Home Alone.....

 

Henry at Home 

by Megan Maynor; illus. by Alea Marley 

40 pages; ages 4-7

Clarion Books, 2021

theme: family, growing up, school

As long as there had been Henry and Liza, they were together.

Liza and Henry.

Henry and Liza.

They shared friends, adventures, and the marvelous Twisty Tree. But one day, Liza got a backpack and new pencils and fresh crayons and her very own pair of scissors. She was getting ready to go to school – and Henry was NOT happy about that! Because, up to this point, they had Done Everything Together. When the bus roars away, Henry roars, too!

What I like about this book: I like the close relationship between Henry and his sister. I like how Megan shows his jealousy that Liza gets to go to school, but he has to stay home. But what I really like is how Henry discovers that he can do his favorite things on his own. And when Liza returns from school, he has something special he can share with her.

Beyond the Books:

How do you feel when an older sister, brother, cousin, friend, gets to start a new adventure and you’re left behind? Draw a picture or tell a story about how you feel. Do you roar? Stomp your feet? Hang out on the swings at a park and create new ways of swinging?

If you go to school, what are your favorite school supplies? Do any of them have a smell that you associate with going to school? I confess, I love the smell of new crayons!

Think of something you can do with a younger or older sibling that you only see after school. Maybe it’s a favorite game. In our house it was listening to an audio book and coloring.

Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher.

End of School and Underwater Games

It’s getting close to the end of the school year here. The time when you clean out your cubbie, wash crayon marks off your desk, and say goodbye to your friends and teachers. Maybe promise to meet at the park for some games of follow the leader.

Mrs McBee Leaves Room 3

By Gretchen Brandenburg McLellan; illus. by Grace Zong

32 pages; ages 3-7

Peachtree, 2017

It’s the end of the school year and all the kids are getting ready to leave. So is their teacher, Mrs. McBee. She won’t be back in the fall. Before she leaves for the summer, she gets all the kids involved in cleaning up and releasing the butterflies. The kids don hardhats and get to work – all except William, who sits in the thinking corner.

When the boxes are loaded and gone, no one can find William. Where is he?

This is a delightful story about growing up, changes, and finding ways to remember the good things in your life. And to share those memories with others.

 

Swallow the Leader

By Danna Smith; illus. by Kevin Sherry

32 pages; ages 4-7

Clarion Books, 2016

What happens if you let shark play follow-the-leader? This delightful, wickedly funny counting book starts with one fish, then another. It draws in denizens of the sea in rhyme:

Follow the leader

Play like I play

Pretend you are me.

Flap like a ray.

From one to 10 they collect followers… but then it becomes a game of swallow the leader as bigger fish gulps down the smaller until the biggest one of all – GULP!

But all is not lost – BURP!

Review copies provided by publishers.

Jazzy in the Jungle

Jazzy in the Jungle
by Lucy Cousins
32 pages; ages 2-5
Candlewick Press, 2013

Theme: family,animals

Mama Jo Jo and Baby Jazzy are playing hide-and-seek in the jungle.

"Where are you, Baby Jazzy?"

The anteater doesn't see Jazzy. Neither do the snake and the bird. Maybe Jazzy is over by the Tum Tum trees... So mama lemur searches over there.

What I like: The bold illustrations and die-cut pages produce a multi-layered jungle. There are tall trees and understory plants. Then there are all of the animals that help Mama Jo Jo find Jazzy. They remind me of animals I drew when I was a kid - and now I really want a huge piece of manilla art paper and a set of fat crayons so I can draw some jungle scenes, too. Because it's hide-and-seek, we know Jazzy isn't lost... just hiding.

Beyond the Book activities: We all need more play in our lives, so instigate a game of hide-and-seek! You can take turns hiding, or hide a stuffed animal and give clues to where it might be hiding.

Make a frog puppet. Frogs of all types live in the rainforest jungle, and all you need for a frog puppet is a paper plate, some paper and paint. Here are the directions for making the puppet, and here are frog photos in case you want to make yours look like a real rainforest frog.

Today's review is part of PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copy provided by publisher.

The Fort that Jack Built

 

The Fort That Jack Built

by Boni Ashburn; illustrated by Brett Helquist

32 pages; ages 4 - 8

Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2013

I love the way Boni Ashburn begins her story:

This is a table.

And two comfy chairs.

A big stack of pillows that came from upstairs.

If you remember building a fort under the kitchen table, or on the couch, or between your mom’s sewing table and the bookcase… then this book is for you.

If you have never built a fort…this book is for you, too. And if you are a young-child-sitter, this book is especially for you.

Jack builds a wonderfully creative fort, improvising with all sorts of materials to defend his realm. Until people start taking the things he’s borrowed from them back. Sister wants her chair, and brother his books. Even grandma wants her quilt.

Then Jack figures out the secret of building a fort in the living room.

What I love about this book is the rhythm of the text, and the imaginative illustrations. It’s rich with detail and expressions and the sort of play that any kid anywhere can be part of. And it’s a great antidote to a battery-powered screen-filled world.