PPBF: Best in Snow

Today's Perfect Picture Book Friday pick

Best In Snow, poetic photo essay about snow

Best in Snow

Written and photographed by April Pulley Sayre

Beach Lane Books, 2016
Ages 3-8, 40 pp


Themes:
Winter, Nature, Science


Opening:
A freeze.
A breeze.
A cloud.
It snows.


Synopsis:
An incredible poetic and photographic journey. The text tells the story of a snowfall in spare, lyrical language. The breathtaking photos capture the snowy woods, the icy branches, squirrels, birds, and deer. I like this even better than its predecessor, Raindrops Roll. Beautiful from start to finish. Includes pages of scientific facts in the back matter, describing how snow flakes form and the snow/water cycle.


What I Love:
I love the rhythm of the page-turns, the sound of the words in my head or read aloud, the stunning photos of the snow-covered trees or the animals startled into stillness. Reading this book, I found myself holding my breath, like I do when I step out into the cold, muffled woods outside my door after a snowstorm. It is a great introduction to science for young readers, and for slightly older readers a doorway to further exploration. This book would be perfect in any home library as a cozy goodnight read or the kind of book kids pick up just to stare at the pages.


Bonus: 
1. Follow the link to You Tube where the Indiana Public Library has posted a video interview with April Sayre.



Raindrops Roll, the predecessor to Best in Snow

2. Michelle at Polliwog on Safari and Carol on Writers' Rumpus each interviewed April during the release of Touch A Butterfly.

3. Empress of Dirt posted a recipe for fake snow and a darling snowman craft.

4. Taste of Home features a snowglobe cake using edible snow, or find the recipe for coconut snow on Uncommon Designs.

5. For a sensory learning experience, Kids Play Box has collected 10 ways to make play snow from all over the internet.

6. Check out other books by April Pulley Sayre. Susanna reviewed Eat like a Bear and Vivian reviewed Raindrops Roll. And for a slightly older audience, The Slowest Book Ever, reviewed by Sue and recommended by me!

7. Check out these and more Perfect Picture Books at your local library.



Reviewed by Joanna

Reviewed by Susanna



Reviewed by Joanne

Reviewed by Julie





Reviewed by Beth

Reviewed by Grade Onederful
and don't miss their review
for The Story of Snow



Have you reviewed a Perfect Picture Book along this theme? Please leave the link in the comments below. Thanks!

Check out all the recommended titles for Perfect Picture Book Friday
for Friday, February 3, 2017 available on Susanna Leonard Hill's blog.

PPBF: Winter Trees

Today's Perfect Picture Book Friday pick

Winter Trees, poetry in linoleum print collage,
by Carole Gerber and Leslie Evans 

Winter Trees
Written Carole Gerber
Illustrated by Leslie Evans

Charlesbridge, 2008
Grades K-5, 507 words
reading level 3.7


Themes:
Poetry, Nature, Winter


Opening:
Crunch! We walk through fresh new snow that sparkles on the frozen ground.
It's peaceful here among the trees—our footsteps make the only sound.


Synopsis:
Illustrated with linoleum prints, the book follows a child's trip through the woods, identifying seven species of trees as they appear in winter, leafless.
Both the MC and his dog explore the woods using all of their senses to enjoy the beauty of winter even as the text identifies characteristics of the trees found in most Northeastern deciduous forests. Intricate illustrations and lyrical text make distinguishing different types of trees easy--even in the middle of winter, when only bare branches stand like skeletons against the sky.


What I Love:
I love the perspective used in this book. Thinking about how nature looks during a different season makes this story fresh. Leave it to a poet to see things with new eyes. Startlingly beautiful as a walk in the woods, when your heart pounds and you hold your breath because the stillness is so complete. Rhyme is off in one places with a couple nearly-off meters, but still rhythmic and informative, moving the narrative forward. I loved it. Highly recommended!

Selected for the 2008 John Burroughs Young Readers List and as a NSTA/CBC Outstanding Tradebook for 2009.


Bonus: 


Thanks to Stacey of GluedToMyCrafts
for this crafty painted tree

1. Obviously, the best activity would be to use this book as a guide and see how many of the trees in your neighborhood match the trees in the book. If you don't live near a deciduous forest, use your senses to take note of the trees which grow in your area. I recently reviewed Welcome to New Zealand, where I posted links for starting a nature journal along with the suggestions mentioned in the book.


2. Sue blogs about ideas to look for and record in your nature notebook every "Wild Wednesday" on Archimedes Notebook.

3.For a holiday themed tree craft, get messy on KidsActivitiesBlog using their instructions for a cute handprint Christmas tree.

4. eHow has step-by-stepp instructions for creating birdseed ornament feeders which readers con hang during their nature walks.

5. Where Imagination Grows produced simple glass jar luminaries for fall, but by changing the color of the tissue paper, I think these would be a beautiful craft to go along with the book, and they double as pretty teacher gifts.

6.A few cookies and a little decorator's icing from FineMotorSkills, and you'll have cookies as pretty as hers, decked out in wintery branches and snowflakes. Her step-by-step instructions include plenty of photos and her text is easy to follow.

7. Check out these and more Perfect Picture Books at your local library.



Reviewed by Sue

Reviewed by Penny



Reviewed by Loni

Reviewed by Cathy

Reviewed by Susanna

Reviewed by Joanne



Reviewed by Julie

Reviewed by Joanne



Have you reviewed a Perfect Picture Book along this theme? Please leave the link in the comments below. Thanks!

Check out all the recommended titles for Perfect Picture Book Friday
for Friday, December 2, 2016 available on Susanna Leonard Hill's blog.

PPBF: The Biggest, Best Snowman

Today's Perfect Picture Book Friday pick



The Biggest, Best Snowman,
by Margie Cuyler and Will Hillenbrand

The Biggest, Best Snowman
Written by Margery Cuyler
Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand
Scholastic, 1998
Age 4-8, ATOS level 3.6


Themes:
winter, individuality


Opening:

Little Nell lived with BIG Mama, BIG Sarah, and BIG Lizzie in a BIG house in a BIG snowy woods.

 

Synopsis:
Little Nell lives with her BIG family. They tell her she is too small to help, too small to do anything. So Nell escapes to the BIG woods to get some perspective. Her animals friends persuade her that she is too big enough to build a snowman, a really, really big snowman. She teaches them how to roll the snowballs just right, how to build a snowman, and how to decorate him. Nell proves to her family that she is both clever and capable, even if she is small. 


What I Love:
Margie Cuyler uses the common childhood experience of being left out as the basis for this simple story. The stunning pictures are full of life and color (despite all the snow.) And illustrator Will Hillenbrand throws in a few surprises too. (Look carefully at the tracks the animals make in the snow.)


Bonus: 




One blogger thought this mom had too much time
 on her hands. Sorry, I disagree. These are adorable! 

1.Margie Cuyler talks about her love of picture books and why they're important on WritingForKidsWhileRaisingThem.
2. You'll find teacher resources on the University of Arkansas at Little Rock site
and more worksheets and ideas on The Picture Book Teacher
3. Create a healthy snowman snack with cheese sticks from  ihow.
4. Try Tic Tac Snow and other fun activities suggested by Parents Magazine.
5. Live in a sunny climate? Make your own play snow with this recipe from Momma's Fun World.
6. Parenting Chaos recommends additional children's books about snowmen.
7. Check out these and more Perfect Picture Books at your local library.



Reviewed by Joanna

Reviewed by Patricia







Reviewed by Katie

Reviewed by Joanne

 

Reviewed by GradeOnederful



Reviewed by Catherine

 

Have you reviewed a Perfect Picture Book along this theme? Please leave the link in the comments below. Thanks!

Check out all the recommended titles for Perfect Picture Book Friday
for January 22, 2016 available on Susanna Leonard Hill's blog.

PPBF: Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold

I had this review ready, but didn't realize Beth Stillborn had already done a lovely Perfect Picture Book Friday review on her blog. Thanks, Beth.

However, in case you missed this book, I hope you'll take a peek at the gorgeous art and poetry within. Enjoy your weekend.

Winter Bees, By Joyce Sidman and Rick Allen

Winter Bees
& Other Poems of the Cold

Written by Joyce Sidman
Illustrated by Rick Allen
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014
Kindergarten - 4th grade



Themes:
Poetry, Animals, Winter



Opening:
From "Dream of the Tundra Swan"

Dusk fell
and the cold came creeping,
came prickling into our hearts

Synopsis:
Winter Bees is a beautiful collection of twelve poems focusing on animals and their behaviors during the winter months. The poems and illustrations are arranged from autumn's first snow to spring thaw, from "Dream of the Tundra Swan" to " Triolet for Skunk Cabbage." Poems appear on the left-hand page, while a short informative paragraph appears on the right of each spread, feeding the mind as well as the soul. The author adds a glossary to help explain not only naturalistic terms, but poetic ones as well. The linocut prints are detailed enough to satisfy young scientists, yet artistic enough to keep the pages turning. All in all, a tremendously perfect picture book.


What I Love:
Aside from the sheer beauty of the illustrations and the poems, Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold is full of fascinating facts. Did you know there's a bug called a snow flea that can spring high by flicking it's "tail"? Did you know there's a swan which flies north for the winter? Do you know the meanings of "subnivean", "brumale", or "pantoum"? Pick up a copy and find out.

My favorite poem has to be "Vole in Winter" and just listen to these lines from "What Do The Trees Know?"

What do the trees know?

       To bend when all the wild winds blow.

       Roots are deep and time is slow.

       All we grasp we must let go.

Bonus: 

1. Giclées of the prints in this book and many more are available from Kenspeckle Letterpress. Gorgeous.
2.Kenn Nesbitt offers some lessons for kids on writing poetry at Poetry4Kids.
3. Sing Winter Wonderland and try some of the 50 winter family activities compiled by Today'sParent.
4. You'll find winter pre-school activities and crafts on MCPL, artic animal learning activities on GiftofCuriosity, and a science project about hibernation on HomeScienceTools.
5. Check out these and more Perfect Picture Books at your local library.

Reviewed by Joanne

Reviewed by Cathy

Reviewed by Barbara

Reviewed by Joanne

Have you reviewed a Perfect Picture Book along this theme? Please leave the link in the comments below. Thanks!

Check out all the Perfect Picture Book Friday titles available on Susanna Leonard Hill's blog.

PPBF: Snow

Today's Perfect Picture Book Friday pick

Snow, by Uri Shulevitz

Snow
Written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz

Scholastic, 1998
Grade K-2, word count 707

Themes:
Winter, Imagination


Opening:
The Skies are gray.
The rooftops are gray.
The whole city is gray.

Synopsis:
Snow is a simple picture book about a boy traveling through the town trying to convince the passers-by to look up and see the snow flakes beginning to fall. It perfectly captures a child's excitement as the first flake drifts down. He begins to count them, one, two, three. The bustling townsfolk can't be bothered or don't believe him. When the town is finally blanketed in white, magical things begin to happen. The boy dances with nursery rhyme characters from the local bookstore and off into the night.


What I Love:
I love how Snow is so simple, yet so complex. At the heart of the story is childlike wonder at simple miracles like snow. The town is transformed from gray to white. The buildings take on a fairy tale quality, which is emphasized by the magic of the storybook characters coming to life. I love the grumpy, goofy, ridiculous members of the town, too absorbed in themselves to notice or to care about the first snowfall. Uri Shulevitz is a master at telling the story through subtle color change. He evokes emotion through placement of the illustrations on the page. At first the pictures are confined to small squares with lots of white space on the page, then gradually, the illustrations go to full bleed (off the edges of the page) as the town is buried in snow. This book is a lovely example of how illustration transforms text into something more, though in this case, the illustrator / author planned the visuals as a storytelling element right from the inception.

via Craftionary

Bonus: 
1. You can purchase a lovely signed poster from Snow on Books of Wonder.
2. Read Uri Shulevitz's book Writing With Pictures. (Review by Harold Underdown) I promise, you'll look at creating picture books in a whole new way.
3. Craft a collection of paper snowflakes gathered by Decornos or try the app from Flash and Math to understand the geometry involved using virtual paper snowflakes.
4. Make a variety of snowglobes from Craftionary.com
5. Check out these and more Perfect Picture Books at your local library.

Reviewed by Beth

Reviewed by Susanna

Reviewed by Joanna

Reviewed by Joanne

Have you reviewed a Perfect Picture Book along this theme? Please leave the link in the comments below. Thanks!

Check out all the recommended titles for Perfect Picture Book Friday
for November 20, 2015 available on Susanna Leonard Hill's blog.