Hello again, my friends!

Welcome back to Perfect Picture Book Fridays!

I know we’ve seen each other on and off over the summer for Tuesday Debuts, but it’s great to be back to the regular routine. I hope everyone had a wonderful summer and is filled with enthusiasm for the coming school year and inspiration for lots of new stories!

I’m starting off the school year with a book I think everyone – kids, teachers, and parents – will find helpful and enjoyable as they’re settling into their new routines.

Title: Listen

Written By: Gabi Snyder

Illustrated By: Stephanie Graegin

Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, July 13, 2021

Suitable For Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: listening, attention, empathy

Opening: “When you step out into the big, wild world, sometimes all you hear is. . . NOISE!”

Brief Synopsis: The world is a noisy place, but what happens if you just stop, close your eyes, and listen?

Links To Resources: the book has a nice section of back matter that tells about the sense of hearing, and different kinds of listening; stop what you’re doing, close you eyes, and listen – what do you hear?; go for a walk and pay attention to the sounds around you – what do you hear?; talk about sounds you like and sounds you don’t like, times when you like noise and times when you like quiet.

Why I Like This Book: This lovely quiet book encourages children to pause, take a breath, stop the constant busy-ness of the world around them, and listen. Filter out the noise – literal and figurative – and focus on what matters. It helps them understand the importance of mindfulness and attention in the context of daily life. In the course of the story, the child goes from hearing the cacophony of noises in a busy street, to separating them out, to hearing “words of joy” and “words that sting” when a classmates feelings are hurt, to hearing the voice inside her, and the “hush and whispers” of nighttime. The art is perfect for the story, soft and appealing with lots of lovely details. A book every child will enjoy!

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! And if you posted books over the summer, please feel free to add them here as well! And my apologies – I did something wrong and the links aren’t showing up, so I copied and pasted them below and will try to fix the problem for next week!

9/3/2021 6:19:04	OUTSIDE, INSIDE	https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250798350	LeUyen Pham	same	Roaring Book Press	2021	Perseverance and hope during a trying time is universal and waiting is a part of life. universal. Waiting
9/3/2021 8:51:47	30,000 Stitches: The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag	https://patricianozell.com/2021/09/03/ppbf-30000-stitches-the-inspiring-story-of-the-national-9-11-flag/	Amanda Davis	Sally Wern Comport	WorthBooks	2021	9/11, American Flag, community
9/3/2021 10:56:22	Cougar Crossing: HOW HOLLYWOOD’S CELEBRITY COUGAR HELPED BUILD A BRIDGE FOR CITY WILDLIFE	https://jilannehoffmann.com/2021/09/03/cougar-crossing-perfect-picture-book-friday/	Meeg Pincus	Alexander Vidal	Beach Lane Books	2021	Wildlife conservation, LA history, ecology
9/3/2021 13:52:55	Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning	https://archimedesnotebook.blogspot.com/2021/09/mary-annings-curiosities.html	Linda Skeers	Marta Álvarez Miguéns	Sourcebooks Explore	2020	fossils, biography, nonfiction
9/3/2021 13:54:12	Avocado Asks	https://sallysbookshelf.blogspot.com/2021/09/avocado-in-search-of-self.html	Momoko Abe		Doubleday Books for Young Readers	2021	imagination, identity
9/3/2021 13:57:00	The Bug Girl: A True Story	https://archimedesnotebook.blogspot.com/2021/08/two-great-bug-books.html	Sophia Spencer	Kerascoët	Schwartz & Wade	2020	insects, nature, STEM
9/3/2021 14:00:14	The Thingity-Jig	https://sallysbookshelf.blogspot.com/2021/06/what-if-you-found-thingity-jig.html	Kathleen Doherty	Kristyna Litten	Peachtree	2021	mystery, fun, invention
9/3/2021 14:05:22	Too Shy to Say Hi	https://childrensbooksheal.wordpress.com/2021/09/03/too-shy-to-say-hi-by-shannon-anderson/	Shannon Anderson	Hiroe Nakata	Magination Press	2021	Bashfulness, Friendship, School
9/3/2021 14:09:07	Not Little	https://julierowanzoch.wordpress.com/	Maya Myers	Hyewon Yum	Neal Porter/Holiday House	2021	Size, bullying, self-awareness
9/4/2021 1:03:28	Just You and Me: Remarkable Relationships in the Wild	https://www.mariacmarshall.com/single-post/just-you-and-me-perfect-picture-book-friday-ppbf	Jennifer Ward	Alexander Vidal	Beach Lane Books	2021	Symbiotic relationships, nature, and conservation.
9/4/2021 1:05:27	Big Bear Was Not the Same	https://www.mariacmarshall.com/single-post/big-bear-was-not-the-same-perfect-picture-book-friday-ppbf	Joanna Rowland	John Ledda	Beaming Books	2021	Friendship, trauma, hope, and healing.
9/4/2021 1:06:57	Unraveled	https://www.mariacmarshall.com/single-post/unraveled-perfect-picture-book-friday-ppbf	Leanne Hatch	Leanne Hatch	Holiday House	2021	Growing up, loss, and holding on to memories.
9/4/2021 1:09:04	I Love You With All My Hearts	https://www.mariacmarshall.com/single-post/i-love-you-with-all-my-hearts-perfect-picture-book-friday-ppbf	Lindsay Bonilla	Eleonora Pace	The Creative Company	2021	Love, family, and animals
9/4/2021 1:10:42	Little Leonards’ Fascinating World of Astronomy	https://www.mariacmarshall.com/single-post/little-leonard-s-fascinating-world-of-astronomy-perfect-picture-book-friday-ppbf	Sarafina Nance	Greg Paprocki	Gibbs Smith Publisher	2021	Astronomy, space, and STEM,
9/4/2021 1:12:36	When Grandfather Flew	https://www.mariacmarshall.com/single-post/when-grandfather-flew-perfect-picture-book-friday-ppbf	Patricia MacLachlan	Chris Sheban	Neal Porter Books	2021	Birding, death, and healing.
9/4/2021 1:14:28	The Perfect Plan	https://www.mariacmarshall.com/single-post/the-perfect-plan-the-perfect-picture-book-friday-ppbf	Leah Gilbert	Leah Gilbert	Bloomsbury USA	2021	Creativity, collaboration, and determination.
9/4/2021 1:16:11	Mimic Makers: Biomimicry Inventions Inspired by Nature	https://www.mariacmarshall.com/single-post/mimic-makers-perfect-picture-book-friday-ppbf	Kristen Nordstrom	Paul Boston	Charlesbridge	2021	Nature inspired inventions, creativity, and problem solving.
9/4/2021 1:17:34	Little Bat in Night School	https://www.mariacmarshall.com/single-post/little-bat-in-night-school-perfect-picture-book-friday-ppbf	Brian Lies	Brian Lies	HMH Books	2021	First day of school, friendship, and bravery.
9/4/2021 1:21:01	I Want A Boat	https://www.mariacmarshall.com/single-post/i-want-a-boat-perfect-picture-book-friday-ppbf	Liz Garton Scanlon	Kevan Atteberry	Holiday House	2021	Imagination and adventure.
9/4/2021 21:04:55	THE GREAT STINK: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop Pollution Problem	https://viviankirkfield.com/2021/09/03/perfect-picture-book-friday-the-great-stink-how-joseph-bazalgette-solved-londons-poop-pollution-problem-plus-giveaway/	Colleen Paeff	Nancy Carpenter	Maraget K. McElderry Books	2021	History of London, Pollution, STEM

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 😊