Tag: Violetta Dabija

Perfect Picture Book Friday – A Leaf Can Be

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Happy Friday, Folks!

Remember on Wednesday when I said I was looking forward to daffodils?

Well, guess what?

Yesterday I took my dad to New York City for cataract surgery and in all the little square “gardens” planted around trees along one of the sidewalks on 64th Street there were…

…wait for it…

DAFFODILS!!! 🙂

daffodil

They’re like a little drops of captured sunshine, aren’t they? 🙂

So I chose the perfect picture book to capture feeling springy 🙂

(and yes, I’ve done it before, but I love it and I was pressed for time due to the aforementioned trip to NYC!)

leaf

Title: A Leaf Can Be

Written By: Laura Purdie Salas

Illustrated By: Violetta Dabija

Millbrook Press, February 2012, Fiction based on fact

Suitable For: ages 3-8

Themes/Topics: nature, seasons, poetry

Opening:  “A leaf is a leaf
It bursts out each spring
when sunny days linger
and orioles sing.

A leaf can be a…
soft cradle
water ladle
Sun taker
Food maker…”

Brief Synopsis: a simple rhyming story that shows all the many things a leaf can be.

Links To Resources: the back of the book has lots of facts about leaves, showing how they can be all the things mentioned in the book.  There is also a small glossary.  Take a walk and see how many different kinds of leaves you can find.  What could your leaves be used for?  Leaf Activities.  What else can you look at in different ways?

Why I Like This Book:  The quietness of this book encourages children to really think about all the different things leaves can be and in turn encourages children to stretch their imaginations about how other everyday objects might be used in different ways.  The poetry is gentle with pretty images.  The information in the back adds a lot to the learning potential of the book.  And the art in this book is absolutely luminous.  It just glows.  It is the perfect art for the text making for an altogether magical reading experience.

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!!! 🙂

(and have some cake on me 🙂 )

 

Perfect Picture Book Friday – A Leaf Can Be PLUS The Giveaway Winner!

42 Comments

Greetings, favorite folks!

Before we get to our Perfect Picture Book today, I’d like to take a quick second to announce the winner of a signed copy of Sylvia Liu’s Perfect Picture Book from last week – A Morning With Grandpa!  Many thanks to all of you who visited and commented, sharing your favorite exercise and/or way to relax.  Your names were all randomly randomized in the randomizer, and the winner is:

(drum roll please…!!!)

LESLIE GOODMAN!!!

Congratulations, Leslie!  Please email me (susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com) so I can organize with Sylvia to get your book to you!

Now then.  I confess life got the better of me this week, so I’m sharing a book today that I’ve shared before… but it’s very appropriate for spring and May and the emerald green all around 🙂

Leaf

Title:  A Leaf Can Be

Written By: Laura Purdie Salas

Illustrated By: Violetta Dabija

Millbrook Press, February 2012, Fiction based on fact

Suitable For: ages 3-8

Themes/Topics: nature, seasons, poetry

Opening:  “A leaf is a leaf

It bursts out each spring

when sunny days linger

and orioles sing.

A leaf can be a…

soft cradle

water ladle

Sun taker

Food maker…”

Brief Synopsis: a simple rhyming story that shows all the many things a leaf can be.

Links To Resources: the back of the book has lots of facts about leaves, showing how they can be all the things mentioned in the book.  There is also a small glossary.  Take a walk and see how many different kinds of leaves you can find.  What could your leaves be used for?  Leaf Activities.  What else can you look at in different ways?

Why I Like This Book:  The quietness of this book encourages children to really think about all the different things leaves can be and in turn encourages children to stretch their imaginations about how other everyday objects might be used in different ways.  The poetry is gentle with pretty images.  The information in the back adds a lot to the learning potential of the book.  And the art in this book is absolutely luminous.  It just glows.  It is the perfect art for the text making for an altogether magical reading experience.

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 your inspiring picks for this week!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!!