PPBF: The One and Only Marigold

Author: Florence Parry Heide
Illustrator: Jill McElmurry
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade, 2009
Age: 4-8
Themse: families, individuality, friendship
Opening: (from the title page) Marigold did not agree with her mother, or her father, or her friend Maxine. But she agreed with herself, and that was the important thing.

Summary: (from my library catalog) Relates the misadventures of Marigold, a monkey, as she shops with her mother for a coat, makes a hobby of “bugging” her best friend, Maxine the hippo, and imaginatively copes with finding the right outfit for the first day of school.

Why I like this book: I chose this book today in honor and memory of a dear friend, the wonderful artist and illustrator, Jill McElmurry, whose work on The Little Blue Truck series you may be familiar with. Today would have been her 63rd birthday. If you manage to find a copy, share it with a child or read it yourself, and enjoy Jill‘s work paired with FHP‘s wonderful rich text. That‘s all for today.

Resources/Activities: Hug someone you love today.

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