Being a farmer's daughter, I am a fan of dirt and nature in all of its gritty wonderfullness. I also love how poetry helps kids understand science concepts, because they often engage with poems in a different way than if it's just straight prose. That said, the text on the first spread is written in … Continue reading The Dirt Book – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Yes, that's the correct orientation of this book. It opens on the edge under the bir'd's beak. A stroke of genius, as you'll see when you start to read the story. Mel is the brave one in the nest, and makes the big decision to skedaddle the minute Mama takes off. Text/Illustration ©️Corey R. Tabor … Continue reading Mel Fell – Perfect Picture Book Friday
From day one... [page turn]things have gone downhill.I've been a pillow...[page turn]a hankie...and lunch for a prehistoric beast. Poor Louis. Can't a bear get a little respect around here? I'm tempted to show you the three spreads associated with the above text, but I don't want to spoil your fun. I will, however, show you … Continue reading Louis – Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF
Text/Illustrations ©️Cindy Derby It's often easy to put your finger on the theme of a picture book. But Two Many Birds requires multiple fingers. It makes you think. It makes you take another look. It makes you question. And it makes you wonder. And that, my friends, is the peak of picture book perfection. Oh, … Continue reading Two Many Birds – Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF
Everything about this picture book screams: ART OBJECT!! From the cover: to the boards hiding under the dust jacket: To the end papers (apologies for the glare on these two spreads): To the exquisitely detailed spreads: This book is a visual feast. And the story? It is dream-like science fiction in picture book form. Barnabus, … Continue reading The Barnabus Project – Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF
Looking for a fun read? One written and illustrated by the legendary pair, Linda Sue Park and Debbie Ridpath Ohi? Here you go: Oh, no! A spaceship filled with crayons and two robots has crash-landed on a barren planet! What's a robot to do? Well, if you're Gurple, you panic. "Preen? Preen, where are you?" … Continue reading Gurple and Preen – Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF
With everyone sitting in front of screens for so many hours each day, I thought it would be refreshing to feature a gorgeously illustrated book that's easy on the eyes while encouraging your inner yogi to get out of the chair and take off on a jungle adventure. The story opens with a classroom of … Continue reading I Am the Jungle: A Yoga Adventure – Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF
When you can't sleep at night, do you lie awake in the dark, wondering what kind of equation would describe the rotation of a wobbling top? If your answer is yes, you're in good company. Meet Sophie Kowalevski, a Russian mathematician born in 1850, who spent years pondering this question. But because she was a … Continue reading Numbers in Motion: Sophie Kowalevski, Queen of Mathematics #PPBF
I was leafing through a pile of picture books (imagine that!), and found this gem. Daniel Minter's acrylic wash illustrations are vibrant and luminous in this 2019 Caldecott Honor book. They make me feel like I am peering through the translucent glass of time at a memory. Pure magic. On reunion morning, we rise before … Continue reading Going Down Home With Daddy – Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF
I don't know about you all, but I'm desperately feeling the need for a little sweetness of spirit and connection. When this book arrived this week, it felt like it could help heal a tiny part of what's broken in our world. Swashby's an old salt, a curmudgeon, a grumpy old man who has no … Continue reading Swashby and the Sea – Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF
Jilanne Hoffmann 