Everything to Spend the Night by Ann Whitford Paul and Maggie SmithWe

Everything to Spend the Night written by Ann Whitford Paul and illustrated by Maggie Smith is an ABC book published in 1999. I collect ABC books and this one is so cute. This story features a little girl going to spend the night with her grandfather. She's brought a huge travel bag full of treasures. 

She says, "Grandpa! Grandpa!

Come and see

the things I brought

for you and me - 

I packed my bag.

I filled it tight with . . .

Everything to spend the night. 

First with Apples we can share 

with Bunny and my fuzzy Bear. 

The story continues with something to represent each letter of the alphabet. Grandpa is getting tired from all the activities his grand daughter has brought along. This story has a cute ending.

This book is currently out of print but you can find it on line. 

We have received more donations for our NICU book project. I appreciate every single book we get. 

Lori Cash donated this selection to our NICU book project. I love the tiny board books; they are just right for baby hands. 

Debbie Murray sent these books. 

Kate Thompson sent us this selection. 

Thank you all so much for your generous donations. 

Link to our NICU book registry to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

Perfect by Max Amato

Perfect by Max Amato was published in 2019 and my grand kids think this book is funny.

The story begins with a clean eraser on a clean page. Pencil joins the story and starts drawing on the page, and Eraser is able to wipe out all the marks. 

The story progresses with more and more writing on the page and Eraser struggling to keep the page clean until finally. Eraser can't keep up, and the page is all in pencil. 

Eraser discovers that he can draw pictures by erasing. I liked the humor of the illustrations. 

This is a fun story that would be great to use as a lead up to an art lesson or one on working together. 

Nancy Frandsen sent 25 books for our NICU book project. Sandra Boynton books are so much fun.  Thank you so much, Nancy. 

Link to our NICU book registry to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas' debut novel, was published in 2017, and although I'd heard many good things about this book, I'd put off reading it. This book is a Coretta Scott King and a Michael L Printz Honor book.

The Hate U Give is incredibly well written. Starr Carter, the main character, witnesses the fatal shooting of one of her friends at the hands of a police officer, and the subsequent criminalizing of her friend is terrible. They call him a Thug - thus the title.

Starr lives in a poor black neighborhood, but she attends a suburban prep school. She feels pulled by both sides, and her attempts to keep her worlds from colliding don't work out they way she hopes.

This story shows the aftermath of this shooting. Thomas puts the reader right in the situation. I felt anger, I cried, and I worried about the characters.

Thomas writes about race relations in a way that is easy to relate to. She talks about poverty, about colorism, police brutality, police fear of those of color, criminalizing the victim, and bigotry.

I thought this book would be more polarizing, but it is a well written story that builds bridges. There are so many talking points. I would love to teach this book in the classroom. Kudos to Angie Thomas.

James and Wyatt Frandsen from CJF sent books for our NICU book project. Thank you both so very much. 

Link to our NICU book registry to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet

A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin  written by Jen Bryant and illustrated by Melissa Sweet was published in 2013. I had never heard of Horace Pippin. Horace was born in 1888 on February 22. His grandmother had been a slave and he had large capable hands just like she did.

Horace was a hard worker and he loved to draw and paint. He spent his early years creating pictures for those he cared about. He was often asked to "Make a picture for us, Horace."

He used natural colors, but he liked to add a splash of red to his paintings.

Sweet's illustrations fill the page with quotes by Horace and images of things from his time. Sweet made art that matches his style of art.

As a young man, he served in WWI, and he was shot in the right shoulder and it weakened his arm and hand so that he could no longer draw or paint. After some time, he regains some strength in his right hand, and he uses his left hand to brace and hold his right arm and hand up so he can continue to create art. Pippin is an example of working hard for what he loved.

I went online after reading this picture book and looked at Horace Pippin's artwork. He said, "Pictures just come to my mind and I tell my heart to go ahead; and The war brought out all the art in me."

During WWI, he journaled and drew pictures in a notebook. Here are some of those pages.

Here are some of his paintings.

A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin is a Robert F Sibert Honor book.

We've had a few more donations to our NICU book project this week.

My sweet momma, Rolean Peterson sent this collection.

Aaron Reeder sent this fun selection.

Seth Dickson sent these cute books.

My cousin, Ben Grow sent me a big box of books. Some of these will go to local little free libraries, but many of them will head to the NICU babies. 

I appreciate each book that is donated to our project. Thank you all so very much. 

Link to our NICU book registry to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Read to a child today even if that child is you.