Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends! And Happy National #GiveKidsASmileDay! And today’s featured book is definitely going to give kids a smile because it all about the friendship between PB and J…Peanut Butter and Jelly! The author is one of my oldest kidlit friends, I met her in Switzerland when I went on my trip around the world in 2019, and she’s the fearless leader of the #DreamTeam book promotion group, Katelyn Aronson.

WHEN PB MET J

Written by Katelyn Aronson

Illustrated by Sarah Rebar

Published by Viking Books for Young Readers

Ages: 4-8

Themes: Friendship, Humor, Food

Synopsis: From Amazon:
The best friendship since sliced bread!

Once upon a kitchen, the Fridgers chilled on one side.
The Cupboard Crew loafed about on the other.
 
The kitchen may look like a peaceful place, but there was never more division than between the Fridgers and the Cupboard Crew. The Fridgers could be a little too cool. The Cupboard Crew—well, they often got stale. It was clear that the two should never mix. But that was until Peanut Butter (PB, for short) met Jelly. When Jelly finds herself in a sticky situation, it’s Peanut Butter to the rescue. And the result is the best friendship since sliced bread.
 
When PB Met J is the deliciously funny origin story of every child’s favorite lunch. Readers will cheer that these sweet and salty characters should always stick together.
 

Why I Love This Book:
1. I love funny punny books…and this is one of the best!
2. I love books with important messages!
3. The illustrations are so much fun – kids are going to love this!

And guess what, friends? Katelyn stopped by to chat a bit about her inspiration for this book. And even though it was JUST her book birthday less than two weeks ago, she’s giving the present!!! Please make sure you leave a comment on the post and please follow her on social media for a chance to win a copy of this incredibly funny book!

KATELYN:

As a little kid, I loved collecting play food and serving it up at make-believe restaurants with my sister.

I also loved watching an animated short on Sesame Street called Teeny Little Super Guy. It was all kinds of kitchen utensils and glassware having adventures in a kitchen.

My imagination fused these two childhood loves together—play food + kitchen utensils coming to life when humans aren’t watching. Then I mixed in a little Romeo & Juliet/ West Side Story tale of feuding families and out came When PB Met J. It’s an origin story about how “the best friendship since sliced bread” came to be.

Obviously, the fact that Sesame Street artist Sarah Rebar agreed to do the illustrations brought this project full circle and made my childhood dreams come true!

Oh, how wonderful that Sesame Street artist Sarah Rebar was snagged to do the illustrations for WHEN PB MET J…no wonder I love the art so much!

RELATED ACTIVITIES:

Here’s a craft activity that is sure to make kids smile…they can use it for Valentine’s Day cards or for letters they exchange with friends or for anything special that they write. Years ago, we did this activity in my kindergarten class, but it’s so simple, even younger children will have fun.

Make a Love Boat Mailbox for Valentine’s Day cards or any special friendship notes.

You will need: Shoebox with lid, piece of cardboard (from cereal box or men’s dress shirt), construction paper, markers or crayons, white school glue or glue stick, scissors, Valentine stickers (optional…you can always cut them out of construction paper).

1.      Cut the piece of cardboard to fit the front of the bottom of the box as the “bow” of the boat.  Glue in place.

2.      Cut a hole in the lid for the “mail” slot.

3.      Cover the outside of the box and the lid with construction paper and glue in place.

4.      Cut several strips of paper and roll to form the smoke-stacks.  Glue in place.

5.      You can add decorations and designs with markers, crayons and stickers.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! With the wind chill factor, it’s supposed to be -30 degrees F here in New Hampshire – warming up on Saturday to about 10 degrees F. Brrrrr. But I’m staying warm, putting together the Heads-Up-The-#50PreciousWords-Contest-Is-Coming post that will go live tomorrow morning with all of the guidelines so that you can start writing your entry and all of the PRIZES – what incredibly generous industry professionals we have in our kidlit community!

Make sure you leave a c:omment to be entered in the giveaway…and for extra tickets in the giveaway hat, please follow author Katelyn Aronson on
Twitter: @mademoiselleK8 
Insta: @authorkatelyn
Web: www.katelynaronson.com
And if you read the book, please leave a review on Amazon. Reviews are very important!