To anyone who thinks writing for children is "easy", let them try to match Vulture View in content, simplicity, rhyme, and rich vocabulary. April Pulley Sayre has done a masterful job of incorporating all these elements into this book which is beautifully brought to life by Steve Jenkins' paper-cut collage illustrations. Even though each page contains a limited amount of text, Sayre manages to teach a lot about turkey vultures; what they eat, what they don't eat, how they find their food, when they look for it, and how they clean up after eating. And vocabulary! How often does a K-2nd grade child hear the words reek, tilt, seek, fragrant, and preen? The rhyme and gentle rhythm of the text make this book a great read-aloud. A big thumbs up for Vulture View!
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs By Mo Willems New York: Balzar + Bray, 2012. Picture Book. "Once upon a time, there were three hungry Dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur . . . and a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway. One day--for no particular reason--they decided to tidy up their house, make the beds, and prepare pudding of varying temperatures. And then--for no particular reason--they decided to go . . . someplace else. They were definitely not setting a trap for some succulent, unsupervised little girl. Definitely not!" --Editor Smart Vs. Strong! Written by Jill Esbaum Illustrated by Miles Thompson New York: Simon Spotlight, 2021. Easy Reader. 64 pages. "When Thunder gets stuck in quicksand, Cluck uses his smarts to free his friend." --Editor How Dinosaurs Went Extinct Written by Ame Dyckman Illustrated by Jennifer Harney New York: Brown and Company, 2023. Picture Book. "When a child in a museum asks how dinosaurs became extinct, Dad co
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I'm glad you like Vulture View. I enjoyed watching vultures and hawks soaring as I drove through Utah last year.
Perhaps I will visit schoolchildren in your state next year. Charlesbridge, the publisher of my new book, Trout Are Made of Trees, is having a nationwide environmental project/art project contest for K-3. The winner gets a school visit from me.
www.aprilsayre.com