Category: Perfect Picture Book Fridays

Perfect Picture Book Friday – The Girl Who Heard Colors PLUS A Contest Announcement!

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Boy, oh, boy are we going to have tons of fun today!

(Which is good because we’re back in sub-zero temperatures around here and I might get cranky about that if not for all the fun! :))

First of all, it’s Perfect Picture Book Friday, and what’s not to love about that?

Second of all, we have a winner of today’s book from our meet the author post on Monday!  (You can see the post HERE if you missed it.)

Finally, someone around here, who clearly cannot be left unsupervised for a second!, has been hatching a hare-brained scheme, and I suppose it’s about time I let you in on it 🙂  But first – our perfect picture book!

Title: The Girl Who Heard Colors
Written By: Marie Harris
Illustrated By: Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Nancy Paulsen Books, September 2013, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-8

Themes/Topics: synesthesia, differences, acceptance, perception, five senses

Opening: “Jillian loved the world with all her five senses.  She loved the tickling touch of her bunny’s whiskers on her cheek.  She loved the taste of warm maple syrup on waffles.”

Brief Synopsis: When Jillian hears a dog barking, she sees red.  When she rings her bike bell, she sees silver.  The wind in the pines is soft gray, and the rain, light purple.  Jillian has synesthesia – a way of perceiving that causes sound to have color.  But when the kids at school tease her, suddenly it doesn’t feel like such a great thing to have.  It takes a special teacher to help them all see it for the gift it is.

Links To Resources: The back of the book has information about synesthesia.  Neuroscience For Kids has information about synesthesia as well as a test you can try.  Science News For Students also has a lot of information.  HERE is a test to see if you might be a synesthete.  Talk about what it would be like to hear colors or taste sounds.  Are there times when experiencing the world like that would be an advantage?  A disadvantage?

Why I Like This Book: I always like books that encourage acceptance and tolerance.  There is too much variety in the world for any one way to be the “right” way to be or believe or perceive.  So I like this book for that reason.  But it’s also a beautifully written story that any child who has ever felt different will relate to.  The language is poetic (not surprising since it was written by a New Hampshire poet laureate :).)  And synesthesia itself is absolutely fascinating.  I finished this book and found myself wishing I could be a synesthete for a day, just to see how cool it would be to experience the world that way!

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

The next item on our agenda of excitement today is to let you know who won the book so generously donated by Marie.  Random.org has chosen our winner and it is Tracy Campbell!  Woo-hoo, Tracy!  Come on down!  Your prize is a signed copy of THE GIRL WHO HEARD COLORS!  Please email me with your address (which I probably have but can’t find! :)) and I’ll get it right out to you!

And now, one last item before we all head off for the weekend….

It’s been a long winter.

We’ve had a lot of snow, and more is coming Sunday into Monday (according to the local weatherman who seriously needs to be replaced by a new weatherman with better news!)

It’s been bitterly cold, day after day, for weeks on end.

The icicles have icicles!

I think it’s time for some fun!

And it seems to me, we haven’t had a writing contest in nearly 3 months…

SO, boys and girls, hold onto your hats, because we’re taking Hare-Brained Scheme to a whole new level!

Announcing

The March Madness Writing Contest!

The Contest: Write a children’s story, in poetry or prose, maximum 400 words, that is a fractured fairy tale.  Feel free to add a theme of spring, or mix in one of the spring holidays if you like – St. Patrick’s Day, April Fools Day, Easter or Passover, Arbor Day, Earth Day…  Have fun with it !  The madder* the better! 🙂
*as in wild and wacky, not angry 🙂

You do not have to include spring – that is optional.
The story can be a picture book or a short story – whatever you like.
If it’s a picture book, you may NOT include art notes, because we get into a weird area of whether that’s fair in terms of word count and added description etc.  So if you write a picture book that’s wonderful, but make sure art notes aren’t necessary to understand it.
Post:  Your entry should be posted on your blog between Thursday March 20 at 12:01 AM EST and Monday March 24 at 11:59 PM EST, and your post-specific link should be added to the link list on the official  post which will go up on my blog on Thursday March 20 (no PPBF March 21!) and remain up through Wednesday March 26 (no new post on Monday March 24, no WYRI on March 26).  If you don’t have a blog but would like to enter, please copy and paste your entry into the comments on my March 20th post.  (If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, please email me and I’ll post your entry for you!)

The Judge:  My lovely assistant and I will narrow down the entrants to five (or possibly a couple more :)) finalists which will be posted here on Thursday March 27 for you to vote on for a winner.  The vote will be closed at 5PM EST on March 30 and the winner will be announced on Monday March 31.

The Prizes!:  

 – 1st Prize is a read and critique by Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary!!! (Unless for some reason you don’t want a read and critique by an agent, in which case you may swap for any of the other prizes)
 – 2nd Prize is a picture book manuscript critique (for rhyming mss only) by Lori Degman, author of 1 ZANY ZOO and the forthcoming COCK-A-DOODLE-OOPS! OR a picture book manuscript critique (for non-rhyming mss only) by Cori Doerrfeld, author/illustrator of LITTLE BUNNY FOO FOO and PENNY LOVES PINK as well as illustrator of many others.
 – 3rd Prize is personalized signed copies of THE THREE NINJA PIGS and GOLDI ROCKS & THE THREE BEARS by Corey Rosen Schwartz PLUS a $25 Amazon Gift Card
 – 4th and 5th Prizes are your choice of any two of the following picture books PLUS a $20 Amazon Gift Card:
     – THE THREE LITTLE WOLVES AND THE BIG BAD PIG by Eugene Trivizas
     – CINDY ELLEN: A WILD WESTERN CINDERELLA by Susan Lowell
     – LITTLE RED WRITING by Joan Holub
     – THE THREE LITTLE PIGS AND THE SOMEWHAT BAD WOLF by Mark Teague
     – THE PRINCESS AND THE PEAS by Caryl Hart
     – THE WOLF’S STORY: WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD by Toby Forward
     – GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE DINOSAURS by Mo Willems

Now.  The really hare-brained part of all this is that it will be followed by a related Illustrator Contest in April!!! (to be announced and elaborated on later! :))

I know!!!

That kind of excitement bowls you right over, don’t it? 🙂

And with that, I wish you a lovely time perusing the rest of today’s perfect picture books!  PPBF bloggers, please leave your post-specific links in the list below.

Have a great weekend, everyone!!!  (And fire up those thinking caps!)

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Knut

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Happy Friday, everyone!

I don’t know where this week has flown off to, but my goodness it passed me right by!  I’m still on about Tuesday!

The perfect picture book I had lined up for today turned out not to meet my standards of perfection – it was “meh” (that is an industry term meaning didn’t love it :)) – so, given the craziness of life on Blueberry Hill, I am recycling a beloved favorite.  I hope you like this one as much as I do.  And how fitting to have a book about a polar bear when the arctic has been at my house since Christmas and shows no sign of leaving any time soon!  (Anyone seen John Belushi’s SNL skit about The Guest Who Wouldn’t Leave? :))

Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated The World
Written (Told) By: Juliana, Isabella, and Craig Hatkoff and Dr. Gerald R. Uhlich
Photographs By: Peter Griesbach, Andre Schule, Sean Gallup,  Rainer Jensen and others.
Scholastic Press, November 2007, nonfiction

Suitable For: ages 5 and up

Themes/Topics: animals, endangered animals, caring, environmentalism

Opening:  “One December afternoon, in a cozy, dark enclosure in a zoo in Berlin, Germany, a polar bear cub was born.”

Brief Synopsis:  This is the true story of Knut, a newborn polar bear whose mother was unable to care for him.  Thomas Dorflein, a bear keeper at the zoo, became Knut’s “foster father” – bottle feeding him, bathing him, sleeping beside him and teaching him to play and swim.  Knut was loved the world over, and helped bring recognition to the plight of polar bears, endangered by the potential loss of their habitat.

Links to resources:  Knut Teaching Resources.  This link has subsequent links to activities, video clips, articles, and other animals-against-adversity stories.  The back of the book also has lots of information about polar bears, how they are threatened, and how you can help.

Why I Like This Book:  It’s a true story, and a deeply touching one, that is also educational and informative.  The photographs are gorgeous and very appealing.  It shows that there are people in the world who care enough to sacrifice a great deal to help someone else – even if that someone else happens to be a baby polar bear.  The book brings attention to ecological concerns, the environment, and caring for all species, and lists ways kids can help.

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

PPBF bloggers, please leave your post-specific links on the list below so we can all come enjoy your picks for this week!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Perfect Picture Book Friday – I Hatched!

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ACK!  Posting glitch!  Sorry I’m late, everyone!

Happy Valentines Day Everyone!

My book choice for today has nothing to do with Valentines, but here is some Valentine love for you 🙂

Suitably picture book-y, don’t you think? 🙂

But, I kid you not when I tell you I LOVE this book!  Please go out and read it as soon as you can – it’s SO cute 🙂

Title: I Hatched!
Written By: Jill Esbaum
Illustrated By: Jen Corace
Dial Books For Young Readers, January 2014, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 2-4 (according to publisher) – I think kids a little older would still like it.

Themes/Topics: being yourself, wonder, learning new things

Opening: “A patch of light!
One final peck.
I give a shove and s-t-r-e-t-c-h my neck.
Then – CRACK!“

Brief Synopsis: A baby killdeer chick comes out of his egg and sees himself and the world around him for the first time.  Goofy and sweet and filled with awe, his energy and enthusiasm are delightful to behold.

Links To Resources: HERE are lots of activities related to hatching chicks without having to actually hatch them at home or in the classroom! HERE are a whole bunch of chick crafts (not killdeers but still cute :)) Talk about what baby chicks can do when they’re born?  How does that compare with baby cats and dogs?  How about with baby horses?  And how about with baby humans?

Why I Like This Book: So full of energy and delight I think it’s impossible not to like this book!  The newly hatched chick’s boundless joy at seeing the brand new world around him is so contagious.  As he learns about himself, he’s so pleased with everything: how fast he can run! how handsome his stripe is!  And I don’t think there’s a child who won’t chuckle over the page where he says, “I stop because… look out below!/Something’s falling from my… oh./Here’s a shocker.  Please don’t stare,/but take a peek… I’m ORANGE down there!” 🙂  Everyone should have as much confidence and self-esteem as this little guy.  And the end of the story has a lovely surprise for him 🙂

I hope you like it as much as I do 🙂

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!

Have a GREAT weekend, everyone! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Four Feet, Two Sandals

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So, did you all watch the Olympics last night?

I had totally planned on competing, but I was so busy with writing and whatnot that I forgot to trot out and qualify.  Lucky for Jamie Anderson and Yuna Kim and Tina Maze 🙂

You should see me on figure skates.

And skis.

And a snowboard.

Truly, it’s a sight hitherto unimagined.

There really aren’t words…

…   😀

(Although John Belushi’s Little Chocolate Donut Decathlon performance might come close :))

I think I really could put forth a World Class performance in Chocolate Consumption if they would just get serious and add that to the program, but some people refuse to recognize it as a sport…!

So, let’s have some HOT chocolate and get down to business, shall we?  Today’s Perfect Picture Book takes place where it’s warm (a concept I know I’m familiar with but can’t seem to remember!)

Four Feet, Two Sandals
Written By:  Karen Lynn Williams & Khadra Mohammed
Illustrated By:  Doug Chayka
Eerdmans Books For Young Readers, September 2007, Fiction
Suitable For: ages 7-10
Themes/Topics:  Friendship, Sharing, Refugees, Loss, Separation

Opening:  “Lina raced barefoot to the camp entrance where relief workers threw used clothing off the back of a truck.   Everyone pushed and fought for the best clothes.  Lina squatted and reached, grabbing what she could.”

Brief Synopsis:  In a place where people have very little, two girls each get one of a pair of sandals.  They could have fought, but instead they share the sandals.  As they go about their routines, waiting and hoping for their names to appear on the list for a new home, the sandals remind them that friendship is the most important thing.  And when one girl gets the chance to live in a new land, the bond of their friendship remains.

Links To Resources:  Teacher’s Guide, Discussion Guide, author’s note at back of book adds extra information.

Why I Like This Book:  This story gives children a glimpse of a very different kind of life.  For children who are fortunate, this book may help them not to take things for granted so much.  For children who are less fortunate, this book may help them see that they are not alone.  Told gently and with hope so that it is appropriate for children, this book nonetheless opens the way to important discussions about refugees, having and not having, war and peace, loss, and separation.  But the underlying message is one of love and friendship, something all children understand and can relate to.

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

I think if we all exert our mental powers at the same time, we can convince winter to leave.  Shall we plan for Saturday at noon?  Does that work for everyone? 🙂

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

Have a great weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Goldy Luck And The Three Pandas

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Happy New Year again everyone, because today is Chinese New Year and the first day of The Year Of The Horse!  The Year Of The Horse is said to bring health, prosperity and good luck and I wish that for all of you!

In celebration of Chinese New Year, I have the perfect picture book, hot off the presses from Natasha Yim.  She will be doing an interview here soon, which may supply even more resources for this book, so keep an eye out for that.  Meanwhile, here’s the book (which is also perfect in view of Multicultural Children’s Book Day which was Monday :)):

Title: Goldy Luck And The Three Pandas
Written By: Natasha Yim
Illustrated By: Grce Zong
Charlesbridge, January 2014, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: retelling of classic tale, holidays (Chinese New Year), taking responsibility

Opening: “When Goldy Luck was born her mother said, “Year of the Golden Dragon – very lucky year.  This child will have good luck.”
“She has a face as round as a gold coin,” said her father.  “This child will bring great wealth.”
But Goldy had neither great wealth or good luck.  In fact, she could never seem to keep money in her piggy bank, and she had a habit of breaking things.”

Brief Synopsis: Goldy Luck is sent to deliver turnip cakes to the Chan family for Chinese New Year in spite of the fact that she’s sleepy and hasn’t had breakfast yet.  When she arrives, the Chans are not home, so she samples their congee, tries out their chairs, and naps in Little Chan’s bed, leaving chaos in her wake.

Links To Resources: the back of the book includes an author’s note about traditions of Chinese New Year, a diagram and explanation of the Chinese zodiac, and a recipe for turnip cakes.

Why I Like This Book:  I love retellings of classic tales, and this is a fun one.  It takes Goldilocks and the Three Bears to China to celebrate Chinese New Year 🙂  Although the story follows the basic format of the original, it departs after the Chans (panda bears in this version :)) come home.  Goldy initially runs away (as she does in the original story) but her conscience gets the better of her and she decides to take responsibility for her actions and returns to the Chans’s home to help tidy up.  The ending makes for a big improvement over the original 🙂  And I love that so much back matter is included, making it so easy to expand on the use of the book.  The art is bright and engaging, ending with a sweet picture of Goldy and Little Chan sharing turnip cake, the rug underneath them a depiction of the Chinese zodiac 🙂

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

Before we all take our leave for the weekend, let me take a moment to remind you of the ongoing high jinx and shenanigans around here: Phyllis’s Fun Fashion Show!  There are already a number of FANTASTIC Phyllis’s up: Steampunk Phyllis, Divergent Phyllis, Opera Phyllis, Done With Glum Phyllis, Olympic Phyllis, Punxsutawney Elvis, Glow-In-The-Dark Phyllis, Mardi Gras Phyllis, and Rock Star Phyllis ready to sing with Bruno Mars at the Super Bowl!  Don’t miss all the great entries (link list HERE)  And there’s still time to enter YOUR Fashion Phyllis!  (Contest guidelines also HERE).

Sunday (GROUNDHOG DAY!) we will have a special post with a line up of all the Fashion Show Phyllises so you can see them all and vote for your favorite… and also find out what Phyllis’s prediction will be: 6 more weeks of winter or early spring?

PPBF bloggers, please be sure to leave your post-specific links in the list below so we can all come see what you picked this week!

Looking forward to seeing everyone Sunday!!!  Happy Weekend, y’all! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Willow Finds A Way

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So.

Whose idea was this polar vortex thing?

I have to say, I am not in favor.  (Not that I recall getting a vote!)

My thermometer has forgotten how to go above 1.  I have been forced to waste gas to get Princess Blue Kitty’s engine properly warmed before driving (which I’m sure is contributing to the environmental circumstances responsible for this weather!)  Worst of all, I’m afraid Punxsutawney Phyllis isn’t even going to emerge on February 2 if it doesn’t get a little warmer, never mind make a prediction!  She is a fan of all weather, but even she has her limits!  Plus, I heard a rumor that her long underwear is missing…

In protest, since I’m feeling bullied by the weather, I’ve decided to do a Perfect Picture Book about one way to deal with bullies!

Title: Willow Finds A Way
Written By: Lana Button
Illustrated By: Tania Howells
Kids Can Press, March 2013, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-7

Themes/Topics: bullying, problem solving, friendship, self-confidence

Opening: “In Willow’s class, Kristabelle was the boss.  Willow wished for words that would say, “no,” when Kristabelle told her where to sit, and what to play, and who to play with.  But when Kristabelle spoke, everyone did as they were told.  Even Willow.“

Brief Synopsis: Kristabelle, the class boss, is having a fabulous birthday party, and Willow really wants to go.  But when Kristabelle un-invites some of the other kids, Willow has to decide which is more important: the party, or doing what’s right.

Links To Resources: This book is a good one for opening discussions about friendship, bullying, and self-confidence.  What makes a good friend?  How does bullying make people feel?  Anti-Bullying Tips and Conflict Mediation Tips which you can read and then discuss with kids.  Read Enemy Pie and talk about how Derek and Willow’s approaches are different.  Which one do you think would work better?

Why I Like This Book: This is a charming story in which Willow models one way of dealing with a classmate who is a bully/has a controlling personality.  Her response is a refusal to take part in the exclusion.  She doesn’t get mad or yell or carry on.  She thinks.  And she comes to a decision about what is right for her.  By taking the action she does, she shows the other children that they have a choice and encourages them to embrace it.  She makes her point by disengaging, which is something a lot of kids could have success with in similar situations.

(Willow’s Whispers was reviewed for PPBF a couple weeks ago by Pat Tilton and would make a nice companion read.)

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

Following Willow’s example of disengagement, I’ve decided to disengage from winter and go where it is not negative-something degrees!  If you need me, I’ll be here 🙂

PPBF bloggers, please leave your post-specific links on the list below so we can all come visit you (if we can thaw enough to move :))

Have a great weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

(Oh, and P.S. – I’m hoping to have an interview with Lana Button, the author of Willow’s Whispers and Willow Finds A Way, sometime in the not-too-distant future, so keep a weather eye! :))

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Love Monster

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Happy Friday Everyone!

And you know what Friday means, right?

Perfect Picture Books!!!

(And only slightly less exciting, the WEEKEND!)

(oops… did I accidentally make that look MORE exciting?)

It just so happens that this weekend is a long weekend, which is why, as you are reading this, if I survive the blog talk radio interview I’m supposed to do first – GULP! – (will there ever come a time when I can do these things without wanting to go hide in the coat closet? :)) – I will be driving to collect number 4 for a couple days of rest and relaxation (probable translation, he’s out of clean clothes, so why not come home for a visit? :))

Was that a run-on sentence?

If you live anywhere between my house and the coast of Massachusetts, I’ll wave to you as I drive by 🙂

Anyway, here is my book for the day.  I love it.  I hope you will too! 🙂

Title: Love Monster
Written & Illustrated By: Rachel Bright
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2012, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: ages 2-5

Themes/Topics: being different, being yourself, acceptance, love

Opening:  “This is a monster.  (Hello, Monster.)  I think you’ll agree, he’s a little bit funny-looking.  To say the least.  He lives in a world of cute, fluffy things.  Which makes being funny-looking pretty, darn hard.“

Brief Synopsis: Monster has a hard time being a bit funny-looking in a world of cuteness, so he goes out looking for someone who will love him just the way he is.

Links To Resources: Shape Monsters Craft, Monster Bags (for Halloween treats or regular old lunch :)),  Make A Messy Monster (if you wanted it to match this book you could make it red instead of the green that is pictured), Hand Print Monsters. This story would pair well with Mostly Monsterly by Tammi Sauer (another book about a monster whose insides don’t match the outsides)

Why I Like This Book: This book is so cute!  Monster is rather funny-looking in his own “slightly hairy”, “googly-eyed” way, but underneath the hair he is sweet and sensitive and only wants to be loved for who he is.  That is something we can all relate to 🙂  He searches high… and low… and middle-ish :)… looking for someone who will love him.  Things get pretty dark.  Literally 🙂  And just when he’s given up… well, I’m not going to TELL you – that would ruin the ending 🙂  The pictures are endearing, and there is a lot of humor to be found in the details.  For writers, this is an example of a story that is beautifully done in about 235 words.  Little kids will love the delightful pictures and spare text, and slightly older ones will appreciate the humor.

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

Now, I hope you all enjoy reading each other books!  I have a date with Princess Blue Kitty (my car, for those of you who haven’t met her :))  PPBF bloggers, please leave your post-specific links on the list below so we can all come visit!

Have a great (long) weekend, everyone!

Perfect Picture Book Friday – No T. Rex In The Library

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WOO-HOO!

It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday again!

I know we had a little mini one last week, but that didn’t really count because I wasn’t really here 🙂  So I’m excited to see what everyone has to offer today!  Here’s mine:

Title: No T. Rex In The Library
Written By: Toni Buzzeo
Illustrated By: Sachiko Yoshikawa
Margaret McElderry Books, February 2010, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: behavior, imagination, library

Opening: “It’s Tuesday morning in the library.  Tess is out of control.  “Time out!” Mommy shouts.  “No beastie behavior in the library.”“

Brief Synopsis: Tess is not exhibiting proper library behavior, so her mother puts her in time out.  But while she’s there, a T. Rex escapes from a book and runs amok.  Will Tess be able to get him under control?

Links To Resources: Curriculum Connections (classroom activities); T. Rex Classroom Activities; Dinosaur Coloring Pages  If you were a T. Rex, what would you do if you got out of your book?  What other characters can you imagine escaping from a book?  What would they do?  Read Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen.  How are the stories alike and how are they different?  How does T. Rex’s behavior compare to Lion’s?

Why I Like This Book: All kids have a little trouble behaving decorously sometimes.  But when Tess gets put in  time out, the adventure is just beginning.  The T. Rex escapes from his book and charges madly around the library, taking Tess (and readers) on a wild tour of the different sections and offering them a glimpse of the treasures they will find there – history, adventure, knights, pirates, and the wild west etc.  Tess goes from  being the one out of control to being the one who has to get the T. Rex under control.  And she manages it based on her own experience, so that the book ends quietly and sweetly.  The art is bright and energetic and fun.  All around a cute book 🙂

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

Now.  Because I am behind in catching up from my little internet vacation, I’ve got nothing else to say today.

I know!

It boggles the mind!

But you guys are off the hook 🙂

Run free!  Frolic!  Enjoy everyone else’s PPBF picks! 🙂

And PPBF bloggers, please leave your post-specific links in the list below.

Have a great weekend, everyone.  I’ll see you Monday if I have anything interesting to share :), otherwise Wednesday for Would You Read It!

Perfect Picture Book Friday

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Hi Everyone!

Happy New Year!

I’m not actually posting today – I’m not done with my blog vacation until January 8 – but I realized (thanks to my email notifications) that there were people expecting PPBF today, so I’m putting up the link list for anyone who wants to participate.

Have fun!

See you all next week! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – The Little Dog In The Middle Of The Road PLUS An Author Interview & Giveaway!!!

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Whoopee!  It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday!

I had a couple holiday books I was thinking of sharing… but then I couldn’t decide which one to pick because this will likely be the only PPBF in December (unless you all clamor for PPBF on Dec. 20… if you want to do PPBF on Dec. 20 clamor loudly in the comments!)

And then I had the good fortune to read this book, and it was so sweet I had to share it because you will likely all want to go out and buy it as a holiday gift for someone in your circle of family and friends!  (That is a hint :))  (This is a LINK :))  So instead of a book about the holidays you’re getting a book you can give for the holidays 🙂

For extra special fun today, below the PPBF post we have a little Q&A with the author, Sharon Stanley, and a giveaway!!! so somebody will WIN a signed copy – lucky dog 🙂 – and a cute handmade toy!)

But first, here’s the book!

Title: The Little Dog In The Middle Of The Road
Written By: Sharon P. Stanley
Illustrated By: Deidre Carr
Silver Tongue Press, November 3, 2013, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: animals, emotion (sadness, feeling abandoned, determination, joy), love, pets, problem solving

Opening: “Once there was a little dog that lived in a pleasant house with a pleasant person on a pleasant street.
“I will be taking a trip,” said the little dog’s person one morning, “and you will stay here while I’m gone.  Mrs. Thistleberry will come and give you your supper.  You must not leave the yard.  When I return, I will bring you a juicy bone.”
And so it was.“

Brief Synopsis:  Little Dog’s person is going away, so Little Dog is left in the care of Mrs. Thistleberry who neither likes nor understands him.  Longing for his person, he disobeys instructions and sets out to find her.

Links To Resources: check out these fun things kids can do to help shelter pets and give some of them a try ASPCA; 10 Ways Kids Can Help Animal Shelters; dog coloring pages; talk with your child or class about how to take good care of pets; draw a picture of a happy dog or a sad dog or an angry dog – tell or write a story about why the dog feels that way; if you have a dog (or want to donate to a shelter) bake dog biscuits recipe here!

Why I Like This Book: Well, you all know I love dogs 🙂 so I was an easy mark, but this story is so sweet even a non-dog-lover will enjoy it.  Little Dog is quirky and cute and brave and determined.  The story is beautifully written to evoke Little Dog’s emotions – young readers will feel his sadness over missing his person, his determination to find her, his worry that he’ll never see her again, and (spoiler alert!) his joy when they are reunited.  The art is just right for the story and includes the delightful detail of an ant pushing an olive for kids to find on every page (which Sharon will explain below in the interview.)  And it is based on a true story!  For anyone who has ever been left with a babysitter they don’t like, or who has ever worried about whether someone they love will return, this is a warm, reassuring story.

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

And now, for a little treat, please meet Sharon Stanley!

Sharon P. Stanley


SLH: Thank you so much for joining us today, Sharon!  Can you tell us a little about yourself?


SPS: I’m Sharon P Stanley and I write picture books.  I live with 5 chickens, 4 dogs, 3 cats, 2 sons, and one husband (and a partridge in a pear tree) and a couple hundred cows at White Oak Farm, a working farm in rural Virginia.  It’s a crop circle of craziness that affords me a never-ending supply of writing material.  Although I had always toyed with writing, I got serious after my youngest graduated high school two years ago.  The Little Dog in the Middle of the Road is my first published picture book in print.

(You can visit Sharon at her website: http://sharonpstanley.weebly.com and “like” her on FB HERE.)
SLH: What was the inspiration for Little Dog?

SPS: My niece found a tiny little black dog sitting calmly in the middle of the road one afternoon.  Worried, she carried him home and placed him in the garage leaving a small crack in the door.  The next morning when she left for work, there was the little dog once again sitting calmly in the middle of the road.  She was able to find his owner, but I couldn’t get that picture out of my mind…it seemed strange for such a little dog to just sit trustingly and calmly in the middle of a busy road, almost as if he knew if he sat there, his person would somehow find him.  I had to fill in a few blanks, but the story wrote itself.

The real Olive

Coincidently, I was looking for a puppy and right after that, bought Olive who looks very much like Little Dog in my story.  When Deidre Carr the illustrator heard this, she added the little ant with the “olive” as a little secret tribute to my own little dog.  Very clever!  I’m finding little ones seem to love looking for the little olive in the book as they read it.
SLH:  Tell us about your road to publication!

SPS:  When I decided to work towards having my book published, I joined SCBWI and an online writing group.  I found an editor to review my story and made lots of tweaks and changes over a period of time.  When I felt I had something worth reading, I researched and submitted to several small publishers and one agent.  I was rejected by the pubs, but the agent was very helpful.  We wrote back and forth several times and though she was not interested in the book, she gave me great feedback, and complimented my “voice,” which she thought was a bit unique.  I can’t begin to say just how much this helped me.  I wasn’t at all sure I had a voice as I don’t have a writing background or education.  She gave me confidence to continue submitting.  I heard through a writing group there was a small new publisher interested in children’s books, so I submitted.   Needless to say I was thrilled when they sent a contract!  It’s been a wonderful learning experience.

She’s serious about the cows, folks 🙂


SLH: What’s next for you?

SPS: I am so excited to have contracts with another small publisher, Guardian Angel Publishing, for more picture books.  I seem to gravitate toward animal stories (!) and also have a book of children’s haiku coming out.  I hope to write and write and write till the cows come home.   Right now, Little Dog and I are having a ball promoting his book.
SLH: Do you have any Words of Wisdom for other writers?

SPS: Ha!  I’m not a good one to offer advice to anyone as I seem to do things a bit differently from “real writers.”   When I get an idea, I write.  Otherwise, it seems flat to me.  I have found that the books I have found homes for, took on a life of their own.  It’s as if they knew what they needed to be, and I tried not to get in the way.  For instance, I had a story idea about a donkey, but when the book was finished it was about a rabbit…not a donkey in site.   I don’t even know where it came from, suddenly there was just this little rabbit asking to have her story told.  I don’t think there is a right or wrong way to write.  I think you have to find your voice in whatever way works best for you.   When I started writing I set goals and then assigned methods to each goal so I had a real plan.  I followed it closely and it worked for me.
I knew I wanted to find a small publisher.   I like small.  I think it’s really important to be true to what feels right to you.  For some, that’s finding an agent, submitting to a large publisher, or taking classes. For others, it’s attending conferences, self-publishing or joining a critique group. 
Working with an editor before submitting is extremely helpful to me.  I read several writing blogs and find that more experienced writers are happy to share ideas and advice.  I read everything out loud, over and over, and  I always have notebook with me in case I get an idea.
Lastly, I suggest anyone considering publication read Mem Fox’s hints for writers on her website, and take each and every suggestion to heart.  I have her site bookmarked for that very reason.
An Idea:
One thing Little Dog and I are really excited about is partnering with a local nursery school for their Book Night.  We will be signing books, playing games, and enjoying doggie crafts and snacks in January, and we decided to invite each child to bring a can/bag of dog food for a local dog rescue group in our town.  B.A.R.K. will be there to receive our donations and hopefully our local newspaper will cover the story.  I’ll also donate a portion of book sale proceeds to the nursery school, so it should be a win, win, win situation!    

Thanks so much Susanna for the opportunity to share Little Dog’s publication journey with everyone (including Phyllis!) here on your blog.  There really is “something for everyone in the world of children’s books!”

Thank YOU so much for taking the time to join us, Sharon!

For those of you who might be interested, you can purchase Sharon’s book HERE.  And here’s the book trailer 🙂

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And now, we have a lovely gift!  Sharon has generously donated a signed copy of her book for a giveaway as well as a little handmade toy of Little Dog!

All you have to do to be entered to win is leave a comment below!  We would love it if you have any dog stories to share… but realize not everyone has dogs… 🙂  so feel free to substitute the pet of your choice, or just tell us who you’d like the book for (and it’s fine if you say yourself :))

PPBF bloggers, please leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 🙂