PBT Picture Book Classics

The Brooklyn Public Library is marking their 125th birthday by making public a list of their 125 most borrowed books! I read about this on NPR and was pleased to read that many of the most checked out books are here at PBT. 

Click HERE  for the NPR article.

And click HERE  for the list at The Brooklyn Public Library's website.

Perhaps with today's post you'll enjoy some reminders of picture books you loved in your childhood. Introduce them to a new audience! Dig into their rich spiritual underpinnings! Below I list the picture book classics I have featured here at PBT. If they are on the BPL's list, I'll tell you their rank.  Just click on the titles to get to those posts. If you have a recommendation for a classic picture book (or one you loved as a child) that you think I should feature, suggest it in the comments section.

At THIS POST I write about Mo Willems extraordinary Elephant & Piggie series as well as others of his books. There are many of those books in the BPL's list. Highest ranked are Are You Ready to Play Outside? and My Friend is Sad.

As you might expect, Dr. Seuss books are all over the list. The best way to access posts about his books at PBT is to go to the search box in the upper right corner (change to web version if on a phone) and type in Seuss. You'll find 8 or so.

Ranked #2! The Snowy Day

Ranked #17! The Tiny Seed

Ranked #43! Brown Bear, Brown Bear...

This book is not photographed at PBT. Instead I show another and write generally about Carle's series of 4 books called Brown Bear and Friends.

Ranked #44! The Giving Tree   

        Find a less codependent version   HERE

Ranked #63! Corduroy

Other classics here but not ranked:

The Happy Owls  A great picture book for Thanksgiving!

Good Night, Gorilla

A House for Hermit Crab

The Missing Piece

The Missing Piece Meets the Big O

Alexander and the Terrible...Day

    and HERE  3 new books inspired by Alexander!

The Very Lonely Firefly

The Carrot Seed

The Little Engine That Could

Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel

The Hare and the Tortoise

Mirandy and Brother Wind

The Runaway Bunny

Amos and Boris

Fortunately

Everybody Needs a Rock

Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs

Now One Foot, Now the Other

I Went to the Carle!

You may have no clue what my title here means. A couple of weeks ago, I visited a museum that I had been determined to see: The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. It was founded in 2002 in Amherst, MA (less than 2 hours from Boston). It was a dream come true for the beloved artist and his wife Barbara.   

The experience was all I had hoped and then some! I found myself a bit overwhelmed. When you walk in, you are met with 4 huge canvases of Carle's tissue paper collages. I especially enjoyed the video of Carle talking about his passion for picture books and picture book art. The museum's guiding vision is to delight, entertain, and surprise, and educate children, families, teachers, artists, librarians, and scholars - everyone interested in the art of picture books! 

Besides seeing The Hungry Caterpillar and many other Carle creations, you'll find exhibits based on scholarly research about the history of picture books and their art.

Carle died in 2020, so it was nice to hear and see him at work in the video. The other special treat for me was the exhibit on a particular artist whose picture books are unknown by most Americans: Nura Woodson Ulreich, a Parisian artist & writer in the 1920s. Here's a sample:

And I was really happy to see the actual collages of one of my favorite collage artists, Melissa Sweet. To see the 3 dimensional work of such innovative picture book art is a huge treat! 

Above is a sample of Sweet's work for the book Some Writer: The Story of E.B. Wright (the author of Charlotte's Web) which is a beautiful book but not a quick picture book read. 

There are exhibits, classes, places to create, read & play, a fabulous store, and a library full of treasures and picture book experts aka librarians. When I was there, the library had an exhibit called Facing Fears with Picture Books. It featured 35 titles. You can access that book list on the website. 

The photo above shows a sample of play furniture. The photo below shows how the Carle was encouraging children and adults to creatively celebrate the 20th birthday of the museum.

I hope you will go if you are in the area, whether or not you have children with you. Certainly, it is designed with children in mind, but the Carle has much to offer adults. It is, after all, an art museum, a history museum, and a celebration of the legacy of a picture book author whose work has and still does delight most American adults.  

For details and visuals, and to see if there is a particular exhibit or featured artist that you want to experience, HERE is the Carle's website. 

There are many PBT books by Eric Carle. To find them, simply type "Carle" in the search box in the upper right corner if in the "web version."

Alexander's Bad Day Buddies

Wise authors are looking back at classic children's literature and realizing their value. Below I have for you 3 recently published books with plots and themes very similar to Judith Viorst's 1972 classic Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Don't know Alexander? Here's my PBT post about this classic! 

The healthy messages of these books are particularly important during this global pandemic! Acknowledging our feelings (confusion, anger, grief, sadness...) at home, school, and in religious settings will lead to better mental health for everyone. Here's a PBT post about that. It addresses the social-emotional needs of very young children via a theological statement that can be inserted into a secular book about feelings, BUT many books I feature there work for older children as well.

Also, I want you to know about 2 other books here if you only want to talk about sadness. Perhaps your congregation is grieving a loss or significant change. Click on titles to read posts about these very different PBT books: 

The Blue Day Book for Kids

When Sadness is at Your Door

Now back to Alexander's literary influence... 

Below find some information about how the 3 new books photographed above are different from Viorst's classic. In general, there is less text in all 3 books so they are quicker reads. From the covers, you'll see the diversity they offer. At the bottom, I give a few ideas about how these books tie to scripture and might be used in ministry.

Picture Book: Keep Your Head UP

Author: Aliya King Neil

Illustrator: Charly Palmer

Summary: This beautiful book is quite similar to Alexander, but it has the wisdom of some modern psychology. D. is a little older, a tween or young teen. D. reminds himself that "Any day can be good if you try." And he does try, but the frustrations of home and school pile on him. When D. has a "meltdown," he is sent to the principal's office, where he is greeted by Miss King, who has been helping him. Her role is unclear, likely a school counselor or school psychologist. D.'s family is also helpful. They set reasonable limits, talk openly about his feelings, and encourage him to "Keep his head up." When he doesn't want to, D. knows he can at least try.

Hanna’s Comments: In addition to the very real details and modern school setting, loving home, and non-white characters, what I like most about this book is the way D. is perceptive about his feelings and specific about their effects. He says he feels scrunchy and describes his face changes (scrunchy eyebrows). He even describes a meltdown! (see image above) There is some great information for discussion here! Do tell your audience that we can't always be expected to keep trying to feel better. Sometime we have to accept our feelings while maintaining control of our behavior. Offering ideas of "loving our neighbors" is important to add here.

Original Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2021

Age Appropriateness: 5 and up

Formats other than Book: Tablet

 

Picture Book: Benji, the Bad Day, and Me

Author: Sally J. Pla

Illustrator: Ken Min

Summary: Here the most significant and welcome difference from Viorst's classic is that the main character is an older brother to a child on the autism spectrum. This difference offers opportunities to talk about the importance of empathy, prioritizing people's needs, and concepts of fairness & justice. Although the older brother's  day has gone terribly, his mother is very focused on her younger child's significant needs. It is the younger brother who finally offers comfort to the main character. Then mom, who no doubt needs comfort too,  joins in, and the story ends beautifully.

Hanna’s Comments: It is the younger brother who is named Benji. This is confusing. Benji is a pivotal but mostly peripheral character. The older brother, who is telling the story, is Samuel. I suggest giving their names when showing the cover before reading. Whenever I find myself occupied with trying to figure out who is who, I am not able to focus on a story. 

Original Publisher: Lee & Low, 2018

Age Appropriateness: 5 and up

Formats other than Book: None at present 

Picture Book: Kevin the Unicorn: It’s Not All Rainbows

Author/Illustrator: Jessica von Innerebner

Summary: Alexander and Kevin's worlds are about as different as they can be! Kevin is expected to be perfect and everyday is expected to be sparkly - "filled with MAGICAL AWESOMENESS!" But Kevin, like Alexander, D. and Samuel, is having a bad day. Although he tries to be joyful, the constant barrage of positive messages in Kevin's world only confuse him. Eventually, he can no longer hide his feelings. His declaration invites others to be more honest about the bad day they are having. Kevin is not alone in his feelings. Such connections are crucial to humans and even unicorns, I suspect!

Hanna’s Comments: I must admit, this cover and title turned me off. But then I read the story! What wisdom there is between the lines of this silly and saccharine book! As an Enneagram 7, it is a story I needed. You have children who need to hear that it is acceptable and inevitable to be imperfect and upset, and to have a bad day. This book is full of funny word play. Read it with drama and silliness. But before reading, invite your audience to notice minor characters and consider how their days are going. Turn pages slowly so they can comprehend detail. 

Given the color palate, I hope you won't assume this is a book for girls only. The main character is named Keven, after all. At present, there is another book about Kevin the Unicorn: Why Can’t We Be Bestie-Corns?

Original Publisher: Dial Books, 2019

Age Appropriateness: 4 and up

Formats other than Book: Tablet

Scripture Connections for these 3 books: Any scripture that involves Lamentation or Complaint to God connects to these books.

OR Bible stories about characters that are suffering, such as Job, can be particularly powerful. Try not to get into why bad things happen. 

OR Get into the details of The Great Commandment. What does it means to love yourself AND love your neighbor when you are having a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day?

PBT Applications: Read any of these books to dive into what lament looks like. Legitimize it as an important kind of prayer. Talk about how there is a whole book in the Bible named Lamentations and how many of the Psalms include  complaints to God. More importantly, emphasize that God and those who love us most, want to know our real feelings. They can handle our negative feelings and can likely help us understand or move through them better. Sometimes just saying, "I am having a bad day!" is enough to help us feel better!

PBT Series: Picture Book Classics #2

Here’s another one of my early posts that is worth sharing again. This little book is a treasure! It’s been in print for over 70 years and is typically read to very young children. In the post below, I suggest you consider a broader audience and give your faith family a chance to see the connections between this little guy's faith in a carrot seed and their own faith.  

Picture Book: The Carrot Seed

Author: Ruth Krauss

Illustrator: Crockett Johnson

Summary: This classic has a simple story but a powerful message about a lone boy’s faith in a carrot seed, which he planted and nurtures despite family members saying repeatedly, “It won’t come up.” Eventually the greens pop above the soil’s surface. Then the boy pulls a huge carrot out of the ground and loads it onto a wheel barrow. I wonder if he shared the carrot with his family. Ask your audience!

Hanna’s Comments: This picture book classic has a simple message of faith and nurturing that is universal and timeless. I think it should be in every toddler and preschooler’s library. Certainly it should be in your faith community’s nursery, preschool rooms, and community-wide library. Don't limit it's audience to just little ones. With elementary children and adults, use it as an intro. to a talk about naysayers and critics of faith and hope. Emphasize patience! Discuss the concept of tending your own personal faith like the boy nurtured his carrot seed. Point out that the carrot seed might have died had the boy not been so faithful to it. Ask: “What are some ways we “water” and “weed” our faith gardens?” Offer more personal examples of your faith practices. You might even describe your faith garden. Where is the beauty? What are the pests? How do you harvest and what do you glean from your faith garden?

You'll find a similar book with a more complicated plot and more text in a book by Pat Brisson and Maryann Cocca-Leffler. Wanda's Roses highlights a girl's determination to nurture a thorn bush in a vacant lot. She is sure it is a rose bush. She, and eventually some neighbors, clean up the lot. Through her many days of faithful hard work, Wanda keeps saying to naysayers the lot will be filled with roses. Wanda is right!

Publisher & Date of Publication: Harper & Row, 1945

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 4 and up, Pre and up

Formats other than Book: There are several videos to choose from including “Uncle Wally” Amos reading this book as a part of the Read it Loud library program on Youtube.com, Audio cassette

Scripture Connections: Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (Matthew 13:8); If you have faith the size of a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20) 

Idea(s) for Application: Because the concept of faith is so abstract, children (and sometimes adults) have difficulty understanding it. This little book offers a delightfully simple, but profound explanation of faith that is easy to relate to. Read this book in a Sunday school or other small group context and explore the concept of faith and how to "tend" and "nurture" it. 

New PBT Series: Picture Book Classics #1

One of the delights of Picture Book Theology is discovering how an old favorite, perhaps a much-loved story from your childhood, can be viewed in a fresh way through spiritual or theological ideals. There are many such classics featured here at PBT. Today I begin a new series highlighting those oldies but goodies, offering again what I gleaned from a silly but compelling read that encourages us to live more fully a life of authenticity and creativity as I believe God intended. Additionally, this little treasure is a model for listening when differences arise in community. Now that’s a topic in which we could all use a little inspiration!

Picture Book: The Big Orange Splot

Author & Illustrator: Daniel Manus Pinkwater

Summary: Mr. Plumbean happily lives on a “neat street” where all the houses look the same. A seagull carrying a can of paint (“no one knows why,” it says) spills paint on his house resulting in a big, orange splot. He delays re-painting his house. When neighbors complain, he paints his home with multiple colors. His neighbors are astounded and fear he’s gone mad. Meanwhile, Mr. Plumbean builds a clock tower, does some tropical landscaping, and adds a hammock. When they complain, he explains, “My house is me and I am it. My house is where I like to be and it looks like all my dreams.” His next door neighbor is sent as a delegate to convince him to conform. Instead, the neighbor too rebels, painting his house like a ship. One by one, the neighbors are converted, and the look of their neighborhood is transformed.

Hanna’s Comments: One of the many aspects of this book that I like is that the conflicts are handled through face to face, civil conversation. Despite some fear and misunderstanding, the neighbor/delegate visits Mr. Plumbean and somehow Mr. Plumbean convinces the neighbor to risk painting his own house to reveal his dreams. The importance of listening while others dream aloud might be a point of conversation after reading this book. More obviously, it is a delightful book about being drawn to express our authentic selves in community. That is a godly pursuit!

Publisher & Date of Publication: Scholastic, 1977

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 4 and up, Pre and up

Scripture Connections: Do not be conformed to this world (Romans 12:2)

Idea(s) for Application: Read this book at a religious community’s arts camp. Tie in the idea of God’s creativity revealed through creation, including our own authenticity.