How to Draw a Happy Cat by Ethan T. Berlin and Jimbo Matison

Have you ever tried to make someone happy?

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.

How to Draw A Cat_Template_ENG

How to Draw A Cat_Template_SPA

I would love to read your stories. If you would like to share, please send your stories to contact@alicia-salazar.net.

Happy Writing!

No Bunnies Here! by Tammi Sauer and Ross Burach

Have you ever been wrong about something?

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.

No Bunnies_Letter_ENG

No Bunnies_Letter_SPA

I would love to read your letters! If you would like to share, send your letters to contact@alicia-salazar.com.

Happy Writing!

The Sun Is Late And So Is The Farmer by Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead

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.

Happy Writing!

La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Ella and Juana Martinez-Neal

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.

Happy writing!

 

My Brother The Duck by Pat Zietlow Miller and Daniel Wiseman

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.

My Brother the Duck

I would love to read your stories. Please send them to contact@alicia-salazar.com

Happy Writing!

Everyone waits. What do you wait for? How do you wait?

The Picture Book of the Week is Waiting, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes.

About the Book:

Waiting is the story of five toys, an owl, a pig, a bear, a puppy, and a rabbit. They sit on a windowsill, each of them waiting for something. Sometimes they get what they are waiting for, but mostly they wait. How do they pass the time? Are they bored?

Watch Kevin Henkes himself read his book aloud here:

Writing Exercise for Kids:

What are you waiting for? Think about what you are waiting for. It can be a big thing, like a vacation, or a little thing, like waiting for the rain to stop. Draw a picture of yourself waiting like the five toys in the story.

¿Qué esperas tu? Piensa en algo que estas esperando. Puede ser algo grande como unas vacaciones, o puede ser algo pequeño, como esperar que deje de llover. Haz un dibujo de ti mismo/a esperando como los cinco juguetes del cuento

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

Happy Writing!

© Alicia Salazar, 2022

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