The Superpower Sisterhood – Perfect Picture Book Friday

The Superpower Sisterhood

Jenna Bush Hager & Barbara Pierce Bush, Authors

Cyndi Wojciechowski, Illustrator

Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Fiction, Apr. 19, 2022

Suitable for ages: 4-8

Themes: Friendship, Sisters, Cooperation, Talents, Working together, Diversity

Opening: “I’ve lived here my whole life. Just me, Mom and Dad, and our closest neighbors: the Millers, the Díazes, the Franks, and the Rosas.”

Book Jacket Synopsis:

Emma has been lonely all her life growing up in a neighborhood with no other kids—until the day two sets of sisters move to her street! The girls immediately form a club, only to discover that something mysterious is going on. They’ve each always had special talents, but when they work together, it’s almost like their skills become…superpowers. Now the sisterhood is ready to help their neighborhood thrive, as long as they can keep the spooky Ms. Wigglestoot from discovering their secret. Or maybe there’s a way these super sisters can help their archnemesis too….

From former first daughters Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush, authors of the #1 New York Times bestselling Sisters First, The Superpower Sisterhood makes it clear that with sisters by your side, life is pretty exciting. And anything is possible!

Why I like The Superpower Sisterhood:

The Superpower Sisterhood is a beautiful and inspiring tribute to the power of girls combining their talents and using them to help their neighbors and community. And if you are an only child, you can find sisters in the friendships you make in your neighborhood, with cousins, and at school. Cyndi Wojciechowski’s spirited pastel illustrations really make this story sing. And look at the powerful cover!

For Emma, who narrates the story, choosing her sisters is powerful because each of her new friends has a special ability to offer — the knowledge of math and design, art, writing, dance and music — and together they can accomplish anything. They build a club house, fix a neighbor’s potty, build planters for Mrs. Rosa’s roses, and choreograph “an epic flash mob” that even the neighbors join in. These diverse and memorable characters demonstrate that friendship is not limited to any one kind of person — even the mysterious Ms. Wigglestoot.

Make sure you check out the message from the Bush sisters at they end of the book to discover the inspiration behind their story. It will surprise readers. And they also include a page of photographs of Emma and her friends and other things they do together. The Superpower Sisterhood is a perfect read in classrooms and is a special gift book.

Resources: Encourage children students to draw a picture of the girls they consider their “sisters.” It can be a blood sister or girlfriends doing their favorite activity or helping someone.

Jenna Bush Hager is the cohost of the fourth hour of the TODAY show with Hoda Kotb and the founder of the TODAY book club Read with Jenna. She is an editor-at-large for Southern Living magazine. She is the coauthor of the #1 New York Times bestselling Ana’s Story and two children’s books that she wrote with her mother, Laura—Our Great Big Backyard and Read All About It—as well as the #1 New York Times bestsellers Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life written with her sister, Barbara, in both adult and children’s editions. She lives with her husband and three children in New York City.

Barbara Pierce Bush is the board chair and cofounder of Global Heal Corps, an organization that has mobilized more than one thousand young leaders who take an innovative approach to solving some of the world’s biggest global health challenges. She is the coauthor of the #New York Times bestsellers Sisters First and Sister First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life and recently graduated with her master degree from Harvard University.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

*Reviewed from a library copy.

Line and Dot by Veronique Cauchy

Line and Dot

Véronique Cauchy, Author

Laurent Simon, Illustrator

Magination Press, Fiction, Mar. 12, 2018

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes: Creativity, Imagination, Diversity, Cooperation, Respect

Opening: One day, Line met Dot…and they decided to play together!

Synopsis:

The story begins with a white Line and a black Dot. They begin to make bold and brand new things. It is so much fun that Line and Dot decide to invite their friends — big and small, young and old — the more the merrier. They bring with them more ideas. With so many new friends they realize that together they sky is the limit and they are empowered to create so much more. Soon they have built a large city. But something is missing. Line and Dot have another big idea. They invite their friends who live in distant lands. They arrive from all of the corners of the world to their city. The lines and dots are a festival of color — blue, yellow and pink, black and white — and they create something very wonderful.

Why I like this book:

Line and Dot is a joyful and engaging book for young children and one that belongs in classrooms. It encourages creativity and imagination. It cleverly shows the importance of accepting differences, learning something new from others, and living peacefully while maintaining individuality, differences and diversity. With simple text and whimsical illustrations, this story demonstrates the importance of mutual respect and cooperation.

Resources: This is a great classroom resource with endless possibilities for use. Teachers can simply focus on creativity and imagination by encouraging children to draw a picture using line and dots. Put kids on teams and encourage them to work together to come up with an idea and paint or draw it with lines and dots. There are no right or wrong answers, just the fun of creating something together.

Véronique Cauchy was born in Normandy in 1969. She had a penchant for writing at a very early age…but instead she studied business, going from Paris to Berlin via Reims and Sacramento! An expert in international trade, she directed a human resources company in her native Normandy, but her life changed when she had children. She discovered children’s literature and threw herself into the crazy adventure of writing for young readers.

*Copy provided by the publisher.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

The Wolf, the Duck and the Mouse

The Wolf, the Duck and the Mouse

Mac Barnett, Author

Jon Klassen, Illustrator

Candlewick, Fiction, Oct. 10, 2017

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes: Animals, Humor, Cooperation,

Opening: Early one morning, a mouse met a wolf, and he was quickly gobbled up.

Publisher Synopsis: When a woeful mouse is swallowed by a wolf, he quickly learns he is not alone: a duck has already set up digs, and, boy, has that duck got it figured out! Turns out it’s pretty nice in there, with delicious food and elegant table settings, courtesy of the wolf’s unchecked gluttony. And there’s something even better: no more fear of being eaten by a wolf! In fact, life is pretty good, until a hunter shows up. . . . With a nod to traditional fables and a wink to the reader, the award-winning Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen offer a tale of cooperation and creative cuisine that is sure to go down easy.

Why I like this story:

Have you ever wondered why wolves howl at the moon? Mac Barnett and John Klassen’s modern-day fable offers an answer in their quirky tale that is filled with dark and outrageous humor. The old-fashioned fairy tale language, “Oh woe is me,” and “Oh shame,” adds drama and charm to the storytelling.

Mouse meets Duck in the wolf’s belly and quickly discovers it is a home of sorts. Says Duck, “I live well! I may have been swallowed, but I have no intention of being eaten.” So the two create a kind of ruckus that make’s the wolf’s tummy ache and manage to get all the food and items they need to live high on the hog. Readers will laugh out loud at their shenanigans and feel sorry for the gullible wolf. When a hunter shoots at the wolf, the mouse and duck save the wolf’s life in a very unconventional way.

Klassen’s trademark sepia-toned mixed-media artwork perfectly suits Barnett’s story. There are a lot of details to explore both inside and outside of the wolf, and they add to the humor of the story. The expressive illustrations are priceless. Visit Mac Barnett’s website and Jon Klassen’s website to see illustrations from the book.

Mac Barnett is the author of three books illustrated by Jon Klassen: Extra Yarn, which won a Caldecott Honor and a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award; Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, which won a Caldecott Honor and an E. B. White Award; and Triangle. With Jory John, he is the co-author of the New York Times best-selling series The Terrible Two.

Jon Klassen is the author-illustrator of I Want My Hat Back, a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book; This Is Not My Hat, winner of the Caldecott Medal and the Kate Greenaway Medal; and We Found a Hat. He also illustrated two Caldecott Honor Books, Sam and Dave Dig a Hole and Extra Yarn, as well as Triangle, all written by Mac Barnett.

Barn Raising – Amish

Barn Raising

Craig Brown, author and illustrator

Harper Collins Publishers, 2002

Suitable for: Ages 5 and up

Themes: Amish Lifestyle, Community, Cooperation, Generosity, Neighbors

Opening/Synopsis: “After the fire there was no place on Jacob’s farm to keep animals. A neighbor made space for them in his barn.” Lightning strikes the family barn and a generous Amish community arrives to help Jacob’s father clear the land so that a new barn can be built. Friends and neighbors arrive from all over the county to help raise a new barn in one day. The women come with a feast of food to feed the workers.

What I like about this book: Craig Brown has written and illustrated a heartwarming story about how the Amish community comes together to help a neighbor in need. Brown’s illustrations are rich and detailed, depicting each stage of the barn raising. His illustrations are also expressive and emotive. You feel the strong bond between neighbors and friends. This is a beautiful story to introduce children to the Amish culture and talk about how neighbors support each other during times of trouble. In his larger illustrations of the barn raising, Brown includes close-up inserts which make you feel like you are helping. There is a page at the back of the book that gives more detail about Barn Raisings and the preparation required. This also is an excellent book for children interested in building and constructing. Check out Craig Brown’s fun website and view the books he’s written. He’s known to school kids as “Farmer Brown.” I had the opportunity of meeting Craig Brown at the Southampton Children’s Literature Conference this summer.