Happy April Fool’s Day! Is it really April already? And hurray for Friday! That means it’s time to review a wonderful picture book. When you finish reading this post, please hop over to Susannah Leonard Hill’s fantastic group of picture book writers, illustrators, librarians and others who contribute a picture book review and related resources for parents, teachers and children.

I think everyone will be able to relate to my Perfect Picture Book Friday selection. We all have a name…and I’m pretty sure all of us have had people call us by a nickname. Or two. Or three. Poor Elizabeth has FOUR!

My Name is Elizabeth

Written by Annika Dunklee

Illustrated by Matthew Forsythe

Publisher: Kids Can Press (2012)

Ages: 4 and up

Themes: Communication, respect

Opening Line:

“My name is Elizabeth.”

Synopsis:

From Amazon:

“Meet Elizabeth. She’s got an excellent pet duck, a loving granddad and a first name that’s just awesome. After all, she’s got a queen named after her! So she’s really not amused when people insist on using nicknames like Lizzy and Beth. She bears her frustration in silence until an otherwise ordinary autumn day, when she discovers her power to change things once and for all. In the process, Elizabeth learns about communication and respect — and their roles in building better relationships with family and friends.”

Why I like this book:

• When I was a kid, my friends called me Viv. When I was teaching, some of my colleagues called me V. People often spell my name Vivien or Vivienne or even Vivianne. Unlike Elizabeth, I was always happy with whatever people felt comfortable calling me. But I totally understand how Elizabeth felt…and so will many children.
• I loved the way Elizabeth dealt with the problem…she communicated what was bothering her and she stood up for what she felt was important…but she did allow her little brother to give her a nickname.

Related Activies:

Talk to your child about his or her name. Do they like it? Does anyone make fun of it? If they have a nickname, is it a derivative of their given name or something totally different.

NAME ZENTANGLE OR ZENDOODLE

You will need: Paper, markers or crayons.

1. Help your child write his name across a piece of paper.
2. Connect some of the lines to create shapes.
3. Fill in the shapes with designs.

Photo courtesy: http://imaginationsoup.net

Find detailed instructions for zentangles and zendoodles here: http://imaginationsoup.net/2013/07/15/diy-summer-art-school-zentangle-doodles/

Just a reminder…National Library Week is April 10-16.

In honor of National Library Week, I’m donating THREE copies of Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking. Wouldn’t it be awesome to present a copy of this valuable parent/teacher resource to your children’s librarian? Just subscribe to my mailing list. Three names will be chosen by Random.org at the end of April. Already subscribed? No worries…your name is already entered.

Many libraries are very limited in what new materials they can buy for their collections because of reduced revenues. Help your library receive a resource that will be used by parents and teachers for their kids. Just click on this link and subscribe to my mailing list. Three libraries will be winners!

Do you tweet on Twitter? Are you a fan of Facebook? Have you pinned anything on Pinterest yet? Please help me spread the word about the Show-Me-How Library Project by tweeting, posting and/or pinning.

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 please don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter – doing so will nominate your local library to be the recipient of a copy of Show Me How!

Click here to sign up to receive my newsletter and other awesome stuff.