From the moment I read the first line, I new this book would be filled with lyrical moments that explores the relationship between parent and child, child and the natural world, child and friends/family members, and child and their interior world. When you ask me why your skin is brown, I will tell you that … Continue reading You Are My Favorite Color – Perfect Picture Book Friday
I'm all for personification in picture books, be they lyrical or humorous, and especially when they involve a mix of STEM and social and emotional learning (SEL) topics, like this one. Acorn was a wild little thing, pointy on one end and capped on the other. Text ©Jen Arena. Illustration ©Jessica Gibson He was the … Continue reading Acorn Was a Little Wild – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Welcome to Fall! And a new batch of book reviews, starting with this engaging interaction between grandparents and grandchild: Ada loves the stars, but she lives in the city, where the night sky is ALWAYS washed out by light, so it's a treat when she finally gets to visit her grandparents, Ama and Poobah, on … Continue reading Ada and the Galaxies – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Here's another exquisitely beautiful book in translation from 2021 that nearly missed my radar. Of course it's published by Enchanted Lion. You might think you know what a river is: a strip of water that flows from a source(s) to a delta, whether the mouth of the delta is on the ocean like the Mighty … Continue reading What Is a River? – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Enchanted Lion publishes interesting and thought-provoking books, including books in translation. The title declares that this will be a story about the sky and its varied shades/colors of light. But it feels like it's about so much more: pausing, breathing, listening, taking the time to observe our glorious world. The first image fills only a … Continue reading Every Color of Light – 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
In a wave of "tree books" that have suddenly appeared on the market, this one distinguishes itself in the way it speaks directly to the reader. And in the strong connections it makes between the reader and trees. It starts with an energetic directive— Text ©️Maria Gianferrari Illustration ©️Felicita Sala Be a tree!Stand tall.Stretch your … Continue reading Be a Tree – 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
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
Jilanne Hoffmann 