Perfect Picture Book Friday
A Big Mooncake for Little Star (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2018) by Grace Lin is such a lovely book. It reads like a legend that has been passed down generation after generation.
Little Star’s mama bakes her a Big Mooncake and lays it onto the night sky to cool. Little Star promises not to touch it until Mama says she can. But . . . in the middle of the night, all Little Star can think of is the Mooncake. She thinks Mama won’t notice if she takes a tiny nibble. Then the next night she remembers how sweet and tasty that one bite was. And the next night, and the night after that . . .
Little Star is adorable. I like the repetition in the story. I love the bright art on a black background. I love the ending. The book is sweet and tasty! Read the dust jacket where Grace talks about what inspired this story–it’s very cool.
Grace Lin is an award winning author. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a Newbery Honor book. All Grace’s books are books for the child she was who didn’t have books that represented her. You can hear more about the author/illustrator in this touching Ted Talk here.
Category: PB
picture books
The Quickest Kid in Clarksville
Perfect Picture Book Friday
The Quickest Kid in Clarksville (Chronicle Books, 2016) by Pat Zietlow Miller and illustrated by Frank Morrison is such a fun book.
Alta is pretending she’s the fastest woman in the world. Although she knows “Wilma Rudolph–who grew up right in this town–is faster than anyone.” Then a girl she’s “never seen before comes sashaying my way like she owns the sidewalk.” Worse yet this new girl has brand new shoes to strut in. Shoes like Wilma’s. And her daddy “went uptown to get ’em.” Alta doesn’t have a “shoe-buying daddy.” The girls commence to race and . . .
You’ll have to see what happens yourself. It’s a very satisfying ending.
I love the illustrations and I love the author’s note at the end that tells readers about sprinter Wilma Rudolph, who survived polio, yet in 1960 became the first U.S. woman to win three gold medals at the same Olympics.
Read about the author here. And read about the illustrator here.
we don’t eat our CLASSMATES
Perfect Picture Book Friday
Yes, I’m on a Ryan T. Higgins‘ book kick. But how could I resist this title: we don’t eat our CLASSMATES (Disney*Hyperion, 2018)? It’s a hilarious back-to-school book and has a reassurance on the title page with Penelope Rex saying, “HEY, KIDS! You will never be eaten by a T. rex. They are extinct. I promise.” I love the twists in this story.
I can see a kid saying, “again” after the book is read. I had to go back and reread it aloud to my husband because he wanted to know why I was laughing. And then I read it again to make sure I hadn’t missed anything in the art.
Here are some activity sheets using art from this book
And if you want some more humor (but truth too) go to Ryan’s FAQ page and read the answer to this question: “How does Ryan come up with ideas for books?”
Be Quiet!
Perfect Picture Book Friday
Be Quiet! (Disney*Hyperion, 2017) by Ryan T. Higgins is a humorous picture book. No surprise if you’ve read any of his other titles, such as Mother Bruce. The cover image definitely introduces the tone, too.
Rupert the mouse wants to make a wordless picture book, but from the very beginning his friends are messing it up. He asks his friends to be quiet, but it doesn’t work so well. Nibs and Thistle, the other mice keep talking. And talking. And taking control of the story. There’s language humor especially when Nibs misunderstands words. And, of course, there’s a twist at the end of the story.
This book makes me think of my youngest daughter at three. She’d learned to talk but then we had the difficult job of teaching her how to be quiet. Would have loved to have had this book.
I keep smiling as I’m typing because this book was so fun.
Read about the author/illustrator Ryan T. Higgins here.
Natsumi!
Perfect Picture Book Friday
Natsumi! (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2018) by Susan Lendroth and illustrated by Priscilla Burris is a delightful picture book. I really love the illustrations.
Natsumi may be small, but she does everything in a big way. She’s too fast, too hard, too loud. At least that’s what Grandmother, Father, and Mother say. Grandfather doesn’t say anything at first, but then he helps her find where she fits in. At the end Natsumi is able to make her family proud.
You can read about the author’s other books here and the illustrator’s books here.
Here’s a fascinating look at the story behind the story of this book that took eight years!