When I was in college, I lived in the second floor apartment of an old wooden house at the edge of the University of Arizona campus in Tucson. Cockroaches were ubiquitous. As I spent a lot of time chasing them into the cracks of the woodwork, it wasn't surprising that I developed asthma. When our … Continue reading Your Birthday Was the Best! – Perfect Picture Book Friday
I'm not sure what I could say about this book other than it's brilliant! It's gorgeous! It should be added to your permanent collection immediately! Why? Well, hmmmm. The story begins with an object of interest. The reader will know what it is—a marble—but the creeping, crawling, flying creatures of this backyard world haven't a … Continue reading It Fell From the Sky – Perfect Picture Book Friday
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
Want to know more about the tiny (microscopic) critters in our world, the ones we swim with in the ocean or the ones hanging out on our skin, in our homes, and elsewhere? All without having to use a microscope—at least for the moment. After reading this book, I think some kids will be adding … Continue reading Unseen Worlds – Perfect Picture Book Friday
After reading this title, the first thing I though of was Wallace Stevens' poem, 13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird. But blackbirds do not disappear in that poem. Here, the flies....meet their demise. One by one. And not just a single kind of fly. The reader watches 13 different kinds of flies—become someone else's … Continue reading 13 Ways to Eat a Fly – Perfect Picture Book Friday
I found the perfect book in my poetry archives to cover Earth Day and poetry month. From the unusual type font to the illustrations painted in watercolor on primed paper bags with collage, Douglas Florian (a poet and artist), created a strikingly gorgeous book of poetry. Pick an insect on the list, and I can … Continue reading insectlopedia – Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF
This week's addition to Susanna Leonard Hill's Perfect Picture Book Fridays comes to us from the heart of bug country, the Great Plains. What do you think of when you think of Kansas? Well, that's what I used to think until I spent the week with Carol Murray at Highlights Summer Camp last July. When not … Continue reading Cricket in the Thicket – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Jilanne Hoffmann 