It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date, and adapted by Kellee at Unleashing Readers and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts with a children’s/YA focus. The Sunday Post is hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer. These weekly roundups are a great way to discover new blogs and bloggers, share some of the titles you’ve been enjoying, and add to your ever-growing to-read list.
Audience: PreS-Gr 1
Oh, talk about a tongue twister title! Karma Wilson is such a picture book treasure. Her texts always exude such warmth and gentleness, while still being lots of fun. Duddle Puck is a trailblazing duck who quacks to the beat of his own drum. This doesn’t sit well with the other residents of the farm, who take it upon themselves to teach Duddle Puck how to act like a proper duck.
To be fair, there’s nothing too groundbreaking about Duddle Puck – it’s got your typical “be yourself, don’t let others tell you what to do, believe in yourself” sort of moral. Still, the rhymes are bouncing, the animal noises are plenty of fun, and Marcellus Hall’s soft illustrations are absolutely delightful. This one is a bit long for my storytimes, but could work really well for slightly older groups.
Audience: PreS-Gr1
Have I mentioned I love Karma Wilson? When I grow up I want to be Karma Wilson, pumping out winning picture book after winning picture book. This is another collaboration with Marcellus Hall, which features the same farmer and several of the animals as Duddle Puck! I love that these too books seem to take place in the same universe.
The cumulative, rhyming text follows a farmer as he feeds his many animals – the horse gets hay, the geese get corn, the pigs get slop, and the sneaky, cheeky cow loves cookies! The cow, it’s revealed, has a mutually-beneficial arrangement with the farmer – the farmer shares his cookies with the cow, and the cow shares her milk with the farmer, so he can dunk his cookies! It’s very sweet, and once again Marcellus Hall’s soft illustrations have such a classic, vintage gentleness to them. This is another text that just too long and too complicated for my current groups, but which could work very well with slightly older groups, or groups that have a bit more patience!
Audience: PreS-Gr1
A little slug wonders why its mother never hugs it. Is it because it isn’t huggable? The little slug decides to make itself more huggable, and wanders around asking other creatures for their feedback. Of course, each animal suggests that the little slug change its appearance in a different, and at the end of its quest, the slug looks quite ridiculous. In an ending that will likely come as no surprise to anyone who has ever picked up a picture book before, mother slug reveals that she loves the little slug just the way it is – she doesn’t hug the little slug because she doesn’t have arms! So, the mother slug showers her little slug in kisses!
This is another longer rhyming picture book that I probably wouldn’t use in my story times, and some of the phrases don’t quite seem to flow as naturally as I would like. The “be yourself” message is a familiar one, and stories about characters changing their appearance to fit in (and looking ridiculous in the process) are a dime a dozen. Still, slugs rarely get cast in starring roles, and Tony Ross’ charming illustrations are sure to bring the laughs. Nothing groundbreaking, but still a lot of fun, and worth taking a look at.
So, how’s your week looking so far? Hopefully these sweet picture books will help you start the week off on a sweet note!
I love that simple, clean art style in Duddle Puck. Takes me back to childhood and looking at books like that and just imagining being on the farm or in the barn or wherever the picture took me… nice.
Yes, I thought so too! It’s a very gentle, nostalgic art style.
I read one of my all time favorite love stories this week to my classes at the library and the author is Jeanne Willis. I didn’t know (silly me) that she had other books. I need to see if others are as wonderfully surprising as Tadpole’s Promise.
https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2017/02/four-reads-plus-my-favorite-love-story.html
Isn’t it exciting to discover new-to-you titles from a favourite author? 🙂
These all look wonderful, Jane. Like Greg, I love the look of Duddle Puck. Thanks for sharing extras from the books, too.
I really love that soft, gentle art, so warm and welcoming!
All three of your books are new to me; so, I’ll definitely need to look for them. They look like cute ones. Have a great week.
I’m glad to be able to share new books! 🙂
These are all new to me. I agree that Duddle Puck would be hard to read aloud without messing up. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
Yeah….a colleague and I were joking just before he read it in story time that there was a distinct possibility of making a very unfortunate slip of the tongue with Duddle Puck! 😉
I get why you laud Marcellus Hall’s illustrations. They are delightful. I’ve been wondering these days, what it might be like for most children who have never seen a farm, to read these kinds of books.
The message of be yourself, might be a common one, but it can never be over done I think. And I’ll read any book created by Tony Ross and Jeanne Willis!
I’m sure that for many children, picture books are as close as they’re likely to get to a cow or chickens!
Tony Ross has such a distinct art style, I’d recognize his scribbly drawings anywhere! 🙂
I think I would have to practice the Duddle Puck one over and over!
Love the new heading on the blog!
Thanks! I love playing around with the look of the blog. 🙂
And yes…definitely a tongue twister on that one!
Duddle Puck, that definitely does sound like a tongue twister lol. How cute that the first two take place in the same universe! And aww, that slug book looks so cute.
They’re definitely fun books – I love the variety in picture books, and these authors are my role models!
Both these books definitely have wonderful, catchy titles!
They’re so much fun, aren’t they? 🙂
I definitely am going to add these to our library picture book collection. Thanks for sharing!
YAY I love being a picture book enabler. 😉
Such charming books! I wish I had a little one still at home to buy these for.
I’m lucky I get to read them for work, and as a hopeful picture book writer (dreams!), it’s all part of research! 🙂
Three very cute books!
These book looks cute. I think this was the book Karma Wilson read when she came to our store. And one of my friends love Slug Needs a Hug.
I pretty much want to be Karma Wilson when I (someday…) grow up. 🙂 How neat to get to meet her!
Picturebooks always light up my week, that’s for sure. 🙂 Thanks for sharing this.
You’re very welcome, they always light up my week, too! 🙂