by Stacy
Here’s my selection for Perfect Picture Book Friday:
Title: Douglas, You Need Glasses!
Author and Illustrator: Ged Adamson
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2016
Suitable for ages: 3-7
Theme/Topic: Glasses, Being Unaware, Humor
Opening Spread: Nancy and Douglas were chasing squirrels.
Brief Synopsis: (from Amazon) Meet Douglas, a dog with a big problem: he needs eyeglasses but doesn’t know it, and his bad eyesight tends to land him in some pretty hairy situations.
Readers will laugh along with the new picture book character Douglas as he chases a leaf that he mistakes for a squirrel, walks through wet cement because he can’t see the warning sign, and annoys the neighbor’s dog by mistakenly eating out of his bowl. And when Douglas’s owner Nancy finally takes him to what is clearly an eyeglass store and Douglas asks, “Why are you taking me to a shoe store?” everyone will be giggling.
After an eye exam confirms that Douglas needs glasses, and Nancy helps him find the perfect pair, readers will rejoice with Douglas as he sees all the amazing things he’s been missing!
Both kids and parents will laugh out loud—and may even recognize themselves!—while reading this utterly irresistible, hilarious picture book.
Resources: Articles on children wearing glasses. Encouraging your child to wear glasses.
Why I Like This Book: Douglas was a random find at the library. We spend much of May and June reading picture books about children with glasses after Enzo began wearing his own. It’s fun to laugh along as Douglas makes his discovery of how glasses can make a difference.
For more PPBF books, visit Susanna Leonard Hill’s Blog.
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.
by Stacy
Here’s my selection for Perfect Picture Book Friday:
This is NOT a Pumpkin
Written and Illustrated by Bob Staake (If you get a chance, visit his website and on the left hand sidebar click on the “quick bob” link. It’s a slideshow “about me,” and I enjoyed his description of moving into digital work and his normal style.)
Little Simon, 2007
Suitable for ages: 4-8
Theme/Topic: Similarities, Differences
Opening Spread:
This is NOT a pumpkin.
Brief Synopsis: From back cover: It may be round like a pumpkin and even orange like a pumpkin, but this is NOT a pumpkin! If it’s not a pumpkin, then what is it? Preschoolers and toddlers will love knowing the answers and enjoy the fun, “unexpected” ending!
Resources: Play a game with objects and talk about how they are or are not the same thing. Is it a sock or a sock monkey? Read a copy of Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld (that’s an optical illusion book), as a companion to this one. Draw a pumpkin and create your own Jack-o’-lanterns. Here’s a craft to make a 3-D one that doesn’t look like a pumpkin.
Why I Like This Book: I love the simplicity of the text and the art. It’s a fun book for little ones, because they will be saying, “BUT, it IS a pumpkin!” until the last page.
For more PPBF books, visit Susanna Leonard Hill’s Blog.
by Stacy
Here’s my selection for Perfect Picture Book Friday:
Counting on Letters: From A to Z and 1 to 26
Written and Illustrated by Mark Gonyea
BookPOW, 2014
Suitable for ages: 4-6
Theme/Topic: Concept, ABCs, Numbers
Opening Spread:
1 A all alone.
2 Bs balancing.
Brief Synopsis: (from Amazon) An alliterative romp through the alphabet that combines letters with numbers for a double-whammy of educational fun.
Resources: We use ABC books to practice letters at our house. Kindergarten testing has been a tough, but we practice and practice some more. There are resources at PBS Kids to practice letters. One could also encourage an art project using letters in new scenarios. Instead of “4 Ds dangling,” how might you illustrate a D.
Why I Like This Book: It’s a fun, graphic twist on an ABC book. The letters are an integral part of the art. Each page is fun. And, it’s been on repeat read at our house since Christmas 2014.
For more PPBF books, visit Susanna Leonard Hill’s Blog.
