A new way to think about pockets

 This is a terrific imaginative book about how different things can serve as pockets.

Examples: a bed is a pocket for a rest; a bathtub is a pocket full of suds. The book has a rhythm to it when reading aloud--it is written in verses that each end with a strong statement. Kids enjoyed listening to this today. (10.10.22)

The bittersweet wrap up of summer days

 

The New York Times recently invited readers to read this book as an end of summer activity. What a terrific suggestion! I am ashamed to say that this is the first time that I have read this Caldecott winner. It won in 1958 so that is a little bit before my time. ;) This book celebrates the raw beauty of nature in summer. It also devotes part of the story line to a hurricane,,,wow! When you are bidding farewell (in this case, to the summer cabin), what a great idea to reflect on the time of wonder that you have had. Bittersweet!

Sea Stars and so much more!

 My sea star story time turned out great for OCEANS OF POSSIBILITIES! 

Hoshi is a sea star who would like to travel to the night skies because she thinks they would offer her so many other things. She has a conversation with anglerfish who points out that happiness is in your own heart, wherever you are. Hoshi then sees her familiar, wonderful home with new awareness. Lovely! (*Quietly, the reader learns the parallels between the night skies and the ocean.)

Oh, wow, sea stars inhabit the oceans and they come in so many enchanting varieties. Example: the sunflower sea star has 24 arms! Facts are listed throughout this book...kids (& I) were particularly fascinated with how the sea star's stomach comes out if it's mouth. When the sea star is done digesting, the stomach goes back into the sea star's body!

A ritual is described in this book that I like. Closing eyes and listening while someone paints you pictures with their words. This basic premise of communication and imagination is something beautiful that we can enjoy as a human!

For the love of nature

 This book is beautiful. It is a board book, meant for the youngest humans, but could just as easily be on display in the space of anyone who loves nature. The song  has a simple message...nature is a part of us. Lovely. 

Joyous and beautiful!

Oh my heavens, I love this precious book. On a heat wave day I discovered this. The family at the pool and the same family at the beach enjoy the beautiful water and enjoy decorating themselves. This is such a celebration of life and creativity. My take: Everyone is invited to wear beads and feathers and whatever else makes them feel lovely and happy and much like a mermaid!

 

Groovy!

 Pete the Cat uses his imagination to make a large box into different objects including by flattening it down! The ending is perfect: "When you want to dream of something new, thinking outside the box is the grooviest thing to do!" Very great!

Sensitive!

 There are changes afoot for Paj Ntaub. As she is making sense of all of them, she realizes that her neighbor might be hurting...his wife has died. So she takes her artistic talent to make a map into the world, on his driveway, "Just in case you need it." There are so many beautiful things in this book but, primarily, for me, I LOVE how this story shares the sensitivity and big hearts of children. *This book deserves all of the attention it has been getting!

Gentle and precious attitude

 This is a precious gentle book about how a little girl appreciates and enjoys her father for what he can do, not what he can't do. (He is confined to a wheelchair.)

Love this!

 

This picture book is simply charming. The MacDonalds have a farm adjacent to a body of water. They decide to buy an old boat and fix it up for recreation on the water. They end up calling the boat, "Finntastic." This is great read aloud because the sounds are unexpected. The sounds accompany all the steps it takes to refurbish a boat. The pictures are larger than life and very entertaining. From an adult viewpoint, I like that the farmers sit on their front porch with their coffee. I think this is when they are discussing the purchase of an old boat and they are talking over their dreams with each other. At the end of the book, they are seated by each other again having a soft drink. They have been playing on the water all day! In this scene, I imagine they are congratulating each other on their investment and how their TLC for the boat paid off!

Charming!

 

Thanks, CCBC, for telling me about this book!

Charming premise

Charming characters

Charming plot

Charming illustrations

Charming ending

SPRING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

This is a beautiful book that celebrates the excitement of spring, especially that the days are getting longer! It highlights the ways that humans celebrate spring as well as the ways in which nature itself is changing and happy, e.g. the birds chirping. The pictures are gorgeous and the enthusiasm that is conveyed in contagious!

Great botany lesson!

 

How we blur what is a fruit and what is a vegetable is cleverly addressed in this cute picture book. Tomato is defending his proper place in the fruit bowl and the reader discovers 7 other misunderstood foods--bell peppers, sugar snap peas, eggplant, cucumbers, avocado, green beans and squash all technically qualify as fruit, also!

 

This Irish girl loves this!

Pout pout fish remains in character. He is down about his missing treasure and the other sea creatures rally to help him find it. Unexpectedly, the treasure is friends. Wonderful!

 

Very cool!

 

Absolutely adorable! The lesson is what is really cool is playing with your friends and enjoying each other and not competing for who is the "coolest".

A snowball visits all seasons!

 The luckiest snowball derives his luck from being able to make a friend and visit different seasons.
Charming because sometimes in winter all you can think about is the other three seasons, ha ha!

Quirky and loveable

 Adorable verse that can be sung aloud to THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS tune. The reader gets a review of time but also a thought for better eating with a healthy vegetable! The voracious eater in the story is crocodile.

So fun!

 This book is a delight! It is set in New York City. Lulu is a pug who would like to learn to waltz. Unfortunately, she gets sidetracked from practicing by the distraction of Joey's Pizza! Lulu learns how to be more disciplined and it pays off. So cute!

Beautiful, informative book!

  This is a gorgeous picture book celebrating the loon. The fictional story is based upon facts about loons that are listed on the last page. "Chicks don't get their full adult voice until they are eight months old. They cannot yodel until they are about two years old." Fantastic! How cool is this tidbit: "You can hear a loon's call @ www.loon.org." I highly recommend this book!