May | 2023 | julie rowan-zoch

Author/Illustrator: Bernard Waber
Publisher: Walter Lorraine Books, HM, 1997
Age: 3-7
Themes: bears, sleepovers, cold

Opening: see image below (brilliant!)

Summary: (from my library’s catalog) In a cumulative story, one animal after another asks to come in out of the winter cold to sleep in Bearsie Bear’s big bed.

I picked this book because: my critique partner Lynn Becker recommended it to me, and all I’m wondering is why haven’t I heard of it before? I love it! It’s the perfect sort of storytime readaloud for toddlers (my homies!) with just the right amount of repetition and silly names for the reader, and just the right amount of the same for kids who like something silly but heartwarming. Please find and enjoy!

Resources/activities: if possible, read in a bed or under a big blanket! This would make a great piece to reenact with multiple roles. Talk about sleepovers, why we like them, why we don’t, what we bring to them, and what to do when you are at a sleepover, but would rather go home. A great companion read from thew SAME author is called, IRA SLEEPS OVER.

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

And just for fun, a few photos (below) I took of friend’s books while visiting Germany in April…

Author: Kate Banks
Illustrator: Boris Kulikov
Publisher: Farrar Strauss Giroux, 2017
Age: 3-7
Themes: elephants, instructions, dull days

Opening: The best time to look for an elephant is on a dull day when the clouds hover on the horizon looking like spaceships. And you’re thinking up something to do.

Summary: (from my library’s catalog) A boy provides instructions as he searches high and low for an elephant, which the reader can find in the illustrations..

I picked this book because: This book had me with the opening line! Maybe because we’ve had a lot of cloud hovering days lately, but mainly for the juxtaposition within that sentence alone! It’s a fun read aloud for storytime too, and let’s us linger on each page to enjoy the sumptuous illustrations. Perfect for sunny days too!

Resources/activities: Play follow the leader in a circle with elephant steps, on tippy toes, on flat feet, swinging trunks, etc; read books about or with elephants, like The Elephant and the Bad Baby, by John Burningham. Make elephants from TP rolls!