and communities. It begins with a young girl out on the sea with her grandmother learning to fish, gather seaweed, and pick berries. As Grandma teaches the young girl how to do these things, she also teaches her to be respectful, responsible, and grateful. She teaches her that we speak to the land as the land speaks to us, we take care of the land as the land takes care of us, we are a part of the land as the land is a part of us. The seasons change, and through it all the forest, the ancestors, and the ocean sing. And then, one day, the girl has the opportunity to teach everything she has learned to her little sister. A lovely, lovely book that everyone should read 😊
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! 😊
Susanna Leonard Hill 
Wow! Such stunning illustrations! I am really excited to find this one at my library. But I’ll have to wait a bit. All 14 copies are checked out, but I am in line! Thanks for featuring this book! I can’t wait to read it.
If you don’t love it, I’ll eat my hat, Maria! 🙂 It is SUCH a beautiful book!
What a gorgeous book and message!
It really is, Jodie! And it’s so lovely to read aloud that even my 4 year old granddaughter is happy to listen to it multiple times.
Beautiful! Can’t wait to read this one. Feels like a gift to the earth.
That is a great description, Annette! That is just what it’s like.
What a lovely share! Perfect for World Environment Day. Can’t wait to read this one!
Is this World Environment Day, Kim? I am so clueless! If it is, then this is a happy coinicidence! 🙂
in a time when we have lost touch with our relationship to nature, we have a story to share with children about how the Earth feeds us without the local grocery store. Lovely!
So true, Kathryn. And I also love the generational aspect, because I think this is a time when we are losing that connection as well.
Lovely text and illustrations and a much-needed message.
So true, Patricia!
Stunning! I can’t wait to check it out at the library.
I think you will love it, Christy! So beautiful!
I love this book and read it every November with my Fours classes before Thanksgiving. Then we make a berry “pie”. The kids glue colored dots (punched by me – ahead of time – they are 4 and 5 yrs old) onto a sheet of paper with the photocopied outline of a pie. At the bottom is text that reads “I am berry grateful for _____________.” I ask the kids what they are grateful for and help them write it. Older kids could write it themselves.
What a lovely activity, Sue! I should steal it and add it to my “resources” section 🙂
What a wonderful book – I need to read it again! I love the adventure (and the berries, of course!) and the attitude of gratitude.
It really is a wonderful book, Sue – and I agree. I love the berry song.
Berry beautiful choice!
Thank you berry much, Jules! 🙂
Susanna,
That is the most beautiful lyrical text! And the illustrations are stunning. Even though I only write text, I do have to say there is something about an author/illustrator who can bring it all together like that and tell the story with a beautiful balance of both bringing their vision to life along with the words.
Definitely have to order this one!
Thanks for sharing it and as always all the hard work you do for us all!
Elyssa
I know, Elyssa! I wish all the time that I could illustrate. I feel like being able to do both would allow you to express yourself more fully and exactly the way you want everything to come across. But alas, my 4 year old granddaughter draws significantly better than I do 🙂 (And my pleasure, always!)
This is such a gorgeous book! Great pick!
Thanks, Jilanne! I’m glad you love it, too! 🙂
Beautiful book and beautiful culture. Thank you!🩷
I hope you get to read it if you haven’t already, Robin. It’s such a lovely book!
Looks like a great story and illustrations!
A trip to.the library is on the horizon!🙂
This book is worth it, Susan 🙂
Wow! The illustrations are gorgeous. It sounds like a book I have to have.
Gorgeous in every way. I can’t believe I’ve missed this one. Putting it on my TBR list!
And a huge thank you, Susanna, for the amazing resource of PPB’s. It’s a treasure trove for all of us. Appreciate you and all you do for kidlit!
I hope you will love it as much as I do, Marty! And my pleasure! It benefits all of us and it is the work of many, contributing wonderful books every week!