Category: Perfect Picture Book Fridays

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Oops

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Hi Everyone!

Happy Friday!

As you all know, I am shuffling off to Buffalo to the SCBWI conference.  And it’s finally happened.  I have run out of time.

Does anyone here realize how long it takes to try to turn a perfectly good online course into a one day workshop?  Sheesh!  I had no idea!  And shockingly (because you all know how organized I am and how good I am at estimating time :)) I underestimated how much time I’d need.  I’ve been nose-to-the-grindstone for days, and when I realized at 11:45 PM that I’d forgotten it was Thursday and hadn’t done a Perfect Picture Book I was too zombified to come up with a decent plan.

So here is my indecent plan 🙂

I am posting the list, packing up Princess Blue Kitty, and hitting the road!

Please wish me luck.  I’m not at all sure I can do this.  There’s a reason writers are perfectly happy writing in the kitchen with their dogs where they don’t have to be outgoing and brave!

Hopefully I will see you Monday with the last installment of Clarike Bowman-Jahn’s book tour for Edmund Pickle Chin!

And even though today is technically the 100th Perfect Picture Book Friday, we will celebrate next week with our last PPBF post before the summer hiatus!

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!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Red Sings From Treetops

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Happy Friday Everyone!!!

Guess what?

Next week is the 100th Perfect Picture Book Week!

Can you believe it?

We should probably have a party.

Except…

Next Friday – only one week from right this very second – the day of the 100th Perfect Picture Book post – is when I leave for the SCBWI conference I’m teaching at.

Teaching GROWNUPS!  IN REAL LIFE not online!

(Can you say petrified? :))

I am finishing the pile of critiques.  I am trying to prepare my workshop in a way that will hopefully sound coherent and give the participants a fun and meaningful experience.  I’m also winding up my May online class and starting my June one.  My children are arriving home from college which necessitates driving to pick up, loading and unloading cars, masses of laundry, and packing things away for the summer.  Oh, and I’m babysitting for my granddaughters on Sunday and in charge of the barn chores until my friend gets back from her mini break.  All good things in every way, but I’m feeling a little like I just don’t have enough time in the day!

So I’m not sure if I’m going to manage to plan a party.

And you will also have to (please!) forgive me for recycling a Perfect Picture Book today!

I don’t feel bad too about it, though, because this book is one of my all-time favorites.  I use it as an example of beautiful language in my class, and if you haven’t had a chance to read it you’re truly missing out.  Get thee to the library right quick!

Red Sings From Treetops: A Year In Colors
Written By: Joyce Sidman
Illustrated By: Pamela Zagarenski
Houghton Mifflin Books For Children, April 2009, Fiction

Suitable For: ages 5 and up

Themes: Colors, Seasons, Poetry

Opening:
“In SPRING,
Red sings from treetops:
cheer-cheer-cheer,
each note dropping
like a cherry
into my ear.

Red turns
the maples feathery,
sprouts in rhubarb spears;
Red squirms on the road after rain.”

(Don’t you just love that?  Can’t you just hear that cardinal singing and see the worms wiggling on the pavement?)

Brief Synopsis:  From the jacket: “Color comes alive in this whimsical, innovative book.”  That pretty much sums it up!

Links To Resources: Junior Library Guild Activity Guide, Poem Starters, Readers Guide

Why I Like This Book:  I love the lyrical language of this book.  The author was so creative in her thinking – the way she describes the colors makes you see, feel, hear, touch, and taste Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.  The art is exquisite and perfectly suited to the poetry.  How can you not love lines like,
“Green waits
in the hearts of trees,
feeling
the earth
turn.”

I hope you’ll get a chance to read this book, linger over the language, enjoy the images it evokes, maybe challenge yourself or your children to come up with your own descriptions!

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

I want to take this opportunity to let you all know that PPBF will be going on hiatus for the summer as usual.  I am open to popular opinion as to whether next Friday (June 6) or the following Friday (June 13) will be the last day.  As I said, I will not be here next Friday.  Princess Blue Kitty (my car for those of you who don’t know her) and I will be on the road to the aforementioned SCBWI conference.  But y’all can carry on and I’ll catch up after the weekend.  Assuming I survive 🙂  Feel free to voice your opinion in the comments.  As for a party, I guess we could maybe have it a week late…???

PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come see what delights you have in store for us this week!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – This Is A Moose

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My goodness what a busy week that was!  I can’t believe it’s Friday again already!

I didn’t manage to finish even half the work I hoped to get done, but I did get to go on a particularly wonderful school visit.  Look at the lovely displays they made to welcome me:

So bright and cheery, aren’t they?  And lots and lots of my favorite characters 🙂

I was hoping to have a picture with the kids in it, but I didn’t get it in time.  Trust me – they were terrific, and super cute too 🙂

But now, it is time for a Perfect Picture Book!  This is such a fun one!  If you haven’t had a chance to see it, trot right over to the library.  It will make you laugh 🙂

Title: This Is A Moose
Written By: Richard T. Morris
Illustrated By: Tom Lichtenheld
Little Brown & Company, May 2014, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-8

Themes/Topics: being yourself, imagination, perseverance

Opening: “This is the Mighty Moose.  His father is a moose.  His mother is a moose.  This moose wants to be an astronaut. CUT!”

Brief Synopsis: Billy Waddler is making a film.  A film about a moose.  At least, it’s supposed to be about a moose.  But this moose simply will not conform to Billy’s idea of what a moose should be.  In fact, no one in this book is behaving the way they’re supposed to.  What’s a filmmaker to do?

Links To Resources:  Fun facts about moose;  Classroom activities about moose, including a hands-and-feet moose poster and a make-your-own moose with moving parts; Moose coloring pages; Moose maze (there are other animal mazes, too); read and compare with Morris The Moose Goes To School by Bernard Wiseman; ask your kids or students what they want to be when they grow up.

Why I Like This Book:  This book is colorful, engaging, and funny.  The filmmaker is single-minded in his mission, and the other characters consistently frustrate him with their non-conformity, resulting in some great comedy 🙂  The story is about characters who refuse to be pigeon-holed into stereotypical roles, and it carries the messages that you should be yourself no matter what, and that no one person’s vision is more important than another’s.  The art is fabulous and includes many fun details that kids will enjoy exploring.  I dare you not to love this book 🙂

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF bloggers, please leave your post-specific links in the list below so we can all come visit you and see what delights you chose this week!

Have a GREAT Memorial Day weekend, everyone, and enjoy the day off Monday while we celebrate  and give thanks for the brave men and women who gave the last full measure of devotion for their country.  Although summer won’t really begin for another month, Memorial Day always seems like the moment it arrives, so happy summer, everyone! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Cock-a-Doodle Oops! PLUS A Giveaway!!!

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Thank goodness it’s Friday!

I’ve been waiting for MONTHS to share this book with you (because I was lucky enough to get an advance copy), and it’s finally officially out, so I can finally post it for Perfect Picture Book Friday!

Not only that, but I have a signed copy to give away to one lucky commenter!  All you have to do is bake me cookies er tell me and Lori which farm animal you are and why in the comments 🙂

I, for example, would be the horse because I am beautiful and graceful and I can run like the wind…

*snort*

Yeah, I didn’t think anyone would buy that 🙂  I can’t even sell it to myself 🙂  But I do really love horses – that should count for something!

If it’s too hard to think of yourself as a farm animal on Friday morning at the end of a long week, you can just tell us who you’d like the book for.  That will be less sporting and some people might judge you for wimping out, but not me!  Nosirreebob!  I will not think any less of you if you don’t have the gumption to declare to the world that you belong in the donkey shed!

Title: Cock-a-Doodle Oops!
Written By: Lori Degman
Illustrated By: Deborah Zemke
Creston Books, May 2014, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-8

Themes/Topics: friendship, helping others, jobs, animals (farm)

Opening: “Farmer McPeeper was such a deep sleeper;
not even an earthquake could shake him.
A poke or a pinch wouldn’t budge him an inch,
’cause only his rooster could wake him.”

Brief Synopsis: Poor Rooster!  He’s tired of getting up so early every morning!  What he needs is a vacation.  Leaving the other animals in charge, Rooster heads for the beach.  Animal after animal tries their best, but no one can wake Farmer McPeeper.  Rooster’s return is greeted with relief, but he’s caught a cold.  How will they ever get the sleepy Farmer up now?

Links To Resources: Teacher’s Guide to Cock-A-Doodle Oops,  Farm animal coloring pages, classroom activities to learn about volunteers, emergency animal rescue, what do I want to be when I grow up, workers and the work they do.  Talk about jobs kids are familiar with and what kind of skills are necessary to do those jobs, or what personality traits would be helpful.  Talk about friendship and what kinds of things friends might do for each other.  Enjoy the YouTube video where Marissa Moss reads the story aloud HERE.

Why I Like This Book:  This book is fun from start to finish!  The rhyme is expertly written, catchy, and fun to read aloud.  The attempts of the various animals to wake the sleeping farmer are hilarious, and kids will enjoy calling out the different crows – cock-a-doodle moo, cock-a-doodle baa, etc.  The illustrations are bright and colorful and a perfect match for the story.  When Rooster returns from his vacation with a cold, the animals have to come up with an inventive solution to get the farmer out of bed.  When at last the farmer is up, he delivers a surprise ending that is clever and funny… but I can’t say what it is here because that would be telling 🙂  Just mosey on out and get yourself a copy.  You won’t be sorry.  It’s delightful 🙂

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

Lori and I were going to do a little interview or something to go along with this post, but it appears we didn’t quite get our act together in time.  I don’t know how that happened.  I am the epitome of organization.  Ask anyone.  And please ignore the rapidly increasing length of my nose 🙂

So anyway, at the very least, here’s Lori 🙂

Lori Degman is a teacher of Deaf/Hard of Hearing students by day and a writer of picture books by night, weekend and school holiday. She lives in a northern suburb of Chicago with her husband and two dogs. Her debut picture book, 1 Zany Zoo was the winner of the Cheerios New Author Contest and a mini version was distributed inside 2.2 million boxes of Cheerios. The hardcover was published by Simon & Schuster in 2010. Ms. Degman’s second picture book, Cock-a-Doodle Oops! was released by Creston Books on May 13th.

You can also see a wonderful interview with her over at Laura Sassi’s HERE, another review of Cock-A-Doodle Oops at Sue Morris’s HERE, and another terrific interview at Carrie Brown’s HERE.

Now then, my little chickens, get thee to the comments and tell us which farm animal you are and why (or just tell us who you’d like the book for), and one lucky commenter will get a signed copy of this fabulous book!

OR…

Ooh!  How ’bout this?

If you REALLY want to impress us, you can write your own crowing line!  Examples from Lori’s book are:
Her cock-a-doodle-cluck didn’t have any pluck
His cock-a-doodle-bleeeeat just couldn’t compete
Her cock-a-doodle-whoooooooo just didn’t ring true
What kind of rhyming crow can you think up for the farmyard animal of your choice??? 🙂

Please leave your comment by Sunday May 18 at 5 PM EDT and then random.org will choose the winner and I will announce it on Monday.

PPBF bloggers, please leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you and see what treasures you have to share this week!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Charlie The Ranch Dog

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Hurray!  It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday!

And how nice to be back after 2 weeks off for the illustration contest!

I hope you will like today’s book as much as I do 🙂

Title: Charlie The Ranch Dog
Written By: Ree Drummond
Illustrated By: Diane deGroat
HarperCollins, April 2011, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: jobs/careers, working, perception, animals (dogs)

Opening: “Oh, hello.  My name is Charlie. I live in the country.  I’m a ranch dog.“

Brief Synopsis: Charlie is a ranch dog.  He fixes fences, works in the garden, and helps his family out on the range.  A ranch dog’s work is never done!  Or is it?

Links To Resources: Charlie Maze, and recipe for Charlie’s favorite lasagna; Lesson Plans for Charlie (please scroll down until you see the book title); a fun look at the creation of Charlie; interview with the illustrator; YouTube read aloud of the story by the author.

Why I Like This Book: Well, for starters, you know how I love dog books 🙂  And this one is so much fun I really can’t help myself 🙂  Charlie says he fixes fences, gardens, and helps his family out on the range, but in fact his friend Suzie is the one who does all the work while Charlie naps, and naps some more, and indulges his love of bacon 🙂  He does manage to help for real at the end – but I won’t tell you how, that would be spoiling it!  Kids will enjoy the contradiction between words and illustrations, and also love that there is a chipmunk hidden on every page.  This is not an action-packed thrill ride, but it’s sweet and cute and funny 🙂

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 rave over your picks for this week and then descend on our local libraries!

Oh, and before we go, Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms among you! 🙂  If your house is like my house, it’s just possible that no one will offer to vacuum, do laundry, and cook on Sunday so that you can loll about eating bonbons on the couch, so here’s a little Mom’s day treat just for you 🙂

Now go have a wonderful weekend! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – E-I-E-I-O How Old MacDonald Got His Farm [with a Little Help from a Hen]

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Happy Friday, Folks!

While I was writing up this post, my ever-vigilant dogs suddenly roused themselves from a sound sleep to bark and snarl and hurl themselves at the french doors that look out on the back yard.  Assuming such behavior could only mean an invasion of some type, I went to investigate.  Was the bear up from his long winter’s nap?  Had a pack of hungry coyotes dared to breech The Perimeter?  Were we being attacked by giant meatball-headed spaghetti people from Mars?

Shockingly, no!

Here was the cause of the alarm:

One of last year’s babies, looking a little scruffy in between
winter and spring coats

My dogs take their duty as Protectresses of the Family Homestead a little too seriously sometimes 🙂

I did not let them out.  I figured this little miss could use some green grass after the long winter.  So she snacked and the Protectresses sulked and I went back to writing this post.

This is just a little sample of the kind of action-packed, emotionally-charged, wild and crazy life we live up here on Blueberry Hill 🙂

Although Tuesday night’s snow is still melting, I insist on believing it is spring and I have a fun, spring-appropriate title to share with you all today which is especially fitting in view of the wildlife on my lawn that makes this place feel like a farm (of sorts :))!  (And no jokes about the funny farm! :))

Title: E-I-E-I-O How old MacDonald Got His Farm [with a Little Help from a Hen]
Written By: Judy Sierra
Illustrated By: Matthew Myers
Candlewick, February 2014, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: composting, gardening, perseverance, innovation

Opening: “Old MacDonald had a house E-I-E-I-O!  Around that house there was a yard MOW MOW MOW MOW MOW!  MacDonald said, “I love my yard, but mowing grass is mighty hard.”  So off he went to get a goat E-I-E-I-O!“

Brief Synopsis: In case anyone was wondering how Old MacDonald got his farm, it all started with too much mowing.  Old MacDonald’s solution? Get a goat.  But the goat only ate the edges and then chewed a hole in MacDonald’s hedges.  Luckily, a smart little red hen came along and taught Old MacDonald a thing or two about sustainable farming 🙂

Links To Resources: Do The Rot Thing: A Teacher’s Guide To Compost Activities, all about Worms, Recycling and Composting, How To Plant Seeds With Kids

Why I Like This Book:  I always love new twists on familiar stories.  Judy Sierra has taken Old MacDonald to a whole new level.  The story is humorous (and so is the art – be sure to read the hen’s diplomas and all the picket signs :)) and young readers will learn about composting and growing a garden right along with Old MacDonald.  This is a great story for spring, and a wonderfully fun way to introduce kids to the concept of green farming.

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF peeps, please leave your post-specific links in the list below so we can all come see what fabulous books you’ve chosen this week!  And to all who celebrate, Happy Easter and a belated Happy Passover.

Have a great weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Extraordinary Jane

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Woo-hoo!  It’s Friday!

Doesn’t Friday just automatically make you happy?

I think Fridays are just a little bit magic and have an advantage over the other days of the week 🙂

My plan for this weekend includes baking birthday cake for my step-daughter and babysitting for my granddaughters so she and her husband can have a little much-deserved-no-kids-couple-time.  Lucky me – I totally win out!  I see acorn and stick collecting, painting, play-doh, sidewalk chalk, tea parties, hide-and-seek, and being a pony in my weekend 🙂

And I’m thinking I will share this book – my PPBF pick for this week – because it is so cute and sweet!

Title: Extraordinary Jane
Written & Illustrated By: Hannah E. Harrison
Dial, February 2014, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-8

Themes/Topics: being yourself

Opening: “Jane was ordinary in a world that was extraordinary.”

Brief Synopsis: Jane is a little dog who lives at the circus.  She’s not graceful like her mother, mighty like her father, daring like her brothers, or fearless like her sisters.  She’s just Jane.  But you don’t have to be graceful or mighty or daring or fearless to be special.

Links To Resources: together with your child or class, make a list of things you think everyone would agree are extraordinary, like being brave or strong.  Do you have any of those qualities? Does your child or the members of your class?  Talk about what extraordinary really means.  Make a new list of things that could be considered extraordinary, like helping an elderly neighbor take out the recycling, or being kind to the new kid in class.  Who has these qualities?  Talk about what makes you like people – probably things like they’re nice, or they make you laugh.  Can those things be considered special?  What can you do today to make the world a better place just by being you?  Would pair nicely with Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson.

Why I Like This Book: This is one of those delightfully simple and sweet books that I just love!  Let’s face it – lots of us feel ordinary.  So many kids can relate to the idea of worrying that they might not measure up in today’s world of high expectations.  This sweet story reminds us – kids, parents, and teachers alike – that we are all extraordinary in our own way, and that we are all special to somebody.  The art is bright and colorful.  Some of the spreads are humorous (in particular the balancing ball incident  and the page after it :)) and the last one is guaranteed to make you say “Aww!” 🙂

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

So what are you all planning for this weekend (besides a trip to the library to read all the great books that are sure to show up on this week’s PPBF list)?

PPBF bloggers, please leave your post-specific links on the list below so we can all come visit and make our library lists 🙂

Have a great weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Sparky

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Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, Everyone!

It’s been a couple weeks!

What with the March Madness Writing Contest and all the long posts for the finalists and the winners, etc., I think we could all use a break.  So today I’m going to do my best to be brief 🙂

I hope you all enjoy this picture book as much as I do 🙂

Title: Sparky
Written By: Jenny Offill
Illustrated By: Chris Appelhans
Schwartz & Wade Books, March 2014, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: age 3-8

Themes/Topics: pets, being yourself

Opening: “I wanted a pet. A bird or a bunny or a trained seal.  My mother said no to the bird.  No to the bunny. No no no to the trained seal.“

Brief Synopsis: A little girl’s mother says she can have any pet she wants as long as it doesn’t need to be walked or bathed or fed.  So the little girl finds just the pet to fit the requirements… A sloth… whom she names Sparky 🙂

Here the girl plays with Sparky and introduces us to Mary Potts

Links To Resources: Talk about what makes a good pet; discuss the pros and cons of various pets, 10 Popular Small Pets, Best Pets For Kids slideshow, Rainforest Classroom Activities, read with “Slowly, slowly, slowly,” said the Sloth by Eric Carle, or perhaps with other picture books about more boisterous pets for comparison.

Why I Like This Book: I love Sparky.  He’s so cute!  And so sleepy and slow 🙂  And I admire any child who can come up with a pet that doesn’t break the rules of not needing to be walked or bathed or fed.  The girl tries to play games with Sparky, but with the exception of Statues he’s not much good at them.  In response to annoying Mary Potts from across the street she tries to teach him tricks to show what a good pet he is.  But aside from excelling at playing dead he’s not much good at that either.  But you know what? She doesn’t care.  For her, Sparky is “it” 🙂  And what a nice message that pets can just be loved for who they are.

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

How’d I do?  Brief enough? 🙂

PPBF bloggers, please leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come see what you picked and make our library lists for the weekend 🙂

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Mathilda And The Orange Balloon

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Would someone please tell me how it got to be Friday?

Seriously!  Where did this week go?  I am still somewhere back around midday Monday…

But since the rest of the world seems to agree that it’s Friday, let’s have a Perfect Picture Book, shall we?

Title: Mathilda And The Orange Balloon
Written By: Randall de Seve
Illustrated By: Jen Corace
Balzer & Bray, Feb. 2010, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-7

Themes/Topics: imagination, be yourself/individuality

Opening: “Mathilda’s world was small.  Here’s what was in it: Green grass.  Green barn.  Gray skies.  Gray stones.  Gray sheep.”

Brief Synopsis: Mathilda lives in a small, familiar world, which is all very nice, until one day she spies an orange balloon.  She is captivated, and she believes that she can be an orange balloon too!

Links To Resources: Preschool lesson plan for the color orange; learning activities for the color orange; preschool lesson plan for sheep; pair this book with other sheep books like Sheep In A Jeep by Nancy Shaw and discuss how the sheep in the books are alike and different; pair this book with other imagination books like Harold And The Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson and discuss how Mathilda uses her imagination compared to how Harold uses his.

Why I Like This Book: This book is just darling!  Mathilda is so delightful, so cheerful, so optimistic and imaginative and determined.  “What is a balloon?” she asks, and when the others answer that it is round and it flies, Mathilda (who is a gray sheep) shows them that she too is round and can fly.  “What is orange?” she asks, and when the others answer that it is fierce like a tiger, warm like wool, and happy, she shows them that she is all those things too.  The art and the text are simple and sweet, and the message that you can be anything you want if you believe in yourself is one that is near and dear to my heart (since it is the same message that Punxsutawney Phyllis has :))  And I just have to share my favorite line from the story when Mathilda first catches sight of the orange balloon: “Mathilda had never seen anything so magnificent.” 🙂

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF bloggers, please be sure to leave your post-specific links in the list below so we can all come visit you and enjoy your selections for this week!  And please remember there will be no PPBF for the next two weeks because of the March Madness Writing Contest – so no PPBF March 21 or 28!!!

Have a great weekend, everyone!  I guess we will all be working on writing our fairy tales… wink wink nudge nudge… right??? 🙂 (For March Madness Writing Contest guidelines go HERE.)

Oh and P.S.  Be sure to stop by Monday for a guest post on a very interesting topic! (At least I think it’s interesting! :))

Perfect Picture Book Friday – JJ The American Street Dog

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Well, it’s Friday, and guess what?  It’s still zero!

Every morning I wake up all hopeful that today will be warmer.  The light is coming earlier (well, at least until daylight savings times throws a monkey wrench in that on Saturday night :)), and the angle of the light says spring is coming.  The robins are incurably optimistic.  But every morning I walk downstairs and check the thermometer and it’s still COLD.

The novelty has worn off.

I’ve forgotten what grass looks like.

But it is March!  Time is on our side!  And to help us throw off the winter doldrums, we have the amazing March Madness Writing Contest to distract us, with the fantastic first prize of a read and critique by Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary!  So I hope you’re all busily concocting stories 🙂

Chins up, everyone!  It’s technically less than 2 weeks until spring AND the contest fun! 🙂

And now, how about a Perfect Picture Book or two or twenty to get us through the weekend?

Title: JJ The American Street Dog And How He Came To Live At Our House
Written By: Diane Rose-Solomon
Illustrated By: Rachel Cellinese
SOP3 Publishing, 2012, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: responsibility, pets, rescue animals

Opening: “Since as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted a dog.  At night, I dream about dogs.  Little dogs with floppy ears and short legs. Big dogs with pointy ears and long legs. There are brown dogs, tan dogs and spotted all over dogs. Some are even pink and green. But those dogs are just in my dreams.”

Brief Synopsis: Maya has always wanted a dog.  When her Uncle Jerry finds a stray, it looks like maybe her dream will come true.  But what if his owner comes to claim him?  Maya learns a lot about stray dogs and about what it is to care for a pet of her own.

Links To Resources: talk about caring for pets, discuss responsibility and what that means in relation to taking care of an animal, talk about making thoughtful decisions, Bookmaking Activity, free downloadable worksheets for individual grades, Animal Welfare Lessons from the ASPCA, some animal rescue information at the back of the book.

Why I Like This Book: Well, you guys all know I love dogs, and that both my dogs are rescues, so this is a topic near and dear to my heart.  The story is entertaining and serves to get across a lot of information to help kids understand why dogs may be homeless and how they can help.  Although this is a fictional story, the information presented within it is true.  Lots of kids want pets, or think they do, so a story like this can be helpful in promoting discussion of exactly what is involved and expected.

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF bloggers, please be sure to leave your post-specific links in the list below so we can all come visit you (since it’s still too cold to spend much time outside!)

Have a great weekend, everyone!!! 🙂