Love this trilogy, use it time and again for story time to school aged children!

I love this trilogy because Mr. Magee and his dog Dee are happy and enjoy adventures in nature.

There are similarities between the books that can be conversed about with children. These are just a few of them:

Each book starts with what time they get up.

Each book starts with Mr. Magee and Dee making a plan for an adventure.

Each book ends back at home. 

Each book features a creature from nature that creates tension! (Bear, whale, moose.) In each book, that same creature saves the puzzling situation.

All books have beautiful and vibrant illustrations.

Thank you to the author & illustrator Chris Van Dusen. 

In praise of ice fishing...three terrific picture books (very belated posting)! I am not allowed more renewals! ;)

 

I love regional customs and ice fishing is one of ours due to the climate and location. I like how this custom is passed on through the generations. These books celebrate ice fishing!

A beautiful story about a grandfather teaching his grandson how to ice fish. The paintings are vibrant in this book from Minnesota.

Seven little mice help their mom to ice fish and realize why she holds the title of Ice-Fishing Princess.

Milton sees the glass half empty and Odie sees the glass half full. They are both attempting to get a bigmouth bass. When their fishing poles get tangled they meet each other and agree to work together. Odie's optimism rubs off on Milton. Fun!

The moral of the story...

 This is an offbeat picture book. Sy Kravitz is great at selling fruit until he disappears one day. He has to rework his life for invisibility. And then in an unexpected way he becomes visible again. The moral of the story on the last page is, "Time, and fruit, heals all wounds." Written by Arthur Yorinks (currently aged 71). I love his signature lesson in each of his tales. 

(I could not believe that I discovered this book while  I was simultaneously reading a novel about becoming invisible called TILDA IS VISIBLE by Jane Tara.)

Our assumptions can be false--even our youngest readers can get this concept from this book!

 Stork makes an assumption about black cat;

black cat makes an assumption about raccoon;

raccoon makes an assumption about frog;

frog makes an assumption about stork.

All are set straight at the end through conversation, laughter and sharing a (fish) meal.

Wonderful!

This picture book works on two levels--love it!

 I love how this picture book teaches the haiku poetry style  (the 5, 7, 5 syllable pattern) but also is posing riddles. It makes both haikus and riddles accessbile.

GUESS WHO, HAIKU By Deanna Caswell and Bob Shea

Jump for Joy

 I think "wow, just wow!" with this book. It was the perfect book to share for COLOR OUR WORLD because it starts with black and white pictures and emerges into color. It has a very relatable/familiar story line. The girl Joy, who wishes for a dog. The dog, Jump, who wishes for a girl. They wish and wish and wish and wish and wish. This book has a very happy ending which is conveyed through vibrant colors. They are a relief and everyone made a sigh of happiness when I read this aloud to students and reached this page. There is also a spread three quarters of the way through that lent itself to discussion. Joy and Jump on each side of a river are separated and looking away from each other. This gives us a breath and the anticipation of resolution. Wonderful!

Respect!

A beautiful book about gravitating toward someone who respects you and appreciates the same things that you do. I read this to small children today who totally got the point that Trampoline Boy had a special perspective and was willing to share it with Peaches. The two pages where they assess each other are great! "He crawled off the trampoline and stood beside Peaches, then peered closely at her face."; "They helped each other up, and Peaches searched his eyes. 'Show me,' she said." Excellent.