DREAM by Matthew Cordell #PPBF

Do y'all remember when I reviewed the book BOB, NOT BOB? I'll wait while you think. I know it takes me a few minutes to get the grey matter churning. Well, the book I review today is authored (and illustrated) by the illustrator of BOB. He also author/illustrated the book WISH, a companion title to DREAM which I somehow missed and am now headed out to find.

 

Title: DREAM
Author/Illustrator: Matthew Cordell
Publisher: Disney/Hyperion, May, 2017
Intended Ages: 2-5 (I'm saying adults!)
Themes: Babies, Families, Love

Opening Line: "On the night you were born, our world shined bright as the sun."
Synopsis: Talking to their child, two gorillas reminisce about his birth, all the emotions they experienced and their dreams for his future.

What I like about this book:This concept book takes a sentimental journey through the parent-child relationship. Like LOVE YOU FOREVER, I believe the text will appeal more to parents than to children, but the illustrations are adorable for all ages. The babies in my life never asked about the day they were born, but this would be fantastic for those who do. As a parent, I re-experienced all of the emotions on this journey. The spare text packs a powerful punch. Just look at that first line! Yes, when a baby is born, night can become day. Everything feels possible in a way it has never felt before.
Perhaps to make it more relatable, the gorillas sleep on a "people" bed in a thatched cottage with tables, book shelves and a crib for baby. Gorilla lovers will note that the illustrations show a silverback (male), a female, and a baby, but using the gorillas instead of people lends a feeling of universality to the journey. The huge emotional moments are paired with soft, spattery dreamlike illustrations that expertly capture the raw feelings of these moments.
I recommend this book as a gift for expectant and new parents! I appreciate that it lacks LOVE YOU FOREVER's Lion King-esque circle of life and somewhat sad ending. There are moments of sadness in the book, but the resolution is a celebratory one.

Resources/Activities: Because I think this book is primarily a wonderful gift book for adults, the recommended activities are a bit different today!

• Write a letter to a child in your life to read when they're older, or maybe when they become a parent, telling them about the day they were born, or your hopes and dreams for them (or both, if appropriate)
• If you're lucky enough to have a parent figure still in your life, call or write a thank you.
• List your own current hopes and dreams
•  Ask a child about their own dreams for what they want to do or be. Ask how you can help them. NO judgment!
  

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy my selection this week.  I'd love to hear your thoughts about it in the comments!

This review is part of PPBF (Perfect Picture Book Friday) where bloggers share great picture books. Organized and curated by author Susanna Leonard Hill, she keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. #PPBF

Note: My review is based on a review copy received from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was received.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Beauty and the Beast - Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF

     I was just introduced to this book last weekend and today is the last picture book review before the summer hiatus. Talk about perfect timing for a perfect picture book!
     The underlying story isn't new, but the re-telling transports the story to West Africa with illustrations that will take your breath away.
     
     TITLE: Beauty and the Beast

     AUTHOR: H. Chuku Lee
     ILLUSTRATOR: Pat Cummings
     PUBLISHER: Amistad (imprint of HarperCollins), 2014
     INTENDED AGE:4 to 8
     THEMES: Fairy tale, unexpected friendship, love
     OPENING LINES: 
          "Father had to hurry into the city on business, but before he rode off, my older sisters gave him a long list and asked him to buy them all sorts of finery.
           Father asked what I wanted and I said, "A rose." "
                      
     SYNOPSIS: When the Beast threatens to imprison Beauty's father for taking a rose from the Beast's garden, Beauty offers to take her father's place. Over time, Beauty and the Beast become friends but she is still his prisoner. When she is allowed home to visit her sick father, Beauty has to decide whether to fulfill her promise to return to the Beast, knowing that not doing so may kill him.

     WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BOOK: This story is all about the capacity for and the power of love. What better message is there? And this book captures it in a fresh telling. As a disclaimer, the illustrator was my group leader for a recent writing workshop and the book was a gift to all the attendees. But I didn't write this post out of gratitude even though I have plenty of that. I wrote the post because the book is a sensory delight. Beauty's changing hairstyles alone are a treat, but my favorite spread is Beauty looking at her family in her magic mirror, surrounded by sumptuous fabrics, jewels, and perfume bottles while the stone columns and even a tiny knob on an open drawer sport scowling faces while grain of the wood on the side of the dresser forms inlaid eyes squinting her direction. One column has a carved hand projecting from it holding a pitcher! Note: this version of the tale DOES NOT have the character of Gaston (and his death) and is appropriate for the youngest readers. Doing research for this post I also learned that the author and illustrator are husband and wife and that my 12x12 internet Friend Tanja Bauerle saw some of these illustrations in progress and posted the Kirkus review back in February! Small world (and a lucky woman).

     RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES: The most obvious activity for all ages is a discussion of the importance of appearances. Does it matter? Should it? 
     Older readers may want to compare this story to the Disney version. A lot of the online resources relate to the stage productions of Beauty and the Beast. 
     The ESL teaching workshop, ESL printables.com, has vocabulary and comprehension worksheets that could be modified to this version.
     You can view the first eight pages of Beauty and the Beast on HarperCollins Web Sampler. Read the Kirkus starred review here. 
    While not directly on point with this book, I found a fascinating storyteller's website, Beauty and the Beast Storytellers from Ithaca, NY who do school visits. Their teacher's guide relates to the the visual aspects of hearing a storyteller tell this story but some of the questions were thought provoking for all stories.
     The free coloring book pages I found online all use the caucasian Disney version of this story. Same for Beauty and the Beast cakes on Pinterest. If there are multicultural versions out there, let me know so I can link them!
     Find swatches of colorful fabric and dress up as characters from this version of the story. 
   
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 

I will be posting this summer, but no more perfect picture books until fall. Follow me to keep in touch!
    

Otter and Odder - Perfect Picture Book Friday Review #PPBF

     Maybe it's just me, but picture books seem to be getting larger and larger. I don't mean longer - because the opposite is true. The text is shorter but many of the physical books are actually a larger trim size. And this isn't always a great fit for laptime reading. Without extend-o arms, the lap sitter ends up getting bonked in the face at each page turn. 
     Luckily there are little gems, perfect for laptime. Oddly enough, the little gem I'm featuring isn't for the laptime group. While I think younger readers could enjoy this book, the text is more complex and Publisher's Weekly lists the intended age group as 6-10.

Title: Otter and Odder 
Author: James Howe
Illustrator: Chris Raschka
[link to profile on the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature]   
Publisher: Candlewick Press  
FICTION  
Intended Audience: 6-10
[this is a 40-page picture book]   
Themes: Love/Tolerance, Otters, Fish
Opening:
     
     The river sparkled the day Otter found love. He was not looking for it (love, that is). He was looking for dinner.

Synopsis: When Otter falls in love with a fish he faces peer pressure to act like an otter and eat her.

Why I liked this book: The primitive child-like watercolor and pencil drawings on the cover made me grab this one off the shelf! It is imaginative and creative with just enough realism to ground and carry the story. Playful and silly with a muted texture that reflects the emotional flux of the storyline.       Then the lovely text spun it's magic on me. Never talking down to the audience, the story explores what it means to feel emotions that may not mesh with societal norms (the society being the river creatures) and the tension to follow one's own heart. Look at this beautiful language!
 "Is it the way of the otter, he (Otter) wondered, to be alone." 

Resources/Activities: The New York Times pairs this book with Apple Cake by Julie Paschkis to explore different views of it means to find love. These could lend to a talk about what people give up or trade off for things in their life that they think are more important.
     For young readers, you could pair this book with Aaron Reynolds book, Carnivores, and discuss what the terms carnivore, herbivore and omnivore mean. I reviewed Jeanne Willis' book, Tadpole's Promise that explores a similar set-up--with a different outcome!
     The publisher's webpage has a link to a note about the origin of this story. An AMAZING 81-page curriculum about river otters, commissioned by Amigos Bravos in July 2013 is posted online. It has art projects, discussion questions and one of the cutest otters I've seen on the cover!
     Mr. Howe shares a four minute documentary about the power of words on TeachingBooks.net. A biography and additional interview are available on Scholastic's author page. Mr. Raschka also has a video on TeachingBooks.net and a biography on Scholastic's website.

     Mr. Howe is an openly gay author of over 80 children's books. IMHO I don't think this fact affects your reading of this charming book but there is a beautiful interview with Mr. Howe on the Southern Poverty Law Center website that I wanted to link to in light of the hate crime that occurred in Kansas earlier this week. I like to think that our society is moving beyond such events and am shocked and shaken each time I'm proven wrong. Can't we all get along?

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
    

The Velveteen Rabbit - Perfect Picture Book Friday

I was astonished when I looked on the list on Susanna Hill's blog and The Velveteen Rabbit wasn't already listed as a perfect picture book. This book is a true classic.

As a mother, I've bought picture books for my kids. As a writer, I've bought picture books, new and old, to study. The Velveteen Rabbit is neither of these. I own The Velveteen Rabbit  because it speaks to the child in me, as an adult. It is my book because I love it.

I first read The Velveteen Rabbit when I was a child. I don't remember exactly when I read it the first time, but I know I was younger than fourth grade. How do I know? Because when I was in the fourth grade I was part of a program where fourth graders read books to the kindergarten classes. And one week, I picked The Velveteen Rabbit. I was already in love with the story, and wanted to share it with my younger friends. 

It's a perfect picture book. There's no reason not to share the book, right? Wrong!

As perfect a book as it is, it is NOT a great read aloud. It is a snuggle up close and breath in the magic story. Best read leisurely, with ample time to absorb the weight of the story and its emotions, The Velveteen Rabbit is a picture book that will be appreciated more as the reader grows. While the language is perfect for ages 4-8, the text is long, and may be appreciated more by the older more proficient readers at the top end of the target group. A box of tissues are always in order when I re-read this gem. 

Title: The Velveteen Rabbit

Author: Margery Williams

Illustrator: William Nicholson

Publisher: HarperCollins (reissue) 1999

The book was originally published in 1922. This shows you what staying power a truly timeless story has! There are many other editions.You can even read it HERE as part of the Gutenberg Project.

Audience: publisher says it is for 4-8 years of age (but I believe the older a child is, the more they will enjoy the book)

Theme: The transformative power of love

Opening:  “There was once a velveteen rabbit, and in the beginning he was really splendid.”

            Synopsis: A stuffed rabbit toy is loved by a young boy. His fur is hugged off and he 
            becomes shabby, but when the boy's nanny tries to put the boy to bed without the rabbit
           he puts up a fuss saying: "Give me my Bunny!. He isn't a toy. He's REAL!" 
           When the boy gets scarlet fever, the doctor says the toy must go--luckily the 
           rabbit escapes being burned and is tosses in the garden shed instead where a fairy 
           visits and turns the stuffed rabbit into a living, breathing, animal. The final two lines still 
           take my breath away: 
          "Why, he looks just like my old Bunny that was lost when I had scarlet fever!"

           But he never knew that it really was his own Bunny, come back to look at the child who 
           had first helped him to be Real.

Activities/Resources:This book is so old and well-loved, you can find lots of things to do. I found pages of plays, (another play)  and teacher's guides. The book is an excellent jumping off point for discussions about the true value of things. Is something new and shiny always better than something old? For a science lesson, children can talk about what it means to be alive. If you're creative, one of the cutest activities I found involved making rabbit cutouts for a math game. The game didn't catch my imagination but the rabbit playing pieces are adorable!

This review is part of Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.

I hope you've all read this story--and now it's on the Perfect Picture Book list. A big thank-you to everyone who visited Susanna's blog on Wednesday to give me feedback on my own picture book pitch!