Hurray!  It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday!

I’m excited because this weekend I’ll be at the New York State Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, reading during story time with my author friends Iza Trapani and Nancy Shaw, and signing copies of Can’t Sleep Without Sheep and some of my other books alongside them.

If you’ve never been to Sheep & Wool, I highly recommend it if you’re in the area!  It’s like the fair, only with lovely autumn weather, every kind of sheep under the sun,

llamas and alpacas,

craft workshops, gorgeous yarns,

knitting and crochet patterns, beautiful clothing and other gift items made from wool, all kinds of fun activities for kids, AND delicious treats like apple crisp made from local apples! 🙂

I hope you’ll join us!

Meanwhile, today’s Perfect Picture Book fits rather nicely with the sheep and wool theme since it’s all about farming and getting ready for winter!  Have a look!

Title: Sleep Tight Farm: A Farm Prepares For Winter

Written By: Eugenie Doyle

Illustrated By: Becca Stadtlander

Chronicle Books, August 2016, nonfiction

Suitable For Ages: publisher says 2-5 but I think 3-7 is equally doable

Themes/Topics: nature, seasons (fall/winter), farming, jobs/careers

Opening: “The December days shorten and darken.  We are busy putting the farm to bed.”

Brief Synopsis: This peaceful book shows a family getting their farm ready for winter after the cycle of spring growth, summer heat, and fall harvest.  Beautiful and informative.

Links To Resources: author’s note at the end describes her life on the farm; extensive list of Autumn Lesson Plans from Scholastic; fun Fall & Harvest-Themed Lesson Plans from Bright Hub Education; 10 Easy Steps To Making Homemade Jam With Your Kids; draw a picture of a farm; draw the fruits and vegetables you would like to grow and pick!

Why I Like This Book: This is a very quiet book.  It shows a family harvesting the fruits of their year-long labor – fruits and vegetables, honey from the beehives, wood to warm their home – and tucking their farm in for the winter.  The harvest is pictured ripe and colorful.  The indoor scenes of home and barn are cozy and filled with warm, bright colors, animals and loving family.  By the last page where the light is blue and silver and the snow is falling gently you feel just as tucked in as the farm 🙂  But in addition to being a calm and cozy read, it is extremely informative about how the things we eat are grown and harvested, so young readers will get a sense of where their food comes from.  A pleasant and educational 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 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!!!  Work on your Halloweensie entries!!!  🙂  Come to NYS Sheep & Wool if you can!!! 🙂