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! 😊