Picture Book – Page 17 – Unleashing Readers

Endlessly Ever After: Pick Your Path to Countless Fairy Tale Endings! by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Dan Santat

April 19, 2022 by Kellee

Endlessly Ever After: Pick Your Path to Countless Fairy Tale Endings!
Author: Laurel Snyder
Illustrator: Dan Santat
Published

Summary: This funny, original choose-your-path picture book of fractured fairy tales will charm any young fan of the genre, putting the power of storytelling right in the reader’s hands!

Grab your basket and your coat. Put on some walking shoes.
Turn the page and begin: Which story will you choose?

Award-winning creators Laurel Snyder and Dan Santat transform a crowd of classic tales into an ever-changing, fascinating, laugh-out-loud choose-your-path picture book, in which you may find a sleeping maiden, waste away in a sticky licorice cage, discover the gold at the end of a wild goose chase, or maybe (just maybe) save yourself―and the day!

GIVES YOUNG READERS THE POWER OF CHOICE: Where do you want to take the story next? Choice and autonomy are essential concepts for children to learn at a young age, and this choose-your-path picture book puts the decision-making power right in their hands.

FUNNY TWISTS ON CLASSIC FAIRY TALES: “The Three Little Pigs,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “Snow White,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” and more—characters and settings from these classic fairy tales take on hilarious new life in a brand-new story, just right for the youngest fairy tale fans.

TEACHES STORYTELLING BY EXAMPLE: This playful picture book offers young readers the chance to build their own narratives out of the decisions they make each step of the way, powerfully illustrating how a story is created and how it proceeds from beginning to middle to end. Both a teaching tool and an exciting adventure in its own right, this book is a great resource for learning storytelling.

FABULOUS AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR TEAM: Laurel Snyder is the author of the Geisel Award–winning Charlie & Mouse early chapter book series. Her books have earned numerous starred reviews and Best Book designations, and her middle grade novel Orphan Island was longlisted for the National Book Award. Acclaimed artist Dan Santat has illustrated over 50 books for children, earning a Caldecott Medal for his picture book The Adventures of Beekle and the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature for Drawn Together.

Perfect for:

Teachers and librarians
Lovers of fairy tales and fairy tale retellings
Readers who enjoy choose-your-path stories
Parents and caregivers seeking a story that will continue to surprise and delight, even after the 100th time through
Gift-givers looking for a beautiful present that can be read again and again
Anyone who appreciates clever, hilarious takes on classic fairy tales

Praise:

“Invoking myriad fairy tale scenarios throughout a cascading choose-one’s-path format, Snyder (the Charlie and Mouse series) builds a fairy story with logic gates. . . . Santat (The Aquanaut) romps lushly through this fairy tale universe, giving the folklore mainstays . . . an exaggerated, kinetic quality. . . . Readers accustomed to video game–style endings won’t be bothered by Rosie’s many demises; turning the page resumes the action and leads to more choices, and employing frenetic action right through to the end—er, ends.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Grab your favorite outerwear (cozy coat or riding hood?) and your sense of adventure because Snyder and Santat have created a fun-filled fairy-tale mashup that puts kids in the driver’s seat. . . . [Endlessly Ever After’s] interactive nature, large trim size, and bold, full-bleed illustrations make it an excellent candidate for group sharing. There is also a fractured-fairy tale aspect to the stories featured, which ensures there are surprises around every corner. A highly entertaining read, full of possibilities.”
—Booklist Reviews

“Multiple reader options give the woodsy road to Grandma’s house any number of surprise twists and diversions. . . . Some choices are hard but not this one: Pick it up!”
—Kirkus Reviews

“[G]et comfortable; kids will insist on multiple readings . . . The humorously grim text is well matched with amusing illustrations that keep even the darker story elements lighthearted . . . Both text and art are endlessly clever.”
—The Horn Book Magazine

About the Creators:

Laurel Snyder is the author of many children’s books, including Swan, Hungry Jim, and Charlie & Mouse, which won the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award. A graduate of the Iowa Writers? Workshop, Laurel teaches creative writing at Hamline University and lives with her family in Atlanta, GA.

Dan Santat is a Caldecott-Medal-winning author-illustrator of many children’s books. An honors graduate of ArtCenter College of Design, in Pasadena, he is also the creator of the Disney animated hit The Replacements. Dan lives in Southern California with his wife, two kids, and various pets.

Review: Jim and I were just telling Trent about Choose Your Own Adventure books when this arrived, so I was very excited to see this book arrive, and it does not disappoint. If anything, it blew my description of the original series out of the water because of its cleverness, humor, suspense, fairy tale fracturing, and brilliant illustrations.

Snyder and Santat were the perfect team for this book! Snyder’s writing is lyrical and has amazing rhythm which makes the book a delight to read aloud. She also adds perfect twists to well known stories, giving them a new life! I was always so impressed at an author who can craft a book with multiple paths because the actual text structure must be so complicated, and there is no room for flaws; Snyder shows that she has the chops for this! Santat’s art brings it to life through modernized illustrations of our favorite fairy tale characters as well as some new characters, and as always his art is brilliantly crafted and just so much fun to look at!

All in all, a must pick up for any person who reads aloud to students–these 85 pages of adventure will reel them in!

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: In addition to some reading analyses that will work perfectly with the text (prediction, cause/effect relationships, etc.), I would also love to see students work to create their own choose your own adventure stories. It gives them a chance to problem solve how to structure the story in addition to write the story. Chronicle’s activity kit has a great start for this activity.

Activity Kit:

Discussion Questions:

How does Endlessly Ever After compare to the original fairy tales?
What other fairy tale would you have liked to see get twisted in?
Were there any indications of the effects of your decisions before you chose what Rosie should do?
Before choosing the next page, predict what you think is going to happen.
How did the choice of illustrator add to the experience of reading the book?

Flagged Passages:

Read This If You Love: Choose Your Own Adventure books, Fractured Fairy Tales

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Chronicle Books for providing a copy for review!!**

Author Guest Post: “There’s No Wrong Way” by Adam Lehrhaupt, Author of There Was a Hole

April 10, 2022 by Kellee

“There’s No Wrong Way”

At it’s heart, There Was a Hole is a book about loss and helping readers learn a way to manage the complex emotions that come with it. These emotions can be BIG, scary, uncontrollable, and even unwanted. But that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. And it definitely doesn’t mean they should be ignored.

Everyone experiences loss in their lives. Even children’s book authors. Several years ago, I went through my own time of loss. As an author, my natural inclination in times like that is to look for books that deal with what I’m experiencing. Unfortunately, sometimes you just can’t find a book that lines up. When that happens, a good author takes matters in their own hands. They ask themselves; can I write a story that acknowledges the feelings I have. That shows they are valid, normal feelings everyone has? And most importantly, that there are things you can do to help yourself feel better?

It turns out that you don’t have to be a children’s book author to do this. Anyone can write a story for themselves. And the cool thing about writing for yourself, is that YOU get to choose what you write about. My path to writing this book is a long and winding one, but I’m going to lay out a few things that should help you write your own. Hopefully, writing your own story about loss, or fear, or whatever, helps you better understand how you are feeling and might even start you down the path of recovery.

First, and most important, there’s NO WRONG WAY to write a story for yourself. Writing the story doesn’t commit you to letting anyone read it. Remember, this exercise is for you and you alone. When, and to whom, you show your work is completely at your discretion. That said, here’s the steps I take when writing for myself.

Come up with a great character name.
We’re going to put this character through the ringer. It’s probably best not to give them your name. you don’t want to run yourself through the events we’re going to plan below. Pick a different name. Something cool. Something unique. Something fun to write about. Maybe Cleo, or Duke, or Ephemeralia. Any name you want.
Decide what the big event should be.
The main plot of our story will hinge on what this event is. It should be something extremely important to our main character. The bigger the event is to them the better. Maybe Cleo is a skiing champion who moves to a town with no snow. Or Duke’s pet gerbil passes away. Perhaps Ephemeralia has to start at a new school…with none of her best friends. These might not be huge issues to me, or even you, but they are MASSIVE for Cleo, Duke and Ephemeralia.
Pick three bad things that our main character can do in response to this event.
This is where the fun begins. What terrible, horrible actions can our main character take because of what happened to them? Do they yell? Do they scream? Are they scared to meet new people? Can they break something accidentally? Pick something you think might be scary, or would get you into A LOT of trouble. Once you have three, or more, put them in order from least bad, to most horrible.
Think of something our character can do to atone for their actions.
Sure, we’re talking about causing all kinds of trouble, but that doesn’t mean our character can get away with their behavior. In fact, until they acknowledge their actions, they will never be able to recover from the effects of the original event. So, how do they overcome, or at least address, the mess they’ve become making? They don’t need to make everything better, but it would help if they start down the path.
Find a good place to sit and start writing.
Now’s the moment we’ve been waiting for…writing. Don’t worry about making it perfect, or even good. Just get words down on paper. There’s plenty of time to revise and edit later. If that’s what you want. Remember, this is a story just for us. The key thing is to get it out. To write it. Once that’s done, you’ll already be on the path to recovery. The next steps are up to you.

Published March 15th, 2022 by Sleeping Bear Press

About the Book: Lily has a hole. It eats her joy, makes her angry, and–no matter what Daddy does to try to help–it just keeps growing. So Lily retreats. But a friend lets her in on a secret (he has a hole too!) and shows her the best way to repair holes: spend time on friends, family, the things you love, yourself, and kindness. Those patches don’t make the hole go away, but they help. A lyrical and age-appropriate story for learning to cope with grief and loss.

About the Author: Adam Lehrhaupt is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books for children, including Warning: Do Not Open This Book!, Chicken in Space, I Will Not Eat You, Wordplay, This is a Good Story, and Sloth Went. He has traveled to six continents, performed on Broadway, and lived on a communal farm. He currently lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA, with his wife and two sons. Follow Adam on Twitter and Instagram @Lehrhaupt, Facebook @adamlehrhaupt, and at adamlehrhaupt.com

Thank you, Adam, for this great guidance for writers!

Only One by Deborah Hopkinson and Chuck Groenink

April 7, 2022 by Ricki

Only One
Authors and Illustrator: Deborah Hopkinson and Chuck Groenink
Published April 5, 2022

Summary: This lyrical, environmentally focused picture book showcases the unique beauty of our one and only universe–its galaxies, stars, and planets–as well as our one and only Earth and the precious life it contains.

Join one girl as she leads her friends to a tree-planting ceremony. Along the way, she explains in simple language the value of the universe and Planet Earth. Readers will see the Big Bang, the Milky Way, all the planets in the solar system, as well as Earth’s atmosphere, and the life within it: its oceans, trees, bugs, and seven billion human beings. Finally, the girl and her friends plant a tree–doing one small thing to help their one special planet.

Both informative and inspiring, here is a beautifully written and gorgeously illustrated science picture book about our universe that will encourage young readers and listeners to protect and preserve the environment.

Review: The cover drew me right in, and I was NOT disappointed! I loved how this book offered a wide scope of topics within space, science, and the environment, yet it felt very connected by a common theme. This is my book of choice for Earth Day (and every day!). It captured the attention of all three of my own children, who each have different interests. I’ve read it so many times in the last week (to whichever child is requesting it) that I am starting to memorize it! I love how it talks about space, the stars, the Big Bang—yet it also talks about caring and tending for Earth and working together.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I would love to see kids create a spread that could be added to Only One. Maybe, for instance, they might write a spread about protecting water or perhaps they might choose an aspect of space that is of interest. Whatever the choice, they could research the topic before they create their spread. The teacher could post them to a bulletin board or bind them together in a book.

Discussion Questions:

What did you learn?
Which spreads were most inspiring to you, and why?
What is the “Only One” in this book, and why does it matter so much?
What is your role in protecting the Earth?

Flagged Spreads:

Read This If You Love: Science, Space, Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years by Stacy McAnulty; You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Barbara at Blue Slip Media for sending a copy for review!**

Educators’ Guide for Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers: A Story Inspired by Loujain Alhathloul by Lina AlHathloul & Uma Mishra-Newbery, Illustrated by Rebecca Green

April 5, 2022 by Kellee

Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers
Authors: Lina AlHathloul & Uma Mishra-Newbery
Illustrator: Rebecca Green
Published: February 8, 2022 by Astra Publishing

Summary: A courageous girl follows her dream of learning to fly in this beautifully illustrated story inspired by imprisoned human rights activist Loujain AlHathloul.

Loujain watches her beloved baba attach his feather wings and fly each morning, but her own dreams of flying face a big obstacle: only boys, not girls, are allowed to fly in her country. Yet despite the taunts of her classmates, she is determined that some day, she too will learn to do it–especially because Loujain loves colors, and only by flying will she be able to see the color-filled field of sunflowers her baba has told her about. Eventually, he agrees to teach her, and Loujain’s impossible dream becomes reality–inspiring other girls to dare to learn to fly. Inspired by co-author Lina al-Hathloul’s sister, formerly imprisoned Saudi women’s rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Loujain al-Hathloul, who led the successful campaign to lift Saudi Arabia’s ban on women driving. This gorgeously illustrated story is lyrical and moving.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation and Discussion Questions:

Please view and enjoy the teachers’ guide I co-created for Astra Publishing for Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers:

You can also access the teaching guide here.

You can learn more about Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers on Astra Publishing’s page.

Recommended For:

You Are Not Alone by the Alphabet Rockers, Illustrated by Ashley Evans

March 31, 2022March 31, 2022 by Ricki

You Are Not Alone
Authors: Alphabet Rockers; Illustrator: Ashley Evans
Published: January 11, 2022 by Sourcebooks

Summary: From the Grammy award-nominated hip-hop group Alphabet Rockers comes an empowering picture book that invites kids to to love themselves, stand up to hate, and foster inclusivity among their peers!

When I say something is unfair to me, but it’s fair for you, what does that make it?
When I meditate, it all gets clear.
And if you listen, you will really hear.
I am not alone. I am enough.

It can be scary to feel like you’re all on your own, especially in the face of prejudice. But always remember: you are not alone. Inspired by the Alphabet Rockers’ empowering song “Not Alone,” this uplifting picture book reassures kids that they belong and encourages them to love their beautiful selves and their identities, use their voices against hate, and step up for one another and have one another’s backs no matter what.

Review: I dare you to read this book and not read it aloud. It’s packs such a punch. It’s lyrical and powerful. I’ve now read it aloud to four different children, and every time, they end up shouting, “You are not alone!” right along with me. Loneliness is a feeling that so many children experience, so I am very grateful for this book. It reminds us all (adults, too) that we are aren’t alone and others are feeling the same emotions as we are. It reminds kids to tell their stories and ensure that their stories are heard.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I would love to ask kids to write their own spreads, similar to a spread they saw in the book. They might share an experience that made them feel alone, and then, at the end, write in big letters, “You are not alone!” They don’t need to share them publicly, but it offers a reflective experience for students that could be meaningful.

Discussion Questions:

Which spread impacted you most? Why?
When are some moments that you felt alone? (No need to share them aloud.)
How do the spreads work together to form a powerful message?

Flagged Spread:

Read This If You Love: All Because You Matter by Tami Charles; I Am Enough by Grace Byers; The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig; The Red Tree by Shaun Tan;

**Thank you to Sourcebooks for sending a copy for review!**

Trent’s Favorite Books He Read When He was 7

October 23, 2024March 22, 2022 by Kellee

I have my own Goodreads now, so we keep track of everything I read. When I was 7, I read 253 books. Here are my favorites.

Books I Read Independently

Geronimo Stilton: The Sewer Rat Stink with Tom Angleberger, Story by Elisabetta Dami

It has exciting events, and I like the characters. My favorite character is Geronimo’s friend Hercule because he is funny.

Glitch by Sarah Graley

I like that it has gaming in it. It is very cool. My favorite thing that happened in Glitch was the surprise at the end.

Cat & Cat Adventures: The Quest for Snacks by Susie Yi

It is really funny. I like that the characters are cats and that they go to different worlds.

Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives

Cat Kid: Comic Club series by Dav Pilkey

I like that it is a sequel to Dog Man but with Cat Kid. I really like the variety of the comics.

Catstronauts series by Drew Brockington

I like that it has cats. It is really scientific, so you can learn some stuff from it.

Cat Kong by Dav Pilkey

A good sequel to Dogzilla but with a cat. I like that it has collages.

Panda Problem by Deborah Underwood

One of my favorite picture books ever. I like that it has a panda and is really funny–it also has aliens, food, and penguins!

Rowley series by Jeff Kinney

I like the pictures, and I like that it has characters from other series also. Rowley is my favorite character because he is funny.

Mr. Wolf’s Class series by Aron Nels Steinke

My librarian recommended this series to me. It is a really good series because it is adventurous. My favorite part is in book number 2 when they start a secret club.

Monster Friends by Kaeti Vandorn

When I finished this book, I even lent it to a friend who I knew would like it. I liked the characters. My favorite character is Reggie because he is lazy, cute, and playful (sometimes). It is also really long book, so I was proud of finishing it.

Super Diaper Baby series by Dav Pilkey

It is a really fun book because there is a super hero that is a baby in a diaper who has a cape and fights crime. And it is by Dav Pilkey!

Animorphs series by K.A. Applegate

I like when the characters change into real animals but it was epic for them to get to that point. It is very adventurous! And the alien apocalypse is cool.

HiLo series by Judd Winick

My mom recommended this series to me! I like this series because it is adventurous and exciting. My favorite character is HiLo because he has super powers and awesome. My favorite book so far is #6, and I’m excited to read #8.

The Many Lives of Pusheen the Cat by Claire Belton

I love Pusheen! I like knowing all the Pusheen kinds.

Dog Man: Mothering Heights by Dav Pilkey

I like it because Petey became a good guy instead of bad. I liked seeing Petey change over time.

Books I Read With Mom and/or Dad

Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey

We listened to the audiobooks of the first 10. I liked it because it was exciting and fun and funny. My favorite character is… well, I like the 3 main characters but my favorites are Crackers and Zulu because they are good pets. I like listening to the audiobooks because I can imagine what it looks like.

National Geographic Kids: Red Pandas by Laura Marsh

I love red pandas, and I loved learning about them. And I liked the pictures because they were so cute.

I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis

We only read some, but I liked the ones we read. I liked learning about the events that happened. I am looking forward to reading more.

Fussy Flamingo by Shelly Vaughan James

I liked it because it was silly and fun.

Téo’s Tutu by Maryann Jacob Macias

It was a good book because I liked that it was diverse, and I liked that it representing that boys can do what they want and girls can do what they want. What society says doesn’t matter.

Knuffle Bunny series by Mo Willems

It is a good series because they are silly, and I liked watching Trixie grow up. I also liked finding pigeon in the books, and I even have my own Knuffle Bunny.

Looking for a Jumbie by Tracey Baptiste

This book was adventurous and a little bit scary.

The Snurtch by Sean Ferrell

This book shows you that everyone has a snurtch, and it is annoying but we have to learn to deal with it and be kind to others.

Past “Trent’s Favorite Books” Posts

Kellee and Trent’s Favorite Picture Books: First Three Months

Trent and Kellee’s Favorite Picture Books: Three to Six Months

Trent and Kellee’s Favorite Picture Books: Six to Nine Months

Trent and Kellee’s Favorite Books: Nine to Twelve Months

A First Year Full of Books: Trent’s Journey Through Books
**Check this one out if you haven’t–it is one of my favorite posts ever!**

Trent’s Favorite Books: One to Two Years Old

Ten of Trent’s Favorite Books as of His Third Birthday

Ten(ish) of Trent’s Favorite Books as of His Fourth Birthday

Trent’s Favorite Reads as of His Fifth Birthday

Trent’s Favorite Reads as of His 6th Birthday

Trent’s Favorite Reads as a 6 Year Old

Breaking Through the Clouds: The Sometimes Turbulent Life of Meteorologist Joanne Simpson by Sandra Nickel, Illustrated by Helena Perez Garcia

March 21, 2022March 15, 2022 by Kellee

Breaking Through the Clouds: The Sometimes Turbulent Life of Meteorologist Joanne Simpson
Author: Sandra Nickel
Illustrator: Helena Perez Garcia
Published March 8, 2022 by Abrams

Summary: An inspiring picture book about the meteorologist whose discoveries helped us understand how weather works. When Joanne Simpson (1923-2010) was a girl, she sailed her boat beneath the puffy white clouds of Cape Cod. As a pilot, she flew her plane so high, its wings almost touched them. And when World War II began and Joanne moved to the University of Chicago, a professor asked her to teach Air Force officers about those very clouds and the weather-changing winds.

As soon as the war ended, Joanne decided to seriously study the clouds she had grown to love so much. Her professors laughed. They told her to go home. They told her she was no longer needed. They told her, “No woman ever got a doctorate in meteorology. And no woman ever will.”

But Joanne was stubborn. She sold her boat. She flew her last flight. She saved her money so that she could study clouds. She worked so hard and discovered so much that—despite what the professors said—she received a doctorate in meteorology. She was the first woman in the world to do so.

Breaking Through the Clouds tells the story of a trailblazing scientist whose discoveries about clouds and how they work changed everything we know about weather today.

Praise: “An energetic, compassionate examination of a determined researcher who left her mark on the field of atmospheric sciences.” — Publishers Weekly

About the Author: Sandra Nickel says that story ideas are everywhere; you just have to reach out and grab them. She holds an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her first book, Nacho’s Nachos: The Story Behind the World’s Favorite Snack, was awarded a Christopher Award and was a Golden Kite Award finalist. Sandra lives in Chexbres, Switzerland, where she blogs about children’s book writers and illustrators at whatwason.com. To learn more, visit https://sandranickel.com/.

Twitter: @senickel
Facebook: @sandranickelbooks
Instagram: @sandranickelbooks

Review: I love learning about the women in our history that have broken through barriers to make it so we are where we are today with women’s rights, and there are so many and so many wonderful stories to tell–I am always so happy when I find a new one, and this one is a gem! Joanne Simpson is so kick butt! She not only broke barriers, she smashed them, jumped in a plane, and then broke through the clouds (hence the title!). It was so wonderful learning about her and how she stuck it to the men and showed what a phenomenal person she was.

Nickel does a fantastic job balancing Simpson’s story as a meteorologist with her story of the sexism she faced during her education and working. We learn about how she used the traits that others saw as negative, like stubbornness and focus, to take the world by storm. Along with the colorful, page-filling illustrations, this book is beautiful, educational, and inspiring.

Curriculum Guide with Activities and Discussion Questions:

Flagged Passages:

Book Trailer:

Read This If You Love: Picture book biographies, especially about science, weather, or women’s history

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Blue Slip Media for providing a copy for review!**