by Stacy
This week, I wanted to share a Perfect Picture Book about bugs.
Title: Super Bugs
Author: Michelle Meadows
Illustrator: Bill Mayer
Orchard Books, 2016
Themes/Topics: Rhyme, Bugs, Community Helpers
Opening: Antennae up, eyes down. Buzzing all around the town. Super Bugs, Super Bugs, mighty, mighty Super Bugs!
Brief Synopsis: (from cover flap) When bugs need help, who come to the rescue? Why, Super Bugs of course! Follow a tor of heroic Super Bugs from morning till night as they save their fellow insects from hungry frogs, falling tomatoes, and even human feet. When danger is near, Super Bugs are here!
Resources: Lesson plans on community helpers and another one. Scholastic has a variety of lesson plans and activities on bugs. Michelle Meadows has some very nice activity guides on her book page for her other books. Check out her site to see if one has been added for Super Bugs.
Why I Like This Book: Super Bugs was a random find at the library. The Super Bugs are super cute. These little bugs in capes are community helpers, who take care of other insects in the community. The note about the artwork is unique. It says Bill Mayer points in miniature. “In fact, the Super Bugs are actually about the size of a thumbnail!” He then scans the miniature paintings and enlarges them to fit the size of the book.
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for Monday is Wash Day. I’m keeping that open until Sept. 2.
For more PPBF books, check out the list over at the incredible Susanna Hill’s website.
by Stacy
Me again.
I’m serious about getting back to blogging and sharing Perfect Picture Books.
Last week, it was about chores. This week, it’s about dreams.
Title: Mabel and the Queen of Dreams
Authors: Henry, Joshua and Harrison Herz
Illustrator: Lisa Woods
Schiffer Publishing, 2016
Themes/Topics: Dreams, Bedtime
Opening: Mabel was an expert at not going to sleep.
Brief Synopsis (from Amazon): Little Mabel is an expert at not going to sleep. She knows all the best bedtime-avoiding excuses. “I’m thirsty.” “I need to use the bathroom.” “Will you tell me a story?” Luckily, Mom’s quiver of bedtime tales includes the story of the Fae Queen, who paints children’s dreams and can only visit when their eyes are closed. Inspired by Mercutio’s soliloquy in Romeo & Juliet, in which he details how the tiny fairy queen influences people’s dreams as she passes by in her flying chariot, the soothing story evokes images of an ant in a worn gray coat and a hazelnut-shell chariot with a roof of grasshopper wings. Told in lyrical language that adults will also appreciate, the story helps parents get their kids to sleep. For ages 0-6.
Resources: Paint your dreams. Talk about the things you dream about. Do you have similar dreams to Mabel? Are yours completely different?
Why I Like This Book: A child not ready for bed is a classic problem for children and parents. The Herz family offer a unique story with Mabel. The story moves us from a series of nighttime distractions — “I’m thirsty,” “I’m not tired,” to my favorite “I’m too tangled to sleep” (which in my opinion deserves its own book) — to a calming story requiring closed eyes. The story gives parent and child hope that sleep and dreams will soon arrive.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of Mabel and the Queen of Dreams to review.
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for Monday is Wash Day. I’m keeping that open until Sept. 2.
For more PPBF books, check out the list over at the incredible Susanna Hill’s website.
by Stacy
Surprise.
No time like the present to begin posting again! We’ve read a lot of great picture books in recent months.
I know the Perfect Picture Book Friday list is on hiatus for the summer, but wanted to share this book now.
This week’s selection is a book from Rocky Mountain Chapter (Colorado) SCBWI member MaryAnn Sundby. The book releases on September 27 and is from Ripple Grove Press. The book was recently mentioned by Elizabeth Bird’s blog in a post titled — Some of the Best Picture Books of 2016 Thus Far (Mid-Year Summary).
Title: Monday is Wash Day
Author: MaryAnn Sundby
Illustrator: Tessa Blackham
Ripple Grove Press, 2016
Themes/Topics: Chores, Family
Opening: Rain or shine, Monday is wash day.
Brief Synopsis: (from Amazon):
In this timeless story from a time not so long ago, Annie and her sister help Mama with washing the clothes on Monday morning. From gathering and sorting the clothes, to washing and hanging them outside to dry, to folding and putting them away, the family works together to get the job done.
“First we work and then we play.” Mama smiles but walks with purpose to the porch.
Tessa Blackham’s warm, hand-painted cut-paper collages bring the reader to a time in the Midwest when doing the laundry was an all-day family chore.
Links to Resources: Talk to your children about chores. You can create a chore chart. Here’s a custom printable one or visit Pinterest for Creative Chore Charts galore. There are several articles online about how historically there was a strict order to the household schedules like Monday was Washday.
Why I Like this Book: The story is nostalgic. At my age, I still recall my grandmother’s outhouse before indoor plumbing was installed. I’ve never participated in a wash day and neither has my son, but this book gives a glimpse into that world. We have dryers and our neighborhood doesn’t even allow permanent clothes lines. This book is a window to a different world. I’ve met the author MaryAnn Sundby at several SCBWI events and she is delightful and kind.
GIVEAWAY
Share in the comments a memory of your favorite chore or maybe a not so favorite chore. I will put your name in a drawing to win a copy of Monday is Wash Day. Names will be put in a hat and drawn on Sept. 2. The book can only be mailed to a U.S. address.
So, comment below for a chance to win your own copy of the book.
For more PPBF books, check out the list over at the incredible Susanna Hill’s website.
by Stacy
Here’s my selection for Perfect Picture Book Friday:
J.P. and the Bossy Dinosaur
Written By Ana Crespo
Illustrated by Erica Sirotich
Albert Whitman & Company, 2016
Suitable for ages: 4-7
Theme/Topic: Emotions, Sad
Opening Spread: I am JP the dinosaur.
Brief Synopsis: From the Albert Whitman & Company website — In his third adventure, JP is excited to be at the water park with his family. But when the bossy dinosaur says he can’t go down the waterslide with his sister, JP is sad. Using his vivid imagination and a little help from his family and best friend, JP remembers how to have fun again!
Resources: Ana has a variety of resources on her website for the J.P. books, including questions to use while reading.
Why I Like This Book: Enzo gave this one the important “Read it Again!” signal. He doesn’t care that he’s met Ana before (or the real J.P.). He enjoyed the story. I’ve enjoyed reading through the entire My Emotions and Me series with its cute Mood-O-Meter in the upper right-hand corner of the cover.
We love dinosaurs and sometimes we must deal with the emotions of big and little, bossy dinosaurs. The illustrations at a water park area are also a perfect fit. Pools and aquatic centers are filled with sad moments, because children hear “no” a lot. There are rules and disappointments. It can make for an emotionally taxing outing.
For more PPBF books, visit Susanna Leonard Hill’s Blog.
by Stacy
Here’s my selection for Perfect Picture Book Friday:
Delivering Justice W.W. Law and the Fight for Civil Rights
Written by Jim Haskins
Illustrated by Benny Andrews
Candlewick Press, 2005
Suitable for ages: 5-8
Theme/Topic: Civil Rights, Segregation
Opening Spread: Savannah, Georgia 1932 The smell of his grandma’s biscuits lured Westley to the kitchen. Westley was excited because today was Thursday, the day he would see his mother. The rest of the week, she worked for a white family just outside Savannah, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of their children. This was her day off.
Grandma’s friend Old John was sitting at the table. Westley loved listening to the old man’s stories. Old John had been born a slave. He had been taken from his mother and had never known her. He was nice — Westley’s age — when he and all the slaves were freed in 1865. Westley felt lucky — at least he saw his own mama once a week.
Brief Synopsis: from Candlewick Press—
“Grow up and be somebody,” Westley Wallace Law’s grandmother encouraged him as a young boy living in poverty in segregated Savannah, Georgia. Determined to make a difference in his community, W.W. Law assisted blacks in registering to vote, joined the NAACP and trained protestors in the use of nonviolent civil disobedience, and, in 1961, led the Great Savannah Boycott. In that famous protest, blacks refused to shop in downtown Savannah. When city leaders finally agreed to declare all of its citizens equal, Savannah became the first city in the south to end racial discrimination.
A lifelong mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, W.W. Law saw fostering communication between blacks and whites as a fundamental part of his job. As this affecting, strikingly illustrated biography makes clear, this “unsung hero” delivered far more than the mail to the citizens of the city he loved.
A gripping biography of the mail carrier who orchestrated the Great Savannah boycott — and was instrumental in bringing equality to his community.
Resources: Education resources on desegregation. The book has a number of talking points about segregation. It’s a difficult concept for children today to think about a time when people were treated differently, because of their skin color. The second spread gives a clear example of how W.W. Law and his grandmother were treated differently in a department store by clerks.
Why I Like this Book: Enzo found this book at the school library last week. It really breaks down the topic of segregation in digestible chunks for his age range. The opening spread really sets the stage, so children know this was a very different time period.
For more PPBF books, visit Susanna Leonard Hill’s Blog.
by Stacy
Here’s my selection for Perfect Picture Book Friday:
The Goodbye Book
Written and Illustrated by Todd Parr
Little, Brown and Company, 2015
Suitable for ages: 3-6
Theme/Topic: Loss, Friendship
Opening Spread: It’s hard to say goodbye to someone.
Brief Synopsis: From lb-kids.com: Through the lens of a pet fish who has lost his companion, Todd Parr tells a moving and wholly accessible story about saying goodbye. Touching upon the host of emotions children experience, Todd reminds readers that it’s okay not to know all the answers, and that someone will always be there to support them. An invaluable resource for life’s toughest moments.
Resources: I think using the book itself is a great resource. The text mentions “You’ll remember …” lines like “You’ll remember all the special times.” You can easily talk to your child about those moments with the person the child lost. Todd Parr posted a video about the book on his ToddTv. He has several coloring sheets on his site for his other books. Check out his site to see if he has added anything for this book. He has a fun link for educators too. Author Miranda Paul also has an extensive list of books on death at her blog, if you are looking for something else to read.
Why I Like This Book: When I shared with Julie Rowan-Zoch, my son’s recent fixation on death. She mentioned this book. We’ve always enjoyed the Todd Parr books we’ve read for their simplicity of text and illustrations. After we read this one, Enzo focused on the loss of a schoolmate — one who left school earlier in the year. While we like Bug in a Vacuum and its focus on the stages of grief, The Goodbye Book seemed more focused. It could just be the difference in the illustration styles.
For more PPBF books, visit Susanna Leonard Hill’s Blog.
I wanted to write a review of Dot by Patricia Intriago, because I recently rediscovered it. Since I had slept since 2011 … I forgot it was on the PPBF list already. If you are curious, look up this review on Joanna’s blog.
