PPBF: Our Apple Tree

Author: Görlitz Kristina Näslund
Illustrator: Kristina Digman
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, 2005 (orig.2002)
Age: 3-7
Themes: apples, trees, seasons
Opening: All winter long, our apple tree rests. But not everyone is asleep.

Summary: (from Amazon) Here’s a whimsical and very useful look at the life cycle of the apple tree. With two helpful tree sprites as guides, readers travel from spring, when the apple tree blossoms, through summer, when the fruit grows, to fall and the harvest. Along the way, you’ll learn about the life of the tree and the animals that visit – from insects that pollinate the flowers to deer that eat the fallen fruit.

I like this book because: the story and pictures do so much more than describe the life cycle of apple trees. I love the magic that is brought to the experience, and amplified by the illustrations! A crisp and juicy example of the chemistry of a perfect picture book!

Resources/activities: Visit an apple orchard if possible, or take your time at a farmer’s market to talk to apple growers, taste a variety and bring them home to share with others! Make apple prints on paper (save to use as gift wrap during the holidays!), make a special apple dessert, or ne of my favorites: grated apple and carrot salad with a bit of lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

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

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 Little Fir Tree

Author: Margaret Wise Brown
Illustrator: Barbara Cooney
Publisher: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1954
Age: 3-7
Themes: trees, growth, christmas story
Opening: A little fir tree stood by the edge of a forest, a little way off from the great green trees.
Summary: (from my library catalog) A lonely little fir tree, standing by itself at the edge of the forest, has its life transformed when a father takes it home to serve as a living Christmas tree for his bedridden son.

Why I like this book: I like this version of Margaret Wise Brown’s book out of sentimentality: my beloved school librarian, Mrs. Nurnberg, read this one to us in elementary school.

 

Resources/Activities: take a walk in the forest and identify trees by their species and their age; discuss illnesses and what an illness might prevent one from doing; share your favorite Christmas songs.

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

PPBF: Miss Twiggley’s Tree and a winner!

Congratulations ASHLEY WOLFF! You guessed right, yet there are 2 correct guesses: fox and chicken (I’m nice like that). This is YOUR prize – a copy of my favorite picture book!

Author/Illustrator: Dorothea Warren Fox
Publisher: Purple House Press, 1966
Ages: 4-7
Themes: friendship, animals, treehouses
Opening: Funny Miss Twiggley lived in a tree with a dog named Puss and a color TV. She did what she liked, and she liked what she did, but when company came Miss Twiggley hid.

Summary: (from Amazon) Why did Miss Twiggley live in a tree? Why did she send her dog, Puss, out to do the shopping? Why did she always run away and hide when people came to visit? And it was rumored that Miss Twiggley had even more peculiar habits…

Old Miss Twiggley
Was friendly with bears.
“They shed on the sofa,” she said,
“But who cares?”

And was it true, as the mayor’s wife had heard, that she actually slept in her hat? “Simply disgraceful!” they said. But when a hurricane hits the town and the water rises, everyone is grateful to Miss Twiggley and her tree. Even better, Miss Twiggley herself learns a very important lesson, with a warm and happy ending.

This is my personal favorite. Hard to believe I can chose one, but it speaks to my heart! I found Miss Twiggley late, but it was a meeting of kindred spirits (pssst – I grew up with a willow tree in our backyard). Even after the magic of reading bedtime stories had faded, I still read this one with my big kids – sure is nice that they humor me! For those of you who know me better it is transparent – I identify strongly with the main character. Please find and read this. Let me know if you share the admiration.

Resources/activities: Read it. Read it again!; Build a treehouse (I’d like one!); look into fostering animals from your local Humane Society; make an disaster preparedness plan 

For existing PPBF selections including resources and activities, go to Susanna Hill’s blog: HERE