Some picture books land at the upper end of elementary school and into middle school, due to their complex content, vocabulary, and word count. They usually involve more photographic content than illustrations and come with a table of contents and index. CLIMATE WARRIORS is one of those books. * The author, Laura Gehl, starts by … Continue reading Climate Warriors – Perfect Picture Book (+MG) Friday
* A brilliant title for the kidlit audience, but I have to admit that I was intrigued, too! Readers learn the scientific term for eating poop: coprophagy, and how to correctly pronounce it. At the same time, they learn that the subject is really not a joke: some animals need to eat poop to survive. … Continue reading Poop for Breakfast – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Ever since I learned about the octopus that sneaked out of its tank at night to snack on fish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, I've had a deep respect for the intelligence of these eight-legged creatures. But I didn't know how diverse they are, until now... When I first saw the cover from a distance, … Continue reading Behold the Octopus! – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Debbie Friedman was a Jewish girl who felt music stir her soul from the time she was child. Text ©Ellen Leventhal. Illus. ©Natalia Grebtsova When Debbie Friedman was a little girl, music bubbled up inside her. All the time. Notes and melodies. Loud and quiet. Fast and slow. All swirling around inside her just waiting … Continue reading Debbie’s Song – Perfect Picture Book Friday
In celebration of Earth Day, I'm featuring a book about how the event came to be. (Also, enjoy the sibilance of the first sentence you'll see below.) Text©Barry Wittenstein Illus. ©Jessie Hartland On a sticky and sunny Sunday in the summer of 1969, the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland did something rivers should never do. Text©Barry … Continue reading The Day the River Caught Fire – Perfect Picture Book Friday
My son went to an elementary school where they enjoyed a week of "farm" school camping, or outdoor education, every year. Each week featured hiking, sitting outside, and taking a close look (using other senses, too) at nature. As part of the program, kids wrote poems about what they observed through their senses, how it … Continue reading Animals in Surprising Shades – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Who knew that zombie worms, aka bone-eating snot flower worms, could lead to something gloriously beautiful? Melissa Stewart was doing research for her book called Ick! Delightfully, Disgusting Animal Dinners, Dwellings, and Defenses, when she came upon these critters. And the rest, as they say, turned into another book. Let's take a moment to admire … Continue reading Whale Fall – Perfect Picture Book Friday
It's Women's History month, so I thought I'd feature this fabulous biography of someone who didn't let gender stop her from claiming her independence as a "masterless woman." Text ©Beth Anderson Illustration ©Anne Lambelet I love this first sentence: Deborah Sampson's spirit was always a little too large. And then it's followed by three "maybes," … Continue reading Cloaked in Courage – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Turns out that a parallel story structure—tracing the birth of a star along with the life of the woman who discovered the heart of their fire—is a perfect narrative metaphor. Wrapped in a blanket of sparkling space, an unformed star waits for its bright future to begin. Text ©Kirsten Larson Illustration ©Katherine Roy So begins … Continue reading The Fire of Stars – Perfect Picture Book Friday
One of the things I often love about books not published in the U.S. is how they clearly put an author and/or illustrator's obsessions on display. In contrast, U.S. picture books can feel a little too similar or too familiar. BUT, surprise!!! This book WAS written and published in the U.S. and is a testament … Continue reading Woven of the World – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Jilanne Hoffmann 