Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. The year is winding down, but the windfall of fabulous picture books of 2018 is not. And the author of today’s book is offering a VERY special giveaway: a Picture Book Critique OR the first 10 pages of a novel.

FINDING A DOVE FOR GRAMPS

Written by Lisa Amstutz

Illustrated by Maria Luisa Di Gravio

Published by Albert Whitman (November 2018)

Ages: 5-7

Themes: Christmas Bird Count, family, persistance

Synopsis: From Amazon:

“A boy and his mom continue the family tradition of participating in the annual bird count. Since Gramps went South for the winter, the boy hopes to spot Gramps’s favorite bird for him—a dove! But with so many different birds in the nature preserve, will he be able to spot one? This heart-warming family story about nature celebrates a holiday census that was first started in 1900 and happens every year.”

Why I like this book:

• I’ve always been fascinated with the Christmas Bird Count…and I was thrilled to see there is a new picture book that will introduce young children to this.
• Bold illustrations draw the reader into the story.
• I loved that the family is helping the young boy keep his connection with his Gramps strong, even though he is not living close by any more.

RELATED ACTIVITIES:

Photo courtesy: https://adayinourshoes.com/backyard-bird-feeders-and-bird-watching-activities-for-kids/

Make a cool bird feeder, but just remember that if you make a habit of feeding birds, they may come to depend on it and if you don’t follow through in the winter, they may not be able to find food elsewhere. For detailed instructions: https://adayinourshoes.com/backyard-bird-feeders-and-bird-watching-activities-for-kids/

Find out more about the Christmas Bird Count and how it started: https://www.audubon.org/conservation/history-christmas-bird-count

Lisa Amstutz, the author of FINDING A DOVE FOR GRAMPS, has a wonderful website with activities for teachers: http://www.lisaamstutz.com/for-teachers.html

And please remember that the best gift we can give our favorite authors is to 

• Buy their books
• Write reviews
• Tell friends about the book
• Ask your local library to purchase it for their collection

I hope you all enjoy the weekend. Don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered into the giveaway. I’ll be flying to Chicago tomorrow morning to spend the week with family, so I’m wishing all of you a very Safe and Happy Thanksgiving.