What a difference a week makes. Last week's library trip didn't reveal any Perfect Picture Book candidates. This week, my problem is deciding which one to feature! And the winner is:
Title: Vincent Paints His House 
Author/Illustrator: Tedd Arnold
Publisher: Holiday House, 2015
Intended age: 3-8
Themes: Colors (fiction that is a concept book)
First lines: "Time to paint the house!
"Hmm . . ." said Vincent.
Vincent could not decide what color to use."
Synopsis: A series of animals that live on and around Vincent's house advise him to use their favorite color when he paints the house.
Why I like this Book: Look at the gorgeous cover! The colorful title alone had me hooked.
And as an adult, I was like "wow, Vincent Van Gogh!"--but there's no mention of Van Gogh in the book. None. Zilch. The fact that the book is based on a real artist is a gem-of-a-secret for adults to share with young readers.
The book uses a repetitive format, easy for young readers to predict and decode. And colors are considered in bold fresh out of the tube rainbows of related shades. It made me want to find an easel of my own to experiment with.
Resources/Activities:
- The publisher has provided lesson plans on their website (don't you love that)
- Read the publisher's interview with the author, Tedd Arnold.
- Learn about Vincent Van Gogh. (Many kid-friendly websites!)
- Kids-n-fun and Enchanted Learning are just two of the websites that have printable Van Gogh coloring pages.
- On a blank page, draw pictures using as many colors as you can. Crayons are okay!
- Visit Kinderart for a child-friendly Van Gogh style art lesson with paint
This review is part of PPBF (perfect picture book Friday) where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. Along with tons of writing wisdom, she keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. #PPBF
