If anyone is wondering, it is monsoon season on Blueberry Hill! What wild, wet, windy weather we are having! Thank goodness for my trusty canoe :) If anyone wants to mount a rescue mission to bring in supplies of chocolate and friendly company, wear appropriate foul weather gear and do not attempt an umbrella - it will end in disaster :)
With rain on the brain, here's my pick for this week which also starts out in the rain :)
Apparently I am a one-person advertising agency for G.P. Putnam's Sons. This is the second week in a row I've posted one of their books! But I promise, it just worked out that way. I love both books and they're being offered as prizes in the Halloweensie Contest, so I wanted to make sure everyone got a chance to see how fantastic they are :)
Today's choice is the 3rd book in Karen Orloff and David Catrow's super-fun I Wanna series that began with I Wanna Iguana. I hope you like it :)
Written By: Karen Kaufman Orloff
Illustrated By: David Catrow
G.P. Putnam's Sons, September 2014, Fiction
Suitable For Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: family (grandparents), appreciation, visiting relatives, persuasion, humor
Opening: "Dear Alex, Ethan and Annie,
We're so glad you're coming to visit us. You'll love it here! Do you know how to play bridge? It's a card game all our friends enjoy. When you come, we can play for hours and hours! Can't wait to see you.
Love,
Grandma Shirley and Grandpa Ralph
P.S. Hope you like broccoli lasagna!"
Brief Synopsis: From the Amazon review: "Alex is not happy about being sent to his grandparents’ retirement community while his parents go on a fabulous vacation. What could be worse than tagging along to Grandma’s boring bridge game or enduring the sight of Grandpa’s dentures?
But as the week goes on, Alex’s desperate emails to his parents turn into stories about ice cream before dinner and stickball with Grandpa. Before he knows it, Alex has made a surprising discovery: grandparents are way cooler than he thought!"
Links To Resources: Classroom Activities for persuasive writing (this is actually for Karen's 2nd book, I Wanna New Room, but much of it applies as is and the rest can be easily modified to match this book); talk about what kids do with their grandparents - what activities do grandparents like to do? Are they old-fashioned? What activities do kids like to do? Can you learn fun things from your grandparents? Can they learn fun things from you? What are some things you've learned how to do from your grandparents? What are some things you've taught them?
Why I Like This Book: Alex's letter-writing is always amusing. He's a master of showing his side of the argument and getting his way, (although in this case he changes his mind and learns that maybe visiting grandparents isn't all that bad.) Things begin badly at the Happy Hills Retirement Community. It's raining. Alex is bored. Grandma Shirley is dressing baby Annie up in girly outfits, and Grandpa's false teeth are disgusting! But as the days go by, Alex discovers square dancing, bingo, and stick ball, and realizes that his grandparents are pretty fun to hang out with. By the end, he doesn't want to go home. I love the way Alex's attitude turns around, because that happens so often in life - especially with kids. They think they're going to hate something and don't even want to give it a chance, and it turns out to be pretty amazing :) This book, like Karen's others, is filled with humor and believability and is just tons of fun from start to finish!
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you and see your wonderful picks for this week!
And please remember that there will be no PPBF next week due (October 31!!!) to the fact that the Halloweensie Contest will be underway!!! So exciting! I can hardly wait until Monday... to see if anyone enters... anyone at all... I'm hoping for at least a few - your stories are always so creative and fun! (And no, I have not written my sample yet. But I still have a couple days. It could still happen... :))
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! :)
I haven't seen this one yet, but I am sure it's another winner. I love Karen's stories!
ReplyDeleteSusanna, This book looks super cute! Will add it to my list. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThat is such a cute PPBF choice. Even us adults have our moments where we just know something is going to be terrible, horrible, and down right boring only to have our minds opened one tick at a time as we discover something new that we eventually embrace.
ReplyDeleteI, too, am a big fan of Alex's letters. Didn't know this one was out. Will totally be checking it out!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds marvelous! I love the cover. This book sounds very realistic (because sometimes I think things are going to be boring and my parents always tell me - just let yourself have a good time - and usually I do)! Very cool story idea!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Hope you like broccoli lasagna!
ReplyDeleteHa! That's funny enough to hook me! This sounds really cute.
I wish you'd send some rain to Abilene. We are in a drought and as of Nov. 1st we can only water our lawns every 2 weeks. It's sad!
I agree with the other commenters that this book looks like a great read to introduce kids to any people (even other kids!) they haven't met before.
ReplyDeleteWhat a clever way to bring in the grandparent factor in relationships! And to glean a writing assignment from it is even better!! Thanks for sharing this one. I will be looking for it.
ReplyDeleteI am going to check this one out! It seems so like another book,or song of the eighties of "I wanna go home!." Desperate turns into fun. So glad there is a picture book about it. Thanks for introducing this to us. :)
ReplyDeleteDon't drown, OK, Susanna. We love you too much. I"ve been seeing terrible things on the news from where you live. Trees down and elecricty out. Take good care. We're thinking of you.
You know what, Susanna? You *can* use your umbrella! Just open it up, make like Mary Poppins and fly to a sunny, tropical locale! :D
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like such a cute book! I like books that involve grandparents; I know my kids miss theirs (they only have one left).
I hope you'll get a bit of sunshine this weekend! The mold needs a bit of dryness to start growing in your carpet, you know. ;)
Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day...I'm sure you have heard me singing this, all the way of New Hampshire.:) We had to order a dehumidifier for our basement - hubby's got lots of his 'stuff' down there (books, art supplies, fly-fishing paraphernalia) and the air feels damp. :( Good luck with your monsoon!
ReplyDeleteI love this book, Susanna...kids feel this way ALL the time...I can remember going to visit great-aunties - feeling like I was walking into a museum, having to eat the 'odd' foods they cooked.
And I'm looking forward to Halloweensie...I'm polishing up my submission...and I've spread the word...hope you get some new faces here. :)
Hi Clar...yup...it was a 1966 song by the Beach Boys: Sloop John B...based on a Bahamian folk song called The John B Sails. There are ideas for picture books all over the place. ;) ;) ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Vivian. That was tickling my mind. Now I remember it. My husband is singing right now! ha ha. so fun! :)
ReplyDeleteMaybe we should do an inventory and trigger our imaginations with songs from the past and see how many picture book ideas we get for PiBoIdMo?
I may just do it. :)
Oooooh...what a great idea. :)
ReplyDeleteI wanna try broccoli lasagne!!! Looks brrific, Susanna
ReplyDeleteThis looks SO cute and fun, Susanna! Will have to check it out (or at least one of the books in the series!).
ReplyDeleteBeen working on my Halloweensie contest entry - have started at least half a dozen times with at least that many ideas. Hoping SOMETHING will gel for me before too long!
So now I have the spider and rain spout song jingling around in my head--great part --the sun comes up. Hoping it does so soon for you. I Wanna -- a grabber right there. The story as a whole sounds delightful. Will definitely look for it. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThat letter form the grandparents is an awesome opener!
ReplyDeleteI adore David Catrow's artwork, and this book sounds perfect. I LOVE that grandparents are WAY cooler! :D And that title I WANNA IGUANA immediately made me think of a video I had for my son (mid '80s) that was the alphabet with animals and that song for "I" always stuck in my head: I want an iguana...I want an iguana... :) Wish I could remember the video. I think I have it on an old VCR tape...I HAVE to look...
ReplyDeleteLo and behold, it had the incredibly original title of "The Animal Alphabet"! lol I found a clip on YouTube and I would've never remembered it as being with Geoffrey!
https ://www .youtube. com/watch?v=B-oHBNOFN84
The cover of this book is a winner. I will definitely be checking this one out. Thanks for telling me about it.
ReplyDeleteI love that Mr Catrow! He has a cool name! I had to go off to camp once and I felt the same way as that Alex! And I ended up having a fun time in the end. I'll bet my readers would like this one! Thanks Ms Hill!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Rhythm! I hope you like it :)
ReplyDeleteIt's really terrific, Rosi - so cleverly done :)
ReplyDeleteKaren's books are terrific, Donna! I love them all, but I WANNA IGUANA might be my favorite :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't Karen amazing?! :)
ReplyDeleteI think you'll love it, Teresa - actually, all of Karen's I WANNA books - they're so well done! :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy these, Joanne - they really are fun! And yes, the contest is heating up! Maybe you'll change your mind about joining the shenanigans :)
ReplyDeleteIt IS cute and fun, Joanne - as are her other I WANNA books! Can't wait to read your entry! :)
ReplyDeleteI think it sounds delicious! And you being broccolilocks and all would definitely love it :)
ReplyDeleteWe need a dehumidifier in our basement too! There is definite dampness! And if you love this book, you should definitely check out Karen's other books! I'm looking forward to Halloweensie too - which we are now in the thick of if you note the date of this posting - and my internet has been out and yikes, what a bad time for that!
ReplyDeleteI like the way you think, Teresa! :) (about the umbrella - not about the mold!) Maybe I'll start calling myself Susie Poppins :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Clar! I'm still above water... mostly :)
ReplyDeleteI think you'll really like it, Jarm - it's cleverly done :)
ReplyDeleteIt's a wonderful story, Wendy. I love Karen's letter-writing method and the whole persuasive writing technique. It comes out very entertaining!
ReplyDeleteBroccoli lasagna actually sounds good to me :) I think you'd like this book, Penny - your kind of humor :) And I will try to send some rain to Abilene - we have enough for the time being! :)
ReplyDeleteYou would really like these books, Erik! (I WANNA IGUANA and I WANNA NEW ROOM too.) They are cleverly done, and funny!
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear, Barbara! Karen will be thrilled (she's my friend, so I know!)
ReplyDeleteSo true, Angela! Well said! :)
ReplyDeleteI think you'll love it, Robin, and her other I WANNA books! :)
ReplyDeleteThey're so great, aren't they?
ReplyDelete