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!
Look at that! It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday again!
And just in time, too!
In keeping with my theme for this week (you know, the one where I insist that spring is coming in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary 😊 ) I have the perfect book!
Quick like springtime bunnies before we get to it, though, I want to announce that the winners of the copies of Bindu’s Bindis donated by publisher Sterling Children’s Books (from the PPBF post on February 26) are Sue Heavenrich and Anna Maledon! (because they actually sent two copies so YAY!) Please email me (susanna [at] susannhill [dot] com) with your snail mail address and I’ll send them out to you ASAP!
And now. . .
Title: Finding Spring
Written & Illustrated By: Carin Berger
Greenwillow Books, January 2015, fiction
Suitable For Ages: 4-8 (though I think a lot of 3 year olds would love it too 😊 )
Opening: “The forest was growing cold. Mama said that soon it would be time to sleep, but all Maurice could think about was his first spring.“
Brief Synopsis: Mama bear says it’s time to sleep, but all Maurice can think about is spring. So when Mama goes to sleep, Maurice sets out to find it. He has never seen spring, however, so he’s not really sure where to look or even what he’s looking for!
Why I Like This Book: Every child on earth understands impatience – how hard waiting is, and how much more fun to take action! Maurice is not deterred in the slightest by the fact that he doesn’t actually know what spring is. He just looks until he knows he’s found it. And he can tell he’s found it because it’s the most magical thing he’s ever seen! Just wait until you see what it is (and no, I’m not telling! 🙂 ) The book is illustrated with dioramas and cut-paper collages and is just gorgeous – a feast for the eyes of kids and grown-ups alike. A perfect choice for those of us currently longing for spring 🙂
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!!! 😊 And enjoy spring which starts TOMORROW!!! 😊
I have a such a sweet and lovely book to share today – one that feels just right for the coming of Spring! AND a special treat – an activity from the author herself!
One look at this cover, and you’ll be hard-pressed not to pick this book right up for a peek inside! And you won’t be disappointed! 😊
Opening: “One shepherd opens up the gate. “It’s time to eat.” The sheep can’t wait!”
Brief Synopsis: When Shepherd calls his sheep in for dinner, Little Ewe is too busy to listen. Before long, she finds herself lost! What’s a little lamb to do?
text copyright Laura Sassi 2021, illustration copyright Tommy Doyle 2021, Beaming Books
Links To Resources: Today we have a special resource from author Laura Sassi!
A LITTLE EWE BOOK-THEMED GAME: “Where are you, Little Ewe?” “I am here, Shepherd, dear.”
Did you know that sheep recognize the sound of their shepherd’s voice? Likewise, shepherds know their flocks well and recognize their sheep’s “baa-ahs”? In fact, that’s how Little Ewe and Shepherd find each other at the end of the story! Inspired by this caring connection, here’s a fun variation of the traditional “hot potato” game you can play as part of a LITTLE EWE storytime. To play, you will need music that you can turn on and off, a little toy lamb that can be passed around a circle (like the hot potato) and at least six children.
Select one child to be Shepherd. The rest will be the sheep. Have the sheep sit in a circle around the Shepherd, who will sit in the middle.
Show them the little sheep toy. Explain that when the music plays, the Shepherd will close his/her eyes and the sheep will quietly pass “Little Ewe” around the circle.
When the music stops, the Shepherd (eyes still closed) will see if he/she recognizes the the voice of Little Ewe by asking: “Where are you, Little Ewe?”
The child holding Little Ewe will answer: “I am here, Shepherd, dear.”
Allow the Shepherd a few guesses, if needed, to identify the sheep’s voice. Then celebrate as a flock with a chorus of baahs.
6. Rotate who gets to be Shepherd until every one has a chance. 7. At the end of the game marvel together just how wonderful it is that just as sheep have loving shepherds who care for them, we too have shepherds (brainstorm who those might be) who care for us.
Why I Like This Book: Written in trademark perfect rhyme, this sweet story with its charming illustrations shows a busy youngster caught up in the wonder of the world. Exploring one interesting thing after another, chasing three lizards and watching four spiders, bouncing on five floating logs and splashing with six frogs (note there is also a delightful counting element to this book!) it’s no surprise Little Ewe is too distracted to heed the shepherd’s call. What preschooler hasn’t found her/himself in that predicament!? 😊 When the sky begins to darken, Little Ewe suddenly realizes she’s lost, and oh! what a scary feeling that is! But the shepherd, kind and caring, has of course noticed one of his flock is missing. He goes right back out into the gathering shadows and finds his little lost lamb. Such a comforting resolution that will make every child feel safe and snug. Another gem from Laura 😊
text copyright Laura Sassi 2021, illustration copyright Tommy Doyle 2021, Beaming 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!
Welcome to the first Perfect Picture Book Friday in March!
Here on Blueberry Hill, no one seems to have gotten the memo that it IS March and therefore enough with the snow! It still seems to be snowing every day, at least for a while, even if only flurries. Pretty much not a day goes by when some amount of snow shoveling isn’t required!
So this Picture Book seems Perfect for today – an adorable story of a little snow plow doing his job!
Title: Small Walt Spots Dot
Written By: Elizabeth Verdick
Illustrated By: Marc Rosenthal
Publisher: Paula Wiseman Books, September 2020, fiction
Suitable For Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: jobs (plowing, keeping public spaces clear), teamwork, animal rescue, kindness
text copyright Elizabeth Verdick 2020, illustration copyright Marc Rosenthal 2020, Paula Wiseman Books
Opening: “Whoosh! Wind’s howling. Swoosh! Snow’s flying. Small Walt and Gus are on the road – and on the job. They’ve got lots of parking lots to plow.”
text copyright Elizabeth Verdick 2020, illustration copyright Marc Rosenthal 2020, Paula Wiseman Books
Brief Synopsis: Walt and his driver Gus are plowing a parking lot when a blur of fur catches Walt’s eye. It’s cold and snowy. Will Walt and Gus be able to help the stray?
text copyright Elizabeth Verdick 2020, illustration copyright Marc Rosenthal 2020, Paula Wiseman Books
text copyright Elizabeth Verdick 2020, illustration copyright Marc Rosenthal 2020, Paula Wiseman Books
Why I Like This Book: I love this book because it instantly reminds me of Katy And The Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton, one of the classics from my childhood, I think because of the style of the art as much as the fact that it’s about a snow plow. 😊 Small Walt is such an earnest, careful, and responsible little plow, able to get into those smaller spaces where the big plows can’t. He and his driver, Gus, take their job seriously. It is important and they do it well. But Walt also has his eye out for the community, and when he spots a stray dog, he knows he has to help. Together with the policewoman, Walt and Gus manage to catch the shivering stray and take her to the animal shelter. I like that the police person is a woman, and that she is not white (as well as that there is diversity in several of the illustrations.) And (spoiler alert!) I always like books that show animals being adopted from shelters. With its sweet story and engaging illustrations, this book will please the truck lovers and the dog lovers in your house or classroom!
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!
It’s another Perfect Picture Book Friday, and not only do I have a wonderful book to share, I also have a giveaway thanks to Sterling Children’s Books!
Leave a comment on this post to be entered in the random drawing and you could be the lucky winner of a hot-off-the-presses copy of Bindu’s Bindis when it releases March 16!
Let’s have a look at this wonderful book! 😊
Title: Bindu’s Bindis
Written By: Supriya Kelkar
Illustrated By: Parvati Pillai
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books, March 16, 2021
Opening: “Every month Bindu’s nani sent her a new set of bindis from India. Bindu adored her bindis. She wore them to the temple. She wore them on holidays. She wore them at home.”
Brief Synopsis: Bindu loves her family, especially her nani, and she loves the bindis that nani sends her. But sometimes, she feels different in a way that doesn’t feel good. But with her nani beside her and a lightning bolt bindi for courage, she finds she’s able to embrace who she is even if others sometimes find her differences strange.
Links To Resources: an author’s note at the end offers wonderful information and details about bindis; we are all unique – what are some things about you that others might find different, strange, or hard to understand about you even though they seem completely normal in your family?; we all have things in common – what are some things you share with people who seem different in some ways?; Bindu chooses certain bindis to match her mood/emotional state – a lightning bolt for feeling brave, an oval for pride, squiggly lines for feeling unique. Would you choose as Bindi does? What shapes would you choose to match feeling shy? Fierce? Uncertain?
Why I Like This Book: Bindu is a delightful and charming main character who bounces believably between exuberant self-confidence and sudden worrying uncertainty, but no matter what she faces she feels surrounded by and grounded in the love of her family, especially her beloved nani. I love the warm feeling of family, Bindu’s deep connection to nani, and the way culture and tradition come through as a natural part of the story without feeling forced or contrived. The bright, colorful art is a perfect complement to the brighter moments of the story, dimming to more subdued colors on the pages where Bindu’s confidence and security are challenged, and rising to a swirl of bright pink dress in the purple background of the stage when Bindu finds the courage to join nani. A lovely book that will introduce young readers to the meaning and importance of bindis.
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!
Don’t forget to leave a comment to get entered in the random drawing to win a copy of this lovely book!
With Valentines Day on the horizon (and the Valentiny Contest fast approaching!) I thought today was a good day for this lovely book about feelings!
Title: In My Heart: A Book Of Feelings
Written By: Jo Witek
Illustrated By: Christine Roussey
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed, October 2014, informational fiction
Suitable For Ages: 2-4 (but I think up to 6 would like!)
Themes/Topics: emotions
Opening: “My heart is full of feelings. Big feelings and small feelings. Loud feelings and quiet feelings. Quick feelings and slow feelings. My heart is like a house, with all these feelings living inside.“
Brief Synopsis: Happiness, sadness, bravery, anger, shyness . . . hearts can feel so many things! Some make us feel as light as a balloon, others as heavy as an elephant. How does your heart feel?
text copyright Jo Witek 2014, illustration copyright Christine Roussey 2014, Abrams Appleseed
Links To Resources: make a collage of different colored hearts to represent your emotions/how you feel; draw a picture of what happy, sad, angry, brave, hopeful, shy, or any other emotion looks like to you; write a haiku or poem about being happy, sad, angry, brave, hopeful, shy, or any other emotion; make heart cookies (recipe HERE) and color the icing so you have a rainbow of emotions!
text copyright Jo Witek 2014, illustration copyright Christine Roussey 2014, Abrams Appleseed
Why I Like This Book: Emotions can be tricky even for adults. For kids, who have less experience of the world and a harder time understanding and articulating emotion, it’s wonderful to have a book like this that describes and shows the feel and the look of different basic emotions. The words are lovely, describing how different emotions feel in lyrical and accessible language (e.g. “Sometimes my heart feels as heavy as an elephant. There’s a dark cloud over my head, and tears fall like rain. This is when my heart is sad.“) And the art enhances the words by showing even further what the emotion looks like. The book is beautifully done, with heart cut-outs that run through the center of the book growing smaller on each page, and I think would be an asset to any library! 😊
text copyright Jo Witek 2014, illustration copyright Christine Roussey 2014, Abrams Appleseed
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!
Given that a bitterly cold weekend is on its way in, what better activity than reading a pile of picture books snuggled up in a cozy blanket with a cup of hot cocoa? 😊
My pick for today is an absolutely charming picture book about friendship, something it’s always nice to be reminded to cherish and celebrate. And to make it even better, it was written and illustrated by my friend, Lisa! Wait until you see the art!
Title: A Friend Is. . .
Written & Illustrated By: Lisa Thiesing
Publisher: Aladdin
Suitable For Ages: 4-8 (though I think many 3 year olds would enjoy as well)
Themes/Topics: Friendship
Opening: “A friend is. . . for making. A friend is. . . for skating and for catching. . .“
text and illustration copyright Lisa Thiesing 2020, Aladdin
Brief Synopsis: [from the publisher] For many reasons and through many seasons, people need friends in their lives. Whether sniffing a sweet flower or star gazing, building a snowman or jumping into a pile of leaves, ice skating or playing hide and seek…who better to share everything with than a friend?
text and illustration copyright Lisa Thiesing 2020, Aladdin
Why I Like This Book: This book is so charming! In simple text and delightfully appealing and engaging pictures it celebrates all the many wonderful things about having and being a friend. Friends are for singing and giggling, sharing and listening, playing, and wondering. Friends are always, always there. The story not only shows the joys of friendship, but also serves as a model for how to be a good friend. And I can’t say enough about the art – so sweet! I literally cannot decide which page is my favorite, although singing, giggling, growing, wondering, and the last page are top contenders 😊 Share this lovely book with all your little friends!
text and illustration copyright Lisa Thiesing 2020, Aladdin
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!
As I’ve been under the weather for more than a week, I’m totally cheating and sharing a book I’ve shared before because I don’t want to miss another PPBF. (My sincere apologies for missing last week!) Also, I think this book with its storyline of working together to save something precious is a good one as our new administration rolls up its sleeves and prepares to do the same thing. 😊
I hope you’ll like this book as much as I do 😊
Title: Ellie
Written & Illustrated By: Mike Wu
Disney-Hyperion, May 2015, Fiction
Suitable For Ages: 3-5
Themes/Topics: art, helping others, finding your own talents, animals (elephants)
Opening: “On a bright winter day, when Ellie was just finishing her lunch, the zookeeper came by with an announcement.
“Gather ’round!” Walt called. “I have some news.
“It is a sad day,” he said. “The zoo is closing.”“
Brief Synopsis: The animals are heartbroken when they find out their zoo is closing. They wonder if there’s any way they can help prevent it. Perhaps they can spruce the place up? Lucy the giraffe prunes the trees. Gerard the gorilla tidies the path. But Ellie the baby elephant isn’t tall enough to prune trees or strong enough to move rocks. Is there anything she can do to save her beloved home?
text and illustration copyright Mike Wu 2015, Disney-Hyperion
Why I Like This Book: This is a sweet story about friendly animals pitching in to try to save their home. Ellie wants so much to help, but at first she doesn’t think she has any skills that will serve. Quite by accident, she discovers a talent that will not only help, but be the driving force behind saving the zoo, and the story comes to a satisfying ending. The art is gorgeous and so appealing, starting off in soft greens and grays and becoming brighter and bolder as Ellie’s talent develops and her self-confidence grows. And Ellie is such an endearing character she’s hard to resist 🙂 The story is loosely based on a relatively recent headline about elephants who paint, so has some grounding in fact 😊
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 your delightful picks for this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone, and stay well!!! 😊
Welcome back to Perfect Picture Book Friday, Everyone!
Is there anything better than discovering a whole bunch of fantastic picture books in time to go to the library and stock up on great reading material for the weekend? 😊
Especially in winter, it’s lovely to have a big stack of books to curl up with in a nice warm spot somewhere and enjoy.
Given recent events, my choice for today is a book which celebrates letter writing, expressing gratitude, and the fact that someone who is eleven can have the perspective and talent to write a book like this!
Title: Sincerely, Emerson: A Girl, Her Letter, And The Helpers All Around Us
Written By: Emerson Weber (11 years old)
Illustrated By: Jaclyn Sinquett
Publisher: HarperCollins, December 2020
Suitable For Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: non-fiction, letter writing, expressing gratitude, spreading love, being appreciative of others
Opening: “Emerson loved writing letters. She loved writing “Dear.” She loved writing “Sincerely.” Most of all, she loved writing everything that came in between.”
Brief Synopsis: The true story of eleven-year-old Emerson Weber as she writes a letter of thanks to her postal carrier, Doug, and creates a nationwide outpouring of love, gratitude, hope, and recognition for all the essential helpers we see everyday, and all those who go unseen.
Links To Resources: 11 year old Emerson Weber reads her book aloud (video); write a letter to someone you love and/or appreciate to let them know you notice and care; read with other letter-writing books such as DEAR EARTH…FROM YOUR FRIENDS IN ROOM 5 by Erin Dealey, DEAR GRANDMA, or DEAR SANTA by Susanna Leonard Hill (apologies for listing my own books but they are examples of other ways and reasons for writing letters 😊)
Why I Like This Book: For starters, I love that this book was written by an eleven year old – how inspiring for other aspiring young writers! And I love that she can have the kind of perspective shown in this book – from the appreciation of letter-writing which is becoming a somewhat lost art, to the desire to share her life and experiences with others, to her belief that people should be appreciated and thanked for all they do. There are a lot of adults who could learn something from a book like this, never mind kids 😊 This is a wonderful book at any time, but especially in the grip of (and hopefully soon in the wake of!) COVID-19 and all the challenges it has brought to so many, I think this true story celebrates all that people do to make our world function as it does and care for each other. As the book says:
There are lots of ways to help the world go round: Some people collect the trash. Some stock grocery shelves. Some drive buses and trains. Some help people who are sick. Some deliver our mail. And some people write letters.
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!
It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday, and not a moment too soon!
Have you looked at the weather forecast for today and tomorrow? There could be no better way to spend the next two days than with a pile of perfect picture books and a cup of cocoa and your favorite little readers (or your favorite little or not-so-little writers. . . yes, you. . . who are reading perfect picture books to learn from the masters 😊)
Today’s Perfect Picture Book is so pretty and so touching I know you’re going to love it!
Opening: “In the front yard of a little house, on the branches of a mighty evergreen, there lived a happy pair of cardinals.”
text and illustration copyright Matt Tavares 2017, Candlewick
Brief Synopsis: [from the book jacket] “Red and Lulu make their nest in a particularly beautiful evergreen tree. But one day, something unthinkable happens, and Red and Lulu are separated. It will take a miracle for them to find each other again. Luckily, it’s just the season for miracles. . . . “
Links To Resources: the afterword contains a brief history of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree tradition; what are some holiday traditions in your family? draw a picture, write a story or poem, or make up a song about a special holiday tradition in your family; in the story, the cardinals’ favorite Christmas carol is O, Christmas Tree, which was originally sung in German as O, Tannenbaum. Do you have a favorite Christmas or other holiday carol/song? Was it originally in English, or did it come from another language? Which one?
text and illustration copyright Matt Tavares 2017, Candlewick
Why I Like This Book: This is a such a sweet and lovely story – one of those stories that tug at your heartstrings and make it a little hard to read aloud in some parts past the lump in your throat 😊 Red and Lulu are so happy in their tree, and when the tree is taken, with Lulu still in it, Red flies as fast and as far as he can, determined not to lose Lulu. But a bird cannot fly as fast as a truck can drive. . . I love Red’s devotion and determination which clearly show his love for Lulu. I don’t want to give away the ending. . . so I won’t!😊. . . but it’s just right. The watercolor-and-gouache illustrations are full of detail – so pretty! Don’t miss this heartwarming story!
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!
Susanna Leonard Hill 
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