PPBF: Shake the Tree!

Authors/Illustrator: Chiara Vignocchi, Paolo Chiarinotti, and Silvia Borando
Publisher: Candlewick, 2018; Orig. by minibombo, Italy, 2015; Engl. translation, Walker Books 2018
Age: 2-7
Themes: trees, animals, nuts
Opening: Mouse spots a nut. “Mmm,” she says. “I’m going to gobble that up!”

Summary: (from my library’s catalog) After shaking a tree to retrieve a tasty looking nut, mouse is suprised when something else falls out of the tree.

I like this book because: I took a crazy chance and read it to my storytime gang without having read the whole book ahead of time. Why? I don’t know. You’d think I would have learned my lesson from a couple of derailing blunders! But I am so happy I did! There is a special level of excitement and energy to be had when you discover a good book together. The story is as simple as the illustrations, and so easy for each child to grasp: those not yet completing full sentences and those reading the words along with me. I won’t spoil the fun with too many images or any more details. Please find this and share it with a child you love!

Resources/Activities: play Topfschlagen, a game I learned at parties when we lived in Germany, where a blindfolded player must tap with a wooden spoon to find an upside-down pot with a reward (a nut!). The other children can help out by giving hot/cold clues for direction. I only asked the youngest to close their eyes, and of course they did not, but we had such fun anyway!

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

PPBF: The Honeybee

PPBF: The Detective Dog

Author: Julia Donaldson
Illustrator: Sara Ogilvie
Publisher: Godwin Books/Henry Holt, 2018; orig. in England by Macmillan, 2016
Age: 4-7
Themes: dogs, libraries, rhyming books

Opening: There once was a dog with a keen sense of smell. She was known far and wide as Detective Dog Nell.

Summary: (from my library’s catalog): When Detective Dog Nell puts her nose to the task, there’s no mystery she can’t solve. Whether she’s tracking the missing shoe of her human, Peter, or locating some lost honeycomb, all Nell has to do is sniff, sniff, sniff and she’s hot on the trail. Besides solving mysteries, there’s something else Nell loves–listening to children read. Every Monday, Peter takes her to school where children tell her stories. One day, Nell and Peter arrive to find that all the books are gone. Who could have taken them? And why? There’s only one dog for the job, and Detective Dog Nell is ready to sniff out the thief!

Fitting for the illo that the book was falling off the table when I shot this pic!

I like this book because: I figure every child (and me!) wishes they could have a dog in the classroom – every day! This is yet another fantastic read-aloud from the Gruffalo-author, Julia Donaldson. And the delightful, energetic renderings live up to the Donaldson standard! You will fall in love with Nell too!

Resources/Activities: seek out programs (like at my local library) where you can read to a dog; Ask around, someone you know might not be using the library for all it has to offer – maybe you could even give them a tour! I meet people all the time in the bookstore where I work who do not even have a library card! Yowza!

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

PPBF: The Five of Us

Author/Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Tate Publishing, 2014
Age: 4-8
Themes: abilities, friendship, road trip
Opening: Once, not very long ago, and not very far from here, there were fve friends. There names were Angie, Ollie, Simona, Mario and Eric. They were all fantastic.

Summary: (from the author’s website) THE FIVE OF US is a captivating tale of adventure, friendship and teamwork: Angie, Ollie, Simona, Mario and Eric are five fantastic friends, each of whom has an unusual ability. Disaster strikes on a day out to the countryside but, working together and combining their individual powers, the Fantastic Five save the day. Teeming with Quentin Blake’s characteristic sense of fun and his exuberant illustrations, THE FIVE OF US is also a powerful, though subtle, reminder that the world is a better place when we focus on what we can do, rather than on what we can’t.

I like this book because: I was actually on the hunt for counting books when I came upon this Blake title I had not yet read (I believe I have read most of his authored books…but happy to find out I haven’t!). The story is so simple yet powerful, and as usual the drawings lively and loose – just the way I like ’em! But read this for the heart. It reminds us how much  we can accomplish with our own special quirks if we put them to good use!

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

PPBF: Possum and the Summer Storm

Author/Illustrator: Anne Hunter
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018
Age: 3-7
Opening: Possum looked out one summer afternoon. “Time to come in!” He called to his baby possums. “It looks like we’re in for some weather!”
Summary: (from my library catalog) When Possum’s brush pile washes away in a storm, his neighbors all help build a new home based on their own abilities and preferences.

Themes: Storms, homes, hospitality

I like this book because: Ever since I was very little I have enjoyed watching thunderstorms, especially in late spring when the slate gray sky can make green foliage sing! The illustrations and color choices bring just such a storm right into your reader’s lap! Note the perfect shade of thunderstorm-blue chosen for the endpapers – scrumptious! You’ll want to get out as soon as the rain clears to assess for damages and explore other creature’s habitats yourself.

Resources: read other books about how animals build their dwellings; read MY favorite book about friendship in a storm HERE; find a safe spot to observe a thunderstorm, like a covered front porch – see the recent hail storm and flooding I observed below.

And one I created myself!

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