beauty of the picture book: five fabulous literary finds

A Collection of Literary Goodness from Around the Web

I often find some really awesome things -- blog posts, websites, new (to me) picture books, homeschooling resources -- that I would like to share with you. I sometimes share things on Google+ and I am in the process of building my Pinterest boards. Every few weeks or so, I will give you a little glimpse of that literary goodness, right here at Beauty of the Picture Book.

Affiliate links are provided for the books we love!

This week, we are ...

1. Thinking

about this super idea by Amy of Angry Chicken for building a family library.

Rather than choosing books on her own, Amy asked family and friends for one or two book recommendations at the high school or college level and that they provide a few comments about why the books mean so much to them.

photo credit: by Dustin Gaffke, creative commons license

Not knowing what books would be chosen was exciting and the thoughts about the selections turned out to be quite moving. She purchased the books on her own and designed book plates, inscribing the name of the person who recommended the book and including their thoughts about the book.

This idea is such a beautiful way to personalize a home library by connecting each treasured book to a special person in their lives.

2. Knitting

(well, wishing I knew how to knit would be more accurate).

I mean, look at this adorable ensemble knit by Jen of As Cozy as Spring and inspired by Children of the Forest by Elsa Beskow. I mentioned this crafty goodness in a previous post, but I wanted to bring it up again in case you missed it!

3. Loving

everything illustrated by Melissa Sweet.

Don't you just love that quote by Peter Golkin that she has on her home page?

We have read The Boy Who Drew Birds, A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin, and Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909. We even played the perfect springtime board game, Gathering a Garden, that she designed for eeboo.

4. Homeschooling

with my hands-down favorite language arts resource.

I get parenting and homeschooling inspiration from the Brave Writer blog, daily writing tips from Julie Bogart's newsletter, and guidance for becoming a writing mentor to my children from the coveted Writer's Jungle. If you want to become an ally (as opposed to the enemy) for your children in the writing process and in homeschooling, in general, then the Brave Writer philosophy and lifestyle just might be your cup of tea.

5. Participating

in National Poetry Month by submitting poems and illustrations encapsulating

all things "Mother" for an anthology to be published in July.

My kiddos' illustrations are ready to be scanned and submitted, but I'm still waiting on some poetry to be written. I can't wait to see what they come up with!

Julie also posted about National Poetry Month and a children's poetry contest at Preschool Powol Packets.