Perfect Picture Book Friday – Garden Party: A Counting Adventure Book

September 28, 2018September 27, 201819 Comments

Hurray! It’s Friday!

Every Perfect Picture Book Friday is fun because I get to share a book I really like with all of you and see what books you’re all loving this week.

But PPBF is especially fun when I get to share a book I love that happens to have been written by a friend! (A friend who, coincidentally, I got to have coffee and blueberry muffins and a lovely chat with yesterday morning 🙂 )

As this book involves a garden, you could work it into any seasonal discussion or classroom unit (spring planting, summer growing, winter dormant) but since it’s harvest time, why not read it and share it right now? 🙂

Garden Party

Title: Garden Party: A Counting Adventure Book

Written By: Tania Guarino

Illustrated By: Emma Allen

Spork (Clear Fork Publishing), September 2018, fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-6

Themes/Topics: concept (counting), animals, language fun (rhyme), nature/gardens

Opening: “One (1) bunny in a burrow on Farmer Dale’s trail,
wakes with a shake and a wiggle of her tail.
She starts with a hop by an old tin pail,
wiggle, hop, wiggle…down Farmer Dale’s trail.”

Brief Synopsis: One after another, the woodland friends join the group heading down Farmer Dale’s trail, following the bunny who may be the only one with a plan 🙂

Links To Resources: author’s website coloring pages and activities; 10 different animals are mentioned in the story. What other animals can you think of who could join the garden party? Draw one (or more!), and describe how they would move or sound (e.g. “swishy swoosh swoosh”); which of the animals mentioned in the book do you think Farmer Dale would be most unhappy about having in his garden? Why? Which ones might he be glad to have? Why? Easy Recipe for Carrot Cake

Why I Like This Book: There are so many things to love about this book! Where to start? At the beginning, I guess :). The bunny who sets the whole adventure in motion clearly has a plan (the illustration shows the stockpile of carrots she has already gathered in her burrow.). She heads off toward the garden for more and is joined by 2 skunks, 3 fawns, 4 foxes, etc on her counting adventure. Midway through the story, the rollicking rhythm of the adventure is beautifully paused by the arrival of the 5 snails, who bring the whole crew to a screeching halt. But before you know it they’re all on their way again, the snails hitching a ride on the faster animals 🙂 I won’t give away the ending – you’ll have to read the book! The rhyming story is nicely written and fun to read aloud. Kids will enjoy the different sounds and movements used to describe the animals’ way of going (e.g. “wiggle, hop, wiggle” and “swishy, swoosh, swoosh”) and being able to chime in on the anticipated repetition of “down Farmer Dale’s trail!”. The art is bright, colorful, and lively, and young readers will have a great time searching the illustrations to find all the snails!

text copyright Tania Guarino 2018, illustration copyright Emma Allen 2018

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂

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

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Noah Webster And His Words

September 21, 2018September 21, 201817 Comments

It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday and – can you believe it? – the official last day of summer 2018!

I love the crisp air, the jeweled colors, and the cider donuts of autumn, but I feel like summer went by in a blink!

I hope all your falls get off to a lovely start this weekend with some family apple picking, or an outdoor music festival…or maybe a trip to Princeton Children’s Book Festival – that’s where I’m headed! 🙂

For today’s Perfect Picture Book I decided to go the educational route… but it’s also tons of fun! Have a look!

Noah Webster

Title: Noah Webster And His Words

Written By: Jeri Chase Ferris

Illustrated By: Vincent X. Kirsch

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books For Young Readers, 2012, nonfiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-7

Themes/Topics: American history, vocabulary/language, dictionaries, biography, nonfiction

Opening: “Noah Webster always knew he was right, and he never got tired of saying so (even if, sometimes, he wasn’t). He was, he said, “full of CON-FI-DENCE” [noun: belief that one is right] from the very beginning.”

Brief Synopsis: This book tells the story of Noah Webster’s life and how he wrote the first American dictionary in an effort both to educate and to help unite the new United States.

Links To Resources: The book itself is a resource as it teaches the life of Noah Webster and the period of American history is was part of. There is a useful timeline in the back matter as well as a section entitled “More About Noah Webster” and a helpful bibliography. For a fun classroom game, play Dictionary (where one student chooses a word from the dictionary and writes down the correct definition and everyone else writes down a made up definition. All definitions are read aloud and the class votes for which is the real one…and you see if the real one wins or one of the made up ones!)

Why I Like This Book: Not only is this book interesting – full of information about Noah Wester and his creation of the first American dictionary – it’s fun! There is a surprising amount of humor, both in the text and in the illustrations. I also love the clever way some of the vocabulary words in the text are woven in like dictionary entries! The book brings Noah Webster to life in a way that illuminates his personality. It’s a perfect example of how to write nonfiction so that young readers enjoy the learning experience.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂

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

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

Hope to see anyone who is in the neighborhood at the Princeton Children’s Book Festival tomorrow! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Allie All Along

September 14, 2018September 13, 201812 Comments

It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday again, folks, and isn’t that nice?

Not only does it mean the weekend is basically here, it also gives us a great list of new picture books to enjoy during it!

So get ready to make a list for the library! 🙂

My choice for today is all about something a lot of kids (and adults) find hard – how to manage feeling angry.

Allie All Along

Title: Allie All Along

Written & Illustrated By: Sarah Lynne Reul

Sterling Children’s Books, August 2018, fiction

Suitable For Ages: 4-7

Themes/Topics: emotions (anger), understanding, siblings

Opening: “SNAP! Allie’s crayon broke. I blinked. She was suddenly furious, fuming, frustrated, and so, so, sooo ANGRY!”

Brief Synopsis: When Allie’s crayon breaks, she gets really, really, really angry! Her brother knows Allie is still in there somewhere, but it’s hard to see her under all that anger. There has to be a way to make things right again.

Links To Resources: Anger Management Games And Activities For Kids (scroll down to that section); Helping Kids Learn About Facial Expressions and Feelings ; talk about what makes you angry and what are some constructive ways to cope with that anger.

Why I Like This Book: We all know that feeling when something happens – maybe even something that doesn’t seem like a big deal to anyone else – that sends us over the edge of fury. Emotion that large is hard for anyone to manage, especially a young person who hasn’t had a lot of practice. I love that this book shows the situation that causes the anger (a broken crayon), the immensity of the anger and how the individual feeling it can get lost within it, and a caring person (in this case Allie’s brother) who understands her anger and helps by offering a variety of constructive ways to deal with it until Allie emerges, once again herself. It’s simply and beautifully done, and will remind your little ones that they are not alone in feeling angry sometimes.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂

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

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – No Frogs In School

September 7, 2018September 6, 201816 Comments

Welcome back to Perfect Picture Book Friday, Everyone!

After a summer of not reviewing, I have so many books I want to share that it’s hard to choose just one! But I opted for one that had a connection to school since a lot of us are pretty focused on that this week! I hope you like it, too! 🙂

No Frogs In School

Title: No Frogs In School

Written By: A. LaFaye

Illustrated By: Eglantine Ceulemans

Sterling Children’s Books, August 2018, fiction

Suitable For Ages: 4-7

Themes/Topics: pets, following rules, school

Opening: “Bartholomew Botts loved pets. Hoppy pets, hairy pets, and scaly pets.He loved them all so much that he couldn’t go to school without one.”

Brief Synopsis: Bartholomew Botts loves his pets so much that he wants to bring one to school. But his teacher, Mr. Patanoose, has a whole lot of rules about what’s allowed in school! Is there a way to follow the rules and still have a pet in school?

Links To Resources: make your own jumping frog (easy video tutorial); Frog Activities And Fun Ideas For Kids (crafts, games, recipes, etc.)

Why I Like This Book: Bartholomew is endearing, and his love for his pets is so genuine and relatable! Who among us hasn’t wanted to bring a pet to school at least once? I love that Bartholomew doesn’t limit his choice of pet to cute and furry. Yes, he has a hamster, but he also has a frog and a salamander and a snake…among others :)… and he loves and appreciates them all. I love how earnestly he tries to respect his teacher’s rules while still trying to find a way for his pets to accompany him. And I love the clever solution he engineers at the end 🙂 The illustrations are lively and fun, and kids will have a great time finding all the animals on every page.

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! (And I apologize in advance – something has changed about the google form and spreadsheet and it looks wrong… I will try to figure out how to fix it before next week!)

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Mowing

June 8, 2018June 7, 201810 Comments

How awesome is it that it’s Friday?! 🙂

Before I share my perfect picture book for today, I’d like to take this opportunity to announce that this will be the last official Perfect Picture Book Friday until September. As you all know, I put PPBF on hiatus for the summer. Between my own unpredictable schedule and the fact that many of you spend less time online in the summer, it just seems to make sense to take a break. But for those of you who are dedicated (and there is a core group of you – you are wonderful!) I look forward to seeing what you’ll share.

Would You Read It Wednesday will continue through June and July (I usually take a complete blogging break in August because really… how much of me do you all really want to have to pay attention to?! 🙂 ), and you never know what other high jinx I might get up to if I get a hair brained scheme out of the blue…

Anyway, onto today’s choice!

Apparently all I can think about this week is baby deer 🙂

So in about 14 seconds you’ll understand why I chose this week’s Perfect Picture Book 🙂

Mowing
Written By: Jessie Haas
Illustrated By: Jos. A. Smith
Greenwillow Books, 1994, Fiction
Suitable For: ages 4-8

Themes/Topics: farms, grandparents, generations, modernization, respect for wildlife, vehicles

Opening: “Early in the morning Gramp and Nora go to the field to mow. They hear the cry of the bobolink, the swish of the tall grass, the thud of the horses’ hooves.
At the edge of the field Gramp lowers the cutter bar.
“Hop off, Nora,” he says. “You’ll be safer on the ground.” Gramp speaks softly to the horses. “Giddap!” They walk, and the mowing machine begins to clatter.”

Brief Synopsis: Just as morning is peeking over the horizon, Gramp and Nora head out to mow the hay. Gramp drives an old-fashioned sickle bar mower with Nora in his lap holding the reins. When they reach the field, it’s Nora’s job to hop down and keep an eye out for any little animal that might be injured by the horses or the cutter blades. What does she see? (I’m betting you can guess one thing she sees! :)) When the mowing is done, two tall islands of grass still stand. Gramp says some would call that a bad job of mowing, but he and Nora know better. They know they have taken care to leave the animals safe and protected.

Links To Resources: Fawn Coloring Page 1, Fawn Coloring Page 2, Fawn Facts, National Geographic Groundhog Facts, National Geographic Killdeer Facts. Talk about the difference in the way hay is mowed today. Talk about other situations where you might want to be respectful of wildlife.

Why I Like This Book: This is the kind of sweet, quiet book that I absolutely love. My kids loved it too, and we read it over and over and over. The language is gentle, the story is simple with that nostalgic feel of hearkening back to a different time, and the message of caring for all the creatures who share our world is lovely. On top of that, the art is just beautiful, particularly the way the artist captured the changing light, from dawn through late afternoon, and the different perspectives he uses. It’s a wonderful book for nap time, bedtime, or anytime kids need to unwind.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂

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

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – H Is For Haiku: A Treasury Of Haiku From A To Z

June 1, 2018May 31, 201810 Comments

Happy June, Everyone!

Did you all say “Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit!” this morning? 🙂

I apologize for not being here for Perfect Picture Books last week! (…but I’m sure you all had tons of fun without me! 🙂 )

Today, I’m honored to have a very special book to share. I hope you will all get a chance to read it at some point. It is well worth it!

It’s not often we get to know the personal backstory of a book, so it’s a special treat to know where there one has its origins.

The publication of this book is the culmination of a decades-long dream. The author, Sydell Rosenberg, was a public school teacher in New York City and a charter member of the Haiku Society of America. She wrote haiku for children that reflected her urban surroundings and sensibilities and were universal and timeless as well. After her death, her daughter, Amy, determined to see Syd’s dream of publishing a book of children’s haiku become reality. The result is this book. Lovely. Delightful. Thought-provoking. Full of Syd’s perceptive view of the world.

H IS FOR HAIKU BOOK COVER PENNY CANDY BOOKS March 2018

Title: H Is For Haiku: A Treasury Of Haiku From A To Z

Written By: Sydell Rosenberg

Illustrated By: Sawsan Chalabi

Penny Candy Books, April 2018, haiku/poetry

Suitable For Ages: listed for Kindergarten – Grade 6, but a book all ages can enjoy!

Themes/Topics: moments that make up life, poetry (haiku)

Opening: “Adventures over
the cat sits in the fur ring
of his tail, and dreams.”

Text copyright Sydell Rosenberg, 2018, illustration copyright Sawsan Chalabi, 2018

Brief Synopsis: One haiku for each letter of the alphabet describes the little moments and details that make up every day life.

Links To Resources: an author’s forward defines haiku and describes how to write them; write your own haiku – or expand on that by thinking of a theme and writing a group of haiku that go together (e.g. “springtime”, “water”, “forest animals”, or “apple-picking”); illustrate your haiku!

text copyright Sydell Rosenberg, 2018, illustration copyright Sawsan Chalabi, 2018

Why I Like This Book: I don’t just like this book. I love it. Each of the haiku is its own little moment or detail, something that rings so true you can’t help but feel its resonance in your own experience. It’s the kind of book that makes you stop and take notice. And isn’t that a valuable reminder for us all? To live in the present and notice all the little things around us? To be sure not to miss what’s right before our eyes? The language is beautiful, articulate, and accessible. Young or old, readers will enjoy these tiny nuggets of truth. I chose two of my favorites from the book to show above in the illustrations 🙂 but they’re all wonderful! The art is bold and fun, and a perfect complement to the poems.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂

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

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Flap Your Wings

May 18, 2018May 18, 20189 Comments

Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, Everyone!

My house has a little roofed porch over the front door.

We never use the front door, mind you, but the little porch is excellent for hanging Christmas lights on, and it provides two lovely little sheltered spots for bird nests. For years, every spring, we had bird families raising their babies.

But along came a year when the porch had to be cleaned and painted in August, and the painter removed the empty nests and cleaned the little sheltered spots thoroughly…

…and the birds didn’t come back 😦

For 3 years, there have been no nests in the little porch and I have missed them.

But lo and behold, look who showed up this week 🙂

bird nest

Maybe it’s silly, but it makes me happy to see them again.

So today, for my Perfect Picture Book, I chose a book about a nest 🙂

It’s an older book – one I read as a child so that will give you a hint as to just how old! 🙂 – and is one of my All Time Favorites!

Flap Your Wings

Written & Illustrated By: P.D. Eastman

Random House, 1969, Fiction

Suitable For: ages 3-8

Themes/Topics: assumptions, non-traditional family, unconditional love, responsibility

Opening: (this is actually the first three pages.)

“An egg lay in the path.

A boy came down the path. He saw the egg. “Someone might step on that egg and break it,” he said.

He looked around.

He saw flamingos and frogs, and turtles and alligators. “Whose egg is this?” he called. But no one answered.”

Brief Synopsis: A little boy finds an egg. He doesn’t want it to get damaged, so he looks around until he finds the nest and carefully puts it back. When Mr. and Mrs. Bird come home, they are surprised to find an egg in their nest… it wasn’t there when they left! But Mr. Bird says that if an egg is in their nest it must be their egg, so they must take care of it. So they do… with very surprising results!

Links To Resources: Ideas And Activities For Guided Reading, Incubation & Embryology Activities, use with An Egg Is Quiet (from PPBF link list), talk about what kind of animals, insects and reptiles lay eggs and how the eggs are the same and different.

Why I Like This Book: This book is fun to read as a picture book, but is also an I Can Read type book that is very accessible to new readers. The pictures are delightful – Mr. and Mrs. Bird’s expressions are very entertaining. But I really love the story because it doesn’t go where you would expect. It’s funny. And it’s a great example of what agents, editors and reviewers mean when they talk about re-readability. This book delighted me as a child, and delighted my children in their turn. I’ve read it so many times that even now, years since I last read it to my kids, I can recite almost the whole book. It’s fun every time 🙂

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂

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

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

(And if you’re in the Millbrook area, come visit the me and all my fabulous author and illustrator friends at the Millbrook Literary Festival! 🙂 )

Perfect Picture Book Friday – The Busy Life of Ernestine Buckmeister

May 4, 2018May 3, 201810 Comments

Hurray! It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday!

And not a moment too soon! 🙂

Today’s choice is as much for parents and teachers as it is for kids!

And busy, busy life is how I feel this week!, so, the perfect picture book 🙂

ernestine

Title: The Busy Life Of Ernestine Buckmeister
Written By: Linda Ravin Lodding
Illustrated By: Suzanne Beaky
Flashlight Press, October 2011, Fiction
Suitable For: ages 5 and up
Themes/Topics: the importance of play, over-scheduling
Opening: “Each morning, while Ernestine ate breakfast and Nanny O’Dear prepared lunch, Ernestine’s father zoomed out to work and called, ‘Live life to the fullest, Ern!’ And each morning Ernestine’s mother zipped out to catch the bus and said, ‘Make every moment count, E!‘”

Brief synopsis: Ernestine’s parents want her to have every experience she can, so they pack her days with sculpting and tuba, yoga and yodeling. It takes Ernestine to show them that one thing she absolutely shouldn’t miss is having time to just play.

Links to resources: What I really should say here is, “No resources! Just go play!” But here are some resources that are also playing 🙂 Coloring Page, and for activities, try making a daisy crown (or any kind of outdoorsy crown), or make clouds out of cotton or shaving cream and see what shapes you see in them, or build a fort out of sticks, or blocks, or an empty cardboard box. Use you imagination!

text copyright Linda Ravin Lodding 2011, illustration copyright Suzanne Beaky 2011

Why I Like This Book: Kids will enjoy Ernestine’s ridiculous schedule, her amusing list of lessons, her teachers’ funny names, the bold bright colors of the pictures, and Ernestine’s inspired solution to her problem. As a grown-up, I appreciate Ernestine’s message that while organized activities arranged and taught by adults have their place, so too does the unstructured time to be a child and simply play.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂

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

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Baby Animals

April 27, 2018April 26, 201812 Comments

We made it, folks! TGIF!

So guess what?

It turns out I have actual psychic powers!

Remember that baby horse I said could be born on April 25?

Well, just minutes after midnight (around 12:23 AM) it actually was!

Look how beautiful! – a brand new filly (and for those of you who weren’t raised in a barn, that means a girl 🙂 )

Isn’t she just the cutest thing ever???!!! 🙂

Also big, strong, healthy, and full of beans! – a regular little firecracker sure to keep us (and her mama) on our toes! 🙂

Just wanted to let you know, since I promised I would 🙂

Now then, onto my Perfect Picture Book! In light of springtime and the new baby in our barn, I thought what better than a book about baby animals?

baby animals

Title: Baby Animals (Explore My World Series)

Written By: Marfe Ferguson Delano

Photography Editor: Lori Epstein

National Geographic Children’s Books, July 2015, nonfiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-7

Themes/Topics: baby animals, nonfiction

Opening: “Look, a baby!
Some babies snuggle on snowy sheets of ice.”

Brief Synopsis: A look at a day in the life of lots of baby animals – how they move, eat, bathe and sleep, what they’re called, and where they live.

Links To Resources: The book itself is a resource, full of information and gorgeous photographs; make a list of baby animals who live near you (in your yard, or a nearby park); draw a picture of a baby animal; discuss how baby people are like baby animals and how they’re different.

Why I Like This Book: The text is simple, interesting, and informative, sure to engage young animal lovers, but it’s the photographs that really sell the book to me 🙂 What’s not to love about gorgeous pictures of adorable baby animals? 🙂

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂

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

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Be Quiet!

April 20, 2018April 19, 201810 Comments

Woo hoo! It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday!

And in my continuing quest for laughs this week, I’ve got a fun one to share! 🙂

be quiet

Title: Be Quiet

Written & Illustrated By: Ryan T. Higgins

Disney-Hyperion, April 2017, fiction

Suitable For Ages: 5-6

Themes/Topics: humor

Opening: “FINALLY! I get my very own book to star in. This is going to be great!
I’m going to make it a wordless book. They are very artistic.
This book will have NO WORDS at all. Starting…NOW.”

Brief Synopsis: Rupert the mouse is thrilled at the prospect of creating his very own book! It will be wordless, because wordless books are so artistic. But his chatty little friends, Thistle and Nibbs, show up and suddenly a wordless picture book seems way more difficult…and Rupert ends up just as guilty as his friends!

Links To Resources: draw your own wordless picture book; play Cat ‘n’ Mouse (hide ‘n’ seek) and practice being as quiet as a mouse so the cat doesn’t find you!

Why I Like This Book: I like this book because it’s just flat out funny 🙂 and sometimes that’s just what young readers (and grown-up ones 🙂 ) need! Poor Rupert has a plan (which even he has a little trouble with 🙂 ) to star in a wordless picture book… but his friends,Thistle and Nibbs, intending only to be helpful, foil him at every turn and send Rupert into a frenzy until he’s hopping up and down, anything but wordless! Thistle and Nibbs are delightfully oblivious in their wish to help out, and young readers will get a kick out of watching the steam of outrage build and build in Rupert until the inevitable explosion. Like all of Ryan T. Higgins’s books, this one is sure to make you laugh out loud!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂

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

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

Susanna Leonard Hill

Children's Author

Tag: Perfect Picture Book

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Garden Party: A Counting Adventure Book

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Noah Webster And His Words

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Allie All Along

Perfect Picture Book Friday – No Frogs In School

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Mowing

Perfect Picture Book Friday – H Is For Haiku: A Treasury Of Haiku From A To Z

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Flap Your Wings

Perfect Picture Book Friday – The Busy Life of Ernestine Buckmeister

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Baby Animals

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Be Quiet!