Bear Can Dance!

Bear Can Dance!
by Suzanne Bloom
40 pages; ages 3-7
Boyds Mills Press

theme: friendship, talents

I love Bear and Goose - they are "splendid friends indeed"... and this book includes their best buddy, Fox. And they're bound to have fun, if only Bear can figure out what it is he can do.

Opening:
I wish I could fly?
Why, Bear?
So I could swoop and glide and feel the wind in my fur.

Bear can't fly, but Fox is certain that he could - if only he had the right equipment. And if he does the right moves. And with the help of his friends.

It turns out that Bear can fly - just not the way Goose and Fox imagined!

What I like LOVE about this book: I love the way Suzanne Bloom can tell a story using a combination of dialog-only text and wondrous illustrations. I love the creative ways Fox and Goose try to get Bear to fly. I love that Bear finds a way to fly with feet on the ground. And I love the endpapers where Goose and Fox are dancing the (what else?) Foxtrot....

Beyond the Book:
If you were going to teach Bear how to fly, what would you do? What does it take to fly? Can you get that whooshy feeling doing other things? When you're swinging, or sledding down a hill, do you feel like you're flying?

What animals fly? Birds fly, but there are other animals that fly about, or glide. Think about mammals, fish, amphibians and reptiles, and insects. How do they flit/ fly/soar/glide through the air?

What is that funny suitcase-looking thing that Bear is playing music on? If you have one, listen to a recording. If not, see where you can find one: a museum? A thrift shop? Take a close look. How do they work? If you're not sure, read this.

Dance to some music. Can you swoop and glide like Bear? Does it almost feel like flying - but with your feet on the ground?  

Today is 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 from the publisher.

Penny & Jelly ~ The School Show

 Penny & Jelly: the School show
by Maria Gianferrari; illus. by Thyra Heder
32 pages; ages 4 - 8
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015

themes: friendship, talent

The Peabody Elementary School Talent Show was an annual tradition. All of Penny's classmates were participating.

Everyone, that is, but Penny. She can't sing or dance, so she needs to come up with a talent.

What I like about this book: I love the way that Penny attacks her problem. She begins by listing her top five talents: tuba playing, juggling, yodeling, baton twirling, jump roping. Then she practices ... and one by one crosses things off her list. So she tries other things. Penny makes lists and more lists, until finally everything is crossed off. What talent can she possibly have? Throughout it all, her faithful friend and companion Jelly sticks with her.

Beyond the book 

What talents do you have? Do you sing or dance, play the kazoo, draw pictures, write stories, design cool costumes? Maybe you drum rhythms on buckets or grow a garden. Everyone has talents - the trick is recognizing them.

Learn something new. A lot of people think talents are things you're born with: artistic ability, or athletic ability. But you are amazingly adept at learning new things. So try something you've been wanting to do... like singing. Or dancing - you can start with the Chicken Dance!

Embrace friendships. Penny and Jelly are best of friends. They don't speak the same language and they look completely different, but they understand one another perfectly. People and dogs aren't the only ones who share interspecies friendships. Check out these unusual animal friendships.

Check out the story behind the story. This summer, Maria Gianferrari wrote about the inspiration for her book, Penny & Jelly. You can read it here, at Miss Marple's Musings. Keep your eyes peeled for her next book, Penny & Jelly Slumber Under the Stars - coming out in the spring.

Today is 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 from the publisher.

Penguin's Hidden Talents

Penguin's Hidden Talent
by Alex Latimer
32 pages; ages 4-8
Peachtree publisher, 2014

"The BIG annual Talent Show was just around the corner... and everyone was practicing."

themes: friendship, finding your own gift

Everyone has a talent except Penguin... he can't bake or read a map or knit a sweater. Bear juggles, rabbit does magic tricks, and albatross can swallow humongous fish.

What I love about this book: Penguin is a good sport. He tries many things... but they just don't suit him. So while his friends practice their acts for the show, Penguin helps organize the show.

I also love the art. I love Penguin and Bear... how simple they are and yet how much expression is squeezed into their spare illustrated selves. This sort of art gives me hope that I might discover my hidden talent.

Beyond the book: What sort of talents do you and your friends have? Can you juggle? Do card tricks? Dance on a tightrope? Build things out of blocks or recycled toilet paper tubes? Draw? Write poetry? Sing? If you're not sure, try a few things. Hint: if you've never tried to juggle before, don't start with toasters or tomatoes.

If you have a pet, what sort of talents do they have? Can they do tricks? Locate lost items? Count to three?

Put on a talent show. Gather a group of friends, and have some fun. Make some posters and invite people to enjoy the show. Does someone have the talent to make popcorn?

Today we're joining 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.