Perfect Picture Book Friday - My Side Of The Car

Happy 2nd-to-last Perfect Picture Book Friday before the summer hiatus, everyone!

Princess Blue Kitty and I have been spending A LOT of quality time together.

(You all remember Princess Blue, right?)

Sorry she has her back to you.  She's a little camera shy :)

Seriously.

I can't seem to get out of the car.

Every time I think, "Okay, maybe this week I'll do a little less driving," I turn out to be wrong!

Today, Princess Blue and I are heading north, and in honor of yet another 5+hours-in-the-car day (at least the third this week) I have chosen a book I love that has a car on the cover, in the title, and as the setting for the story... even though it's not specifically Princess Blue Kitty... and actually not even blue :)

Ready?  Fasten your seat belts because here we go! :)

My Side Of The Car
Written By: Kate Feiffer
Illustrated By: Jules Feiffer
Candlewick, April 2011, Fiction
Suitable For: ages 4-8

Themes/Topics: patience, imagination, father-daughter love, optimism

Opening:  "My dad and I are going to the zoo.  We've tried to go to the zoo before.  But we never get there.  Something always happens."

Brief Synopsis:  Sadie and her dad are going to the zoo.  Their plans have been thwarted three previous times, but this time they're really going.  Except... on the way... it starts to rain.  They can't go to the zoo in the rain.  But Sadie's not about to let the fact that her dad sees rain deter her.  "I look out my window, and the sun is shining on my side of the car. People are putting on their sunglasses and heading to zoos all over the world on my side of the car." While her dad sees nothing but rain, Sadie sees people mowing their laws and eating ice cream.  Is it raining or not?  Will Sadie and her dad get to the zoo this time or will they have to wait for another day?

Links To Resources:  Fun Zoo-Related Activities, Zoo Lessons And Activities, a page in the back of the book tells the true story of what happened (which is always fun :))

Why I Like This Book:  Anyone who has lived with kids knows that their perception of reality is not necessarily the same as yours... especially when they really want something! :)  What's wonderful about this book is both Sadie's determined optimism and her father's patience and his loving understanding of how she needs to cope with her disappointment.  This book is also delightful because it's written and illustrated by a father-daughter team about an incident that actually happened.  I'm not going to tell you whether they get to the zoo or not, though.  You'll have to go read the book :)

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

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Have a super-fantastic weekend, everyone!!!  And feel free to share in the comments how much quality time you'll be spending with YOUR cars :)