Picture Book of the Day – Page 3

Spectacular Spots

Spectacular Spots
by Susan Stockdale (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: What kind of spots do animals have? And why do they have them? Find out the many ways in which animals benefit from their spots. (Animal facts and spot matching game in the back of the book.)

Snippet:
Spots on creatures all around
way up high and on the ground.

#kidlit Link of the Day:

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Jama’s Alphabet Soup.

The Crown Affair

The Crown Affair (Nursery-Rhyme Mysteries)
by Jeanie Franz Ransom (Author) and Stephen Axelsen (Illustrator)

Booktalk: In the sequel to What REALLY Happened to Humpty?, Jack (Jill’s other half) fell down the Hill and had his crown stolen. It’s up to detective Joe Dumpty to round up the usual suspects and track down the culprit.

Snippet:
When did you notice the crown was missing?” I asked.
“Not right away,” Jill replied. “First, I checked on Jack. Then I called 9-1-1. After that, it’s a blur. I was a little dizzy myself. I came tumbling down after, you know?”

#kidlit Link of the Day:
2015 Children’s Choices winners announced! by the Children’s Book Council.

“Each year, over 36,000 children from different regions of the United States read newly-published children’s and young adult trade books and vote for the ones they like best. These Children’s Choices, selected from more than 500 titles, can be counted on as books children really enjoy reading.”

Must. Push. Buttons!

Must. Push. Buttons!
by Jason Good (Author) and Jarrett Krosoczka (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Want to see inside a toddler’s (frantic) mind? Read this book! (Highly recommended for both parenting classes and Early Childhood Education training.)

Snippet:
I wanna play with Daddy’s phone
I wanna put on Mommy’s shoes
TAP, TAP, TAP
Get Mommy’s shoes off my feet now!

#kidlit Link of the Day:
Tips for Encouraging Literacy in Your Infant/Toddler Program from ZERO TO THREE

A Bat Cannot Bat, a Stair Cannot Stare: More About Homonyms and Homophones

A Bat Cannot Bat, a Stair Cannot Stare: More About Homonyms and Homophones
by Brian P. Cleary (Author) and Martin Goneau (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Do you think there’s no more to know about homonyms and homophones? This book will prove you wrong! With dozens of laughs per second, the value of the lesson doesn’t lessen the second time around. (In the book each pair of homonyms or homophones appears in color for easy identification.)

Snippet:
Homonyms are spelled the same,
and they’re alike in sound.

Their meanings, though
are different–like
“That sink may
sink into the ground.

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Buffy’s Blog.

#kidlit Link of the Day:
Looking for book comps? Check the Children’s Picture Book Database at Miami University for a collection of picture book abstracts searchable by topics, concepts, and skills.

I Love You Just Enough

I Love You Just Enough (The Hazel Ridge Farm Stories)
by Robbyn Smith van Frankenhuyzen (Author) and Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen (Illustrator)

Booktalk: After she gets off the bus on the last day of school, Heather discovers a wood duckling alone in the grass.

Snippet:
Hiding in a cluster of lupines was a frightened duckling.

“Now that is quite a treasure you’ve found,” Dad said. “It looks like this little guy has been separated from his family.”

“Will his family come back for him?” Heather asked.
“Or can I take him home and be his family?”

“I don’t know Heather. Taking care of a baby animal is a lot of responsibility,” Dad explained. “You have to keep him safe and wam and fed. You have to teach him how to be a duck–to swim, to hunt for bugs, and how to fly.”

Literary Link:

Kate DiCamillo wants you to sign up for #SummerReading ! http://t.co/2pWwkFlUrs pic.twitter.com/16xogaMCpn

— Candlewick Press (@Candlewick) June 1, 2015

Noah Chases the Wind

Noah Chases the Wind
by Michelle Worthington (Author) and Joseph Cowman (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Noah is different. He sees, hears, feels, and thinks in ways that other people don’t always understand, and he asks a lot of questions along the way. (Notes in the back indicate the book is also for children on the autism spectrum who cannot stop asking a question until an answer has been unearthed.)

Snippet:
Noah liked to find out how things worked,
where they came from and where they went.

When he didn’t understand
it hurt his head and his heart.

Buster the Little Garbage Truck

Buster the Little Garbage Truck
by Marcia Berneger (Author) and Kevin Zimmer (Illustrator)

Booktalk:Buster is a sweet little garbage truck. He can’t wait to grow up to be a big truck, just like his father. Buster practices driving and lifting and beeping with his friend, Kitty. There’s one small problem. Loud noises frighten Buster. When his father takes him to the truck yard to meet the other vehicles, their air-horn blasts and roaring engines send Buster skidding away to hide. He wants to be big and brave, but how can he work with Daddy and his friends when their loud sounds scare him?

Snippet:
Later Buster heard Daddy whispering to Mommy. “He wouldn’t leave my side for hours. I didn’t know what to do.”

A tear slid down Buster’s grill. He wanted to be brave, but the trucks in the yard were so big and noisy.

Marcia is one of my former students and this is her first picture book!
CONGRATULATIONS, MARCIA!

I read my book at Yellow Book Road today. They loved honking their horns with Buster, my little garbage truck! pic.twitter.com/cb59Y0mMzy

— Marcia Berneger (@MarciaBerneger) April 8, 2015

Birthday Rules

Birthday Rules
by Laurie B. Friedman (Author) and Teresa Murfin (Illustrator)

Booktalk: When it comes to birthdays, no one knows how to party like Percy! Just follow his simple rules—like #2 “Happy times call for happy measures” and #9 “Be careful what you wish for”—to make the most of your celebration.

Snippet:
And here’s a little secret.
I’m a birthday pro.
When it comes to festivities,
There’s nothing I don’t know.

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Random Noodling.

Feet, Go to Sleep

#kidlit Book of the Day: Feet, Go to Sleep #booktour begins…

Feet, Go to Sleep
by Barbara Bottner (Author) and Maggie Smith (Illustrator)

Booktalk: The sun has set and dinner is done, but Fiona is still excited about the day and is not at all ready for bed.

So her mom helps her settle down with their nightly ritual of sending each part of her—from her toes to her nose—off to sleep. As Fiona relaxes her body, she recalls a marvelous day at the beach where feet were for stomping in the waves, legs were for running after cousins, tummy was for holding strawberries, and arms were for catching beach balls. And bit by bit, memory by memory, Fiona slips from a great day into a good night.

Snippet:
“Toes, go to sleep,” said Fiona.

Toes were for gripping flip-flops on the way to the beach.

Barbara graciously agreed to an interview…

Q. When did you start writing?
A. I began writing when I decided I wanted to illustrate books for children. I figured if I wrote the story, I’d automatically have a better chance of doing that and I was correct, at least back in the day when I began. I had no idea I had any ability as a writer but I went for it and was lucky to be mentored by some wonderful editors in New York. Then, if they spotted something they thought they could develop, they would sit and talk with you and give you books and generally be very encouraging, which, needless to say, made me work very hard. I began to study the field, immerse myself in it. My third attempt was contracted by Putnam’s, What Would You Do With A Giant. At the same time, I got a job teaching at Parson’s, The New School and by teaching writing, I learned writing. I would have been astonished if you told me then, I’d go on to write novels, movies, journalism. For me, it was only a ticket to get to illustrate.

Q. Describe your writing process.
A. My process is very different now. It used to be strained and tortuous, but now it’s fluid, and my unconscious is onboard so I get ideas all the time. Ideas are not the problem. Structure used to be, but after decades, it’s easier. What helps is that I enjoy the process. I used to be athletic, so it’s like getting up to bat. Pitch me a good ball, and I want to knock it out of the park. The pitch is the core idea., That can come from anywhere. I ‘ve gotten attuned to finding ideas from everywhere, people, jokes, songs, attitudes; never need to ‘look.’ Then, very early, or sometimes the originating impulse is character or attitude. I was an actress for a short while in New York, so I enjoy character. I used to love to ride the subway, which to me was a character parade. Character begets dialogue, which is probably my favorite thing to write. I may get these things going way before I am even close to finding a story. It’s good to be fluid with story—flexible. I once did a book that originated fifteen years before I nailed the story. (Nana Hannah’s Piano) Mostly it sat in a drawer, but it began as a story about a woman who wanted and didn’t want to sell her piano and when it was finally contracted, it was about a boy who hated his piano teacher and his grandmother who played the piano. I believe stories reveal themselves and often not all at once.

Q. Tell us about your latest book.
A. My latest book is Feet, Go To Sleep. I read a paragraph in a novel where the protagonist was soothing herself to sleep. Since I have done yoga off and on, and meditation also, I realized this method works to relax people and kids could use it too. But it’s not didactic, Fiona remembers her day as she goes through her body to let go of the day. Maggie Smith did wonderful illustrations. It’s not the typical book I write, there is no snarky main character, no snappy dialogue, no external conflict. But I think it’s a useful book for parents. There are some areas like bedtime, that probably will always need a new take. I never approach a story with the idea of why it might sell, by the way. I am not strategic. I prefer to go inward and find the authentic connection between me and children. When I teach, I encourage my students to find their inner age, which acts like a guide to their unique material.

Snippet:
Toes were easy. They went right to sleep.
“What’s next?” asked Mama.

“Feet, go to sleep!”

Feet were for stomping in the waves at the ocean’s edge.

It’s the first day of the Feet, Go to Sleep blog tour with our amazing author guest, Barbara Bottner!

Feet, Go to Sleep by Barbara Bottner

Blog Tour Schedule

5/12 Booktalking #kidlit

5/13 GoodReadsWithRonna

5/14 Wrapped in Foil

5/15 Teaching Authors

5/16 Big Hair and Books

5/18 Frog on a Blog

5/19 Chapter Book Chat

5/20 In Bed With Books

5/21 Shelf-employed

I want to thank Barbara Bottner for asking me to organize this tour for her. It has been a pleasure working with her and the bloggers hosting each stop. Visit each book tour stop for a unique look at the career of this publishing legend. Check out her new book Feet, Go to Sleep and try Savasana with your little ones. . .