This Book of Mine written by Sarah Stewart with pictures by David Small is a perfect treasure of a book that gently whispers truths about owning and loving books. The title page gives children a peek at the comfort of books with a picture of a cat snuggled on top of his pillow of stacked stories.
The highly-praised team of Stewart and Small honors the importance of books by looking at the various uses and needs for books at all ages: a lap baby uses a book to chew on as she listens to her Mother’s vocal sounds as she reads to her, a little boy in bed with a flashlight secretly snatches more of the narrative from the book he has been reading, a girl with crayons and paper draws images from the book she has just read, a man happily snuggles his nose deep in the printed pages and one reader imagines she is performing the story aloud in a theatre packed with people! In each case, the book with its story, words, information and feelings is paramount.
All of these reasons and needs for stories are, of course, the great beauty of reading. David Small honors this beauty by using soft lavender and deep purple colors to gently move the lovey action along and he uses bright red, yellow, blue and green book covers to remind the reader of the important element here, namely, the book. Most of the pictures span a double page as the stories and pictures walk hand in hand. The illustration of readers from multicultural backgrounds all reading on the steps of the library is powerful. The cover of the book shows two figures captivated by reading—the girl is in a big old stuffed chair and the boy is stretched out on the carpeted floor just below.
This Book of Mine written by Sarah Stewart with pictures by David Small is perfect for kids 3-6 years of age, their families and anyone who has made friends with books (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2019).
The Children’s Bookshelf is a production of WCMU. A link to the podcast and the activity questions can be found at Children’s Bookshelf dot org.
Questions and activities for This Book of Mine
Have you ever loved a book so much you felt like saying the words out loud from the top of your voice? Study the picture of the person in this book who does exactly that. How can you tell she is performing with much feeling? What would she be doing if she were not performing? Can you imagine what the concert hall would look like full of people?
Which book do you love so much that you would like to sing it out loud? Words spoken can be powerful but words sung can often raise emotions to an even higher level. Go ahead and sing the book you selected. Don’t be shy. Have fun! How did it make you feel?
On the cover of this book a girl is reading in an overstuffed chair and a boy is reading stretched out on the carpet. Where is your favorite place to read? Could it be under a tree, on a beach, in a library or in bed? Think about it? Now draw a picture of you reading in your favorite spot.
How many “book friends” do you have? Remember the books that help you fall asleep, make you laugh, help you learn new things, take you to new places and such. Make a list of your “book friends” and add to that list throughout the year. Parents can help.
