This meme was started by Sheila at Book Journey and the kids’ version has been adapted by Jen and Kellee at Teach Mentor Texts.
Two new picture books have found their way into our book stack, which includes lots of board books, in the past week. They are Foxy by Emma Dodd (HarperCollins, 2012) and Small Bunny’s Blue Blanket by Tatyana Feeney (Knopf, 2012).
Foxy initially caught my eye since the title of the book is the same as my neighbor’s son’s nickname. In fact, since he’s six years old, I lent him my copy before I even read it to see what he thought of this first-day-of-school-jitters tale. He liked it and was able to read it aloud smoothly and independently. Once he returned it, I liked Foxy since Foxy is a magician whose magic tricks to help little Emily get ready for the first day of school sometimes go awry. In addition, the message Foxy sends to nervous Emily is that making new friends (at school) doesn’t involve magic. That’s the kind of reassurance all kids need. Essentially, it’s a way of reminding kids to just “be yourself, always.” (That’s a little advice one of my elementary school teachers wrote in my fourth grade yearbook. It’s stuck with me for a long time!)
This is one books I know I will read to my daughter when she prepares to start pre-school, Kindergarten, and even first grade. So why read it to Isabelle now? Well, it’s simple. The illustrations are fabulous!
Small Bunny’s Blue Blanket is one of those stories with universal appeal. It’s the story about a young bunny who has a blankie that is dirty and needs a washing. Have you ever waited for something you needed to go through the washer and dryer? You know when it seems to take an eternity to get an item back that you need. Well, that’s what this book is about, but it’s from a child’s (or rather a young bunny’s) perspective. It’s a well-written, simple story that will spark personal connections and empathy with the main character.
Raising Literate Humans 
Books like Blue Blanket remind me of the books my kids treasured when they were little – adorable!
These look like reads my kiddos would love! I love getting new picture book suggestions!
Happy reading!
I have been on a picture book lull lately! I seriously have three books checked out from the library right now which is sooo not like me. We have gotten totally off schedule with the fun of summer. We’ve been reading our own books at home but not much new stuff. Hoping to make it there tomorrow. 🙂
Picture books are just…so much wonderful!
I also saw your inquiry about The Kindness Project on my blog–sorry to do all this here, but I couldn’t find an email address for you. There are several bloggers that head it up; here’s the one I know best. You can contact her about getting on board. Carolina Valdez Miller at cvaldezmiller(at)gmail(dot)com
The illustrations for those two picture books are so cute!
We’re reading “B is for Bear” 100 times a day. It is one of those A is for apple, B is for bear, etc. kind of books. In this one, Y is for you, and there is a mirror so Claire can see her face. It is clearly her favourite page and the real reason she wants to read this book all the time. There are things to feel (like the duckling down) and that just makes it all the more fun. There is no plot. I read it with my eyes closed! 🙂