The Earth Gives More – Perfect Picture Book Friday

Posted on May 31, 2019 by Joanna

Title: The Earth Gives More

Author: Sue Fliess

Illustrator: Christiane Engel

 Publisher: Albert Whitman, 2019

Ages: 3-6

Themes: nature, earth, stewardship, earth day, seasons

Opening:

Feel the wind blow through your hair;                                                                                        as you breathe the clean, fresh air.

Synopsis:

From leaves falling and becoming fertilizer to raindrops bringing plants to life in the spring, the cycle of every season has something to enjoy. While delighting in all nature offers, we need to remember to respect and treasure the world around us. This sweet rhyming story follows the change in seasons and illustrates how we can all be stewards of the Earth.

Why I like this book:

Catchy rhyme and a great refrain for a read-aloud to preschoolers. This is a lovely celebration of not just the fun we have in nature but all that this planet offers us for our existence. There’s also a call to stewardship,

Love, respect, befriend, protect.
So the Earth gives more.

This is a terrific addition to your Earth day texts.

Activities/resources:

Earth Day Activities for Preschoolers

Each week a group of bloggers reviews picture books we feel would make great educational reads. To help teachers, caregivers and parents, we have included resources and/or activities with each of our reviews. A complete list of the thousands of books we have reviewed can be found sorted alphabetically and by topics, here on Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

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A Boy Like You – Perfect Picture Book Friday

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Joanna

Title: A Boy Like You

Author: Frank Murphy

Illustrator: Kayla Harren

 Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press, 2019

Ages: 3-7

Genre: Concept picture book

Themes: following dreams, being brave, asking for help, gender stereotypes, ways to be a boy, masculinity

Opening:

There are billions and billions and billions of people on the world. But you are the only YOU there is!

And the world needs a boy like you.

Synopsis:

There’s more to being a boy than sports, feats of daring, and keeping a stiff upper lip. A Boy Like You encourages every boy to embrace all the things that make him unique, to be brave and ask for help, to tell his own story and listen to the stories of those around him. In an age when boys are expected to fit into a particular mold, this book celebrates all the wonderful ways to be a boy.

Why I like this book:

We need books that extol kindness, courage, thoughtfulness, crying is okay, friendliness. This could have come across in a very didactic way, but the author has managed to keep his message gentle and inspirational by focusing on each boy’s unique contribution to his world, and with his emphasis on all our daily interactions and the opportunities they offer for personal growth. Part of me questions the need for a “boy focused” message as, of course this applies to girls too, but maybe this is part of the necessary antidote to the constant bombardment of messages of toxic masculinity many of our young boys receive.

Activities/resources:

Each week a group of bloggers reviews picture books we feel would make great educational reads. To help teachers, caregivers and parents, we have included resources and/or activities with each of our reviews. A complete list of the thousands of books we have reviewed can be found sorted alphabetically and by topics, here on Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

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Kitten and the Night Watchman – Perfect Picture Book Friday

Posted on May 17, 2019 by Joanna

Title: Kitten and the Night Watchman

Author: John Sullivan

Illustrator: Taeeun Yoo

 Publisher: Paula Wiseman Books, 2019

Ages: 3-7

Literary Awards Ezra Jack Keats Book Award for Writer (2019)

Themes: night watchmen, different jobs, worry, companionship. Kittens, belonging, comfort

Opening:

The night watchman hugs his wife and kids and drives to work. 
All night he is alone. 
Every hour he makes his rounds.

Synopsis:

Kitten and the Night Watchman is inspired by the true story of author John Sullivan meeting a stray cat while working as a night watchman. The cat, Beebe, was John’s companion for seventeen years.

Why I like this book:

A really gentle, empathetic story full of common feelings for young children (worrying about a new friend, relief, belonging) as the night watchman loses his new little night companion during some worrying moments in the middle of the story. It is also a great introduction to the lonely job of being a night watchmen. I love how the dad is given such caring gestures and thoughts: he gently catches a moth and releases it outside; he thinks of his children while working. Sullivan uses simple but poetic language creating strong imagery to describe the nightly routine.

Garbage trucks line up like circus elephants.

Yoo’s peaceful muted-tones artwork with cool shadow-play somehow creates a life and intimacy in this quiet construction site at night. This is the kind of understated story that stays with you a long while after reading. And, well, it is hard to go wrong with the adoption of an adorable stray kitten! A particular winner if you like construction equipment and/or kitties!

Activities/resources:

Pair With, Good Night, Good Night Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker & Tom Lichtenheld

Each week a group of bloggers reviews picture books we feel would make great educational reads. To help teachers, caregivers and parents, we have included resources and/or activities with each of our reviews. A complete list of the thousands of books we have reviewed can be found sorted alphabetically and by topics, here on Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

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