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This week for Perfect Picture Book Fridays I chose the book Over in the Arctic: Where the Cold Wind Blows by Marianne Berkes and illustrated by Jill Dubin.

Title:  Over in the Arctic- Where The Cold Wind Blows

Author:  Marianne Berkes

Illustrated:  Jill Dubin

Publisher: Dawn Publications 2008

Ages: 3 and up

Themes:  Nature, Animals, Counting

Publishers summary:  A counting book in rhyme presents various Arctic animals and their offspring, from a mother polar bear and her “little cub one” to an old father wolf and his “little pups ten”. Includes related facts and activities.

Opening/Synopsis:

Over in the Arctic

Where the cold waters run,

Lived a mother polar bear

And her little cub one.

“Roll,” said the mother.

“I roll,” said the one.

So they rolled on the ice

Where the cold waters run.

Awards:

Winner of the 2009 Mom’s Choice Gold Award
2009 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award Finalist
Winner of the 2008 IParenting Media Greatest Product Award

Activities:

There are quite a few ideas and activities in the back of the book! It was really neat to see a publisher take the time and space to add activities from both the author and illustrator. There also is a sheet of music to use along with the book.

The Alaska Sea Life Center offers a .pdf curriculum download of the life cycle of Salmon

This book would be great for an art or music lesson.

What I liked about this book:  I loved the familiar rhyme of this book (“Over in the meadow”). I enjoyed how the author used the terms for each of the young animals. This would be helpful when teaching children about animal family groups and basic counting. The artwork was created in collage format that was fun and interesting. Each page will captivate a child when reading aloud. I love picture books that are both entertaining and educational. They make a great resource for engaging a child in learning.

Here is a video of “Cookie” the little penguin at the Cincinnati Zoo. Isn’t Cookie adorable?

Perfect Picture Book Fridays are a weekly blog event where participants review some of their favorite picture books. The posts are compiled on author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website. They are categorized by theme to help parents, educators and readers find the perfect picture book easily. To learn more, please visit Susanna’s site where you will find the complete PPBF’s library.

Hello everyone! The Fall term of college is over, and I now have some time to do some Perfect Picture Book reviews! Yay! To view more of today’s PPBF’s, please visit author (and founder of PPBF) Susanna Leonard Hill’s blog.

Title: When Dinosaurs Came With Everything
Author: Elise Broach
Illustrator: David Small
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster). (2007)
Ages: 3 and Up
Themes: Adventure, Animals, Cause & Effect, Cleaning Up, Conflict Resolution, Consequences, Dinosaurs, Family, Fantasy, Fun, Humor, Imagination, Parenting, Perspective, Problem Solving, Positivity
Opening/Synopsis:
Friday is errand day. My mom goes on boring errands, and I have to go with her. And this Friday seemed like every other Friday…until we got to the bakery. A sign above the donuts read: “Buy a Dozen Get a Dinosaur”.

Inside book jacket:  Get what?! Free what?! Dinosaurs? Just when a little boy thinks he is going to die of boeredom from running errands with his mom, the most remarkable, the most stupendous thing happens. He discovers that on this day, and this day only, stores everywhere are giving away a very special treat with any purchase. No, not the usual lollipop or sticker. Something bigger. Much, MUCH bigger. It’s a dream come true, except…what exactly do you do with these Jurassic treats? And how do you convince Mom to let you keep them?

Reviews:

“Broach and Caldecott Medalist Small’s deadpan delivery of a delectably over-the-top premise makes this tall-format picture book a virtually guaranteed crowd pleaser… Packs an outsize helping of humor.”
– Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“What if one day every merchant in town offered up, and indeed, insisted that shoppers take home a live dinosaur (free) with every purchase? That’s what happens to a boy and his mother in this sweet, absurd story that unfolds very much like a dream.”
– Kirkus, Starred Review

“Enticing, useful, and wish-fulfilling, this has ‘firm favorite’ written all over it, especially if you invite the audience to bring their own, presumably toy, dinosaurs.”
– Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books, Starred Review

Activities:

Printable Coloring Sheets from Simon & Schuster

Dinosaur Quiz

Lesson Plans for Grades K-5 at Discovery.com

Videos from National Geographic Dinosaur 101

Awards this book has won:

• TIME MAGAZINE, #1 CHILDREN’S BOOK OF 2007
• AN ALA NOTABLE BOOK
• E.B. WHITE READ ALOUD AWARD, ASSOCIATION OF BOOKSELLERS FOR CHILDREN
• A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION, 2007

What I liked about this book:  I liked how this book started ordinary, then took a turn for the unusual! I liked how it was told from a kids perspective. The book also had a theme of turning a negative into a positive concerning the Mom’s attitude about pet dinosaurs. The illustrations were lively and fun. This book won the E.B. White Read Aloud Award and I can see why. Each turn of the page offers more craziness as kids everywhere on that day, and that day only get dinosaurs!

Geena Davis read this book at the White House Easter Egg Roll in 2011:

Perfect Picture Book Fridays are a weekly blog event where participants review some of their favorite picture books. The posts are compiled on author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website. They are categorized by theme to help parents, educators and readers find the perfect picture book easily. To learn more, please visit Susanna’s site where you will find the complete PPBF’s library.

My pick for this week’s Perfect Picture Book Friday is a classic favorite “Corduroy” by Don Freeman.

Title: Corduroy Author/Illustrator: Don Freeman Publisher: The Viking Press a division of Penguin Books (1968) Scholastic Inc.

Ages: 3-7

Synopsis/Opening:

Corduroy is a bear who once lived in the toy department of a big store.

Day after day he waited with all of the other animals

and dolls for somebody to come along and take him home.

This book is about a little toy bear named Corduroy. He longs for a home of his own and a child to love him. He thinks that maybe it’s the missing button on his overalls. So he goes on an adventure inside the store to find a new button. It’s a sweet story of the longing for being loved and belonging somewhere.

From the publisher, Scholastic:  Don Freeman’s classic character, Corduroy, continues to stir the hearts and imagination of children and adults around the world. Published thirty years ago, this children’s book, in which a bear leaves the safety of his department store shelf in order to do almost anything to be adopted by a little girl, is one of the most endearing… and enduring in existence. Instilling the theme of hope and compassion, there’s no doubt that this beloved picture book will continue to be a favorite for each new generation awaiting to have their own “Corduroy” experience.

Born in San Diego, California, Freeman moved to New York City in the 1940′s to study art while making a living as a jazz trumpeter. He died in 1978, leaving his beloved audience with a treasury of classic children’s stories. Corduroy is a story that all children can relate to.

Themes:  Adventure, belonging, kindness/compassion/generosity, emotions, exploration, friendship, hope, love

Activities:

United Teaching Discoveries has a number of fun activities and guides

Scholastic has a teacher’s guide and activities

An idea for a home project would be to find an old toy and fix it up. Sew new clothes or find new clothes for it. Patch up the places it is worn.

Coloring Pages for Corduroy:

Twisty Noodle

Scribd

thefirstschool.ws

Why I love this book:  Well, besides the adorable illustrations, one can’t help but feel sadness for this little bear. We’ve all had favorite toys we’ve cast aside. Whenever I go to a store and see a sad little stuffed bear I always think of Corduroy. And yes, sometimes I do buy it Add a Comment

My pick this week for Perfect Picture Book Fridays is a book one of my favorite author/illustrators, Ezra Jack Keats

Title: Hi, Cat!

Author: Ezra Jack Keats

Publisher: Macmillan Company (1970) Viking Juvenile (1999)

Ages: 3 and up

Themes: Appreciation/Gratitude, Animals, Accidents, Conflict/Resolution

Synopsis:  Archie goes to meet his friend Peter (Remember The Snowy Day?)so they can put on a street show for the neighborhood. On his way, he meets a stray cat. The cat ends up following Archie to the show. It proceeds to mess up all of Archie’s plans. But Archie doesn’t get mad. He accepts what happens and sees that the cat just really likes him.

Opening:  On his way to meet Peter, Archie saw someone new on the block:

“Hi, cat,” he said as he walked by.

From the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation:

Archie is walking down the street eating an ice cream cone. It’s a beautiful day, and he is on his way to meet his best friend Peter. Suddenly stopped by a newcomer to his neighborhood, Archie says, “Hi, cat!” The cat sits, looks him up and down, and purrs. It turns out to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Keats’s vibrant palette brings this humorous, fast-paced story to life.

Activities:

Make your own backyard theater – Here’s some free kids scripts

The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation has a wonderful list of resources for educators

PBS Kids has a lists of plays for kids to have fun with

Adopt a kitty of your own! Petfinder.org or locate the nearest Humane Society in your area and visit or foster a pet!

Why I like this book:  I love Ezra Jack Keats of simple storytelling. He lets the reader “fill in the blanks”. I also enjoy his style of illustration. Every book of his that I have read I have loved. He knew how to interpret life in an urban environment and make it interesting and engaging for the reader, no matter what age.

Perfect Picture Book Fridays are a weekly blog event where participants review some of their favo

Hooray! It’s Fall and time for the weekly blog event Perfect Picture Book Fridays! Each week, author Susanna Hill hosts the event on her blog. To view more of the reviews of wonderful picture books, please go there! This week I am reviewing a fun classic, Petunia by Roger Duvoisin:

Title: Petunia

Author/Illustrator: Roger Duvoisin (1950 Alfred A. Knopf)

Suitable for ages: 4 and up

Themes: Affecting others, animals, cause and effect, confidence, reading

Opening/Synopsis:

In the meadow, early one morning, Petunia, the silly goose, went strolling.

She ate a bug here, clipped off a clover leaf there, and she picked at the dewdrops on the goldenrod leaves.

Then, suddenly, she saw something she had never seen before in the meadow, what was it?

This is the opening of a calamity of errors in which a farm goose finds a book and thinks that holding it will make her wiser. The farm animals start to believe it also and fall again and again for her words of “wisdom”.

Links to resources:

Coloring pages at 123coloring

Learning about the Goose on Animal Planet

Printable book about numbers and birds at Enchanted Learning

IlluStory- make your own story kit at Amazon

Teacher’s guide for Petunia (tv episode but can be used for book) at New Hampshire Public Television

Why I like this book:  I love stories that have a grander message. This one’s message is that just holding a book does not make someone wise, it is reading that counts. The author shows us time and again how the animals ask this silly goose for advice only to have something negative happen to them because of her unwise answer. This strong message about reading is a good rule of thumb for everyone, adults included. I loved the comedic value of the story also. The antics of the goose allowed for some fun illustrations that children will love.

Perfect Picture Book Fridays are a weekly blog event where participants review some of their favorite picture books. The posts are compiled on author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website. They are categorized by theme to help parents, educators and readers find the perfect picture book easily. To learn more, please visit Susanna’s site where you will find the complete PPBF’s library.

I am adding the book, The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush retold and illustrated by Tomie de Paola to the Perfect Picture Book Fridays List.

Title: The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush

Author/Illustrator: Tomie de Paola

Publisher: Puffin 1996

Ages: 4 and Up

Themes: Be Yourself, Special Talents, Self-Esteem/Self-Worth, Self-Acceptance, Nature, History

Opening/Synopsis:

“Many years ago when the People traveled the Plains and lived in a circle of teepees, there was a boy who was smaller than the rest of the children in the tribe. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep up with the other boys who were always riding, running, shooting their bows, and wrestling to prove their strength. Sometimes his mother and father worried for him.”

This folk tale is a retold legend of how the wildflower, The Indian Paintbrush, came to be on the plains of North America. It is the tale of a Native American boy, Little Gopher, who is small and longs to be a warrior. His path leads different than others however. Little Gopher has a Dream Vision in which he is told to paint on buckskin the deeds of the warriors and the legends of the tribe. He longs to be a great hero to the tribe, and eventually he succeeds, but not in the way of the warrior as he thought.

The colorful illustrations accentuate the authenticity of a tale that encourages children to follow a different drummer. – Children’s Book Review Service.

The humanity expressed in this story illustrates the value of perseverance and of the endurance of effort that will bring its reward – School Library Journal (starred review).

Activities:

The Nebraska DOT has a roadside wildflower guide to download if you plan on traveling through the plains states.

Pinterest has a Wildflowers board of the Midwest

Here is what an Indian Paintbrush plant looks like

The US Forest Service has some coloring pages for wildflowers

Classroom/Home activity:  Discover what native wildflowers are located in the child’s own state. Pick one flower to research. Draw a picture of the flower.

Why I like this book: 

This book touched my heart because it is about a child who is different from everyone else around them. It is how this child overcame adversity to walk their own path in life. Tomie de Paola is one of my favorite author & illustrators who has a way of telling a complex story in a way that children can understand. His illustrations are delightful and fun, making the book even more engaging to children. Tomie writes at the end of the book that he is retelling this legend that was first published in 1965 in an article for Austin American-Statesman by Ruth D. Isley. It is now collected in the book, Texas Wildflowers, Stories and Legends.

Perfect Picture Book Fridays are a weekly blog event where participants review some of their favorite picture books. The posts are compiled on author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website. They are categorized by theme to help parents, educators and readers find the perfect picture book easily. To learn more, please visit Susanna’s site where you will find the complete PPBF’s library.

*November is Picture Book Month!  Read *Share *Celebrate!

It's Friday! Time for another selection for Perfect Picture Book Friday!

My choice this week for PPBF is Press Here by Hervé Tullet

My selection this week for Perfect Picture Book Friday is The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

It's Friday! This week I review Otis by Loren Long

My Perfect Picture Book Friday selection this week is "Hands" by Lois Ehlert

My Perfect Picture Book Friday selection this week is "Hands" by Lois Ehlert

For this week’s Perfect Picture Book Friday I chose the Shel Silverstein Classic, The Giving Tree.

Title:  The Giving Tree

Author/Illustrator: Shel Silverstein

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (1964)

Ages: 7 and up (the Publisher has it listed for 10+)

Themes:  Growing up, cause and effect, friendship, giving, acceptance

Synopsis:

  Once there was a tree

And she loved a little boy.

And every day the boy would come

And he would gather her leaves

and make them

into crowns

and play king of the forest.

This is a delightful tale of the friendship and love of a little boy and his beloved tree. The tree is always there for the boy, all through out his years. It is a story of love and friendship told in the perfect way that Shel Silverstein was known for.

From the publisher:  Once there was a little tree … and she loved a little boy.

So begins a story of unforgettable perception, beautifully written and illustrated by the gifted and versatile Shel Silverstein.

Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk … and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave and gave.

This is a tender story, touched with sadness, aglow with consolation. Shel Silverstein has created a moving parable for readers of all ages that offers an affecting interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another’s capacity to love in return.

Activities:

Shel Silverstein.com has a wonderful collection of activities, downloadables and even an app!

Unique teaching resources.com has some great ideas on using the book in the classroom

The Web English Teacher has some lesson plans

Easy Fun School is a

The book I chose is a historical fiction book about a boy, music and ducks, John Philip Duck by Patricia Polacco.

Title:  John Philip Duck

Author/Illustrator: Patricia Polacco

Publisher: Philomel Books (Division of Penguin Young Readers)

Ages: 5 & up

Themes: animals, arts, biography, bravery, cause & effect, creativity, diversity, culture, helping others

Opening and Synopsis: 

Edward was a sweet boy who lived with his family on a small farm

just outside of Memphis in the foothills of Tennessee. Times were hard.

There was a depression on and money was hard to come by.

Even though Edward was just a kid, he and his father worked at the same hotel in Memphis.

During the work week they stayed at the hotel, but on the weekends they both went home.

From the book jacket: When young Edward first brought his tiny wild duck to the grand hotel where he worked with his pa, his only thought was to keep it hidden. After all, he just needed a warm place for his little pet to stay during the day. Everyone helped to keep his secret.

Until one day, when Mr. Schutt, the blustery hotel manager, discovered the duck swimming in the lobby fountain! Surprised but not defeated, Edward showed Mr. Schutt how his duck could perform, even march to a John Philip Sousa tune. Maybe Edward could train other ducks to do the same. All he needed was Mr. Schutt’s okay-but could he get it in time to save John Philip Duck?

Activities:

Go on Itunes and Spotify and listen to some John Philip Sousa music.

Visit online the Peabody Hotel in Memphis

Coloring pages of ducks

Patricia has some neat activities and free bookmarks at her website

Try a discussion with kids on tricks your favorite pets do. Do any of them like music?

What’s your favorite genre of music? Why?

What I liked about this book:  Even though it is historical fiction, this story felt so real to me. It was fun to find out that th

For this weeks Perfect Picture Book Friday, I am choosing one of my favorite picture books of all time: Title and Publisher:   The Snowy Day written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats.  Originally published in 1962. Currently published by Viking Juvenile; 50 Anv edition August 18, 2011 (A division of Scholastic) 1963 Caldecott Award...