Monica Wellington’s Cheerful, Kid-Appealing Picture Books
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Monica Wellington writes and illustrates the most charming picture books and board books for children. Have you seen any? Kids love the bright, cheerful illustrations and the appealing storylines. Parents and teachers appreciate the learning opportunities within each book.
Monica Wellington’s Cheerful, Kid-Appealing Picture Books
Pay close attention in Wellington’s new picture book, Truck Driver Tom. You’ll find so many vehicles to notice — over 60! As Tom passes farms, goes up mountains, travels on highways, and over a bridge, kids are exposed to different geographic and regional features. Tom delivers his fruits and vegetables to the city store, helping kids understand the food to table process, then takes a rest in his truck bed until the next day’s delivery. A two-page spread in the back of the book shares the many vehicles for you to find within the book. I personally love the double-trailer truck with butterflies on the side.
Board book, Firefighter Frank, shows kids what a firefighter does every day. Wellington skillfully uses minimal words and her signature brightly colored illustrations, deftly capturing the essence of this popular job.
I can’t say enough good things about My Leaf Book showing a little girl who collects and identify leaves. The girl uses her Tree Guide to identify which kind of leaf it is and the tree it comes from. She finds a gingko, linden, sassafras, birch, oak, maple, and more. Illustrations of the leaves close up show both a photo image of the leaf as well as leaf prints and crayon rubbings of the leaves. Kids will be able to notice the veins, stems, and shapes with these close-up illustrations. Try your own leaf projects with the ideas at the end of the book. This this a great picture book to include in your fall themed projects and read alouds.
Annie is an apple farmer in the picture book, Apple Farmer Annie. Some apples she uses for apple cider, muffins, and applesauce. Others, the most beautiful, she sells at the Farmer’s Market. Two sentences per page make this a perfect story for all ages but especially preschoolers. Colorful illustrations with decorative borders draw readers into the story with all the details to see. And, you’ll find three delicious apple recipes at the end of the book. Yum.
In spring, read Zinnia’s Flower Garden with your kids. Read how Zinnia plants flower seeds, waits, and journals as her sprouts grow into flowers. As with all her books, notice not just the green sprouts but the other details in the illustrations like the family of robins who also are growing. The borders of the pages include information about the parts of a flower as well as the different kinds of flowers in Zinnia’s garden. The book comes full circle . . . In the fall, Zinnia finds the ripe seeds formed in the flowers which she’ll plant next year. In the winter, she plans for her spring flower garden. I bet you’ll be inspired to plant your own flower garden after reading this Monica Wellington story!
Don’t miss Crêpes by Suzette, now in an ebook app! I love this whimsical story about a girl named Suzette who makes and sells crêpes in a little cart in the streets of Paris. Readers will enjoy seeing the people and sites she visits as well as hearing music and French phrases. See a map of the city with the places Suzettte visits, get a crepe recipe, and watch a video of a sites. Ç’est magnifique!
(I reviewed this app and other story book apps here.)