Perfect Picture Book Friday: YOU KNOW WHAT? PLUS Critique Giveaway

Posted on February 23, 2018 by viviankirkfield

Hello dear friends!

Somehow, the day has almost gotten away from me. But it’s Perfect Picture Book Friday and I wanted to make sure that I shared a picture book that will be a wonderful addition to every young child’s library. Plus, author Carol Gordon Ekster has offered to donate a picture book manuscript critique as a giveaway! Woo-hoo! So please make sure you leave a comment to be entered for a chance to win it!

YOU KNOW WHAT?

Written by Carol Gordon Ekster

Illustrated by Nynke Talsma

Published by Clavis Group (2017)

Ages: 3-7

Themes: Bedtime, Procrastination, Curiosity

Synopsis:

From Amazon: Oliver should go to sleep. But there is so much he wants to tell his mother about: what happened that day at school, the things he read in books, everything he sees around him.
A touching and familiar picture book about (postponing) the ritual of going to sleep.

Why I like this book:

I have three children and I remember the words, “You know what?” because they were the words my kids used to put off their bedtime. They all knew their mommy loved to engage in conversation (yup…I haven’t changed) and they knew I would never cut off their curiosity. This is a book that will strike a chord with every parent and every child.
Great illustrations that show Oliver in all of his bedtime preparations…kids will identify with his routine.
Filled with heart and humor.

RELATED ACTIVITIES:

Make a bedtime routine chart

Photo courtesy: https://bitzngiggles.com

I think if you surveyed parents, one of the most difficult tasks for them is getting the kids to bed. One thing that helps is to put routines in place. And here’s a super cool chart that you can make with your kiddos. For detailed instructions, please go to: https://bitzngiggles.com/printable-bedtime-routine-charts/

Thank you for spending some of your precious time here, dear friends. I hope you’ll hop over to author Melissa Stoller’s blog on Monday because I’ll be stopping by there to chat about my writing process and more. Here is a link to her website, but my post won’t be up until the 26th. https://www.melissastoller.com/

I’m kind of sad to say goodbye to February…but I am so looking forward to the beginning of March because that will mean it is time for the #50PreciousWords Writing Challenge. Please come back on Friday, March 2nd when we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss with our 50-word stories. I’m excited to read all of your precious words!

And don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win the picture book manuscript critique from Carol.

Perfect Picture Book Friday: LET THE CHILDREN MARCH

Posted on January 19, 2018 by viviankirkfield

Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. I missed last week, so we have some giveaways to award before we get to the special book featured today.

From author Nancy Churnin – a copy of CHARLIE TAKES HIS SHOT. And the winner is…

Julie LaCombe

From author/illustrator Jeanette Bradley – a copy of LOVE, MAMA. And the winner is…

Suzy Leopold

From author Kerri Kokias – a PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE. And the winner is…

Kaye Baillie

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

I’m so excited about the coming year…so many fabulous picture books are debuting…and I hope to share many of them with you.

LET THE CHILDREN MARCH

Written by Monica Clark-Robinson

Illustrated by Frank Robinson

Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for Young Readers (2018)

Ages: 6-9

Themes: Civil Rights, segregation

Synopsis:

From Amazon:

I couldn’t play on the same playground as the white kids.
I couldn’t go to their schools.
I couldn’t drink from their water fountains.
There were so many things I couldn’t do.

In 1963 Birmingham, Alabama, thousands of African American children volunteered to march for their civil rights after hearing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speak. They protested the laws that kept black people separate from white people. Facing fear, hate, and danger, these children used their voices to change the world. Frank Morrison’s emotive oil-on-canvas paintings bring this historical event to life,

while Monica Clark-Robinson’s moving and poetic words document this remarkable time.

Why I like this book:

I love stories that inspire children to become doers as well as dreamers.
I love books that bring history alive for young readers.
I love illustrations that capture our attention…and our hearts.
I love when the partnership of author and illustrator works as it does so beautifully in this book.
No doubt about it…this is a 5-STAR picture book…don’t miss it!

RELATED ACTIVITIES

Photo courtesy: http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/kidscraftsactivitiesblog

Martin Luther King Day may have passed, but it’s never to late to celebrate diversity. Kids will love tracing their hand prints. For a classroom, why not have kids trace as many hand prints as there are kids and decorate them. Then kids can trade, so each child has a wreath made from hand prints of the entire class.

For detailed instructions: http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/kidscraftsactivitiesblog/2012/01/how-to-make-a-colored-hands-wreath-for-martin-luther-king-day/

Thank you all for stopping by…I appreciate your time and your company! I’ve been less active on social media because I’ve been writing and revising…but I’ve been keeping up with STORYSTORM. Each day, another author shares how they get ideas for stories. My notebook is filling up and I’m so excited about that. I’m also excited because on January 25th, it will be my turn to share my thoughts with everyone. I hope you’ll all stop by Tara’s blog to say hello!

And for more perfect picture book reviews, please visit Susanna Leonard Hill’s blog where all lovers of picture books join her Perfect Picture Book Friday link up.

Happy Book Birthday: CHARLIE TAKES HIS SHOT Plus Giveaway

Posted on January 1, 2018 by viviankirkfield

FIRST POST OF THE YEAR!!!

So you know it is going to be special, right?

Last year I featured as many 2017 picture books as I could. This year I plan to do the same thing for the debut picure books of 2018. HOPEFULLY, my Sweet Dreams, Sarah will be one of them! But for today, I’ve got a really special book for you! From a dear friend and critique buddy of mine, Nancy Churnin, who has a knack for finding golden nuggets of history and turning them into fabulous nonfiction picture books that children and adults will want to read again and again.

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO CHARLIE TAKES HIS SHOT

CHARLIE TAKES HIS SHOT: How Charlie Sifford Broke the Color Barrier in Golf

Written by Nancy Churnin

Illustrated by John Joven

Published by Albert Whitman

Ages: 5-8

Themes: Determination, Civil Rights, golf

Synopsis:

From Amazon: Charlie Sifford loved golf, but in the 1930’s only white people were allowed to play in the Professional Golf Association. Sifford had won plenty of black tournaments, but he was determined to break the color barrier in the PGA. In 1960 he did, only to face discrimination from hotels that wouldn’t rent him rooms and clubs that wouldn’t let him use the same locker as the white players. But Sifford kept playing, becoming the first black golfer to win a PGA tournament and eventually ranking among the greats in golf.

Why I like this book:

I love when authors can entertain, educate, and inspire by taking an impottant event in history and making it come alive for kids
The text and illustrations engage from the first page to the last
This is an important moment that built on what had come before and opened doors for those who came after

RELATED ACTIVITIES

Photo courtesy: https://www.thecrafttrain.com

Tin Can Golf is fun for young kids and can be ramped up to make it more challenging for older kids. For detailed instructions: https://www.thecrafttrain.com/tin-can-indoor-golf-fun-from-recycled-junk/

Thanks to author Nancy Churnin, we have a giveaway of a copy of CHARLIE TAKES HIS SHOT. Please leave a comment to be entered. Remember, there is only one copy that can be won, but the book JUST launched TODAY…so you can hop over to your favorite bookstore and get a copy And don’t forget that leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads only takes a couple of minutes, but it will mean the world to the author of that book you loved reading with your child.

Please come back tomorrow for the BOOK BIRTHDAY of LOVE, MAMA by Jeanette Bradley!