Category Archives: Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book Friday

Perfect Picture Book Friday: Journey: The Most Famous Wolf in the West

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Hurray for Perfect Picture Book Friday! I started blogging at the end of 2010. I knew I wanted my posts to appeal to parents and teachers so right away, I reserved one day for writing a picture book review. That’s because in my opinion, reading to young children is of the utmost importance. And there are so many choices out there, I thought it might be helpful to highlight the picture books I wanted to recommend.

Then I discovered that a wonderful picture book author, Susanna Leonard Hill, had started a link up on her website for picture book reviews. I went. I saw. I fell in love. And the rest if history. I’ve been participating in her Perfect Picture Book Friday hop ever since. Click here for more of this week’s wonderful reviews on her blog.

Today’s selection is very close to my heart for several reasons. I’ve always had a fascination with wolves. And the author of the book, Emma Bland Smith, is a fellow Storm Literary Agency teammate. PLUS, Emma will be my Will Write for Cookies guest tomorrow…so don’t miss her interview and a GIVEAWAY of this beautiful book in tomorrow’s post.

journey-emma-bland-smith

JOURNEY: The Most Famous Wolf in the West

Written by Emma Bland Smith

Illustrated by Robin James

Publisher: Little Bigfoot (Imprint of Sasquatch Books: 2016)

Ages: Kindergarten – Grade 4

Themes:

Wolves, animal conservation

Synopsis:

From Amazon:

This beautiful picture book follows the journey of a young gray wolf who garnered nationwide attention when he became the first wild wolf in California in almost a century. Using facts recorded by Fish & Wildlife scientists, author Emma Bland Smith imagines the wolf’s experiences in close detail as he makes an epic 2,000-mile trek over three years time. The wolf’s story is interwoven with the perspective of a young girl who follows his trek through the media. As she learns more about wolves and their relationships with humans, she becomes determined to find a way to keep him safe by making him a wolf that is too famous to harm.

Opening Lines:

“The wolf took one last look at his mother and his father.”

Why I like this book:

  • This is an absolutely beautiful book on two levels…the story of the wolf seeking a new home to make a family…and the story of a girl who follows the wolf’s journey…what a perfect way for young children to connect with the concept of animal conservation and realize that even a child can make a difference.
  • The text engages the reader/listener from the first lines to the last. And the illustrations by Robin James are exquisite!

RELATED ACTIVITIES

  1. In the back matter, the author provides a wealth of information about the wolf’s journey and many related classroom activities, plus there is a teacher’s guide at sasquatchbooks.com
  2. Find out if there are any animal conservation efforts in your area.

 

This post is part of a series for parents and teachers called Perfect Picture Book Fridays hosted by Susannah Leonard Hill. Click on her link and find lots of other picture book suggestions with summaries and activities.

And don’t forget…please don’t miss tomorrow’s post when

EMMA BLAND SMITH

WILL WRITE FOR COOKIES

PLUS A GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY – A COPY OF JOURNEY

PPBF: Officer Buckle and Gloria & We Have a WINNER!

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NOVEMBER is Child Safety and Protection Month. So I thought it might be a great idea, for Perfect Picture Book Friday, to review an oldie, but goodie, by Peggy Rathmann.

But first, a couple of important announcements:

  1. Hallweensie Contest Update: I hope everyone will head over to Susanna Hill’s blog this weekend…all of the Halloweensie Contest entries are available to read. And next week, Susanna will be posting the finalists…you WON’T want to miss VOTING! Just think…two opportunities to VOTE…and with the craziness that’s surrounded our nation’s Presidential race, I’m thinking that picking  your favorite Halloweensie entry will be a much more pleasant task than picking the next President of the United States.
  2. Giveaway Updatte: At the end of this post I’ll be announcing the winner of A Morning with Grandpa, the beautiful debut picture book by Sylvia Liu.
  3. Sweet Dreams, Sarah Update: I’m really excited to be part of a group of 2017 debut picture book authors…we’ve got a new website where teachers, librarians, parents, and all book-lovers will find information about the upcoming book launches, events, and other book-related activities. I encourage you to visit, follow, and fill out the survey…there will be PRIZES! And we also have a Twitter home: @PictureTheBooks…I hope you will hop over and like us.

officer-buckle

OFFICER BUCKLE AND GLORIA

Written and illustrated by Peggy Rathmann

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons (1995)

Ages: 4-8

Themes:

Safety, teamwork

Synopsis:

From Amazon:

Officer Buckle is a roly-poly bloke, dedicated to teaching schoolchildren important safety tips, such as never put anything in your ear and never stand on a swivel chair. The problem is, Officer Buckle’s school assemblies are dull, dull, dull, and the children of Napville just sleep, sleep, sleep. That is, until Gloria the police dog is invited along! Stealthily pantomiming each safety tip behind Officer Buckle’s back, Gloria wins the children’s hearts. Meanwhile Officer Buckle assumes the cheers and laughter are all for him. As the master comedian Jerry Lewis once explained, every slapstick artist needs a straight man! Children will be highly entertained by the laugh-out-loud, adorable illustrations in this 1996 Caldecott Medal winner, while learning the value of teamwork and a pawful of nifty safety tips.

Opening Lines:

“Officer Buckle knew ore safety tips than anyone else in Napville.”

 Why I like this book:

  • This book is hilariously funny…Officer Buckle has no clue that Gloria, his dog, is creating the stir among the students…he thinks it is his brilliant presentation.
  • Wonderful illustrations mesh perfectly with the text.
  • It won the Caldecott…enough said.

RELATED ACTIVITIES

  1. Talk about safety in the home…walk through the house with your child and make a list of things that need to be attended to…and then do them.
  2. More safety tips here: http://www.parentguidenews.com/Articles/NovemberBringsChildSafety PreventionMonth

Have a wonderful weekend! I’m going to really enjoy this month…did you know it is also Peanut Butter Lovers Month! But Peanut Butter isn’t the only type of nut butter you can enjoy…I’m a fan of Almond Butter and Sunflower Butter. My favorite way to eat it is slathered on apple slices. YUM! How about you? What type of nut butter is your favorite?

And next week I’ll be flying to Florida to attend my daughter’s destination wedding on St. Pete’s Beach…I’m pretty excited, as you can imagine. Can hardly keep things straight.

Oh, wait a minute…that’s right…we need to announce who won the copy of A Morning with Grandpa.

AND THE WINNER IS:

KELLY LANIHAN

Kelly, congratulations!!! And I will contact you by email so I can get your address.

Stay tuned, dear readers…later this month we’ll be welcoming Emma Bland Smith to the Will Write for Cookies spotlight…and another giveaway…of her debut picture book, JOURNEY.

Perfect Picture Book Friday: A Morning with Grandpa

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Hold onto your hats! Today’s post is chock full of good stuff!

It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday…so you know we are going to have a super picture book to review. And, because this is the third Friday of the month, we will be featuring the debut picture book of tomorrow’s Will Write for Cookies guest, Sylvia Liu! Woo-hoo!

But we need to make a few announcements first.

  1. The lovely Susanna Hill has announced her long-awaited Halloweensie Contest…I’ve participated in this writing challenge for many years…it’s a ton of fun…and ONLY 100 WORDS. Check out the rules and prizes (oh, but definitely, with Susanna, there are always prizes) right here.
  2. Last month we ran a giveaway for a copy of Joan Leotta’s Summer in a Bowl. Thank you to everyone who commented…I enjoyed hearing what your favorite salad ingredients are. And the winner is:

 

BARBARA ANN PASTER

Barbara, I’ll be contacting you ASAP so I can get the book out to you.

  1. Tomorrow we’ll be giving away a copy of A Morning with Grandpa…so please stop by.

And now, thank you for your patience…it’s time for our #PPBF review.

cover

A MORNING WITH GRANDPA

Written by Sylvia Liu

Illustrated by Christina Forshay

Publisher: Lee and Low Books (2016)

Ages: Preschool – Grade 3

Themes:

Family life, health and fitness, yoga

Synopsis:

From Amazon:

Mei Mei s grandpa is practicing tai chi in the garden, and Mei Mei is eager to join in. As Gong Gong tries to teach her the slow, graceful movements, Mei Mei enthusiastically does them with her own flair. Then Mei Mei takes a turn, trying to teach Gong Gong the yoga she learned in school. Will Gong Gong be able to master the stretchy, bendy poses? Winner of the LEE & LOW New Voices Award, this title celebrates, with lively spirit and humor, the special bond between grandparent and grandchild and the joy of learning new things together. Readers of all ages will want to try out some tai chi and yoga too!

Opening Lines:

“Mei Mei watched Grandpa dance slowly among the flowers in the garden.”

Why I like this book:

  • I love books with multigenerational characters…and here we have a beautiful give and take relationship…each learning from the other.
  • Text is filled with wonderful language as the author explains how to do various tai chi and yoga moves…as a reader, I loved how the story sounded…as a writer, I appreciated how carefully the author chose each and every word.
  • The illustrations are absolutely perfect! We feel the character of Mei Mei…we see Mei Mei and her grandpa moving through the garden.

RELATED ACTIVITIES

  1. In the back matter, the author provides explanations of various tai chi moves and yoga poses.
  2. Book trailer on Mr. Schu’s blog: http://mrschureads.blogspot.com/2016/04/book-trailer-premiere-morning-with_17.html

 

This post is part of a series for parents and teachers called Perfect Picture Book Fridays hosted by Susannah Leonard Hill. Click on her link and find lots of other picture book suggestions with summaries and activities.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Don’t miss tomorrow’s special post!

WILL WRITE FOR COOKIES

SYLVIA LIU will be in the house!