PPBF: The Snatchabook

Author: Helen Docherty
Illustrator: Thomas Docherty
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabbberwocky, 2013
Ages: 3 and up
Themes: books, stories, community, sharing
Opening: One dark, dark night in Burrow Down, a rabbit named Eliza Brown found a book and settled down…when a Snatchabook flew into town.
Summary: (from my library catalogue) The woodland animals of Burrow Down are ready for a bedtime story, but where are the books? Haha! That was short!

I like this book because: I don’t like to throw out terms like classic, or evergreen, in fact, I haven’t ever attempted to predict a book’s success, but… yeah, I think this is one! Not only a clever premise, but a great read-aloud, and a celebration of stories and reading, inclusion and community. It has a delightful play of contrast with bright, colorful images, and moonlit, windy, owl-hooting darkness and such endearing characters. Oops, I almost forgot…it’s a rhymer!

Resources/activities: This is a perfect vehicle to start a discussion on favorite stories, books we like to read with our families, even how books should be treated and stored; talk about sharing books with those who don’t have many; start a book collection for a school in need; make a drawing/picture or diorama of Eliza’s room in the tree.

For more Perfect Picture Book picks with teacher/parent resources, check out the list on Susanna Hill’s blog HERE.