WA-HOO! It's March! That means spring will be here... soon... eventually... :)
My Perfect Picture Book for today isn't exactly about spring, but it does match the mood of light-heartedness that March brings :)
Written By: Trinka Hakes Noble
Illustrated By: Tony Ross
Puffin Books, 1987, Fiction
Suitable For Ages: 5-8
Themes/Topics: boredom, hyperbole, perspective
Opening: "Rancher Hicks lived out west. as far as the eye could see there was nothing... not even a roaming buffalo. So nothing much ever happened."
Brief Synopsis: Not much happens out on the ranch, so Rancher Hicks heads into town looking for some excitement. He invites his wife, Elna, to join him, but she declines, saying she has to dig potatoes. Off he goes to Sleepy Gulch where he sees 12 year old Wanted posters, gets a whisker trim at the barber shop, has lunch at Millie's Mildew Luncheonette (where there is nothing but potatoes on the menu), watches a checker game where it's considered exciting if it takes the players only two hours to make a move, and then - OH WOW! - the whole town gathers to watch a turtle cross the road. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Elna is having a completely different experience that no one would describe as boring :)
Links To Resources: for a fun activity, you could list things that are boring alongside things that are exciting. What makes something boring? What makes something exciting? Is it simply the activity itself, or is it who you're doing it with? Are there some activities that some people find exciting and others find boring? Some things are all in how you look at them. Here is a page full of optical illusions for kids - an exercise in perspective and looking at things differently. Make up your own story where crazier and crazier things happen.
Why I Like This Book: Don't you love that American Gothic look to the cover? This book is so delightfully silly and fun and light-hearted - it's just a great story to share. It's totally exaggerated and unbelievable, but each scenario is so zany that you wonder what's going to happen next to top it! And the best part is the end, when Rancher Hicks comes home and tells Elna about the turtle... but I won't spoil it for you :)
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
Now then, I realize this may be my shortest post ever, but I'm in the doghouse with certain parties for working too much, so I'm wrappin' it up!
PPBF bloggers, please put your post-specific links in the list below so we can all enjoy your fabulous picks (I'll sneak over when I can :))
Have a super-fantastic spring-will-almost-definitely-be-thinking-about-coming-by-the-end-of-this-month weekend! :)
