Today I'm still on a natural high from my visit to Howard Elementary.
First I was blessed to lead a Kindness Pep Rally,
during which these volunteers helped teach a few ASL signs.
{Photos courtesy of Howard-Suamico School District}
After school, John and I explored Howard's nature trail,
lined with the pages of Mr. Quigley's Keys for the event.
A walk 'n talk read-aloud. Isn't that so incredibly creative?
What a blessing to spend this time reminding them
that kindness has the power to change the world.
This morning I put this Book Basket together for my friend Kim,
who's working on a FUNdraiser to support The Birthday Joy Program.
In the basket, I included all four of my books,
Word Searches for the three picture books,
a set of Flair Scented Pens to find the words,
a ring with 12 antique keys, some stickers,
a pair of 'respectacles' to wear while reading,
and a complimentary 30-minute author visit.
It gives me great joy to give to charitable causes.
So who's ready for today's PPBF?
Author: Kim Norman
Illustrator: Keika Yamaguchi
Publisher: Sterling Children's Books
Birth date: January 1, 2015
Suitable for: ages 2-5
Themes: play, persistence, friendship
Brief synopsis: Percy the pug loves puddles of all kinds, and he's mapped out plenty of them to play in, but what he really wants is the pig puddle on the other side of his fence. Will he find a way to make that happen?
Opening page: Percy was a puddle pug.
He loved puddles of every sort.
Resources: Watch a read-aloud {here}.
Enjoy a Children's Book Review {here}.
Find a Wisconsin Public TV activity sheet {here}.
Read a PPBF from a dozen years ago {here}.
Why I like this book: I don't typically review books that are twenty-plus years old, but I had the pleasure of reading to a group of preK boys on my recent trip home, and this one leaped onto my lap and into my heart.
First of all, playful Percy the pug is precious, as it the sing-songy text which accompanies his forays into the mud. He loves every kind of puddle:
swamp puddles,
stomp puddles,
ready for romp puddles.
He maps out his puddles, so he remembers where to find them.
Use this as a springboard to sharpen some map skills.
Invite students to draw a treasure map,
a map of your classroom, or a map of their bedrooms.
Then Percy finds the pigs have the perfect puddle, but Mama pig
makes a random rule: No Pugs Allowed. Big bummer.
Percy playfully tries to find ways to stay, but no,
his puddle perfection wasn't meant to be.
Use this to compare and contrast pigs and pugs.
How are they similar?
How are they different?
Could they actually be friends?
Why or why not?
Then, the conflict: Too-Tiny Petunia goes missing.
Wherever might a too-tiny pig go? Percy knew!
Because get this: It's on his map.
The Too-Tiny puddle.
Off he goes to rescue Petunia.
Will that be enough to secure him a spot
at the perfect mud puddle with the pigs?
There's so much goodness to engage your readers
in this treasure, including rhyming words and alliteration.
Find out which puddle each student would prefer, then
invite them to draw themselves as a muddy mess.
Finally, use it to talk about the notion that the
grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
Was the mud on the other side of Percy's fence actually better,
or could he have been just fine with the mud puddles on his map?
Fall in love with Puddle Pug, then head to Susanna's blog
for today's other perfect picks and a giveaway.
Happy Autumn, dear friend.
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I really enjoy hearing from my readers; thanks for sharing your reflections with us!