How to Hide a Lion - Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF

     Sometimes I read a picture book and the topic or underlying theme is what draws me in. Sometimes it's the vibrant illustrations. The book I selected this week has sweet illustrations, and a nice theme, but it was the story itself that gave me a serious case of book love. Helen has a second book in this series coming out in July (2014) that I will want to take a look at!
    
Title: How to Hide a Lion
Author/Illustrator: Helen Stephens
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, 2012
FICTION
Intended Audience: 0-5
Themes: Prejudice, Friendship

Opening: 
     One hot day, a lion strolled into town to buy a hat.
     But the townspeople were scared of lions, so the lion ran away.

Synopsis: The townspeople are frightened by a lion that comes into town looking for a hat. Luckily, when the lion runs off to hide he finds a little girl called Iris who isn't afraid of lions. Despite her parents' cluelessness, their luck eventually runs out when Mom stumbles upon the sleeping feline. What's a nice lion to do?

Why I liked this book: Except for the fact that the lion doesn't eat people, he looks like a wild lion. He doesn't wear clothes or talk. And despite the fact that he is never named in the text and we never see him communicate with humans (we're told that he asks for a hat and he interacts with Iris without dialogue), his personality shines through. He lets Iris comb the leaves out of his mane, he bounces with her on her bed. This book made me believe that everyone could interact with lions like Kevin Richardson aka "the lion whisperer." (see the first three minutes of the embedded video. I think Joanna Marple shared this with me first and I have watched it multiple times!) A magical feeling reminiscent of Robert the Rose Horse (who wore clothes) -- almost so much so that I wondered if the remarkably similar ending was in homage. Although the book starts with the lion, it ends with Iris and cements the logical innocence of their relationship. I also love that Iris never changes clothes. Silly? Maybe. But it makes sense to me.

Resources:  You can page through many of the spreads and read the text on the Publisher's webpage for the book. Read an interview with author/illustrator Helen Stephens about her book.
Lion crafts are popular! Prepare to get your mind boggled by the lion crafts on Pinterest. There are several youtube videos on making lion crafts, too, too much to embed here. Just google youtube lion crafts for kids and there they are! The D L T K's crafts for kids has a super easy paper plate lion. Danielle's Place has a slightly more complex paper plate lion as well as 3-D lions made with styrofoam cups, stuffed lions, paper bag lions--you get the idea. There's a bunch!
Flickr has a vintage paper lion doll with clothes to put on! The image is copyright reserved and the owner didn't respond to my request to get permission to post it here, but you can search the term vintage paper lion doll to see it. It is absolutely adorable!
Talk about the differences between wild and domestic animals.
Visit a zoo.
Talk about what it means to have an open mind. Most kids this age do! Perhaps it's the adults (as in the story) who let experience teach us too much. 
Play hide and go seek. 

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

 Thanks for visiting! Is there an animal you would like to hide in your house?
 I'm fond of lemurs and otters, but I'm content to let them live in the wild.

BARNUM'S BONES - Perfect Picture Book Friday

     Last week, on the first day of PiBoIdMo, Tammi Sauer wrote the Day 1 post on the importance of a good title. Both as an idea generator and a book seller. My PPBF selection this week proves her right! I saw this title and HAD to take it home.
   
     Title: BARNUM'S BONES

     Author: Tracey Fern

     Illustrator: Boris Kulikov

     Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux/
                     Margaret Ferguson Books, 2012
     NONFICTION

     Themes: Biography, Dinosaurs

     Audience: 5-9 years 

     Opening:  "Something exciting happened in Carbondale, Kansas, on February 12, 1873. The Brown family had a baby boy." (honestly, this isn't my favorite opening, but I like where it goes!)

     Synopsis: Barnum's Bones tells the story of one of America's greatest fossil finders. The author's note acknowledges that Barnum Brown wasn't the best paleontologist in terms of keeping scientific records and field notes, but he is responsible for unearthing a tremendous number of fossils, including the first complete skeleton of Tyrannosaurus rex.

     What I liked about this Book: Although T. rex is one of the most famous dinosaur names, until I read this book I hadn't heard of the man who found it. I love learning something new like that! Mr. Brown didn't just stumble across his finds, he worked for years and years, often collecting "nothing but sunburn and mosquito bites." After a recent visit to Luray caverns where many of the stalactites were plundered for trophies, I wish fossil expeditions had been less about blasting and plowing and more about preservation, but I believe this is an accurate depiction of a time when people didn't realize that these treasures are limited. Barnum Brown was apparently quite a character, dressing in fashionable clothes out on the range. Here's a picture of my favorite illustration: Mr. Brown dancing with an ethereal T. Rex.

    Activities/Resources: The author has an 11-page teacher's guide available on her site along with links to several dinosaur related web resources. The Classroom Bookshelf includes more curriculum-related resources specific to this text. My family enjoyed the BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs broadcast, and there is fascinating information, including games and puzzles at their website (even a dino dung guessing game!). If you want to try your luck at fossil-finding, Mental Floss has a June 13, 2013 article about ten states with sites open for fossil hunting. Remember, you can't pick up ANYTHING in most state or federal parks. Take only pictures, leave only footprints!

  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

Thanks for stopping by! I love to read your comments about my choices.

A Vacation for Pooch - Perfect Picture Book Friday

     I know that I include "Why I liked this book" below as part of the review. But I had to share one reason up front. 

     You can't tell it from the cover photo, but this book is small. But not too small. This picture book is the Goldilocks equivalent of "just right." My ruler says 6 and 1/4 inches tall by 8 and 1/4 inches wide. The perfect size for little hands and laps to enjoy by themselves. Or to fit in a carry-on bag for a child's vacation. Perhaps that makes it less attractive to story-time readers who have to hold the book up for an audience but I say let them all scooch in closer and enjoy it.

   

The real cover is lighter blue than this image appears

  
Title: A Vacation for Pooch, Fiction

Author/Illustrator: Maryann Cocca-Leffler

Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books, Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, 2013

Audience: 4-7


Themes:Vacation/Travel, Separation

Opening: "Violet packed two bags. In one bag she packed her doll, Molly, crayons, drawing paper and her favorite books. And in the other, she packed a leash, dog food, a red ball , and Pooch's stuffed cat.

Synopsis: When Violet and her family fly off to a beach vacation, Violet worries that her dog will be lonely at Grandpa's farm.

Why I liked this book: First, there's that cute book size I talked about above. Next, the author captures Violet's emotions so well. The text doesn't say how old she is, but she looks 4-7 and has the swing of emotions that feel so right for this age range. First Violet worries about Pooch, then she gets caught up in her own adventure oblivious to her prior worries, then she implodes in a fit of hysteria when reminded about Pooch. And I'm no artist, so I don't even know exactly what this means but the illustrations of "gouache with fabric collage on watercolor paper" are jaunty and adorable.  The dog's favorite toy is a stuffed cat with X eyes. I also love that Ms. Cocca-Leffler says on the back flap that her inspiration for this book was her own daughter leaving for college.

Activities/Resources: The author has activity pages on her website for her older books. A Vacation for Pooch came out earlier this year, so maybe some will be in the offing for this title, too?? 
Until then. . . . children can practice their planning skills by packing for a vacation (or just brainstorm). What do you really need to take when you travel? (one college-age son went to China for three weeks using only one carry-on!) Do you need to make preparations for plants, pets, relatives left behind? 
Or, use online sites or travel books and brochures to plan the perfect holiday. Would it be somewhere your pet would enjoy or would they be happier at home or staying elsewhere? Googling the term "pet friendly vacations" brings up hundreds of places you and your pet could go together. 

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 on her blog.

Thanks for stopping by! Our family has had dogs with health issues, so they always did better being left at home with a live-in housesitter when we were away.

Where would your perfect vacation be?