Three “Pawsitively” Perfect Picture Books For National Foster A Pet Month (My View Book Review)

Title: Bless Our Pets: Poems of Gratitude for Our Animal Friends

Author: Fourteen authors, including Lee Bennett Hopkins

Illustrator: Lita Judge

Publisher/Year: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers/2024

Topic/Theme: Pets, human/animal companionship, poetry anthology, expression of gratitude

Favorite Line: If I could pick a pet to pet, the pet I’d pick is you. (from “A Letter to My Guinea Pig” by Darren Sardelli)

Title: The Writer

Author: Davide Cali

Illustrator: Monica Barengo

Publisher/Year: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers/2022

Topic/Theme: Dogs, human/animal companionship, writer’s life

Of Note: New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books Award (2022)

Title: No Cats in the Library

Author: Lauren Emmons

Illustrator: Lauren Emmons

Publisher/Year: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books/2024

Topic/Theme: Cats, human/animal companionship, libraries and librarians, books, reading

Of Note: School Library Journal starred review

Happy National Foster A Pet Month! Kids love pets of all kinds! Growing up with a pet or two helps kids learn compassion and how to care for others. Taking care of pets helps kids learn to be responsible too. And the great joy and love both the kids and the pets feel is so special. If you have room in your home and your heart to foster (or better yet, adopt) a pet from a shelter or rescue organization, please consider it. Here’s the ASPCA’s list of Top 5 Reasons to Foster an Animal in Need and the Best Friends Animal Society’s list of Top 10 Reasons to Foster a Pet. Take a look when you get a moment. In the meantime, enjoy three great picture books all about–you guessed it–pets!

Bless Our Pets is a lovely celebration of pets, all kinds, from the majestic horse to the tiny mouse. Fourteen authors have contributed a poem to this collection. Some rhyme. Some do not. But all convey a child’s love (or at least their wonder, as in the case of the snake) for an animal who has touched their lives, including a parakeet, a hamster, a kitten, and more. Charming and expressive watercolor and colored pencil illustrations by Lita Judge accompany each poem. Kids will enjoy the text and pictures together and will likely experience a range of emotions as some of the poems are joyful, such as “Goldfish” by Linda Trott Dickman, and others perhaps a bit sad, such as “My Old Dog” by Lee Bennett Hopkins. The other 12 contributors are Ann Whitford Paul, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Eric Ode, Ralph Fletcher, Sarah Grace Tuttle, Kristine O’Connell George, Darren Sardelli, B.J. Lee, Charles Ghigna, Lois Lowry, Prince Redcloud, and Joan Bransfield Graham.

Image from *Bless Our Pets*/copyright © 2024 by Lita Judge

From the jacket flap: One of the last books edited by beloved poet Lee Bennett Hopkins, this endearing anthology expresses children’s gratitude for creatures big and small. [It’s] the perfect tribute to the animal friends who bring so much joy into our everyday lives.

Originally published in Italy, The Writer, by Davide Cali, is the kind of picture book that would appeal to both kids and adults. It stars an adorable French bulldog who watches his human companion type, type, type all day long on his laptop. The clever dog feels it’s his responsibility to make sure his human takes breaks to eat and go for walks. But he needs help. So he plays matchmaker. But things don’t go as planned. The engaging and unusual illustrations by artist Monica Barengo, which were rendered using graphite pencil and digital media, nicely capture the varied expressions of the dog, from who’s point of view the story is told. The story flows at a pleasing pace. Text is sparse, leaving plenty of room for the art. Adults, especially dog-owning writers, will likely relate strongly to the writer’s somewhat solitary life depicted in the book. And kids will love the dog’s many amusing poses and antics. And they may just learn a little something about what it’s like to be a writer.

Image from *The Writer*/copyright © 2022 by Davide Cali and Monica Barengo

From the back cover: A dog has an important job to do, especially if his human is a writer. But even the world’s best French bulldog can’t do everything. Maybe this perfect pair needs someone new in their lives.

Written and illustrated by Lauren Emmons, No Cats in the Library is a heartwarming story about a sweet stray cat named Clarisse who loves books, especially the kind with pictures. When she discovers the library and tries to get inside, she’s thwarted by the ever-vigilant librarian. She finally sneaks in through the book drop and makes her way to the children’s section where a little girl reads to her, and they both benefit from the experience. Clarisse got to hear a story, and the girl gained confidence in her reading abilities. Hopefully, now, the librarian will let Clarisse stay. The colorful and adorable digitally created illustrations depict a diverse group of kids and adults. This book is overflowing with library and literacy love, and as a former library assistant, I highly recommend it. Studies show that reading to animals helps kids improve their reading skills and build confidence. Wouldn’t it be fun if this was the book a child picked to read to a cat or dog?

Image from *No Cats in the Library*/copyright © 2024 by Lauren Emmons

From the jacket flap: Meet Clarisse! She’s a clever cat who loves books. She may not understand the dark, squiggly lines, but she can’t get enough of the pictures. One day she stumbles upon a magical building where people walk in empty-handed and come out with an armload of books. She has to find a way inside!

Adult male parakeets have a blue cere (the area above the beak containing the nostrils), while an adult female parakeet’s cere is brown.

Two Tree-Mendous Picture Books For Arbor Day And Earth Day (My View Book Review)

Title: Hello, Trees

Author: Bailey Bezuidenhout

Illustrator: Maria Lebedeva

Publisher/Year: Kane Miller/2023 (first American edition)

Topic/Theme: Trees, seasons, nature, emotions, self-reflection

Of Note: Expressive text and illustrations

Title: Tree Spirits

Author: Louise Wannier

Illustrator: April Tatiana Jackson

Publisher/Year: True Roses Books/2023 (second edition)

Topic/Theme: Trees, emotions, imagination

Of Note: Rhyming text, interactive illustrated overlays, and color photographs

I love trees of all shapes and sizes, so it’s my pleasure to share today, just in time for Earth Day and Arbor Day, which are both this week, two children’s picture books that take our relationship with trees to the next level. Before I tell you more about these books, let me back up just a bit. I mentioned that I love trees, but so do kids! There’s an interesting fascination that kids have with trees. Maybe it’s because trees are so big and kids are small. Or maybe it’s because trees come in many shapes and sizes and even colors. Trees are fun to climb and play in or play under. And trees often hold surprises, like birds and nests, squirrels and nuts, and pinecones and flowers. Let’s not forget the trees that change color in fall, like maples and oaks, and provide piles of crunchy leaves to jump in.

Yes, kids love trees, and that’s a good thing because trees are so very important in many ways. They remove carbon dioxide from the air we breathe, filter water, slow flooding, provide shade, support wildlife, and supply food and even medicines. My hope is that kids will take their love for and fascination with trees into adulthood and always appreciate them and find ways to protect them and our environment. In the meantime, picture books, like the ones I’m sharing today, will help kids love trees even more.

Hello, Trees is a lyrical story that follows a little girl through the seasons from spring to winter and back around to spring again. The kind, unnamed girl clearly cares about trees and has many questions that show her concern for their wellbeing. She wonders if they have souls. She compares their trunks and roots and branches to bodies, legs, and arms. And she asks if they feel pain or cold. The text is simple yet thought provoking, and it also evokes emotions, such as happiness and sadness. The illustrations are charming and full of life. As the seasons change, we see leaves just beginning to sprout in spring, branches overflowing with green leaves in summer, fall-colored leaves in autumn (as in the picture below), and bare trees surrounded by snow in winter. Along the way, we meet an abundance of insects, birds, and squirrels. On a couple of spreads, the girl shares names of trees she knows, like pine and willow, and some with strange sounding names, like wisteria and rainbow eucalyptus. Overall, this is a lovely book to share with the tree lovers in your family.

Image from Hello, Trees/copyright © 2023 by Bailey Bezuidenhout and Maria Lebedeva

Back cover blurb: This is a book about trees. Do trees have souls? Why do they have such wrinkly skin? Do they smile? And how do they feel about birds’ nests in their branches? Let’s find out.

Tree Spirits is a fun, interactive picture book that also asks questions and introduces emotions and features cute animals, but in a very different way from the first book. Simple, rhyming text and color photos of various trees on each spread encourage kids to use their imaginations as they ask themselves what they see when they look at each tree. Here’s how it works: A tree is pictured on one page, then you turn the page and see the same tree with an illustrated overlay depicting an animal. About 10 different animals are included, such as an alligator, a rabbit (see the cover image above), an octopus, and a horse. Here’s the text that goes with the first tree image below: “Oh my, what have we here? I see five columns standing quite near.” Then, after the child turns the page, they see the next image (second image below), which has an illustrated overlay, and we read: “Could it be a young elephant deep in a funk, crying big tears as they run down his trunk? Little elephant is feeling quite sad.” This book is for tree enthusiasts of all ages, especially those who love to stretch their imaginations, and it’s also a good first introduction for kids to different feelings, including more complicated ones, like eagerness, shyness, and alertness.

It’s worth noting that the reader may not always see the same image in the shape of the tree that the author or illustrator saw (I know I didn’t), and that’s part of the fun! For example, where they saw an alligator, I saw a dinosaur!

Out of the 25 known species of chipmunks (small, striped members of the squirrel family), 24 species are found only in North America.

November Will Always Be Picture Book Month

Picture Book Month is an international literacy initiative founded by Dianne de Las Casas that celebrates the print picture book during the month of November. Many people in the kid lit community were fortunate to have known Dianne and considered her a friend. I didn’t know her personally, but what I knew of her, I admired. She was a multi-published author with a passion for picture books, so much so that she established Picture Book Month in 2011 along with fellow children’s book authors and illustrators Katie Davis, Elizabeth Dulemba, Tara Lazar, and Wendy Martin. Dianne continued to champion picture books until her untimely death in 2017.

When I first discovered the Picture Book Month celebration in 2012 (I think), I promptly subscribed to receive the daily posts and displayed the Picture Book Month Ambassador badge here on Frog on a Blog, not only in support of the initiative, but also, just like the authors and illustrators that were featured on the PBM site, I wanted to be an advocate of picture books and the many incredible things they represent. I wanted to answer the question “Why are picture books important?” (See the slideshow below for just a few of the answers.)

When I worked at my local public library, one of my favorite things to do was to create book displays, posters, and decorations for the children’s room during Picture Book Month. I put out bookmarks and coloring sheets for kids to take home. And each day of November, I put new picture books on display. I’ve since retired from my library assistant job, but my blog still serves as a place to share and celebrate picture books, which is why I still proudly display the Picture Book Month Ambassador badge to this day.

I post actual book reviews very seldom, preferring to share interviews and guest posts, but, in honor of Picture Book Month, I’m going to attempt to review several picture books throughout November. Keep an eye out for the posts. You may just find your next favorite book!

Since the world tragically lost Dianne de Las Casas, it has no doubt been difficult for another to pick up where she left off, and the Picture Book Month website was taken down. But it’s heartening to see libraries across the country (and, hopefully, the world) still celebrating PBM with programs, activities, and displays, both digital and physical. I’m sure other organizations, authors, bloggers, and more are promoting it too.

All of you reading this right now, join me in celebrating picture books this month. Check picture books out from your libraries. Read them with your kids. Share picture books you’ve read on social media. Leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. And buy your favorite author’s and illustrator’s books.

I love what school librarian Cynthia Zervos said about Picture Book Month on the ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) blog in 2021: “Honestly, I celebrate picture books all year long, but November is a great time of year to reflect on all the beautiful picture books that were introduced to us this year.” So true!

November will always be Picture Book Month. ❤️