THE PEACH PIT PARADE: A World War I Story. An Historical Fiction Picture Book Review and Giveaway

North Carolina picture book author, Shana Keller, is no newcomer to my blog. Some of you may remember Bread for Words, Tick Tock Banneker's Clock, or Fly, Firefly--her three other engaging books published by Sleeping Bear Press.  Her fourth book, Peach Pit Parade is illustrated by Margeaux Lucas. The soft tones Ms. Lucas used speak of Polly's love for her soldier father. The characters' faces portray their emotions beautifully. 

REVIEW

"Polly felt everything change when the whole world got into a fight. A big fight."

The first page of the book shows the front page headline, "U.S. AT WAR!" The reader is brought into Polly's world in this second illustration:

Even though Polly missed her father terribly, she and her mother stayed busy planting a victory garden and thinking of ways to help with the war effort.

Polly's teacher encouraged her students to get involved.

Polly wondered what could she do?

Miss Jennings had a strange request. "The government needs our help to collect all types of fruit pits, especially peach pits."

Her teacher explained that the pits were needed in the gas masks which the soldiers wore. The pits helped absolve harmful gasses. 

A newspaper ad to encourage Americans to save fruit pits.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/570286058/1917-original-wwi-american-red-cross

Polly's next problem was to figure out how to collect enough peach pits to make a difference. She had participated in "send-off" parades when people gave soldiers extra blankets and books when they were leaving. What about a peach pit parade?

Polly shared her idea with her class and her Girl Scout troop. Neighbors, family, friends, and even the local newspaper got excited about the parade.

With Polly in the lead and flutes and cymbals playing, the parade wound through town. 

"In the end of the day, every wagon, bucket, basket, and barrel was filled with pits."

Polly's smile shone brighter than the sun. In that moment, she felt as if the cloud of war had cleared away. Polly finally felt like she was doing all she could, and she couldn't wait to write to her father about the Peach Pit Parade.

CURRICULUM RESOURCE

Like Shana's previous books, The Peach Pit Parade is a great addition to the K-3rd grade classroom. You will find additional resources for each one of her books on her website; here is her page for The Peach Pit Parade. This inspiriting STEM book can prompt conversations about war, compassion, service, and how individuals can make a difference. 

Photo Courtesy The Girl Scout Museum at Cedar Hill

https://kdhnews.com/news/local/peaches-other-fruits-weapons-of-war-during-1917-conflict/article_d06830ec-470c-11e6-bbe0-a75370d619e6.html

https://texascooppower.com/patriotic-peach-pits/

BOOK JOURNEY

For an inside view of Shana's book journey and how she became interested in the role of peach pits and the Girl Scouts in WWI, see Kathy Temean's blog.

GIVEAWAY

Leave a comment with your name and email address (if you are new to my blog) by July 18. If you prefer, you can email me. Let me know if you are an educator or librarian and I'll put your name in twice. U.S. addresses only. NOTE: If you don't see your comment immediately, don't worry. I screen all comments and then publish them. 

Congratulations to Michelle Tracey who won Footprints Across the Planet last week.

FLY, FIREFLY! A Review and Picture Book Giveaway

 Congratulations to Connie Saunders who won the autographed copy of JUST BETWEEN SAM AND ME from last week's blog.

With the holidays coming up, I'm going to review and give away a few more books than usual. I know that many of you give these books to your children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. I enjoy passing them along and would love if you share pictures with their books on Facebook (please tag me and Sleeping Bear Press too) --as long as their parents don't mind!

Today I have another outstanding book written by Shana Keller and illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki. Shana is no stranger to my blog but this is the first time I saw Ramona's evocative illustrations. 

With a few pictures and quotes from this rhyming picture book, I hope you will glimpse the beauty and hear the music in this story.

REVIEW

                                   to see the sea.

Attracted by bright lights in the ocean, the firefly ends up being whooshed out to sea. 

A young woman and her niece see him sink.

The woman wades in and scoops him out from the wet sand. Her niece explains to the firefly he is seeing bioluminescence swirling and twirling in the great sea. 

Cradling him in her hand, she brings him back to the tree line. 

"Trust us, you'll see. That glittering there is from the sea.

The glowing HERE is your own family.

 

 

 

CURRICULUM RESOURCE

This lovely picture book not only includes a message about the importance of "staying close" to one's family, but the back matter includes how Rachel Carson inspired this story and information about bioluminescence. Pre-kindergarten through second-grade teachers could use this book in their classrooms. See Shana's website for LOTS of ways to use this book as a resource. 

GIVEAWAY

Leave me a comment if you wish to be entered in this giveaway. PLEASE leave your email if you are new to my blog. If you are a new follower, I'll enter your name twice--just let me know! The giveaway ends on Wednesday, December 9 at 6 PM. 

Bread for Words-- A Frederick Douglass Story: A Picture Book Review and Giveaway

Congratulations to Danielle Hammelef who won Galapagos Girl from last week's blog.

As the new blog coordinator for the SCBWI-Carolinas blog, I was excited to "meet" Shana Keller through email and schedule her blog on writing picture book biographies. When she told me that her newest biography, Bread for Words was being published by Sleeping Bear Press this month, I immediately requested a book to review and give away. Beautifully illustrated by Kayla Stark, this is another wonderful picture book to add to your personal collection.  Kindergarten through 4th grade teachers should add it to their classroom libraries and use it during Black History Month.

REVIEW

Written in the first person point of view, the book opens with this remarkable statement: "I know where I was born, not when."

Frederick wasn't at all happy about giving up his freedom and although he met his brothers and sisters at the Great House Farm, he was so sad to leave his grandmother that he didn't even play with them. 

He met Daniel, the young boy who lived in the great house and they hunted and fished together. "Except for the color of our skin, it was hard to know why we were different."

Frederick wanted to learn how to read and write, but he learned early on that it was illegal, unlawful, and unsafe for him to become literate.

Perhaps it was because he showed the master's family that he was just like Daniel, he was sent away from the plantation to live with the family's kin. Conditions were better for him and the master's wife began to teach him.

But, his new master disapproved and forbade her teaching.

"From that moment, I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom. If I learned to read, I could loosen the changes of bondage."

Frederick's jobs including escorting young Thomas to school and running errands for the family. When we met some hungry boys on the streets, he remembered how it felt to be hungry and he came up with a plan. 

Frederick copied letters he saw at the shipyard and wrote them on fences, brick walls, and the pavement. He copied letters from Thomas's discarded copybooks. 

Finally, 

This inspirational book ends with a summary of Frederick Douglass' life and why Ms. Keller chose to write the book as she did. Notice in some of the illustrations above, the words in bold are Frederick's exact words taken from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. In keeping with Ms. Keller's example, I put words in bold that I copied from Bread for Words that were Mr. Douglass' exact words. 

STORY NUGGETS

As I consider writing a picture book biography, I plan to look for the nugget in each book around which the person's life (and thus the biography) revolves. For Galapagos Girl, it was Ms. Cruz's passion for her native island and animals. What do you guess the story nugget is for Bread for Words? Hint: I think there are several "right" answers.

GIVEAWAY

For a chance to win my copy of this book (which I hate to give away--but I will for some fortunate reader's sake!) please leave me a comment along with your email address if you are new to my blog. Giveaway ends on February 1. For extra chances, share this on social medial. Just let me know what you do. Continental United States Only