I've missed you. I have so many wonderful picture books and graphic novels to share, but I also needed to work on my own projects. You see writing picture books is a deceptive practice. You read one and think, that's so simple. I could write a picture book. Then you write and maybe you even draw. Someone reads your story and says "Well . . . It's too long, it's sounds like an adult not a child's perspective, it's too didactic, or . . . the list goes on and on and on.
I share this to explain my absence as I work through my own writing (it takes hard work and lots of time.), but also to introduce this deceptively simple Perfect Picture Book.
Title: Find Fergus
Author/Illustrator: Mike Boldt
Publisher: Doubleday, 2020
Themes: Hide-and-seek, Meta, Learning
Ages: 3 - 7
Opening Lines: The list of things to find 1. Fergus (A bear who looks like this) 2. Just Fergus
The book begins right on the end pages and ends on the back end pages. All of the book real estate is used. It is bright and silly. It's a wonderful story for young children learning the art of playing hide-and-seek.
But it's more than that. Fergus is a Bear who learns from his experiences and the hiding gets better and better. Children will also find many different animals in the story. This is a great lap sit book that will very like lead to playing hide-and-seek.
I love the colors. I love Fergus. I think he may be related to Yogi Bear. I love that this is interactive for young children. I can see an older sibling reading this with a younger sibling.
The last hide-and-seek page would make a fun puzzle.
See! We don't always think about all the bits and pieces and layers that go into creating a picture book. It's a complex process to create simplicity.
Activities and Resources:
Mike Boldt's Website
Great interview with Mike about this book.
Play a game of Hide-and-Seek.
Play outside and look for wildlife.
Color a bear. or two or three.
Coming in July is Bloop written by Tara Lazar and illustrated by Mike Boldt.
You can purchase a copy of the book through Bookshop.org or Amazon or stop into your local Indie Bookstore and pick up a copy.
Check out Susanna Hill's Perfect Picture Book Friday Blog to discover more cool books to read with your kids and add to your collection.