Tag: Perfect Picture Book Friday

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Easter Eggs And Matzo Balls PLUS A Giveaway!

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It’s the first Perfect Picture Book Friday of Spring!

And what better to share than a book about Easter and Passover, both of which will be here before you know it?

I’ll tell you what’s better! You get the chance to win a signed copy of the book from author Janie Emaus! Just leave a comment on today’s post by Thursday March 30 at 3PM Eastern and you will be entered in the random drawing!

Now, let’s have a look at Easter Eggs and Matzo Balls and all the other Perfect Picture Books for this week!

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Perfect Picture Book Friday – I Want To Be In A Scary Story

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Happy last Perfect Picture Book Friday before Halloween, everyone!

I apologize for the late post – family situation hopefully now under control!

Before I share my Perfect Picture Book for today, I just want to mention (apologies in advance for shouting out my own book) that I am honored that Beth Stillborn has very kindly showcased ALPHABEDTIME for her PPBF today, and there’s a little Mystery Interview to go along with it, which I may or may not have had something to do with 😊 I hope you’ll hop over and visit her because she did this specially!

Now, that that dreadful commercial interruption is over 😊, I have a delightful story to share with you today – deliciously scary for Halloween! 😊🎃🧙‍♀️👻 If you have a sensitive or easily frightened little one, have a look at the illustrations below so you can judge if it’s a good choice for your little pumpkin.

Title: I Want To Be In A Scary Story

Written By: Sean Taylor

Illustrated By: Jean Jullien

Publisher: Candlewick, July 2017, fiction

Suitable For Ages: 2-5

Themes/Topics: humor, scary vs. funny, interactive story (between main character and narrator)

text copyright Sean Taylor 2017, illustration copyright Jean Jullien 2017, Candlewick

Opening: “Hello, Little Monster.
What do you want to do today?
Can I be in a story?”

text copyright Sean Taylor 2017, illustration copyright Jean Jullien 2017, Candlewick

Brief Synopsis: Little Monster wants to be the star of an utterly terrifying scary story. But scary stories . . . well, they can be very scary — especially for their characters! Especially if they involve dark forests and creepy witches and spooky houses . . . Oh boy! Maybe a funny story would be better after all!

text copyright Sean Taylor 2017, illustration copyright Jean Jullien 2017, Candlewick

Links To Resources: how about a “scary” game of hide ‘n’ seek? Hide, and when the seeker gets close, pop out and say, “BOO!”; make up a scary story of your own and tell it to your family or friends in a spooky voice; talk about what makes something scary – different things scare different people – and whether you like to be scared (some people do!) or not (some people don’t!)

text copyright Sean Taylor 2017, illustration copyright Jean Jullien 2017, Candlewick

Why I Like This Book: This book is just the right amount of scary for young readers who like a little scare. Little Monster is adorable (definitely not scary 😊), and like all youngsters, sometimes what he thinks he wants turns out not to be exactly what he wants. He asks the author to put him in a scary story. The author cautions him that perhaps a funny story would be better, but Little Monster is sure! He wants a SCARY story! So the author puts him in a dark and terrifying forest. And, um, that’s a little too scary! As the story continues, the author keeps complying with Little Monster’s wishes and the story gradually becomes less and less scary until it ends up funny, a complete turn-around of what Little Monster originally asked for. But he also turns the tables on the author, which is where much of the humor comes from. The story is a little scary (maybe not for kids who are easily frightened, and maybe not the best choice for bedtime 😊 depending on your child) but it is also a story that explores setting boundaries and feeling safe within them – Little Monster is always in control and can change the rules so he knows he’s never really in danger, and it is a story after all! For writers, this is a fun title to examine. It is written completely in dialogue, and is interactive in that it is a conversation between the author and the main character.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😊

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

PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out 😊) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 😊

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Applesauce Day

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Hooray for Perfect Picture Book Friday!

I have a wonderful family fall book to share, but first, one quick note:

Perfect Picture Books are meant to be reviewed on people’s blogs and include all the relevant information (title, author, illustrator, publisher, themes, age range of intended audience, review, etc), most importantly, links to resources or ideas of how the book can be expanded on at home or in the classroom, so the links provided must go to people’s blogs. You cannot put an Amazon link to a book title. You cannot put a Goodreads link to a book title. I had to remove about 50 titles that had no reviews by the person listing it and no resources provided. This list is meant to be a resource for parents, teachers, and writers to find great books. The reviews and resources are critical. Thank you all for understanding and following the guidelines!

Now! It’s Applesauce Day! 😊

Title: Applesauce Day

Written By: Lisa J. Amstutz

Illustrated By: Talitha Shipman

Publisher: Albert Whitman (August 2017), fiction

Suitable For Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: autumn, apples, family tradition

Opening: “I spy the big pot on the counter right away.
“Hooray!” I say. “It’s Applesauce Day!”
Hannah cheers.
Ezra bangs his spoon.”

text copyright Lisa J. Amstutz 2017, illustration copyright Talitha Shipman 2017, Albert Whitman

Brief Synopsis: Each fall, Maria’s family has Applesauce Day. All together, they go pick apples. Then they bring them to Grandma’s house and all together they make applesauce in the big pot that has been in their family for generations.

text copyright Lisa J. Amstutz 2017, illustration copyright Talitha Shipman 2017, Albert Whitman

Links To Resources: Make applesauce! It’s easy, fun, healthy, and delicious! HERE is a RECIPE

text copyright Lisa J. Amstutz 2017, illustration copyright Talitha Shipman 2017, Albert Whitman

Why I Like This Book: The text is simple and straightforward, and tells the story of a family doing something they do every year – going apple picking and then heading to Grandma’s house to make applesauce. At first, the child telling the story doesn’t see what’s so special about the pot. It looks like a regular pot to her. But as the family washes and slices the apples, her mother tells her about making applesauce with grandma in that pot, and grandma tells about making applesauce with her mother in that pot. And suddenly, the old pot seems very special because it draws them all together. By the end of the story, when they are driving home, the girl imagines that maybe someday she will have a child and make applesauce in the same pot that she, and her mother, and her grandmother, and her great-grandmother all used. It’s a lovely story of family and tradition, and also about the joy of picking apples and making applesauce in the fall.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😊

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

PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out 😊) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week! There was a problem with the form earlier. I hope it’s fixed!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! Maybe go pick some apples and make applesauce! 😊

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Fletcher And The Falling Leaves

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It feels like Thursday, but somehow it’s Perfect Picture Book Friday already!

Where did this week go?

Any time there’s a holiday, the whole week just seems to speed by!

Where I live, the leaves are in their full fall finery, so it seems like a perfect day for a picture book about fall.

Are you ready for just about the cutest fall picture book ever written?  Have a look at this truly Perfect Picture Book!

fletcher
aren’t you just already in love with that little fox?! 🙂

Title: Fletcher And The Falling Leaves

Written By: Julia Rawlinson

Illustrated By: Tiphanie Beeke

Greenwillow Books, August 2008, fiction

Suitable For Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: seasons (autumn/winter), nature (changing seasons), love

Opening: “The world was changing.  Each morning when Fletcher bounded out of the den, everything seemed just a little bit different.  The rich green of the forest was turning to a dusty gold, and the soft, swishing sound of summer was fading to a crinkly whisper.  Fletcher’s favorite tree looked dull, dry, and brown.
Fletcher was beginning to get worried.“

text copyright Julia Rawlinson 2008, illustration copyright Tiphanie Beeke 2008, Greenwillow Books

Brief Synopsis: When the leaves on Fletcher’s favorite tree turn brown and begin to fall, Fletcher thinks something is terribly wrong.  “Don’t worry,” his mother tells him.  “It’s only autumn.”  But Fletcher is worried.  He does his best to catch the falling leaves and reattach them, but in spite of his efforts the last leaf finally falls.  He promises the tree he’ll keep the last leaf safe and he takes it home to bed, still worried.  To his surprise and delight, though, he wakes in the morning to a magical sight that convinces him everything is all right.

text copyright Julia Rawlinson 2008, illustration copyright Tiphanie Beeke 2008, Greenwillow Books

Links To Resources: Scholastic Classroom Guide; Teachers Guide (from The Picture Book Teacher’s Edition); 15 Fabulous Fall Leaf Crafts For Kids

text copyright Julia Rawlinson 2008, illustration copyright Tiphanie Beeke 2008, Greenwillow Books

Why I Like This Book:  Oh my goodness!  What is there not to like?!  The story is so sweet.  Fletcher is so earnest in his desire to help his tree, so dedicated to saving it, and so worried on its behalf since he’s unable to understand from his child’s-eye-view the concept of autumn, changing seasons, and the cycle of life.  He doesn’t know that it’s natural for leaves to fall and that his tree is just fine and will green again come spring.  It takes the magic of icicles glimmering in the morning sun to show him that his tree is beautiful (and okay!) in every season.  The art is such a perfect match for the story – impressionistic water colors in soft, hazy tones of autumn brown and orange that give way to the cool blue/green and white tones of winter, and Fletcher himself is so endearing.  As adults, we often take the change of seasons for granted, but this book is a gem for the way it shows the wonder of changing seasons as a child appreciates them.

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! 😊