I don't know about you, but I'm glad it's Friday! This week has been long and busy! I'm plumb tuckered out! (That's Little House On The Prairie speak for "tired" :))
I'm so plumb tuckered that I might even be able to sleep without sheep... but in case you can't, now thru Nov. 23, CAN'T SLEEP WITOUT SHEEP is a Kindle Big Deal at only $1.99! so I thought I'd mention it in case any of y'all would like a copy... or know anyone who would :) ow.ly/DYFLA
Today's character is not plumb tuckered out, though. He is busy and helpful :)
Written By: Alice Schertle
Illustrated By: Jill McElmurry
Harcourt Children's Books, 2008, Fiction
Suitable For Ages: 3-7
Themes/Topics: friendship, helping, animals
Opening: "Horn went "BEEP!"
Engine purred.
Friendliest sounds
you ever heard.
Little Blue Truck
came down the road.
"BEEP!" said Blue
to a big green toad."
Brief Synopsis: A friendly Little Blue Truck drives down a country road, beeping hello to everyone he passes - a toad, a sheep, a cow, a piggy, etc. All is well until a self-important dump truck comes along, shouldering everyone out of the way. When the dump truck gets mired in the mud, it's up to Little Blue and his animal friends to help out even though the dump truck hadn't been very nice to them.
Links To Resources: draw and color in your own Little Blue Truck (or truck of any color of your choosing :)) and add in any animals that YOU would like to include in your journey; talk about what it means to be a friend; talk about the importance of helping others, even if they don't help you; K-5 Teaching Guide to Being Friends
Why I Like This Book: This is a cute, fun book that will entertain toddlers through young elementary schoolers. The beginning has lots of fun animals sounds to join in on and practice, and the rhythm of the text mimics the rhythm of the Little Blue Truck bounding down the road. The end has a nice message about friendship and helping others. The pictures are cute and friendly and warm - perfect for this lively little book :)
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
Apropos of nothing, Linda Boyden (who always posts awesome stuff!) posted a picture on FB a few days ago of a bear charging down the middle of a road. The picture said, "Not a runner? Now you are!" (I'd post it here, but I'd probably be breaking every copyright rule in the book!) Anyway, I had to laugh, because I saw the picture yesterday, and then this morning when I was out "running" with my dogs, guess who we saw? THE BEAR! We were all pretty surprised. There was a lot of barking (Scout) and pleading (me saying, "Scouty, PLEASE! Leave that bear alone and come HERE RIGHT NOW!") and lumbering off into the bushes thank goodness (the bear), but golly, that'll get the ole heart pounding at 6 AM!
So I know that has nothing whatsoever to do with Perfect Picture Book Friday or the book I'm sharing today, but I had to tell SOMEONE! :)
PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! :)
Good morning, Susanna! I love this book! And so does my grandson who is home with me today with a stuffy nose. I'll probably be pulling out Little Blue Truck, plus a couple of dozen other picture books, board games (he is a monopoly whiz) and arts&crafts materials before the day is over. :)
ReplyDeleteI love your bear story. It sounds like a PiBo idea... after you get your daily dose of chocolate and your heart rate settles. Reminds me of the time I thought raccoons were raiding the garbage & I went out in robe & slippers banging a rolling pin against the cast iron skillet. Raccoons just don't GET that big! It was a "little" (and I use that word in the taxonomic sence) brown bear. or black. I don't know... I ran back inside and said "oh, we'll just clean up the mess tomorrow."
ReplyDeleteI think I've read that book before (bad memory...it's always deserting me when I need it most) and I also think that it's one Renee mentioned in her poetry class a lot too as a good example of a rhyming PB. But don't quote me on either. :)
ReplyDeleteGoodness gracious! A bear! I always worry about running into bears when we hike in Vancouver. There's nothing more dangerous than a skunk in good ol' Indiana.
You must rest all weekend and eat chocolate to get over your morning trauma! :D Have a great one!
So glad the bear didn't pick a fight! I love Alice Shertle's work and have to read this one. I've seen it reviewed before and somehow failed to follow through but I've written it on the list this time! Not doing PPBF today as I'm just too swamped but love seeing what everyone else has "discovered."
ReplyDeleteI love this story! I read this book awhile ago while standing in the library. It is adorable.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why you're tuckered out, Susanna, you haven't done anything this week. :) So glad to know you're human. Here's two Dark Chocolate bars for you. :) And another Nestle's Kiss. :)
XOXO
Sounds adorable, almost want to hear a soundtrack of the puttering truck while reading your recommendation!
ReplyDeleteSo many fun books on the list. I wasn't able to share a book this week, but will enjoy this list. This one sounds like a fun one for Enzo. And about the bear! Oh my! I heard a news story the other day about people stopping and taking selfies with bears in the background. How anyone can think to do that ... I'd be running away too.
ReplyDeleteI love my neighborhood bear, mostly because she gives me an excuse not to run at 6AM! So glad you guys are okay. And lovely book choice - I was pleasantly surprised when I read this. It's not your typical truck book. Very sweet and lyrical.
ReplyDeleteAn old poem my mother loved when she was 9:
ReplyDeleteAlgy met a bear!
The bear was bulgy
The bulge was Algy.
So glad the bear and you parted amicably.
Happy Friday!
The book sounds really cute. I will have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! This sounds like a great book! :D
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of Sheep in a Jeep, one of my son's favorites from his younger years. Love the illustration on the cover.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the guide to being friends. This looks like another keeper! Oh, and I love the bear story. Glad you're safe!
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love, love etc. Little Blue Truck. You can hardly help but bounce along!
ReplyDeleteGreat bear story!!!
I LOVE this book. My 3.5 year old girl has loved it for over 2 years and now my 18 month old loves it (I always think the suggested age range is off). It has all the right components to be a classic like The Little Engine that Could. And I also love the illustrations. The sequal is also a lot of fun, as is the autumn activity book. I'm glad blue is getting to be a series.
ReplyDeleteI love a good farm animal story! And who doesn't like a friendly truck? I can so relate about being surprised by a bear, because it is becoming a common occurrence in my neck of the woods, and the reason I now carry bear spray when I go for a walk. Thanks for sharing your story!
ReplyDeleteYou will love this one, then, Cathy! It's so cute :)
ReplyDeleteI don't carry bear spray - but ours are black bears, not grizzlies! Instead, I have my trusty dogs - black bears are pretty unenthusiastic about dogs and will usually leave rather than tangle with them... thankfully! :)
I'm so glad to know someone else loves it! I was so taken with this book when I read it. It's not one I've had an opportunity to share with little ones yet so I'm glad to hear yours are so enthusiastic!
ReplyDeleteI know! Isn't it engaging? So well done!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the bear story! I'm enjoying it more now that it's over :)
Oh, I'm so glad you like it Barbara! And glad you liked the bear story. Luckily we were not really in any danger... but it never quite feels like that until afterwards :)
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I can see that! I LOVE Sheep In A Jeep! I got to meet Nancy Shaw at the Sheep & Wool Festival last year and that was awesome... seeing as how my kids had her entire series of sheep books :)
ReplyDeleteIt is an excellent book, Erik, although you might have enjoyed it a teensy bit more when you were about 4 :)
ReplyDeleteIt is extremely cute, Rosi! I think you'll like it :)
ReplyDeleteHahaha! I LOVE that, Nancy! Thanks for sharing! My mom had a bathtub poem she loved when she was little:
ReplyDeleteAlice, where are you going?
Upstairs to take a bath.
Alice, with legs like toothpicks
a neck like a tall giraffe.
Alice got in the bathtub
Alice forgot the plug.
Alice, where are you going?
Glug! Glug! Glug!
Similar idea :)
Hahaha! You are funny, Joanne! :) I have to run at 6 AM or I don't do it... so I guess the bear gives me an excuse to run faster :) Glad you like the book - I love it and think it's so cute and well done on so many levels!
ReplyDeleteI hope you and Enzo enjoy this one - it's really cute. And as for taking selfies, I'm pretty bad at that under the best of circumstances... :) That said, we have black bears, who are pretty well fed by this time of year, and I could probably take a selfie without being in too much danger... but I'm not sure I'd be willing to take that gamble :)
ReplyDeleteOh, that would be delightful! This book is so cute. It makes the "wish I wrote that" list :)
ReplyDeleteOh, Clar! You are a lifesaver and so sweet and thoughtful! Thank you for the chocolate! :) I'm glad you love this book too - it always makes me feel good about a pick when other people love it! And I don't know why I'm tuckered out either - I have no excuse!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the bear didn't pick a fight too! I was afraid Scouty was going to pick a fight with him protecting me, but luckily he ambled off and she got to feel very brave and successful! :) I hope you'll enjoy this book. And as for PPBF, I almost didn't manage - also swamped! - so I understand completely! :)
ReplyDeleteGood to know that this might be a good book you might have read and Renee might have mentioned :) We have skunks here too, and frankly I don't like running into them any more than the bear - skunked dog is not pleasant to have in the house! I don't have time to rest all weekend, but I'll do what I can to eat plenty of chocolate :)
ReplyDeleteHahaha! I love that story, Sue! One time I was home alone with the kids when they were really little and I heard a noise in the middle of the night. Someone was trying to break into the house! I was sure of it! But I didn't have the nerve to call 911 without verifying a little, so I grabbed the fireplace poker and went creeping down the stairs in my bathrobe, holding the poker like a baseball bat, heart pounding so hard I thought I'd keel over. Got downstairs, looked out the window and discovered, not an intruder - thank goodness! - but a black bear! My 2 year old had gotten jam on his car seat that day, and I had wanted to wash the cover but been unable to get it off, so had left it on the front porch for the next morning... and the bear came for the jam!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a lovely day in spite of the stuffy nose! I hope you guys have fun and he feels much better very soon!
ReplyDeleteI know, I mean you even had help with the contest! It wasn't like you did it all by yourself. lol
ReplyDeleteAnd commenting on ALL everyone of the stories? Any one could do that. (except me of course) and running your business? that's nothing. And all those other things you do?
OK < I'm tuckered out now. Just thinking about it. Whew! Poor you. I bought a whole bag of chocolate this morning and you can have half. :)
Thank you, Clar! You're so sweet :)
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds super cute! Great review, Susanna!
ReplyDeleteOne of my all time favorites!!! Love this!!
ReplyDeleteIt's a great one, isn't it, Rhythm?! :)
ReplyDeleteIt IS very cute, Robin - I love it!
ReplyDelete