Today I'm excited because it's time again for PPBF.
And I've got a colorfully-fun feature for you.
Title: Guion The Lion
Author & Illustrator: Rebecca Wilson Macsovits
Publisher: Harking, LLC
Birth Date: December 17, 2019
Suitable for: All Ages
Themes: creativity, empathy, curiosity
Brief synopsis: Guion can see some incredible things in his mind's eye, but can his enthusiasm and flair for the creative rub off on his friend Rae?
Opening page:
"Rae! Wake UP! You have to see this!" exclaimed Guion the Lion.
Under her breath, Rae the Bushbaby mumbled, "I cannot think of ONE reason to be excited right now."
Resources:
Meet Guion The Lion at his website {here}
Sing the Guion The Lion song {here}
Check out a book review {here}
Why I like this book: First of all, this book's cover art is absolutely adorable. Guion's eye-catching mane and his joy-loving smile hooked me immediately and reeled me in. His cautious, possibly grumpy little friend also piqued my curiosity. Once inside, I was pulled in by the continued opportunity to see something special through someone else's spyglass. Rae can't see it at first, but Guion persists. He keeps on inviting his friends to imagine, to create, to enjoy the possibilities. And eventually, he brings his skeptical friend Rae along on his creative joy ride. His parting words, There is so much to see, leads the reader to believe that there might be magic in store for Guion and his best buddies. Gotta love a good teaser.
The book ends with this powerful wisdom from Wayne Dyer:
Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.
In the back, a page of reflection questions and another page
that offers four fun ideas for hours of imaginative play.
Play is our brain's favorite way to learn, after all. And never underestimate the importance of being curious and encouraging our kids to use their imaginations as they step into one another's shoes and see life through another lens.
Why not ask your learners to write the sequel before the actual sequel comes out? Or ask them to create something new in the kitchen with their family and write about their experience. Perhaps they can write a song or poem about a time they used their imaginations to go somewhere else. Or they could try their hand at writing a first-person narrative from someone else's perspective. They might just want to draw a picture of how Guion felt when no one could see what he saw or feel what he felt. Or they could pick a quote that resonates with them and illustrate it to make a mini-poster, bumper sticker, or greeting card.
A myriad of creative possibility from this one text. Check it out today!
Then head to Susanna Hill's blog for her PPBF pick; it's one that you will undoubtedly want to add to your shelves for when you're navigating the muddy waters of a friend moving away.
Finally, I'm grateful to Prosign Design for their invitation to write a guest post this week;
click {here} to read my five suggestions for creating caring connections.
Happy Friday; is there Autumn color where you are yet?
Favorite quote: Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change. That's a tremendously powerful thought to put into action. Thank you! I was particularly drawn to that grumpy bush baby. Perhaps that's my outlook today, and it needs to transform into Guion's.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jilanne, that is a great quote. Thanks for highlighting this book. I'm adding it to my library TBR list.
ReplyDeleteI, too, was taken by that quote. A long time ago someone suggested that if I didn't like what I "saw" I could change the way I looked at it. Made a huge difference. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLove that cover! I love how Guion never gives up trying to get his friends to let go and have fun creating! The grumpy bush baby is a great character for Guion to keep nudging. I didn't know that playing was the brain's favorite way to play. Thanks for sharing. This sounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, one amazing thought is all it takes to change the way we see the world. Gotta agree with all those who commented before me. This book sounds like a real gem! Thanks for sharing it with us.
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