Perfect Picture Book Friday: ONCE THERE WAS Plus Giveaway

Posted on June 16, 2023 by viviankirkfield

Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends! When I was a kid, my very favorite stories were fables and folktales. And today I am thrilled to share a new picture book that launched last month from author Corinne Demas that is a modern fable, ONCE THERE WAS. And stick around till the end of the post and make sure you leave a comment because there is a GIVEAWAY!

ONCE THERE WAS

Written by Corinne Demas

Illustrated by Gemma Capdevila

Published by Harry N. Abrams

Ages: 5-7

Themes: Dreaming, fable, imagination

Synopsis: From Amazon:
A simple, modern fable about dreaming of being something else, transformations, and the interconnectedness of all things

In this magical, modern fairy tale, a girl dreams she is a princess. A princess dreams she is a horse. A horse dreams she is a tree, a tree a mountain, a mountain a moon, a moon a sea, a sea a girl.

Why I Love This Book:
1. Imagination…that is what we hope to spark in children with our stories, right? And ONCE THERE WAS is the perfect imagination-sparker! I love that!
2. I love the old-time feel of the story – and the beautifully lyrical lines that flow from one page to the next.
3. I love the glorious illustrations by Gemma Capdevila – and I know you will, too.

I had a chance to chat with author Demas when we were planning this post – and she shared a bit of the inspiration for this story.
CORINNE:
In my creative writing seminar at Mount Holyoke College, where I taught for many years, one of my favorite assignments was to have my students write a short story based on a dream.

It usually produced the most original and interesting fiction they wrote during the semester. When I wrote Once There Was, my challenge was to explore the fertile territory of dreams, but keep the story to picture book length– use minimal text to create something rich and expansive. As with so many of my picture books, I found it useful to read my drafts aloud and rely on my ear, as editor.

Well, Corinne…you definitely succeeded…the text is absolutely magical!
To connect with Corinne:
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

RELATED ACTIVITIES
Dream Catchers

Photo courtesy: https://www.teachingexpertise.com/classroom-ideas/dream-catcher-activity/

This link has quite a few dream catcher craft ideas – the one above can be created by our youngest artists. For detailed instructions for this dream catcher and others: https://www.teachingexpertise.com/classroom-ideas/dream-catcher-activity/

Please remember to leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of ONCE THERE WAS from our generous author and her publisher. And don’t forget that the best way to say thank you to authors and illustrators for their hard work is to:
Buy a copy of the book (this would be awesome for kids who have nightmares…maybe it will help them create dreams that make them smile).
Review the book on Amazon and Goodreads.
Tell friends about the book (share on your social media!)
Ask your local library to order copies for their collection.

Thank you all for spending your precious moments with us. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Perfect Picture Book Friday: HAPPY OWL-OWEEN Plus Giveaway

Posted on October 7, 2022 by viviankirkfield

Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. The days are getting shorter, the temps are getting colder…and we are getting closer to a holiday that used to be a huge favorite with my kids: HALLOWEEN. They loved dressing up, they loved staying up later, and most of all, they loved the – CANDY! Of course, I always tried to make healthy snacks to give out when kids came trick-or-treating…but that stopped when we had that scare in the fall of 1982 and we were checking our kid’s candy and only giving out stuff that was sealed. And I cannot tell a lie…even before that I would confiscate their trick-or-treat bags and dole out one piece a day…first of all because I didn’t want them eating too much…and second of all, because I was a lover of candy and would pull out the York Peppermint Patties (remember those?) which were my favorite. These days, I love Twix and KitKats – my grandson is a sweetheart and always shares those with me. And now, finally, let’s meet our Perfect Picture Book, HAPPY OWL-OWEEN! A Halloween Story by the lovely Laura Gehl who is offering a giveaway of a brand new copy…please make sure you leave a comment. Maybe you can tell us what your favorite candy is. Or maybe you can share what character you had the most fun dressing up as.

HAPPY OWL-OWEEN: A Halloween Story

Continue reading →

Perfect Picture Book Friday: SOLDIER FOR EQUALITY

Posted on September 13, 2019 by viviankirkfield

Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. Today’s selection is from one of my very favorite author/illustrators, Duncan Tonatiuh. And today is also the day that Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Book link up is back in business – so please make sure to hop over to her blog later to discover more wonderful picture book reviews.

But first, we have a book to give away. A couple of weeks ago, we turned the spotlight on Barry Wittenstein and his newest picture book: A PLACE TO LAND: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Speech That Inspired a Nation. And the winner is:

LAURA ROETTIGER

Congratulations, Laura…I will connect you and Barry so he can get a copy of this amazing book out to you.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program. Perfect Picture Book Friday is a celebration of the picture book genre. About eight years ago, there was a NYTimes article that claimed that picture books were dying out…that most parents of young children wanted to Continue reading →