Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends! What a fabulous story we are featuring today…it’s everything we could wish for in a picture book – entertaining, educational, and inspiring, with well-written text and glorious illustrations. And there will be one lucky winner of a copy…so please make sure you leave a comment and share the post on social media.
Ready for a peek at a brand new book that launches next year? It’s BREATH BY BREATH, written by Stephanie Wildman and illustrated by Estefania Razo and published by Lawley Enterprises. Although it’s a stand-alone picture book, we meet the same characters as those in Stephanie’s previous book, TREASURE HUNT which we featured last November.
.WOW! What a cover! I love how the illustrator used the words as art!
Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:
In this bedtime story, twins Flor and Roberto wonder how they can possibly go on an adventure at the same as they go to sleep. Big brother Luis, guides them in an exercise through their bodies, from the top of their heads to the tips of their toes. Following the gentle inhale and exhale of their breath, Flor and Roberto find love and calm inside and all around them as they drift off to sleep. Bonus content provides direction for mapping your own body scan.
What a great idea for a book! Parents are always looking for ways to help kids fall asleep…and we all want to help kids master coping mechanisms for anxiety.
Here’s a little bit from author Stephanie about how this book came to be:
STEPHANIE: I have a daily yoga practice that includes meditation. In this era of stress and anxiety, I am aware of the benefits a breath practice brings to the body, so I’ve wanted to figure out a child-friendly way to introduce this idea for a while. My wonderful publishers at Lawley encouraged me to capture my ideas as a story. Through my work with EstefanÃa, who also illustrated Treasure Hunt, I realized the twins and older brother from that book were perfect characters to bring a body scan story to life, and Estefania’s art is amazing. The cover portrays twins Flor and Roberto, breathing of course! While the book can serve as a bedtime story, I hope teachers and librarians will consider using breath work as part of their classroom time as an aid to promote concentration.
And good news…just like TREASURE HUNT, BREATH BY BREATH will also be available in a Spanish-language edition.
Please support the books you love:
Buy them
Review them
Put them on your Goodreads WANT TO READ SHELF
Ask you local library to purchase copies for their collection
I hope you all have a wonderful week.
Hello dear friends! Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday. Today’s featured book, SAVNG THE SUN, is a sequel to a book we shared last year, MENDING THE MOON. And the same dynamic duo created it: author Emma Pearl and illustrator Sara Ugolottii. Make sure you read through the entire post and then leave a comment and share on social media – author Emma’s publisher is offering a copy of this beautiful book AND Emma is offering a Picture Book Critique – remember to let us know in the comment which prize you’d like if you are one of the lucky winners!
SAVING THE SUN
Written by Emma Pearl
illustrated by Sara Ugolotti
Published by Page Street Kids (September 19, 2023)
Ages: 4-8
Themes: Creativity, courage, working together
Synopsis: From Amazon:
After an especially sweltering day, the ocean sparkles and twinkles so invitingly that instead of slipping beneath the horizon, the sun plunges into the ocean itself.
When the sun sinks and loses its fire, Luna and Poppa’s yearly vacation on Summer Island suddenly goes dark. Luna knows the sun needs their help―the sky looks all wrong, and it’s neither day nor night! But it’s a big job to do all on their own.
To bring back daylight, they must think of creative solutions, seeking help from the local dolphins, monkeys, birds, and more. With the power of teamwork and imagination, can they find a way to return the sun to its rightful place, and set it ablaze once more?
This imaginative tale will enchant readers as Luna, Poppa, and their new friends of the sea, beach, and air rise to the challenge of fixing the sky once more and―literally―save the day.
Why I Love This Book:
1. I love the engaging and whimsical text that take the reader on a fantastical journey.
2. I love the glorious illustrations that create a magical setting for the story.
3. I love the agency of the child in the story and how problem solving happens step by step.
RELATED ACTIVITIES:
Bring the sunshine inside no matter what the weather is outside.
For detailed instructions for these and many other sun crafts: https://www.teachingexpertise.com/classroom-ideas/sun-crafts/
How can we help books we love?
We can buy them.
We can review them.
We can put them on our WANT TO READ SHELF on Goodreads.
We can tell friends about them.
We can ask our local library to purchase copies for their collection.
And here are some other order links so you can order the book from your favorite place:
Barnes & Noble
Books of Wonder
Amazon
Books-a-Million
Bookshop.org
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Please remember to leave a comment and let us know which prize you would prefer if you are one of the lucky winners: a copy of SAVING THE SUN (U.S. addresses only please) or a Picture Book Critique.
VIVIAN KIRKFIELD - Writer for Children 