Perfect Picture Book Friday

Title: Baby Bear's Big Dreams
Author/Illustrator: Jane Yolen/Melissa Sweet
Publisher/Date: Harcourt, Inc./2007
Genre/Audience: Fiction/Preschool-Grade 1
Themes: Growing up, independence, making choices, imagining the future

Opening: "When I grow up in about a year, my special friends will move in here. We'll play all day and stay up late, and never go to bed by eight."

Synopsis: From Booklist - "Yolen and Sweet follow up Baby Bear's Chairs (2005) and Baby Bear's Books (2006) with a picture book exploring the little bear's optimistic plans. Written in first person from his point of view, the simple text puts forth Baby Bear's dreams of becoming a big bear. At first, his thoughts lean to the immediate, consisting of playing with friends all day, leaving their toys about, and staying up past eight o'clock. But as he thinks about it, the dreams become a little more far-reaching, with a tree house, a camping trip, and a triumphant poetry reading in his future. Full of action, and illustrated with fresh colors and pleasing details, the artwork creates Baby Bear's world as an appealing, even cozy place that children will want to explore visually while listening to the rhythmic, rhyming verse. Written with a good sense of the way young children think and express themselves, the text has a childlike air and reads aloud well. A fine new picture book for Baby Bear fans." Phelan, Carolyn

Why I Love This Book:
What child doesn't dream of what they will do when they possess freedom and independence?  Yolen's playful rhyme seizes child-like dreams of staying up late and not cleaning up the toys, and then the dreams become bigger and more involved, mirroring a child's dramatic play.  The repetition of "When I grow up in a year or two" (three, four, five) and then "When I'm ALL grown, I'll come back home and read aloud my growing poem" brings the book full circle to show the child's love and security at home. This is a sweet read-aloud with fantastic illustrations to explore. The third Baby Bear book on which Yolen and Sweet have collaborated is, in my opinion, the best of the bunch!

Resources:

Visit Jane Yolen's author site for her words about this lovely title.

Use the phrase "When I grow up..." as a writing prompt.  Connect it to a communities study in the early elementary years as children learn about jobs.

Explore Melissa Sweet's artwork.

For more links to Perfect Picture Books, a collection of bloggers who contribute at Susanna Leonard Hill’s site, click here.

Happy Hanukkah

The holiday season is upon us.  I was planning on posting Christmas books today, but after I looked at my calendar, I realized that Hanukkah books are a bit more timely!  Happy Hanukkah to all those who celebrate!

Latkes and Applesauce: A Hanukkah Story by Fran Manushkin; Illustrated by Robin Spowart - When a blizzard arrives on the first night of Hanukkah, it brings with it unexpected guests.  A Hanukkah miracle occurs when these guests lead the family to the ingredients they need for their traditional feast of latkes and applesauce.  This heartwarming story includes a reference section that describes Hanukkah, includes a recipe for potato latkes, and gives the rules for playing dreidel.

Runaway Dreidel! by Leslea Newman; Illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker - In this Chanukah version of The Night Before Christmas, a runaway dreidel spins fast and far as the whole family chases it from their city apartment, through the countryside, and all the way to the ocean.  What happens next is another Chanukah miracle.  The oil and cut paper illustrations give this book its charm.

The Chanukkah Guest by Eric A. Kimmel; Illustrated by Giora Carmi - Ninety-seven year old Bubba Brayna makes the best latkes in the village.  But she doesn't see or hear as well as she used to.  As she prepares for her guests, she hears a knock on the door, and on seeing the Rabbi, welcomes him in.  But is it the Rabbi or an imposter?  In the end, it doesn't matter. Everyone has a happy Chanukkah.

Perfect Picture Book Friday

Title: When You Are Happy
Author/Illustrator: Eileen Spinelli / Geraldo Valerio
Publisher/Date: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/ 2006
Genre/Audience: Fiction/ Ages 3+
Themes: Emotions, Poetry, Family, Unconditional Love

Opening:
"When you are sad./ I will hold you./ I will let you cry./ I will catch your tears/ in a blue cup/ and water the yellow flowers/ and they will grow/ more beautiful."

Synopsis: From BOOKLIST - "Spinelli offers an unusual approach to helping children understand their fears and feelings. Using a comforting refrain ("When you are . . ."), each member of the young girl's family reassures her when she is cold, sick, lonely, tired, grumpy, lost, and happy: "When you are afraid, / I will take your hand / and not let go-- / except once to borrow one hundred tiny stars / to spell out the words: YOU ARE SAFE." Appealingly offbeat, whimsical illustrations characterize the girl's emotions: when she's afraid, she's depicted in a Little Red Riding Hood outfit. Like a Technicolor dream, the art is full of movement and bright color, with smiling, happy people wafting across every spread. This will be great for lap sharing; children will feel warmed by the sense of close family ties." Julie Cummins

Why I Love This Book:
I rediscovered this on my bookshelf from my teaching days.  And I can't wait to share it with my boys.  What child doesn't need to be reminded that no matter how they are feeling, they are loved unconditionally?  Spinelli's lyrical voice, rich with metaphor, strikes a chord for me that informational books about emotions do not.  Valerio's illustrations are bright and inviting, even with the darker emotions of being afraid and lost.  I love how this book can be read on many levels, from the basic understanding of love and emotions to the deeper symbolism of what it means to search for a loved one who is lost.  Once again, I am in awe of picture books like this one that shine for a spectrum of readers, from young child to adult.

Resources:
Writing Activity: Begin with Spinelli's refrain: "When you are _____."  Have students fill in an emotion, directing their short poem at a family member. This would be a good way to jump into a discussion of empathy.  The poems may make a nice holiday/Mother's Day/Father's Day gift.

Create an emotions poster or flashcard deck using student photos.  Here's an example.

Family Tree Template - Create a family tree, like the one on the dedications page.

For more links to Perfect Picture Books, a collection of bloggers who contribute at Susanna Leonard Hill’s site, click here.

Interactive Books

Picture books are inherently interactive.  The text and pictures combine to create a story that children can linger over.  But there are books out there that invite active participation.  Remember pop-up books?  I loved the pull-tabs and the elaborate spreads that fanned out over the pages.  Unfortunately, pop-up books are not really preschooler friendly.  I've repaired enough flaps torn off from lift-the-flap books to know that I need to keep my treasured pop-ups hidden, on a high shelf,  until my boys are, well, probably 18!  Interactive books have moved beyond traditional pop-ups and lift-the-flaps.  There are books that ask readers to look closely, follow directions, and use their senses.  If you are looking for a holiday gift book that will encourage play, here are some of my favorites:

Press Here by Hervé Tullet - This unique French import is not a story.  Rather it is a set of directions for the reader to follow, which in turn (literally, in turning the page), makes the primary-colored dots that populate this book, react.  In the age of iPads and other touch screen devices, this book may seem old-fashioned, but the perceived movement of the dots by the reader lends itself more to imaginative play. 

And while I haven't gotten my hands on it, Tullet's interactive adventure The Book with a Hole, sounds just as intriguing.  From Amazon.com: "The Book with a Hole blasts a hole through the middle of the book itself.  Sometimes the hole is an eye the reader can look through; sometimes it is a mouth and the reader's fingers make the teeth!  The next minute it is a plate (with food drawn by the reader on a sheet of paper behind the book), an obstacle to jump across, or a saucepan.  It's crazy!  It's a Book with a Hole!" (Ages 2+)

Peek-a-Moo! and Peek-a-Zoo! by Marie Torres Cimarusti; Illustrated by Stephanie Peterson - For the toddlers in your life, I highly recommend these books which feature huge lift-flaps on each page.  These books teach animal sounds while involving the reader in a game of barnyard or zoo peek-a-boo.  Both bring the game back to the child at the end with: "Guess who? What do you say?" (Ages 2+)

Heads and Tails by Matthew Van Fleet - These two books, filled with rhyme, tabs, and terrific textures,  invite the reader to play, while learning a bit about animal heads and tails.  In Heads, all the animals are named in a large fold-out page at the end, so it is a great reference.  The end of Tails parallels the first book by bringing in the same animal at the end, but Van Fleet adds on with a re-read activity, inviting the reader to go back and find 1 skunk, 2 tigers, ..., 10 pigs.  Be ready to use your senses (if you are brave enough to scratch & sniff a skunk)! (Ages 2+)

Look!  A Book! A Zany Seek-and-Find Adventure by Bob Staake - Remember Where's Waldo?  This fun, interactive book is reminiscent of finding that fun-loving guy in the red and white striped shirt in the midst of chaos. Staake draws the reader's attention to pieces of a larger spread by cutting literal holes in the page.  Turn the page and you see the big picture. The rhyme asks the reader to find a specific item.  In searching is the fun, as readers/observers delve into a themed illustration full of the expected and unexpected.  Pages include Things That Go and Treetop Town. (Ages 3+)

Can You See What I See? series by Walter Wick - Walter Wick is a masterful photographer, creating scenes around themes and using that photograph to illustrate a puzzle rhyme that has the reader eagerly scouring the picture to find all the hidden objects.  Trucks and Cars (Ages 2+) was a hit with my boys.  Once Upon a Time: Picture Puzzles to Search and Solve (Ages 6+) has gorgeous spreads of different fairy tales.  Wick has also collaborated with Jean Marzollo on the popular I Spy series.

Zoom by Istvan Banyai - This exquisite wordless picture book is not what it seems. A picture within a picture, Banyai uses each spread to draw the eye further out.  The book jacket says it best: "Just when you think you know where you are, guess again.  Nothing is as it seems."  Zoom! (Ages 5+)

Perfect Picture Book Friday

Title: ART
Author/Illustrator: Patrick McDonnell
Publisher/Date: Little, Brown and Company/ 2006
Genre/Audience: Fiction/ Preschool-Grade 3
Themes: Art!, Daydreaming, Inspiration

Opening:
"This is Art.  And this is art.  Art and his art.  Can you tell them apart?"

Synopsis: From School Library Journal - In a play on words that carries throughout the story, Art, a young boy, joyfully tries his hand at all kinds of art. He DRAWS SCRIBBLES THAT SQUIGGLE, SPLOTCHES WITH BLOTCHES, ZIGS and ZAGS, doodles and dogs, and so much more. His creations, rendered in watercolor and crayon, extend from the drizzles on the title page to swirls and curls and Jackson Pollock-like spreads until the doodles become a picture in which Art and his dog blast off for the moon: THERE'S NO STOPPING ART...WHEN ART IS INSPIRED. He falls asleep amid his work and awakens to find it on the refrigerator, PUT THERE BY MOTHER 'CAUSE MOTHER LOVES ART. The rhyming text is brief and takes a backseat to the little boy's exuberant pictures. This story, along with Peter H. Reynolds's The Dot (Candlewick, 2003), can free up hesitant artists to let their talent shine.-Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT

Why I Love This Book:
My boys and I have fallen in love with this book (it's on its third renewal from the library!)  It is a simple rhyme with a fun pun and the art takes center stage.  This is a breath of fresh air, giving children the permission and encouragement they need to make their own art, drawing from their own inspiration.  One of my favorite lines: "Art stares at the paper and uses his noodle to conjure up a perfect doodle."  Unfortunately, this gem of a book is out-of-print.  And used copies are expensive.  I've looked!  So head to your library to enjoy this beautiful play on Art, the boy, and his art.

Resources:

http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/features/patrickmcdonnell/book-art.html
Click here for book trailer, blurb, and author info.

http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/features/patrickmcdonnell/pdf/art-word-jumble.pdf
Click here for ART word jumble.

http://www.jacksonpollock.com/
Click here for Abstract Expressionist art.

For more links to Perfect Picture Books, a collection of bloggers who contribute at Susanna Leonard Hill’s site, click here.

Thankfulness (and a Turkey...and some Monsters!)

Thanksgiving is fast approaching.  It makes sense that November is associated with giving thanks.  But shouldn't we be doing that right along?  Developing a sense of gratitude, beyond a mumbled "thank you" is, in my view, essential for empathy, courtesy, and community.  Even if my boys don't always understand the "why" behind our family routines, they learn as they grow that saying "Thank you for dinner" to the one placing food on the table is at once polite, respectful, and thankful for that day's meal.  Here is an interesting assortment of books related to gratefulness.  From a silly turkey tale, to a Native American Thanksgiving Address, to a child's perspective on thanks, to a monster book (!), I hope you find some fun and thankfulness to share with your kids this season.  I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year, so I'm taking next Wednesday off in preparation! I am so thankful for the opportunity to share my love of children's books with all of you, my faithful readers.  Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message (Author: Chief Jake Swamp; Illustrator: Erwin Printup, Jr.) – Opening: “To be a human being is an honor, and we offer thanksgiving for all the gifts of life.”  Ever so humble, this beautiful book reminds us of all that we have to be thankful for.  In the Author’s Note, Chief Swamp provides the background for this book: “The words in this book are based on the Thanksgiving Address, an ancient message of peace and appreciation of Mother Earth and all her inhabitants.”  

All of Me!: A Book of Thanks (Molly Bang) – In a variation on toddler books that teach body parts and senses, Molly Bang illustrates a book in which a child gives thanks for a fully functioning body and all the marvelous things it can do.  Using paper bags and various artsy odds and ends, her illustrations are kid-friendly and highly accessible, to the point that it teaches readers how to make their own books. (See the back endpapers!)  This lovely, simple book from a child’s perspective brings home the need to give thanks for our amazing bodies!

Beauty and the Beaks: A Turkey’s Cautionary Tale (Mary Jane and Herm Auch) – From School Library Journal: “Wonderfully creative handmade characters and sets are the highlight of this over-the-top chicken tale…. A humorous story about dressing a turkey, but not in the usual manner.”  If you have not picked up any of Mary Jane and Herm Auch’s books, you are missing out!  Their photographed chicken sculptures/scenes draw the reader in as much as the story, which in itself if full of wit, puns, and barnyard humor!  In this off-beat Thanksgiving story, the hens of The Chic Hen Beauty Shop stop at nothing to help an arrogant (and ignorant) turkey (“This feast is a very eggsclusive event.  There’s only one bird invited. Me!”) avoid the fate of being stuffed with chestnuts.  You’ll be groaning your way through this delightful book…and not because you ate too much at Thanksgiving!

The Monsters’ Monster (Patrick McDonnell) – First of all, who can resist the opening line: “Grouch, Grump, and little Gloom ‘n’ Doom thought they were monsters.”?  Patrick McDonnell’s illustrations are quirky, exaggerated, and cartoonish; perfectly suited for this hilarious book about little, BAD monsters who decide to create a BIG, BAD monster.  Only their plan doesn’t go as they'd hoped.  Their BIG, BAD monster is… thankful, gentle, and generous!  An oddly appropriate book for the Thanksgiving season.

Perfect Picture Book Friday

 
***THANK YOU TO ALL WHO VOTED IN THE HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST!  I'M HUMBLED TO HAVE WON SECOND PLACE WITH ALL THE TALENT OUT THERE!  IT WAS GREAT FUN :) ***

Title: Epossumondas
Author/Illustrator: Coleen Salley/ Janet Steves
Publisher/Date: Harcourt, Inc./ 2002
Genre/Audience: Fiction/Ages 3-7
Themes: Folktales (retelling), Noodlehead Stories, southern United States

Opening:
"Epossumondas was his mama's and his auntie's sweet little patootie.  They just loved him to death."

Synopsis: From Publishers Weekly -

"Foolish Jack is cast here as a pampered, over-mothered Louisiana possum in a refreshingly retold version by New Orleans storyteller Salley (Who's That Trippin' over My Bridge?). This familiar story takes on new silliness as the improbable possum-child interacts with his human mother. And what a mother (fans of Stevens's To Market, to Market will recognize her as the same model)! Stevens, in wickedly observant pencil and watercolor illustrations, characterizes the doting matriarch and her sister as matronly, doughy-cheeked ladies in cat-eye glasses and flowery dresses circa 1952. When the aunt sends cake home with Epossumondas, he scrunches it in his hand and ruins it. His mother chides him, "Oh, Epossumondas, you don't have the sense you were born with!" and advises him next time to carry cake on his head. When his auntie gives him butter, he unthinkingly follows his mother's advice regarding cake transport. "What you got, Epossumondas?" a raccoon asks, as the butter streams down the possum's face. "Butter," he replied. "Hmm. Don't look much like butter to me," Raccoon says drily. Salley narrates the series of mishaps with a storyteller's impeccable timing and a pleasing Southern patois that should inspire many spirited read-alouds. A note at book's end gives an overview of the tale's many incarnations all over the world."

 

Why I Love This Book:
First, I couldn't resist the cover.  I discovered this book because of the illustrator, Janet Stevens, who also illustrated To Market, To Market (which I recently posted here as a perfect picture book).  While not story related, the mother-figure is the same character, and based on renowned children's literature professor, storyteller, and author Coleen Salley!  Once I recognized this, I had to read this story.  Now, I'm not familiar with noodlehead stories.  Foolish Jack and Epaminondas are new to me and I'm fascinated by this genre of folktale (I love trickster stories, too!).  This is a funny take on the classic, where the main character is a possum! A helpful "Storyteller's Note" at the end talks about the incarnation of noodlehead stories around the world. 

Resources:

Lesson Plan for Epossumondas: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/epossumondas-lesson-plan
Epaminondas story: http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/68/fairy-tales-and-other-traditional-stories/5079/epaminondas/
Lesson Plan for Foolish Jack (includes listing of similar tales from around the world): http://www.myfreshplans.com/2010-12/foolish-jack-lesson-plans/
Books dedicated to Coleen Salley: http://coleensalley.com/dedications.htm

For more links to Perfect Picture Books, a collection of bloggers who contribute at Susanna Leonard Hill’s site, click here.