by Catherine Johnson, @CatherinePoet
It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday time, the brainchild of the lovely Susanna Leonard Hill. A huge list of picture books can be found under the perfect Picture Books tab on Susanna’s blog which is a great resource for librarians, teachers and children’s writers.
The Pea Blossom written by Amy Lowry Poole and illustrated by HC Andersen,
Holiday House, April 2006, Fiction re-telling of Hans Christian Andersen’s Five Peas From One Pod.
Suitable for: 3-8 year olds.
Themes/topics: Ambitions, dreams, similarities and differences.
Opening:
Once upon a time, in a small garden near the great city of Beijing, there were five peas in one shell. They were green, and they believed that the whole world must be green, for that was all that they knew.
Synopsis:(Amazon)
In a small garden near the great city of Beijing, five peas rest patiently in the same shell. As the pears grow, so do their dreams. One pea longs to fly to the sun and another to the moon. Two more hope to dine with the emperor. But it is the smallest pea whose journey transforms the life of a mother and daughter. Exquisite paintings on rice paper and an eloquent retelling bring together Eastern and Western traditions and lend a new meaning to a familiar story.
Activities: Children’s books about Chinese traditions, a million links here with activities based on ambitions.
This is a beautiful re-telling and a gentle book that is ideal for bedtime reading.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | Amy Lowry Poole, Catherine Johnson, Perfect Picture Book Friday, Picture Books, Stories for children, Susanna leonard Hill, The Pea Blossom
I do so love that book’s opening.
It really sets the scene well doesn’t it. I love stories that infer more than the sum of their words.
That sounds like a wonderful story! Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure!
What a stunning book. The cover is so beautiful. I love the message and story. Like the east-west flavor. Great choice for today. Will look up this one.
Isn’t it funny how you get a vibe for the book from the cover and how well the illustrators portray the vibe of the book.
I love east meets west, and this is such a cute story and will be loads of fun for kids. Thanks for sharing Catherine.
Me too, Diane. I tried to do that with my Cheeku story. This is a nice gentle one.
This sounds so lovely, Catherine! I really want to read it. Thanks so much for adding it to our list!
I hope it made it on the list, Susanna. I tried twice. I think you have bouncers on your blog
This sounds like a lovely story, and I, too, like the east-west flavor of it. Thanks, Catherine!
Cute! I love the idea of the book
I’d like a green world – RAIN! Nice post Catherine.
What a gorgeous cover! Thanks for sharing this, Catherine!
I love the illustrations and the story is inspiring.