Customer Reviews

A Picture Perfect Childhood

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There are only a few books that I know I'll love even before I see them - and this was definitely one. Picture book afficionado Cay Gibson serves up a delicious array of picture books of all sorts to discover and savor for yourself from your local library (and hopefully start a collection of your own as well).

I'm a big fan of picture books - especially the beautifully illustrated ones that are wonderfully in fashion at present (my habits run along the lines of prominently displaying them in our house to inspire reading, purchasing picture books to coordinate with our homeschool studies - particular in history and science, and even, occasionally, reading picture books aloud to unsuspecting dinner guests) and I'm delighted to have this great place to start to discover many more titles.

The substance of this book is comprised of essays on the value of picture books and how to incorporate them into your lives along with numerous creative and inspiring book lists. Here is a sampling of the booklists you'll find:

List for Teenaged Readers and Reluctant Readers

Children's Hour (A Twelve Month Historical Timeline along with supplementary reading in subjects like science, art, music and language arts)

Teaching Virtues Through Books

Spanning the Globe

Let's Get Cooking with Literature (Picture Books about Cooking and Recipes)

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Black History Month

Gardening Treasures

Immigration Booklist

Pioneers and Westward Movement

World War II

Christmas Booklist

This is the sort of book (further enhanced by spacious margins and room for additional notes) that I can readily imagine dragging to the library and to book sales and keeping track of which favorites we've read and which ones we own. A very welcome addition to our home library and one that also looks to be useful in making purchasing recommendations to our public library.

Though this book was written by a Catholic homeschool mom (and includes a number of fine, specifically Catholic titles), its scope is quite broad and would be of interest to many parents, teachers and librarians.

I was amazed to discover what an unbeatable resource this is for parents or anyone who wants to add beauty and imagination to the life of a child. Although we are a family of booklovers and have read many picture books, "Picture Perfect Childhood" has opened the door for me to countless new works we will long enjoy and remember. So much more than a mere "booklist," Cay Gibson brings her recommendations to life through insightful and entertaining commentary and the real voice of a mother who loves her children. She organizes her recommendations in unique ways, helping the reader to see connections and pursue favorite interests with ease.

Very inspiring.

This is a book that will remain in my purse for library and bookstore visits for many years to come. That's if my children will part with it long enough for me to pack it.

She's written another book that inspires, informs and helps parents create a reading atmosphere in their children's lives. Picture Perfect Childhood is a lovely book that incorporates essays about the value of picture books as well as many comprehensive book lists that will make easy a parent's job of choosing books. My favorite parts; the month-by-month list (I recently sat with March open while I reserved the books online at my library and purchased a few here), the spanning the world list and the Teaching Virtues Through Books.

Picture Perfect Childhood will be a valued and much used resource in any home where there are parents who are passionate about their children becoming readers.

Picture Perfect Childhood is a wonderful resource. I now have it with my library books, ready to take it with me on my library visits.

I've always wanted someone to help me pick out the best picture books. There are so many! And occasionally, we get some that are duds. And because I am quite particular, it can sometimes take me so long to find the good books.

This is where Cay's book comes in. With Picture Perfect in hand, I can easily pick out picture books by theme or idea, or whatever subject we're interested in that week, and find the excellent titles that Cay has pre-read and approved of ahead of time.

Besides book lists (which are so helpful), Mrs. Gibson also has some excellent essays on reading aloud, educating through books and much, much more. Her ideas are so clever, you want to just get to the library and start reading right now.

I highly recommend Picture Perfect Childhood for anyone who loves books or has children who love books.

Cay has really outdone herself in this little jewel. It provides the most wonderful framework for a mom/teacher to build upon in regard to topics and the picture books that support those topics. Cay's years of research, reading, weeding and pruning allow her to present a wonderful finished product to the reader, a product worthy of much time and attention.

Thank you Cay, for making my job easier! I can envision my eldest asking for my dog-eared, marked and well-loved copy one day. She'll be busy educating my grandchildren and this book will be part of her preparation.

Although I have read and enjoyed Cay Gibson's other books, A Picture Perfect Childhood exceeded my expectations. Without a doubt I can say that this the best and most helpful book I have purchased in a while.

A Picture Perfect Childhood is a book for anyone who loves children or even just art and books. It is not only a wonderful resource for finding picture books on a variety of topics or reading wonderful picture books month-by-month, but it is a wonderful presentation of the utility of picture books in a child's life... and even later on. Both the pictures (the art in the best picture books is truly beautiful) and the content in picture books are discussed in general. Mrs. Gibson included an assortment of lists as well; my favorite is Petit Fours for Mom.

This book is particularly helpful for those of us with special needs children. I find excellent picture books extremely helpful in teaching a special needs child as well as pleasing to me. The latter point is not a trivial one; I make better use of a book or resource when I enjoy using it.

This book is now at the top of my list of presents to give a new baby. This book along with one of the picture books recommended would be a wonderful start to a life of reading and joy.

I just got Cay's book in the mail. I speed read it just to get an over view. Now I am reading it slowly, savoring all the wisdom that the author has. We are a family of book lovers, but this book explains why picture books should be used for the whole family. The selection of books she has is wonderful, especially the list of picture books with recipes. The first day I ordered a dozen of her recommendations from the library. Great list for all types of families. Now I'll order more for my daughter and her children.

This book is for anyone who loves picture books. This is also for anyone who has been brainwashed to believe that it's time to set picture books aside when your child reaches the 3rd or 4th grade. There is real value in these books with powerful words and moving artwork. Cay Gibson has shared her affection for these books as well as categorized recommendations based on topic, audience, and theme. It is a treasure trove of literature suggestions that will lift up your family as you share time together discovering some previously unfamiliar gems.

This is so much more than a booklist! It will become a forever favorite at the library as well as at the bookstore; mine is right next to me at the computer!

I received this book on a Saturday and had read most of the text by Sunday evening; it was that compelling. Cay Gibson lays out a wonderful vision for motherhood and parenting through the venue of picture books. Although I have loved reading for years and do spend much time with picture books with my four children, the author was able to raise my vision and fine tune in a way I didn't expect. I came away determined to continue to read great picture books to my children until they leave home!! And the many different lists laid out by theme promise to give me some great directions to go with these picture books. A resource well worth owning.

If you're looking for great books for a unit study, or around any given theme, this is the book for you! First, Gibson recommends great books by month (for example, books about famous people born in that month). Then Gibson lists books by other topics (foreign countries, states, baseball, dolls, Civil War, etc...). The recommendations are exhaustive, and it will take us years to get thru all these books.

I am also a big fan of "Honey for a Child's Heart", but PPC has one advantage over "Honey". With "Honey", I never really knew ahead of time what the book might discuss, so it was difficult to find multiple books around any theme. PPC does this, and more!