Perfect Picture Book Friday: MAC AND CHEESE Plus Giveaway

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Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. It’s been quite a few weeks since I did a picture book review. How did that happen? Well, I put my house on the market, but of course, before that could happen, I had to totally de-clutter it! Good news! It sold on the first day! Now I am sorting/purging/packing. The closing date is August 31 and I’ll be moving in with my daughter and her family who live only 5 minutes down the road.

Easy-peasy, you say. Hmmm…it might be, but my daughter and son-in-law wanted to find the perfect house with a separate space/separate entrance for me which their current house doesn’t have. Therefore, we’ve been house-hunting at the same time. More good news…I think we found a house that will suit us all!! So, now they’ve decluttered their home in record time and their Open House is Saturday. Fingers crossed for a quick sale so we can proceed with the house that we found.

And, to add to this busy mix, I participated in Justin Colon’s #PBChat Mentorship Program. Now I have TWO mentees (hurray for Rebecca Chester and Carolyn Fraiser), two runners-ups and four honorable mentions. And that is the best news of all. I’m really looking forward to working with all of these fabulous writers.

Today’s picture book selection is by another fabulous writer…author Jolene Gutierrez. I was lucky enough to meet her in person when I was in Colorado last summer for a book event at Second Star to the Right bookstore in Denver. Jolene was one of the kidlit folk who came out to support me…and after the bookstore event, a bunch of us walked down the street to Sushi Den for lunch…yum! And speaking of yum…how about some…

mac and cheese

MAC AND CHEESE: PERSONAL SPACE INVADER

Written by Jolene Gutiérrez

Illustrated by Heather Bell

Published by Spork (2020)

Ages: 5-8

Themes: Personal space, getting along, friendship

Synopsis: From Amazon:

Mac and Cheese are the class guinea pigs, and Oliver is their biggest fan. So he watches them to learn how he can be a good friend. But while snuggling might be fine for guinea pigs, Oliver’s classmates don’t like him getting into their personal space bubbles. With the help of his teacher and classmates, Oliver learns that being a friend means respecting personal space.

Why I love this book:

  • Kids will really relate to the main character who wants to be a good friend, but isn’t quite sure how to go about it
  • It’s so important for kids to understand about respecting another person’s space
  • I love the illustrations – the main character’s expression is priceless…and what a great idea about the hula hoop to delineate personal space

RELATED ACTIVITIES:

square-hamstersPhoto courtesy: https://www.drawinghowtodraw.com

Kids love cartoons! Some of them even doodle their own all over their school work. Here’s a step by step tutorial on drawing a cartoon hamster: https://www.drawinghowtodraw.com/stepbystepdrawinglessons/2010/02/how-to-draw-cartoon-hamsters-with-easy-step-by-step-drawing-tutorial/

Please remember to leave a comment to be entered in the giveaway of a copy of MAC AND CHEESE…and don’t forget that the best way to show an author how much you love their book is to:

  • Buy a copy
  • Review it
  • Tell friends about it (share on social media)
  • Ask your local library to purchase a copy for their collection.

I hope you all have a beautiful weekend! Please stay safe and well. And please come back tomorrow when award-winning author and Blue Whale editor Alayne Kay Christian stops by to chat about her newest picture book.

63 thoughts on “Perfect Picture Book Friday: MAC AND CHEESE Plus Giveaway”

  1. I love the title and the book cover. Sounds like a fun read aloud.
    Good luck with your multigenerational family move, Vivian. Glad your house sold so quickly. My best friend, Shirley, did the same thing. She moved in with her eldest daughter and son-in-law and their two kids. But they built a new home, because her other daughter (Mary) moved in too. Grandma, aunt and a family of four. It worked out great for about 15+ years until last year the kids were out of college and pursuing careers, Wish you the best!

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  7. Congratulations Jolene! I just love their names Mac and Cheese! And personal space is a great topic and one that’s difficult especially spec Ed. Children who sometimes just want to give hugs and can’t understand another child who reacts differently. Love how your approaching it with lovable characters and an easy solution! Well done!

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  11. Congrats on your PB debut Jolene! I’m sure it will be a fantastic success, not only on the enjoyment level, but also for the insight it reveals. Well done, Spork Sista!:)

    Liked by 2 people

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