Collections about Authors and Illustrators--Places to Visit!

Wow!  Look at these great sites about authors and illustrators!

Eric Carle Museum of Picture Art--This museum looks like a fun place to visit!

The Complete Listing of All Public Children's Literature Statues in the United States--We think this is a wonderful compilation of places to put on our trip list!  Wouldn't it be fun to visit all of these?  So much work went into this list.  Hope you enjoy it!

Marion E. Wade Center, Wheaton College, Illinois--See the wardrobe that inspired C. S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien's desk, and C. S. Lewis's desk and chair.  This is a small museum that we enjoyed visiting for the history and inspiration!

Enjoy visiting all of these sites!  Let us know of other fun places about authors and illustrators you've found!

Back to School....

It's time for school!  Are you and your children looking for some books to start the new year?  Here's a round-up of our previous posts and questions about school related books to get you started.  

The Kissing Hand---always a great book to begin a new school year!

Each Kindness---a thought provoking book as children meet new classmates

Llama Llama Misses Mama--a book to start discussion about those first important days away from home

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten--an enjoyable look at how the teacher gets ready for school!

Please share your favorite back to school books with us in the comments.  Hope it's a great year!

Ten for Ten Picture Books!

We're joining in on the fun with the Picture Book 10 for 10! We love picture books and especially like to do picture walks before we read.  When we do a picture walk, we look through each page and discuss what we think is happening, look for any visual clues on pages, and enjoy the illustrations. 

Here are ten of our favorite picture books!  You'll find more information and questions from our question collections to accompany your reading of each book by clicking on the links next to the numbers.  Enjoy!

1. Wave


Wave is a recent find of ours!  Wave is a wordless picture book that captures the emotions of a little girl as she encounters a wave at the beach.  It's lots of fun as you view the action on each page.

2. Otis

We love reading about friendship!  Otis is a heartwarming story about the friendship between a tractor and a cow.  The farm illustrations are fun to explore.

3.  First the Egg

First the Egg is a very creative book that spurs your imagination!  This is a great book to serve as a mentor text for young writing students.  We enjoy looking at how the illustration on one page leads to the picture on the next.  

4.  Wild About Books

Wild about Books is such a fun story with illustrations that encourage you to stop and view them before you turn the page.  We love the humor in this picture book!

5.  One is a Feast for Mouse

5.  One is a Feast for Mouse is a great Thanksgiving picture book.  The illustrations have lots of details while proving the point of knowing when you have enough.  

6.  Room for a Little One

Room for a Little One is one of our favorite Christmas books.  The beautiful illustrated pages tell the story of how there's always room for a little one---leading up to the birth of Baby Jesus.  We think this picture book is a great gift idea for families!

7.  Momma, Will You?

Momma, Will You? is another picture book that takes place on a farm.  The illustrations add to the gentleness of the momma's voice as she answers her children's questions with "yes, or no, or maybe."

8. But Not the Hippopotamus

But Not the Hippopotamus is a fun read by Sandra Boynton.  We love looking at the facial expressions of the animals in her illustrations.  If you and your child enjoy humor, this is a great picture book!

9.  We're Going on a Bear Hunt  

We're Going on a Bear Hunt is a favorite book of ours.  It's such a classic tale, and we love looking at the pictures and re-telling the story.  It's a well loved story in our home.

10.  Goodnight Moon

Goodnight Moon was the first picture book read by our family.  We read it to our child as a newborn and have read it many times since.  We think no picture book library is complete without a copy of it!  

Thanks for stopping by and looking at our list of picture books.  It was very difficult to just choose ten!  Make sure to visit the Jog Web to see more great ideas!  Please share your favorites in our comments.

Tim's Big Move

Have you ever looked for a book to help a child with a transition such as a move to a new town?  Tim’s Big Move, written by Anke Wagner and illustrated by Eva Eriksson, is a fun read about Tim and his cuddle buddy, Pico, who are preparing for a move. Even though Tim is nervous, he tells Pico about all of the good things about the move.  Pico, however, has many thoughts about the problems he thinks he’ll encounter.  Most of all he’s worried when Tim announces they’ll make new friends.  Pico feels he only needs Tim and worries Tim won’t want him when they move.  The move happens and Pico still worries.  However, a happy ending is in sight as Tim and Pico both make new friends!

We think this would be a great book to read with a child who is moving.  The author makes clever use of Tim’s cuddle buddy, Pico, to express what many children feel when they move.  This is another great book to spark conversations in a family!

Question Collection:

*Have you ever felt like Pico?

*How could what you learned about Tim and Pico help you welcome new children to your neighborhood or school?

*What do you think Tim and Pico do next?