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PPBF – The Gift Shop Bear

Posted on December 18, 2021 | 5 comments

For my final post of 2021 and as my gift to you, dear readers, I’m featuring a classic new picture book that I think is the Perfect Picture Book for this festive season. I hope you agree! Happy Holidays!

Title: The Gift Shop Bear

Written & Illustrated By: Phyllis Harris

Publisher/Date: WorthyKids (Hatchette Book Group)/2021

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: Christmas, teddy bear, home, friendship

Opening:

Nestled on the edge of town sat a little gift shop.

Brief Synopsis: Every Christmas season, Bear leaves his spot in the attic to decorate a gift shop and play with his best friend, Annie. But when the shop closes for good, Bear’s future seems uncertain.

Links to Resources:

Why I Like this Book:

Bear waits all year for Christmas, something that I think every kid, and adult, will understand. But it’s not just the sights, sounds, and smells of the season that appeal to Bear. Rather, for Bear, Christmas is the time of year when he decorates the gift shop where he lives, and, more importantly, spends together-time with his best friend, Annie. I love all of the activities that the pair undertake, and I can imagine kids mimicking them later with their own stuffed friends.

But like holiday celebrations, small gift shops don’t last forever. When Bear overhears that the shop is closing, he worries about where he’ll end up and whether he’ll ever see his friend Annie again. As this is a picture book, you know Bear will find a place to belong, but I won’t spoil the ending by telling you how or where he finds his “forever home”.

In this time when we’re all craving cozy reprieves from the craziness of this world, I think the nostalgic feel of this picture book will appeal to kids and their adults. Harris’ softly-hued illustrations complete this lovely package. The spreads featuring snowflakes especially helped me to get in the holiday spirit.

A Note about Craft:

The Gift Shop Bear is told from the point of view of Bear, a stuffed animal. This helps bring immediacy to Bear’s predicament and enables kids to empathize with him more easily. Although Bear never speaks, Harris shows readers what he sees, smells, hears, and thinks, bringing the reader along into the shop and other scenes.

This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!

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PPBF – Ojiichan’s Gift

Posted on December 10, 2021 | 2 comments

Tis the season of giving, so I think a picture book about a gift is a Perfect Picture Book!

Title: Ojiichan’s Gift

Written By: Chieri Uegaki

Illustrated By: Genevieve Simms

Publisher/Date: Kids Can Press/2019

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: Japan, gardening, intergenerational, adapting to changes

Opening:

When Mayumi van Horton was born, her grandfather built her a garden.

It sat behind a tidy brown house nearly halfway around the world, and it was unlike any other garden she knew.

Brief Synopsis:

Mayumi’s grandfather built her a garden made of stones behind his home in Japan. But when age and health made it difficult to remain in the home, Mayumi had to figure out a way to take the garden along.

Links to Resources:

  • Learn about, and make, your own Japanese garden;
  • Do you have an activity that you enjoy doing with a grandparent or other elderly relative or family friend? Learn a favorite recipe or a special craft from that person;
  • Check out the Teaching Guide for more ideas.

Why I Like this Book:

In this gentle, intergenerational picture book, young Mayumi tends her garden each summer with her grandfather, Ojiichan, who lives in Japan. I love how the garden acts as a means to bond two family members separated by oceans for much of the year. I also love how this activity helps Mayumi learn more about her Japanese heritage. And I especially love that Ojiichan gifts the garden to Mayumi at the outset, which enables her to gift something special to him.

But during one visit, Mayumi and her parents realize that Ojiichan is no longer able to live alone and to care for the garden. At first, Mayumi is angry, a response I think many children (and adults) will understand. She tries to knock over rocks and kicks up gravel. But as she notices the mess that she’s made, she determines to clean up the garden and “a tiny idea took root”. I won’t ruin the ending by sharing what she did, but in the end, she manages to create not just one, but two remembrances of this special shared garden.

Accompanied by Simms’ soft watercolor illustrations, Uegaki’s text provides a gentle roadmap for kids separated from loved ones and for those trying to hold on to special memories.

A Note about Craft:

Perhaps because a Japanese garden is at the center of Ojiichan’s Gift, the story has a calm and peaceful feel to it, perfect for children who are struggling to adapt to changes in their lives, be it aging elders, a move, or some other major life change. This Perfect Picture Book entry will be added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!

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PPBF – A Sled for Gabo

Posted on December 3, 2021 | 8 comments

It’s that time of the year when our thoughts turn to the wonder of winter’s first snowfall. I think I’ve found the Perfect Picture Book to help get you in the mood!

Title: A Sled for Gabo

Written By: Emma Otheguy

Illustrated By: Ana Ramírez González

Publisher/Date: Atheneum Books for Young Readers/2021

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: snow, sledding, multicultural, overcoming shyness, moving

Opening: The day it snowed Gabo followed the whistling sound of an old steam radiator into the kitchen.

Brief Synopsis:

Gabo, a young boy experiencing a snowy day for the first time, longs to join school friends on sleds, but he’s shy, and he lacks a sled and warm winter gear.

Links to Resources:

Why I Like this Book:

In A Sled for Gabo, Otheguy captures the excitement of experiencing snow and sledding for the first time, and she raises the issue the that you need warm clothes and a sled to enjoy the wintry activity.

From the outset, with the mention of an “old steam radiator”, it’s clear that money isn’t plentiful in Gabo’s household. Readers soon learn that Gabo didn’t have a sled, he wore thin cotton socks, he lacked waterproof boots, and his winter hat was too small. But his Mami improvised, as parents often do, and bundled him into layers of socks and his father’s larger hat, and she used plastic bags tied with string to keep Gabo’s sneakers dry. I love how Gabo smiled at the bags and displayed no hints of being self-conscious about his make-shift winterwear.

Gabo then set off to find a sled. He was too shy to approach the other children to ride on their sleds. He visited adult neighbors and asked them for a sled. But no one had one. Instead, one resourceful adult presented Gabo with a cafeteria tray, which, as anyone who grew up among snowy hills knows, can be even faster and more fun than an actual sled. As snow and sledding were new to Gabo, though, he didn’t realize this, until, that is, a new friend showed him.

I think both children who have experienced sledding and those who are new to wintry weather will enjoy A Sled for Gabo. The story not only brought back many memories of snowy days from my youth, but it also helped me empathize with children who have lived in warmer climates and are experiencing snow for the first time, especially if they lack the right gear and the money to pay for it. I also love how Otheguy weaves together the themes of friendship, experiencing a new environment, and overcoming hesitancy.

Bright primary colors warm up the wintry scenes and highlight the friendliness of Gabo’s welcoming neighbors.

A Note about Craft:

Otheguy’s choice of words helps readers recognize several important aspects of the story: an old steam radiator whistles – clearly this isn’t a fancy new or updated house. We feel the wintry weather with Gabo when “his warm breath bloomed a cloud of fog onto the glass.” Mami converses in Spanish, and Gabo answers a neighbor with “No gracias.” Gabo and his new friend share warmed dulce de leche after playing in the snow.

This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!

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PPBF – The Blue House

Posted on November 26, 2021 | 6 comments

I’m continuing with the theme of houses, and homes, and families this week, as my guess is those are themes on all of our minds this holiday season. I think I’ve found the Perfect Picture Book to do so.

Title: The Blue House

Written & Illustrated By: Phoebe Wahl

Publisher/Date: Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House Children’s Books/2020

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: moving, home, single-parent household, urban renewal, overcoming loss

Opening:

Leo lived with his dad in an old blue house next to a tall fir tree.

Brief Synopsis: When Leo and his father are evicted from their beloved rental home, they are sad, but eventually find home in their new house.

Links to Resources:

  • What do you most like about your house? Draw a picture showing your favorite room or feature;
  • If you could change one thing about your home or room, what would it be? Why?
  • Leo and his father bake pie together. Try making this kid-friendly apple pie.

Why I Like this Book:

With its colorful, detailed illustrations and poignant story, The Blue House is a wonderful new picture book about moving and recreating home in a new location.

It’s clear at the outset that Leo and his father love living in the old blue house, despite the peeling paint, “leaks and creaks”, and the old heater that cuts out in the middle of winter. But sadly, they’re renters, and their landlord sells the house out from under them to make way for a bigger, newer, multi-family structure in its stead. With older children, this situation presents a wonderful opportunity to discuss the issues of urban renewal, the need for more multi-family units in many urban centers, and the pros and cons of tear-downs.

I love how Wahl shows readers that many activities can serve different purposes. Leo and his father bake a pie to warm up the old house and to help make the new house feel like home. They dance to keep warm, they “danced and stomped and raged” to feel “a little less mad” about the upcoming move, and they “danced and stomped and sang” in the new house. And they draw on the walls for different purposes, too, which I won’t share here as I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone.

For those who are in the midst of a move, just moved, or, like me, move often, I think Wahl’s description of the old house as “echoey and drafty like a hollow shell” will resonate. So, too, will her description of the new house as “empty, too. It didn’t feel like home”, at least not yet.

With its themes of making a house into a home, the bond between a loving parent and child, and overcoming loss, I think The Blue House is a perfect picture book for all families to savor and share.

A Note about Craft:

I love the thinly-veiled references to well-known books and music that Wahl, an author-illustrator, includes in the book. From The Hobbin to Talking Hens and Corn in the USA, I think adults will love spotting cultural references in the illustrations and sharing them with their little ones.

The Blue House features a father and son living on their own and dealing with the loss of their beloved rental home. No reference is made to a second parent and why he or she is not there. In my mind, this adds another layer to this heartfelt story, making me wonder whether that third family member may have resided in the blue house with Leo and his father.

This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!

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PPBF – Home is a Window

Posted on November 19, 2021 | 9 comments

Have you ever wondered what makes a house a home? As someone who has moved more times than I can count, including several moves when our kids were young, the desire to create a home is never far from my mind. Especially as we head into a season filled with family holidays, feeling at home wherever you live is so important. Which is why I knew I had to read and review today’s Perfect Picture Book which addresses just that question.

Title: Home is a Window

Written By: Stephanie Parsley Ledyard

Illustrated By: Chris Sasaki

Publisher/Date: Neal Porter Books, Holiday House/2019

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: home, family, community, moving, comfort

Opening:

Home is a window, a doorway, a rug, a basket for your shoes.

Brief Synopsis: A young girl reflects on what’s special about her urban home, and when she moves, discovers special aspects of her new home.

Links to Resources:

  • Describe with words or pictures what you like best about the house or apartment where you live;
  • If you could change one thing about your home, what would it be? Why?
  • Have you ever wanted to design features of your own home? Check out these kid-friendly DIY design ideas;
  • Check out the Educator’s Guide for more ideas.

Why I Like this Book:

As the first lines of Home is a Window make clear, home can mean many things, as long as they contribute to feelings of comfort and safety. In the first section of this picture book, we see the many things that make this living space a home from the perspective of a young girl and her family. They include such universal pleasures as comfortable furniture, tasks done together, neighbor’s lights shining warmly into your bedroom, and a “table with something good and the people gathered there.” As the text makes clear, “Home is what feels the same each day”.

But what happens when you have to leave the comfort and safety of a familiar living arrangement and move someplace new? By bringing our traditions and the things we love with us, we can recreate home in a new place, as Home is a Window shows.

I love that Sasaki features the family coming together in the new house to share a meal. They might sit on a “patched-up quilt” on the floor and eat take-out food, but it’s clear that this family is well on their way to establishing a home in their new house.

With its low word count and earth-toned images of a loving mixed-raced family and their home, I think Home is a Window is a wonderful book to share with your littles, whether you’re contemplating a move, adapting to a new living situation, or wanting to share what makes your house or apartment a home.  

A Note about Craft:

I love the imagery and symbolism of the title, that home is a window – a means to look in to see the lives lived within its walls, and to look out to view the family’s interactions with their old and new communities.

Note the use of background colors: they become increasingly darker as moving day looms, and then lighten as the family creates a home in their new house.

A House, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow Books/2021) would be a good book to pair with Home is a Window, especially with younger children.

This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!

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PPBF – The Pond

Posted on November 12, 2021 | 11 comments

Transitioning to a new home or community is a recurrent theme of many of the picture books I review. But as frequent movers know, moving generally doesn’t occur in the absence of other difficult transitions, as today’s Perfect Picture Book shows.

Title: The Pond

Written By: Nicola Davies

Illustrated By: Cathy Fisher

Publisher/Date: Graffeg Limited/2017

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: death, grief, moving, new beginnings, nature, healing

Opening:

Dad talked a lot about the pond. “There will be tadpoles,” he said, “and dragonflies.” Mum told him that our garden was too tiny and my brother said that ponds were gross and stinky.

Brief Synopsis: The narrator’s father dreamt of creating a pond in the back garden. But when he died, the pond was just a messy hole until it wasn’t.

Links to Resources:

  • Check out these fun pond-themed activities;
  • Do you enjoy a particular place or activity with a parent or grandparent? Draw a picture of what you enjoyed together.

Why I Like this Book:

When the young narrator’s father dies, he finds comfort in his father’s dream of building a pond in their back garden. At first, the pond is little more than “a muddy messy hole that filled our garden…that filled our hearts.” Neither the narrator’s mother nor his brother are interested in fulfilling the dream of a pond. When a duck lands in the muddy hole and the narrator adds water from a hose, more mess ensues, and the narrator runs to his room “and screamed at Dad for dying.”

Then, one day the following spring, someone, presumably Mum, lined the hole with plastic and shored up the edges. The narrator filled it with water, expecting no more by this point than “a hole with water in it.” But nature had other thoughts, “our pond had come to life.”

From the text and the gorgeously-dark illustrations, it’s clear that nature has provided the family hope in the midst of grief. I think this is a wonderful and soothing reminder to children who have lost loved ones to seek solace in nature and to continue pursuing their loved one’s dreams.

But there’s more to this poignant journey through grief. After finally finding solace in nature, the family move from the house, obviously unable to bring the pond with them. I’m sure you can guess their first activity in the new house, but I urge you to read The Pond to find out, and to share it with anyone grieving or moving.

A Note about Craft:

Davis could have ended the story when the pond came to life and provided solace to the grieving family. But she upped the tension with the addition of a move and the necessity of leaving the pond behind.

This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!

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PPBF – Wishes

Posted on November 5, 2021 | 10 comments

As many of us plan holiday travel to visit far-flung family and friends, today’s Perfect Picture Book is a stark reminder that people travel for many reasons and under varied circumstances.

Title: Wishes

Written By: MƯỢN THỊ VĂN

Illustrated By: Victo Ngai

Publisher/Date: Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic, 2021

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: kindness, refugees, bravery, Vietnam, hope

Opening:

The night wished it was quieter.

The bag wished it was deeper.

Brief Synopsis: A young girl and her family journey from Vietnam in search of a better life.

Links to Resources:

  • If you had to leave your home in the middle of the night, what would you grab to bring with you?
  • Many children fleeing conflicts leave everything behind. Those affected by  natural disasters often lose many or all of their possessions. Discover ways you and your family can help those in need.
  • Learn about Vietnam, the country where this story begins.

Why I Like this Book:

With sparse, lyrical text and haunting illustrations, VĂN and Ngai tell the story of a young girl and her family who flee from their home in Vietnam in the middle of the night, travel to the coast, board an overcrowded boat, and journey to freedom in Hong Kong. Because of the brevity of the text (only 75 words, according to a note from the artist in an Afterword), much of the story is told via the illustrations.

Because the text recounts the wishes primarily of inanimate objects, this opens up a tremendous opportunity for adult readers to ask children what they see in the illustrations and why the objects might have wished as they did. For instance, in the scene accompanying the text, “The bag wished it was deeper”, readers see women placing parcels of food in a backpack while a young girl looks on. Might the women fear hunger on the journey?

Readers learn that “The dream wished it was longer” as a mother awakens sleeping children. Why did she awaken them and why leave in the middle of the night, readers ponder as the journey begins.

Particularly poignant, the “clock wished it was slower” as teary-eyed children hug a teary-eyed grandfather, and a dog seems to ask what’s going on.

Thankfully, the story ends with a wish full of hope. You’ll have to read Wishes to learn who made that wish and what they wanted.

Whether read at home or in a classroom setting, Wishes offers adults and children a chance to experience one family’s flight to freedom and better understand the choices made each step of the way.

A Note about Craft:

In an Author’s Note, VĂN explains that Wishes is based on the experiences of her own family fleeing Vietnam in the early 1980s. By leaving so much room for the illustrator, I think she enables readers to experience the journey more fully and to add their own wishes to the story.

This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!

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PPBF – Hardly Haunted

Posted on October 29, 2021 | 6 comments

I think regular readers know that I’m rather obsessed with themes of moving and what makes a house a home. So when I saw a review of today’s Perfect Picture Book on Susanna Hill’s blog a few weeks ago, you know that I immediately requested it from my local library and switched around the review schedule to feature it today. Happy Halloween!

Title: Hardly Haunted

Written & Illustrated By: Jessie Sima

Publisher/Date: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/2021

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: loneliness, home, Halloween, haunted

Opening:

There was a house on a hill, and that house was worried.

Brief Synopsis: An old house fears she is empty because she is haunted.

Links to Resources:

  • Have you ever heard strange noises at night like creaking, rapping on a window, or drip-drip-drips? What do you think causes those noises? Draw a picture of a scary or a friendly monster that might be the cause;
  • Bake and decorate your own haunted cookie house for Halloween;
  • Check out these downloadable activities.

Why I Like this Book:

Told from the point-of-view of a lonely old house that fears that she is haunted, Hardly Haunted is filled with not-too-scary scenes and loads of onomatopoeia that will have kids asking you to read it one more time.

I love that the house thinks that if she’s on her “very best behavior”, people won’t notice “how spooky” she is. Although there are things she can’t change, like the cobwebs and dust, the house determines to keep very still to avoid the creaks, squeaks, and groans that could frighten others. In many ways this reminded me of things kids, and even adults, do to minimize “bad” behaviors or traits to find affirmation and friendship.

But when things beyond her control cause new sounds, the house notices that these sounds could be fun, and that she, like a rambunctious kid, “liked being noisy.” And by embracing her uniqueness, she realizes that maybe a family would like to live in a haunted home after all.

Sima’s purply-blue-gray palette with splashes of orangy-yellow are perfect for this story, and her depiction of the outside of the house made me feel like I was looking at a face. The inclusion of a cat on almost every page completes this delightful package.

A Note about Craft:

A story about a family moving into a house filled with all sorts of spooky sounds would be interesting. But a story told from the point-of-view of that house is much more interesting and enables Sima to include an additional theme about being true to yourself.

This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!

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Tricky Treat

Posted on October 29, 2021 | Leave a comment

Regular readers know that I rarely post my own writing on this blog, reserving it, instead, to showcase the work of others via weekly picture book reviews. But when the lovely and talented Susanna Hill hosts a writing challenge, and when that challenge involves a holiday (as her challenges generally do), I make an exception. Without further ado, may I present…

The 11th Annual Halloweensie Writing Contest!!!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is halloweensie-pumpkin.jpeg

~ for children’s writers ~

THE CONTEST: write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (children here defined as 12 and under) (title not included in word count) using the words glow-in-the-dark, goosebumps, and goodies.

To find out more about this challenge, to read some fabulous entries, and, perchance, to post your own Halloweensie story, visit Susanna Hill’s blog. No tricks! Just treats! Happy Halloweensie!

TRICKY TREAT

(100 words)

Candy Floss. Taffy. Jaw Breakers. Halloween goodies galore!

Goosebumps erupted like molars as Terry Tooth Fairy pictured heaps of teeth tucked under pillows. “NOOOO!!!”

Terry’s Thanksgiving CANCELLED!

            Unless…

She hired help! But…

Sugar Plum Fairy – rehearsing.

Elves – testing toys.

Delivery services – booked for Cyber Monday.

            She could…

Divert sweet Halloween treats. But…

What if, like gummy worms, some slip-slid through piled-up ports?

            Perhaps a virus-caused cancellation. Unless…

The Result? Mere mask mandates.

“Doomed,” Terry fumed.

            Until…

Glow-in-the-dark toothbrushes on dental-floss garlands lured Trick-or-Treaters. Terry tossed bubblegum-flavored toothpaste towards costumed marauders, as visions of drumsticks danced through her head.

“Tricky treat!”

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PPBF – My Two Border Towns

Posted on October 22, 2021 | 11 comments

A few weeks ago, I shared Yuyi Morales’ latest picture book, Bright Star, about the Sonoran borderlands between Mexico and the United States. Today’s Perfect Picture Book showcases the similarities, and differences, of two communities in a more urban area of the borderlands.

Title: My Two Border Towns

Written By: David Bowles

Illustrated By: Erika Meza

Publisher/Date: Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House/2021

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: US-Mexico border, immigration, family, community

Opening:

Every other Saturday, my dad wakes me up early. “Come on, m’ijo,” he says. “Vamos al Otro Lado.”

Brief Synopsis: The narrator and his father cross from the US into Mexico to run errands.

Links to Resources:

  • Do you ever run errands with a parent? Where do you usually go and what do you do or purchase there?
  • Have you ever traveled across a border? Describe in words or pictures how you felt crossing from one state or country to another, and what seemed the same or different;
  • Check out the Teacher’s Guide for more ideas.

Why I Like this Book:

In My Two Border Towns, Bowles showcases the fluidity of the US-Mexican border for families with ties to both sides of the border, while offering a glimpse into the difficulties faced by those who find themselves unable to cross that border.

As the story opens, readers meet the young narrator and his father who, every other Saturday, cross the border to run errands in a sister town. Brightly colored and detailed illustrations show the similarities and differences between the two towns. The text, in English with Spanish terms sprinkled through, further indicates that this is one metropolitan area, with a border in the middle. As the narrator remarks about the Mexican town, it’s “a twin of the one where I live, with Spanish spoken everywhere just the same, but English mostly missing till it pops up like grains of sugar on a chili pepper.”

Breakfast in a favorite restaurant is followed by a trip to visit relatives in their jewelry store, a pick-up soccer match with primos (cousins), and icy treats from a paletero. All of this, and more, will show young readers that life on one side of the border or the other may not differ much – in so many ways, people everywhere are the same.

But from the beginning, there are clues to another reality: With the right passports, the narrator and his father are able to cross the border whenever they desire. Others, including friends the narrator has met during his frequent crossings, are not as fortunate. For these friends, the narrator purchases candies, and he shares beloved comics. Sadly, the friend’s “hair is longer than when we first met, almost six months back”, and the friend’s family relies on the generosity of people like the narrator and his father for necessities like food and medicine.

With its showcasing of these two realities, I think My Two Border Towns is a wonderful mixture of celebrating the richness of cultures in border communities while introducing the complexities of the border crisis.

A Note about Craft:

As noted above, Spanish terms are sprinkled throughout the text, which, I think, is further evidence of the close relationship among residents of these border communities.

Starting with the cover with its mirror images of the narrator sitting in front of the main shopping streets of these towns, Meza’s illustrations highlight many similarities and differences of these twin cities, and, I think, brilliantly capture the conflicting emotions that many people with ties to both sides of the border must feel.

This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!

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