Love is all around us. All we have to do is pay attention.

The Picture Book of the Week is Love, written by Matt De La Peña and illustrated by Loren Long.

About the Book:

Love is about you and me and the love we encounter as we travel through life. Our families are our first loves, but we also encounter love from people we meet in our everyday lives — cab drivers, firefighters, random strangers. We don’t just find love in people. Love exists in the crashing of the waves, a slice of burnt toast, a rustling of the leaves. If life is a journey, our mission is to find the love hidden in some expected and some unexpected places.

Watch Matt De La Peña read the story and share a few extras:

Writing Exercise for kids:

Write a story about the first time you experienced love — whether it was from you mother, father, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, friend, someone else. Who showed you that they would love you no matter what

I would love to hear your stories. If you are willing to share, please send stories to stories@alicia-salazar.com.

Happy writing!

 

Sometimes we don’t know we are on an adventure until we find ourselves in the middle of it.

The Picture Book of the Week is Bear Came Along, written by Richard T. Morris and illustrated by LeUyen Pham.

About the Book:

First there was a river and then bear came along. Bear didn’t know he was on an adventure…until froggy showed up. As woodland animals keep appearing on bear’s adventure, each animals makes a discovery until…

Watch Richard T. Morris read his book:

Writing Exercise:

When was the last time you went on an adventure? What did you discover? Write about yourself or write a story about an adventure.

I would love to hear your stories. If you are willing to share, please send stories to stories@alicia-salazar.com.

Happy writing!

Do you have a favorite…living thing? A flower, a pet, or a tree?

The Picture Book of the Week is Apple and Magnolia, written by Laura Gehl and illustrated by Patricia Metola.

About the Book:

This book is about Britta and her two favorite trees, Apple and Magnolia. Britta is sure that Apple and Magnolia are best friends, even if her brother thinks she is imagining things. She has seen Apple give Magnolia gifts. She has seen Magnolia wave at Apple. One day, Magnolia looks like she isn’t feeling very well. Her brother thinks there is nothing she can do, but Britta is sure that she can help. Will Britta be able to help Magnolia?

Visit Laura Gehl’s website for more information about her book:

Apple and Magnolia

Writing Exercise:

Apple and Magnolia are trees, but they have personalities. They are best friends, they give each other gifts, they wave, and they make each other feel better. Do you have best friends in your life that you could write about? Pets, caterpillars, spiders, flowers, etc. If it sparks your imagination, you can write about it.

I would love to read your stories. If you are willing, please send your story to stories@alicia-salazar.com.

Happy Writing!

Do you believe you can do impossible things? Jane Goodall did, even when she was 10 years old. In honor of her birthday….

The Picture Book of the Week is Me…Jane, written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell.

About the Book:

As a child, Jane had a stuffed chimpanzee name Jubilee. She loved nature and she was very curious about how the natural world worked. She loved to spend time observing where eggs come from and the everyday lives of the plants and animals in her backyard. From a very young age, Jane had a dream. She wanted to go to Africa to help the animals there. It wasn’t easy, but she made her dream come true.

Watch Jane Goodall read Me…Jane:

Writing Exercise:

What is your dream? Will it be easy or hard to accomplish your dream? What do you have to do to make your dream a reality? If your dream is difficult, why is it worthwhile?

I would love to read your stories. If you are willing to share, please send your story to stories@alicia-salazar.com.

Happy Writing!

Have you forgotten something? Have you forgotten the outside? Is it calling?

The Picture Book of the Week is Outside In, written by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Cindy Derby.

About the Book:

Outside In is about many of us. It is about the lives we live inside our houses, forgetting completely about the world Outside. We forget that we are part of a larger world and that that world calls to us in the subtlest of ways. Have you ever seen a butterfly come out of a cocoon? Or heard the birds singing outside your window? Have you ever smelled flowers? Or sat in a chair that was once a tree?

Visit the authors site for more information:

Deborah Underwood – Outside In

Writing Exercise:

What is your connection to Outside? Write about an experience you have had while outside? How does it make you feel to be outside? What memories does it bring to your mind?

I would love to read your stories. If you are willing to share, please send your stories to stories@alicia-salazar.com. Some might even be posted on this blog.

Happy Writing!

Have you ever had to say goodbye to something or someone you love?

The Picture Book of the Week is The Blue House, written and illustrated by Phoebe Wahl.

About the Book:

Leo is a young boy who lives in a blue house with his dad. It is an old house that creaks and leaks and shakes when the wind blows, but they love it. It is the setting for their shared experiences. They make forts in the winter, bake pies to keep the kitchen warm, and they dance. All around them, developers were building new apartment buildings. Leo’s dad is afraid the developers will want to tear down their house and build apartments there too, but Leo knows the blue house will be theirs forever.

Visit Phoebe Wahl’s website for more information about her books:

Phoebe Wahl – The Blue House

Writing Exercise:

Leo knows that the blue house will always be in his heart no matter where he goes or what he does. Is there something that will never leave your heart no matter where you go or what you do? Write a fictional story or a nonfiction essay about whatever it is that you will keep in your heart forever. Explain why.

I would love to read your stories. If you are willing to share, please send your stories to stories@alicia-salazar.com. Some of them might get featured on this blog.

Happy Writing!

Have you ever wondered why the moon has phases?

The Picture Book of the Week is A Big Mooncake for Little Star, written and illustrated by Grace Lin.

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¿Alguna vez te haz preguntado porque la luna tiene fases?

El Libro de Cuentos de la Semana es Un Gran Pastel de Luna Para Little Star, escrito e ilustrado por Grace Lin.

About the Book:

In this loving, joyful explanation for why the moon has phases, Grace Lin tells the story of Little Star. Little Star’s mother bakes a mooncake and lays it in the night sky to cool. Mama asks Little Star not to eat it until she tells her she can. Little Star agrees, but when she wakes up in the middle of the night with the nibbles, she doesn’t keep her promise. Every night she nibbles a little bit more until…

Visit Grace Lin’s website for more information about her book(s):

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Acerca del libro:

En esta cariñosa y alegre explicación de porque la luna tiene fases, Grace Lin cuenta la historia de Little Star. La mamá de Little Star hornea un gran pastel de luna y lo pone en cielo nocturno para que se enríe. Mamá le pide a Little Star que no se lo coma hasta que ella le de permiso. Little Star lo acepta, pero cuando despierta a media noche con hambre, no cumple su promesa. Cada noche, se come poquita mas hasta que…

Visiten el sitio de Grace Lin para mas información sobre sus libros:

A Big Mooncake for Little Star

Writing Prompt for kids:

A Big Mooncake for Little Star combines a mother-daughter story, a Moon Festival tradition, and a moon origin story all in one. Write an origin story for something mysterious in your life — a star, a blade of grass, an animal. It can have cultural significance, but it doesn’t have to. Let your imagination fly.

I would love to read your stories. If you are willing to share, please send your stories to contact@alicia-salazar.com.

Happy Writing!

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Tema de escritura para niños:

Un Gran Pastel de Luna para Little Star combina una historia de madre e hija, una tradición del Festival de la Luna, y un cuento sobre el origen de la luna en un solo cuento. Escribe un cuento de origin para algo misterioso en tu vida — una estrella, una hoja de pasto, un animal. Puede tener importancia cultural, pero no es obligatorio. Deja que tu imaginación vuela.

Me encantaria leer sus cuentos. Si te gustaría compartir, envía tu cuenta a contact@alicia-salazar.com.

¡Feliz escritura!

 

Whether you are multiracial, multicultural, or just a little eccentric, most of us can list ways we are different from other people. We might even have likes and dislikes that contradict each other in ourselves. How often do you get to celebrate those differences?

The Picture Book of the Week is Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match, written by Monica Brown and illustrated by Sara Palacios.

About the Book:

This week’s book is about a girl who, like the title says, doesn’t match. Her mother is brown, her father is white, she speaks two different languages, and that is just the beginning. She mixes and matches her clothes, her food, and her art. She loves being different, but when she gets teased at school she feels like she should make an effort to match. Will Marisol like matching? Will she change forever?

Watch the following video of author Monica Brown reading her book and see what Marisol does:

Writing Exercise:

Marisol feels bad when she is teased for being different. Have you ever been teased for being different? Write a story about yourself or about a fictional character in which you or the character experience teasing. What happens? What is the problem? What is the solution?

I would love to hear your stories. If you are willing to share, please send your story to stories@alicia-salazar.com. I would love to share some of them on this blog.

Happy Writing!

Alicia Salazar – Children’s Book Author

Find your favorite books at village books (https://bit.ly/3MrdOQw)

Are you good with technology? How about your parents? Your aunts and uncles? What would you do if you got a box of parts and had to assemble your baby brother or sister?

The Picture Book of the Week is Robobaby, written and illustrated by David Wiesner.

About the Book:

At the beginning of Robobaby, a new baby brother has arrived. Unfortunately, he has to be assembled from a box of parts. Mom and Dad do their best, but end up making a mess of assembling little Flange. Uncle Manifold tries, too, but all of their efforts turn into a disaster. Older sister, Cathode, or Cathy, does know what to do and she is ready and willing to help., but nobody listens to her. Will Flange ever get assembled properly? Will the family listen to Cathy?

Watch this interview with David Wiesner about his book, Robobaby:

Writing Exercise:

Robobaby is written like a graphic novel, with pictures and dialogue. Write a story like a graphic novel. Make the story about what you would do if you got to assemble your baby brother or sister from a box of parts. Would you give him/her any special powers or abilities?

I would love to read your stories. If you are willing to share, please send your story to stories@alicia-salazar.com. I’ll feature some stories of the week on this blog!

Happy Writing!

Alicia Salazar – Children’s Book Author

find your favorite books at village books at https://bit.ly/3JYiiMz

Do you have memories that come back to you when you working, or playing, or going about your day? Where do your memories take you?

The Picture Book of the Week is Also, written and illustrated by E. B. Goodale (www.ebgoodale.com).

About the Book:

Also is about all of us, you and me, and the memories that link us to people and places from our past. It starts out with a little girl who is at her gramma’s house, playing in the blueberry fields. In her mind, she is also remembering camping with her mom. The book shows us where her mom is and what she is remembering. It also shows us where her gramma is and what she is remembering. We even see where the cat is and what she is remembering. Watch the book trailer for Also below:

Writing Exercise:

What are you thinking about when you are at school, or outside playing, or sitting alone in your room? Where do your memories take you? Write a story like Also with a main character, or a story about yourself, that talks about what you remember.

I would love to hear your stories. If you are willing to share, please send your story to stories@alicia-salazar.com.

Happy Writing!

Alicia Salazar – Children’s Book Author

Search for your favorite Books at Village Books
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