Today is Perfect Picture Book Friday, so stay tuned for a great picture book review and activity AND a chance to vote for your favorite jingle.

But first, I want to share something else that is quite special.

Guess what! May 13-19 is Children’s Book Week! Helping every child become a reader and lover of books is a goal held by many of us.

To help celebrate, Mother Daughter Book Reviews and Youth Literature Reviews are hosting an awesome GIVEAWAY blog hop.

Did I say this was an AWESOME blog hop?  Dozens and dozens of book-loving bloggers will be participating. You can join by doing a post and giveaway and linking up OR you can visit any or all of the blogs on the link-up and enter for a chance to win each prize!

My giveaway will consist of  a copy of my book, Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking. This is the book I will be sharing at the 2013 Asian Festival of Children’s Content and, with the end of school approaching, it is a wonderful resource that will provide fun-filled educational self-esteem-building activities that will keep your kids entertained and learning, all summer long!

I’ll also include a pad of construction paper, a pair of safety scissors, a glue stick and a package of markers…all you will need in order to do many of the simple projects shown in my book. To top off the prize, I’ll put a brand-new classic picture book in the envelope.

Enter to win my prize package (US residents only…sorry…that is because of the cost of postage)! Just leave a comment on this post. If you’d like to follow me on Twitter or be a fan of my Show Me How page on Facebook, please click on the social media buttons near the bottom right of the banner at the top of this page.

Here’s the link-up link in case you would like to join…or visit the other blogs to enter to win the prizes they are each offering:

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Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Head over to Mother Daughter Book Reviews for all the posting/giveaway details…don’t miss this great opportunity to participate by joining the link-up or entering to win the prizes.

You’ve been quite patient…here is my Perfect Picture Book Friday review.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter

Opening lines: “Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were – Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter. They lived with their Mother in a sandbank, underneath the root of a very big fir tree.”

Age: 3 and up

Themes: Responsibility, misbehavior and consequences,  sibling interaction, respecting others

Publisher: Originally published by Frederick Warne in 1902, The Tale of Peter Rabbit has been republished dozens of times…the latest edition commemorates the 110^th anniversary of the book.

Synopsis

From Amazon: “The quintessential cautionary tale, Peter Rabbit warns naughty children about the grave consequences of misbehaving. When Mrs. Rabbit beseeches her four furry children not to go into Mr. McGregor’s garden, the impish Peter naturally takes this as an open invitation to create mischief. He quickly gets in over his head, when he is spotted by farmer McGregor himself. Any child with a spark of sass will find Peter’s adventures remarkably familiar. And they’ll see in Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail that bane of their existence: the “good” sibling who always does the right thing. One earns bread and milk and blackberries for supper, while the obstinate folly of the other warrants medicine and an early bedtime.”

Why I like this book

·       Wonderful read-aloud

·       Classic charming illustrations

·       Cautionary tale that EVERY child will relate to

·       A story that has stood the test of time – OVER 100 YEARS and still going strong!

·       Fellow picture book writers and illustrators will appreciate the fact that this story started out as a letter to the child of a friend of Ms. Potter. Several years later, she was encouraged to turn the letter into a book. She was a woman…at the turn of the last century when most women did not have the rights and opportunities that many have these days…she didn’t have 12×12, PiBoIdMo, SubSix…but she did it anyway!

How parents can use this book:

·       Wonderful read-aloud…please, please, please read with your child EVERY DAY! A few minutes is all it takes!

·       Perfect story for a child who has a hard time staying out of trouble.

·       Shows how important it is to listen to your mother!!!!

·       Good springboard for a discussion on respecting the property of others

·       Highlights how too much of even a good thing (carrots, lettuce, etc) can be bad for us.

Related Activities:

PAPER PLATE BUNNY WITH MOVABLE LEGS

For step-by-step instructions: http://crafts.kaboose.com/paper-plate-rabbit.html

More rabbit crafts here: http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/rabbits.html

Plant carrot, lettuce or other vegetable seeds in containers or in the garden.

Official Peter Rabbit website: http://www.peterrabbit.com/en

Fascinating information about the life of Ms. Potter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrix_Potter

For more wonderful picture book reviews, please visit children’s author Susanna Leonard Hill where you will find over 1000 categorized picture book reviews…and dozens of new ones every Friday.

WAIT…DON’T GO YET! THERE IS A JINGLE CONTEST GOING ON RIGHT NOW!

HEAD OVER TO SUSANNA’S AND VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE: http://susannahill.blogspot.com/2013/05/vote-for-you-favorite-jingle-and-your.html

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