It’s an extra special Perfect Picture Book Friday today, my friends!
Today we’re celebrating a writer who, like so many of us, shows up and does the work, writing stories, practicing and perfecting her craft day after day, month after month, year after year in whatever time she can find between her work as a preschool teacher, her family, and life in general. And in the kind of happy outcome that inspires us all, her hard work and perseverance are paying off!
I first got to know Julie Abery (bio and links at end of post) when she began entering my writing contests 5 or 6 years ago with one delightful story after another, several of them featuring the Teensy-Weensy Witch 🙂 In March 2015, she took my class and I had the privilege of working with her for a month while she wrote a wonderful story about a Paper Owl. She started a blog called Little Red Story Shed (doesn’t that just make you want to go there?!) and then in September of 2017 I was thrilled to see the announcement in PW that she had sold her first two books!!!
I am so happy to share them with you today, just three days after their book birthday!
Although board books and not technically picture books, sometimes it’s fun to share books and activities for youngest readers – the early preschool crowd 🙂 So let’s dive in and have a look at these delightful little books! 🙂
Title: Little Tiger / Little Panda
Written By: Julie Abery
Illustrated By: Suzie Mason
Amicus Ink, March 12 2019, fiction
Suitable For Ages: 3-5
Themes/Topics: Little Tiger: baby jungle adventure, mother/child love, language fun (rhyme); Little Panda: baby snow adventure, mother/child love, language fun (rhyme)
Opening:
Little Tiger:
“Little Tiger
waking,
shaking,
in the morning sun.”
Little Panda:
“Little Panda
winking,
blinking,
spies a snowy day.”
Brief Synopsis: Both stories are “day-in-the-life” adventures in which the little one romps and plays and experiments… but mama is always close by to watch over and keep them safe.
Links To Resources: Special Resources straight from the author!!!
Hi Susanna.
Thank you so much for inviting Little Tiger and Little Panda to Blueberry Hill. We have been looking forward to visiting you on Perfect Picture Book Friday for sucha long time!
We are so happy that you and your granddaughters loved our books sooo much! How about a little painting fun to go with the books.
Little Tiger and Little Panda handprints…
They are TIGER-ific!
Fun and easy to make, just don’t forget to have a bowl of soapy water to wash those paint-covered hands.
Or, how about making bookmark corners? We discovered these origami corners on the RedTedArt website, here is the link on how to make the panda version (https://www.redtedart.com/panda-bookmark-corner/?cn-reloaded=1)
This is me learning how to fold the origami bookmark corner.
And this is what the finished article looks like.
How stu-PANDAS is that!
We hope that you enjoyed the Little Tiger and Little Panda craft time. And we are happy to announce that there will be two more books in the Little Animal Friends series publishing with Amicus Ink same time next year!
Thank you so much for taking time to stop by and share these wonderful activities with us, Julie!!!
Why I Like These Books: the stories are sweet, engaging, and accessible to youngest readers/listeners. The rhyme is fun to read aloud, with perfect rhythm and fun internal rhyme as well as end-of-line-rhyme (e.g. “Little Panda winking, blinking spies a snowy day. Little Panda stumbling, tumbling, bumbles out to play.”) Both stories let us play and explore along with baby animals, always feeling the safety of mama’s watchful eye and the warmth of her love. Lovely, gentle reads, perfect for bedtime or any time!!!
I hope you enjoy them 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!!! 🙂
Julie Abery is a children’s author and Pre-K teacher. Originally from England, she has spent half of her life living in Europe, bringing up her three (now grown up) children and experiencing new languages and cultures. She now calls Switzerland home.
Julie is looking forward to welcoming; her debut board books Little Tiger and Little Panda publishing in Spring 2019 with Amicus Ink with a further two in the Amicus Little Animal Friends series publishing in Spring 2020 ; a nonfiction picture book biography entitled Yusra Swims from Creative Editions (TBA); a true story Mr. Joao and Dindim the Penguin, Kids Can Press (Fall 2020) and nonfiction picture book Sakamoto and the Sugar-Ditch Kids from Kids Can Press (Spring 2021).
She is represented by Essie White of Storm Literary Agency.
Website: https://littleredstoryshed.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @juliedawnabery
Facebook: @julieabery
