Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday times two, dear friends! That’s right! I’m featuring TWO books today – both written and illustrated by the incredible Benson Shum. And guess what? Thanks to Benson’s generosity, we will have TWO WINNERS for the giveaway: one person will win a copy of FIRST NIGHT OF HOWLERGARTEN and another person will win a copy of CINDY AND PANDA!

FIRST NIGHT AT HOWLERGARTEN

Written and illustrated by Benson Shum

Published by Penguin Workshop (August 8, 2023)

Ages: 4-6

Themes: First day of school jitters, belonging, self-acceptance

Synopsis: From the Amazon sales page:
First-day-of-school jitters take on a whole new meaning at howlergarten, where future werewolves prepare for their big transformation!

Most kids go to kindergarten, but there is a special place for those who turn into werewolves. Instead of attending school during the day, these supernatural students go to howlergarten at night! There they practice tracking scents, listening to whispers on the wind, and more. But when one student named Sophie doesn’t seem to possess the basic skills, she worries she won’t become a werewolf at all. What will happen if she remains human when the full moon appears? Will she still be accepted as part of the pack, or will she be cast aside as an ordinary outsider?

Here’s a few words from Benson regarding the inspiration for this story:
BENSON: I love mythology and animals and I wanted to share a story about werewolves! Then I thought, what would happen if a little werewolf couldn’t transform into their were-self?  What if they stay human forever? What will everyone think? What will her classmates think? I set the story at Howlergarten (Kindergarten) but I believe we all have that fear of not fitting in in any settings whether we are young or old. 

RELATED ACTIVITIES:
Paper Plate Werewolf Craft

For detailed instructions: https://www.gluedtomycraftsblog.com/2019/10/paper-plate-werewolf.html
And maybe the kids can do a werewolf face on one side of the plate and a person face on the other side.

And now, because Benson is such a prolific creator, it’s time for Perfect Picture Book Friday #2!

CINDY AND PANDA

Written and illustrated by Benson Shum

Published by Clarion Books (May 2023)

Ages: 4-8

Themes: Friendship, baking

Synopsis: From Amazon:

For Fans of Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers comes a perfectly baked story about the messy delight of baking and making new friends from Disney animator Benson Shum.

Cindy loves to bake, but she doesn’t always follow a recipe! One day, she runs out to grab ingredients for a pie and comes back with something sweeter—a panda who wants to help! Their freestyle recipe may lead to chaos in the kitchen and a bit of a messy meltdown, but together, the pair have the perfect ingredients for a sweet-as-pie friendship.

This book includes a pie recipe in the back with its very own freestyle section for young bakers excited to explore!

And Benson also shared his inspiration for this story:
BENSON: The inspiration came from a video I saw of these little pandas playing with the caretakers at a panda sanctuary. They would grab onto their legs, preventing them from their duties and just hang on. I did a painting of that. And an editor saw that painting and asked if I had a story. And from there, we worked on the book together which became Cindy and Panda! We both have a love of Pandas and Pies! 

RELATED ACTIVITIES:

Pandas are ADORABLE! And these crafts are sure to engage your kids as they create their own paper pandas. For detailed instructions: https://artsycraftsymom.com/panda-crafts-for-kids/

Please don’t forget that the way to thank authors and illustrators for creating beautiful books is to:
Buy their books! Here are links to Benson’s indie bookstore:
Once Upon a time Bookstore:  https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/first-night-howlergarten-hardcover
Children’s Book World: https://www.childrensbookworld.com/book/9780593521274

Review their books on Amazon.
CINDY AND PANDA
FIRST NIGHT OF HOWLERGARTEN

Tell friends about the books (social media sharing is awesome!)
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
And remember to leave a comment to be entered in the DOUBLE GIVEAWAY! Please let us know which book you would prefer if you are one of the lucky winners!