I don't know where this week has flown off to, but my goodness it passed me right by! I'm still on about Tuesday!
The perfect picture book I had lined up for today turned out not to meet my standards of perfection - it was "meh" (that is an industry term meaning didn't love it :)) - so, given the craziness of life on Blueberry Hill, I am recycling a beloved favorite. I hope you like this one as much as I do. And how fitting to have a book about a polar bear when the arctic has been at my house since Christmas and shows no sign of leaving any time soon! (Anyone seen John Belushi's SNL skit about The Guest Who Wouldn't Leave? :))
Written (Told) By: Juliana, Isabella, and Craig Hatkoff and Dr. Gerald R. Uhlich
Photographs By: Peter Griesbach, Andre Schule, Sean Gallup, Rainer Jensen and others.
Scholastic Press, November 2007, nonfiction
Suitable For: ages 5 and up
Themes/Topics: animals, endangered animals, caring, environmentalism
Opening: "One December afternoon, in a cozy, dark enclosure in a zoo in Berlin, Germany, a polar bear cub was born."
Brief Synopsis: This is the true story of Knut, a newborn polar bear whose mother was unable to care for him. Thomas Dorflein, a bear keeper at the zoo, became Knut's "foster father" - bottle feeding him, bathing him, sleeping beside him and teaching him to play and swim. Knut was loved the world over, and helped bring recognition to the plight of polar bears, endangered by the potential loss of their habitat.
Links to resources: Knut Teaching Resources. This link has subsequent links to activities, video clips, articles, and other animals-against-adversity stories. The back of the book also has lots of information about polar bears, how they are threatened, and how you can help.
Why I Like This Book: It's a true story, and a deeply touching one, that is also educational and informative. The photographs are gorgeous and very appealing. It shows that there are people in the world who care enough to sacrifice a great deal to help someone else - even if that someone else happens to be a baby polar bear. The book brings attention to ecological concerns, the environment, and caring for all species, and lists ways kids can help.
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF bloggers, please leave your post-specific links on the list below so we can all come enjoy your picks for this week!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
PPBF bloggers, please leave your post-specific links on the list below so we can all come enjoy your picks for this week!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
