Perfect Picture Book Friday

June 7, 2019

On Fridays I bring you Perfect Picture Book Friday! I link up with Susanna Leonard Hill’s amazing group of authors and children’s literature bloggers and bring you a book too good to miss!

My choice this week . . .

Lubna and Pebble

by Wendy Meddour

Illustrated By: Daniel Egneus

Publisher:Dial Books for Young Readers, 2019

Ages:5-8

Themes/Topics: Refugees, Friendship, Families

Opening Line:

Lubna’s best friend was a pebble. It was shiny and smooth and gray.

 

Brief Synopsis: A pebble found on the beach becomes a girl’s best friend when she lands in a “World of Tents.” Lubna soon makes friends with Amir, who shares her feelings of being scared and lonely in a place of uncertainty. When it is time for Lubna to leave, she passes along Pebble to Amir—a selfless gift of friendship.

Why I Like This Book: I love books with multi-layers and this is one! Each time you read you discover another golden nugget! It’s hard to read this book without paying attention to the illustrations, but the text (less than 350 words) is so powerful, it could stand alone and the story would still leave an impact.

The simple text with big heart shows a warm relationship between a girl and her father . . .

Then she fell asleep in Daddy’s salty arms.

and the need to express one’s feelings in fearful situations . . .

Pebble always listened to her stories.

Pebble always smiled when she felt scared.

The father-daughter relationship and the gentle heart of a little girl are central to the theme of friendship and understanding.

Daddy said, “Come close, I’ll keep you warm.”

“What if Pebble gets a cold?”

“That must never happen,” said Daddy.

He went and found a shoe box and a tea towel.

 

And the ending—a full circle that makes you smile.

Links To Resources:

Check out more of Wendy Meddour’s books here.

Talking about refugee camps is a difficult discussion. Here are some activities for families to help children learn about refugees.

Just like Lubna passed on a simple pebble to Amir, simple activities and handmade gifts can build friendships.

Check out this book study for Lubna and Pebble here. Printable worksheets, common core alignment pages, activities, and reading strategies. Extensions are endless!

For more perfect picture books and accompanying resources, check out children’s author, Susanna Leonard Hill—the brainchild of this awesome idea! Teachers, parents, gift-givers, grandparents, writers and anyone else that finds a picture book good company will be delighted to find books listed alphabetically and sorted by theme for easy reference. Thanks, Susanna!