Have you ever suspected your babysitter is a witch?
The Picture Book of the Week is If Your Babysitter is a Bruja, written by Ana Siquiera and illustrated by Irene Freitas.
About the Book:
It’s almost Halloween and a young girl suspects that her new babysitter is a bruja. The evidence is clear: the flying broom, the black sombrero, the black cats. The girl cooks up a plan to get rid of the babysitter. Will it work?
Watch the book trailer here:
Writing Prompt for Kids:
English:
Write a story about a bruja. It can be a real witch or one that is pretend.
Español:
Escribe un cuento sobre una bruja. Puede ser una bruja de verdad o the mentiras.
The Picture Book of the Week is The Lion & The Mouse, written and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.
About the Book:
This 2010 Caldecott Medal winner is a retelling of one of Aesop’s fables about a mouse who gets caught and released by a lion. Sometime later, the lion is caught in a net by hunters and the mouse repays the lion’s kindness by gnawing through the rope and releasing the lion. In Jerry Pinkney’s version, the story is completely wordless. Rich with the colors of the savannah, The Lion & The Mouse brings the plight of the lion and the mouse, each in turn, to vibrant life.
Writing Exercise for Kids:
English:
Have you ever been in trouble and needed a friend? Tell your story in pictures, using no words.
Español:
Alguna vez haz tenido un problema y necesitado un(a) amig(o/a)? Cuenta tu historia en dibujo, sin ninguna palabra.
Do you love shoes? Have you ever wondered what a toddler sees when walking down the street?
The Picture Book of the Week is City Feet, written and illustrated by Aixa Pérez-Prado.
About the Book:
City Feet is a romp through the city from a toddler’s point-of-view. A parade of shoes from loafers to slippers to soccer cleats, bop and hop and tap across the page. I put this book in bilingual corner because multilingual words for good day and good afternoon. Some languages included are German, Spanish, English, and Quechan. This book is for any kid who is a shoe lover or anyone looking for a lively read aloud for their kids.
Watch Aixa Pérez-Prado talk about collages here:
Writing Exercise for Kids:
English:
Do you love shoes? Draw your favorite shoes and tell why you love them.
Español:
¿Amas a los zapatos? Dibjua tus zapatos favoritos y di porque te agradan.
The Picture Book of the Week is Wild Blue, written by Dashiki Slater and illustrated by Laura Hughes.
About the Book:
Wild Blue is about a girl who goes from training wheels to a big girl bike, but it’s really about a girl finding confidence, strength, and power. In it, the dad tells the girl that she has outgrown her small pink bike and it is time for a bigger one. The girl tries to ride the big blue bike, but she keeps falling off. Will she ever be able to ride her wild blue bike into the sunset?
Writing Exercise for Kids:
English:
Think about a time when you have taken a wild ride. Write about your wild ride and why it was special.
Español:
Piensa en una vez que fuiste en una viaje salvaje. Escribe sobre esto y porque fue especial.
I would love to read your stories. If you would like to share, please send your stories to contact@alicia-salazar.com.
Have you ever wondered how to handle a difficult situation?
The Picture Book of the Week is Somewhere in the Bayou, written and illustrated by Jarrett Humphrey and Jerome Humphrey.
About the Book:
Four swamp animals — an opossum, a squirrel, a rabbit, and a mouse — need to cross a river. They find a log that will get the job done, but there is a menacing-looking tail very close by. Each animal has its own solution to the problem of the tail and how to stay safe. How would you handle this difficult situation?
Watch Jarrett and Jerome show how to make the stamps they use to make the illustrations:
Writing Exercise for Kids:
English:
Try making your own stamps and using them to tell a story about a difficult situation and how you handled it.
Español:
Intenta hacer uno sellos y usalos para escribir un cuento sobre algo difícil que superaste y como lo hiciste.
The Picture Book of the Week is How to Draw a Happy Cat, written by Ethan T. Berlin and illustrated by Jimbo Matison.
About the Book:
The narrator of this book starts out by explaining how to draw a cat. When the cat becomes unhappy, the narrator tries to do whatever he can — involving skateboards, airplanes and pizza — to make the cat happy again. Will he succeed?
Watch the book trailer here:
Writing Exercise for Kids:
English:
Check out the book and try to draw a cat. Write and draw a story about how you would make your cat happy.
Español:
Lee el libro. Intenta dibujar un gato. Escribe y dibuja un cuenta sobre como haces a tu gato feliz.
The Picture Book of the Week is No Bunnies Here! written by Tammi Sauer and illustrated by Ross Burach.
About the Book:
This book opens with a wolf visiting Bunnyville. Is he there to eat them? One brave bunny faces the wolf and tells him, in a variety of ways, that there are no bunnies there. There are dogs, lampshades, grass, etc., but no bunnies. Of course, there is a must-read twist at the end that I won’t tell you about. Why did the wolf come to Bunnyville? Will the bunnies survive?
Watch an interview with author Tammi Sauer here:
Writing Exercise for Kids:
English:
Have you ever been wrong about something? Think about a time you were wrong. What did you do differently after you realized you were wrong? Write a letter to the person you were wrong explaining what happened.
Español:
¿Alguna vez te haz equivocado? Piensa en una vez que te equivocaste. ¿Que hiciste cuando te diste cuenta que estabas equivocado/a? Escribe una carta a la persona que mal interpretaste explicando que pasò.
Have you ever had to do something, but were afraid to at the same time?
The Picture Book of the Week is The Sun Is Late And So Is The Farmer, a picture book written by Philip C. Stead (philipstead.com) and illustrated by Erin E. Stead (erinstead.com).
About the Book:
The main characters in this book are a mule, a milk cow and a miniature horse. Like any good story, the main characters have a problem. Their problem is that they want breakfast, but the farmer (whose job is to give them breakfast), is fast asleep because…the sun is late. The mule, the milk cow, and the miniature horse set out to solve the problem, but they run into another problem. They have never done anything like it before and they are afraid. This book as a message for people of all ages as we journey with the three main characters as they do what they have to do.
Watch the author answer questions about his writing process:
Writing Exercise for Kids:
English
In the story, the moose, the milk cow, and the miniature horse have to travel to the edge of the world. Draw a picture of what you think the edge of the world looks like.
Español
En en cuento, el alce, la vaca lechera, y el caballo miniatura tienen que viajar hasta el borde del mundo. Haz un dibujo de como tu piensas que es el borde del mundo.
I would love to see your drawings. If you would like to share, send your drawing to contact@alicia-salazar.com.
Today’s selection begins Bilingual Corner. Every last Sunday of the month, I will feature a bilingual book in my Picture Book of the week blog. They might be bilingual English/Spanish, or they might be in English and another language. Be sure to read every week, but especially the week of the month!
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Have you ever wanted something that your parents did not approve of?
The Picture Book of the Week is La Princesa and the Pea, written by Susan Middleton Elya (susanelya.com) and illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal (juanamartinezneal.com).
About the Book:
La Princesa and the Pea is a retelling of the classic children’s story, The Princess on the Pea, set in Peru. The story tells of a prince who fell in love with a girl that his mother did not approve of. In order to test her, his mother, the Queen, placed a tiny pea underneath twenty mattresses to test whether the girl was a princess. The illustrations vibrantly capture Peruvian culture, while the words add a twist to the story at the end. I loved this bilingual adaptation of the classic tale and kids will love it, too.
Watch an interview with Juana Martinez-Neal answering questions about her illustrations:
Writing Exercise for Kids:
English:
Have you ever wanted something really bad? Think about something you really, really wanted. Write about what you did to get it
Spanish:
¿Alguna vez haz deseado algo con todas tus fuerzas? Piensa en algo que haz deseado con todo to corazón. Escribe lo que hiciste para conseguirlo.
I would love to read your stories. If you would like to share, please send them to contact@alicia-salazar.com.
Have you ever suspected that things weren’t quite as they seem?
The Picture Book of the Week is My Brother The Duck, written by Pat Zietlow Miller and illustrated by Daniel Wiseman.
About the Book:
My Brother The Duck is about a little girl named Stella Wells who has a new baby brother. She isn’t quite sure what to make of him. She isn’t quite sure she is happy about his appearance. Certain signs make her suspect that he might actually be a duck. As a true scientist, however, she can’t jump to conclusions. She has to investigate. Read as the story takes Stella deeper and deeper into the mystery and makes you laugh along the way.
Watch Pat Zietlow Miller talk about what libraries mean to her:
Writing Exercise for Kids:
Stella’s problem was that she had a new baby brother. Think about a time you had a new baby brother or sister (or cousin, or puppy, or goldfish). How did you feel about it — jealous, excited, suspicious? Write about how you felt.
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El problema de Stella era que le había llegado un nuevo hermano bebé. Piensa en una vez que tuviste un nuevo hermano/a (o primo, cachorrito, pez). Cómo te sentiste — celoso, emocionado, sospechoso? Escribe como te sentiste.
