February Picture Books

I know some of you believe that I have dropped the ball.  And I have.....but not as much as you may think.  Let me explain myself.  I decided at the beginning of January that I would get a month ahead on my children's picture book posts.  It seems silly to send out ideas of holiday books when the holiday is already upon us.  So, I elected to skip any January books (even though I had a couple of great ones in mind) and just go straight to the February post.  However, I didn't want to post is too soon because that also seemed silly.  I'm sure you can see where this is going.  Here it is February 1 and I am just getting it done.  Not to be deterred, though, I plan to post March's books next week.

I know that tomorrow is Groundhog's Day, but if you want to celebrate next week, here are some good book ideas:  Groundhog Day! by Gail Gibbons is a factual book about the holiday, how it is celebrated, and some trivia on groundhogs themselves.  Gail Gibbons is well known for her children's nonfiction books an a variety of subjects, several holidays being among them.  I don't love all of them, but this is a good one. 

   

I think Substitue Groundhog by Pat Miller is great.  It is a cute story about a sick groundhog who needs a subsitute to help him on February 2nd.  Different animals all come to try out and ultimately Groundhog chooses the best one to fill in for him.  The end of the story is the best!  After the substitute predicts the weather he asks Groundhog how he feels.  His response echoes my sentiments exactly! 

Valentine's Day is next up in February.  Saint Valentine by Ann Tompert is about the origins of the holiday and St. Valentine.  This man lived in ancient Rome during the reign of Claudius II.  He was a priest.  Most of what we know about this man is legend since there are not records remaining of his life.  It is fun to learn about him and why we celebrate Valentine's Day the way that we do.
                                       
And, the last holiday in February is President's Day.  I shared several resources about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln last year, so this year I decided to share a fun book about the president's job.  The thing I love most about If I Were President by Catherine Stier is that when I first read it I said, "Oh yeah, he does do that," repeatedly as I remembered all the traditional presidentail duties that aren't normally thought about.  Yes, the president lives in the White House and promises to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States".  But, he also delivers the State of the Union address every year, is guarded by the Secret Service, and tosses the first pitch of the baseball season.  This book is accurate, informative, and entertaining. 
                                           
Happy Groundhog, Valentine's, and President's Day!!!

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