Ages and ages ago, I started my lofty goal of reviewing at least 10 new picture books each month. Here is my first five, and now, four months later, I am ready to review my next five!
So, here's the real deal. I took a 5-week term off of teaching in January/February, which allowed me to a) spend more time writing in general, and b) write more on my blog. Since then, however, I have been back to my many-faceted writing/teaching combo of life, and have not posted nearly as much.
Before I do my next chunk of picture books (maybe I'll catch up this summer?? Probably unlikely), I thought I'd share an AWESOME book I ran across at the library this morning. It's called The 100 Best Vacations to Enrich Your Life by Pam Grout. If this author even got to take one of these to do her research, I am insanely jealous. The book is chock-full of creative vacation ideas, like taking classes in Door County at a woodsy sounding place called The Clearing where they have all sorts of workshops on arts, crafts, and writing. Another vaca option is going on an authentic Oregon Trail covered wagon ride. (When I asked my husband if he wanted to try that one, he said no-go...why, I cannot fathom.) You could monitor active volcanoes in Hawaii, track mountain lions in the Rockies, and the list goes on and on. I'm buying this book. That's all I can say.
I know you've all been dying for more picture book reviews...so here goes.
Adore. Love. Smile. Laugh! The author of this clever and creative book took the familiar children's song and made it fresh, original, and fun. This is a great book for storytime. And to my dear editors, would you please, please consider Jackie Urbanovic's whimsical, charming, and slightly-over-the-top illustrations for one of my books?
Not sure I'm loving this book. I hate to say that about any children's book, but I found the illustrations somewhat off-putting. The concept is clever--following a cold germ around the world. But a) it's kind of strange to see an illustration of a cold germ, and b) the two-dimensional look of the illustrations didn't really appeal to me personally. The "feel" from the illustrations was a bit cold. But it is an interesting concept.
Charming book! This would be perfect for anyone wanting to share the story