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VIVIANE ELBEE: Will Write for Cookies Plus Giveaway
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Tag Archives: Albert Whitman
Perfect Picture Book Friday: TEACH YOUR GIRAFFE TO SKI Plus Giveaway
Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, my friends. The mailbox has been a flurry of awesome activity this week…lots of new picture books! And since this one is launching in just a couple of days, I wanted to share it with you. PLUS, the author, Viviane Elbee, will be stopping by tomorrow to chat on Will Write for Cookies AND she is offering a copy of her debut picture book for a giveaway!
TEACH YOUR GIRAFFE TO SKI
Written by Viviane Elbee
Illustrated by Danni Gowdy
Publlished by Albert Whitman (November 1, 2018)
Ages: 3-6
Themes: Facing fears, friendship
Opening lines: “Uh-oh. It’s snowing and your giraffe wants you to teach her to ski.”
Synopsis:
What do you do when your giraffe wants to learn how to ski—but she wants to go down the big scary slope and you are NOT a fan of skiing even on the bunny slope? As the boy tries to control his giraffe and lead her to safer spots, he learns something about courage along the way and the reader learns about ski slope etiquette and the rudiments of skiing.
Why I like this book:
- The illustrations are absolutely adorable as humans and animals strap on skis and share the slopes.
- Kids will love the story…so over the top hilarious, but with important underlying messages of friendship and facing fears.
- I enjoyed the larger typeface and I think beginning readers will be encouraged to try to read this themselves.
RELATED ACTIVITIES:
Paper Plate Giraffe
Photo courtesy: https://familymaven.io
Paper plates are one of my favorite classic craft materials. For detailed instructions: https://familymaven.io/kidsactivities/kidsactivities/easy-giraffe-craft-for-kids-NQNcWRx1Z0SwCkAYeJjZ6w/
Please don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered in the giveaway. And come back tomorrow when we chat with Viviane Elbee about her writing journey.
I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend. I’ll be at a local apple orchard with my grandson. Whatever you are doing, stay safe, and remember that authors need our support. Leaving a review, on Amazon, Goodreads, or other review sites, can really give a boost to the potential success of your favorite book!
Happy Book Birthday: CHARLIE TAKES HIS SHOT Plus Giveaway
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!
VIVIAN KIRKFIELD - Writer for Children 