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!!! :)
