Mary Sullivan | The Children’s Book Review | April 24, 2017
Tuesday is the day I spend with my grandson.
He is 2.
There is some degree of fear in the days before he comes to my house.
I am no spring chicken.
Taking care of a toddler is hard.
But when the day arrives, and he appears at my pantry screen door, all fears melt away. And I am easily swept up into his world.
To him, everything is new.
And my job is to help him succeed in all that he does.
This past Tuesday, I find him sitting on my bed.
His tiny body, illuminated by the sun filtering in through the gold curtains.
I watch him as he carefully sorts through the pile of his favorite nap time books.
PJ Funny Bunny
The Watermelon Seed Hug Machine
No David
Molly and the Dentist Biscuit
…and my book, Frankie.
“Hmmmm…” he taps his tiny index finger to his mouth.
I am quiet while he chooses.
He picks Frankie.
He carefully opens the book to a middle spread and begins to read to himself. “Poooor Frankie. No bed, no bankie, no wope, no puppy.”
By looking at the picture,
he knows the story.
By seeing Frankie’s expression and posture,
he knows Frankie is sad.
“Poor Frankie”
He feels empathy.
“No bed, no bankie, no wope, no puppy.”
He feels confident.
“The En”
He closes the book.
He feels sucess.
I will always show my stories.
I will do it through the expression on the character’s face,
through their posture,
and by their gestures.
My heart is forever with the first time reader,
the english language learner
and the tired parent.
Success and confidence with books begins early.
And I want to be there to help every child succeed.
~mary
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Frankie
Written by Mary Sullivan
Publisher’s Synopsis: Frankie is EXCITED!
A new home?
A new bed?
A new ball?
But wait.
Nico is already here.
Nico’s home.
Nico’s bed.
Nico’s ball.
Sharing is hard . . .
Will Frankie find a place here too?
The latest book from the Geisel Honor–winning author-illustrator Mary Sullivan features not one but two adorable pups with big personalities as they struggle to get along and find their places in the pack. At turns humorous and heartfelt, it appears that man isn’t dog’s only best friend when there is another dog to play with . . .
Ages 4-7 | Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers | 2017 | ISBN-13: 978-0544611139
Available Here:
About Mary Sullivan
In her formative years, Mary Sullivan spent a great deal of time drawing. Though she received a BFA from the University of Texas at Austin, she considers herself a self-trained illustrator. Ms. Sullivan has shown her work at galleries and coffees shops in Dallas and Austin. She channels her considerable creative energy into projects for Highlights for Children, Scholastic, Innovative Kids, School Zone, Oxford Press U.K., Pearson and many more. Her first picture book for HMH, Ball, was a 2014 Geisel Honor Book. She lives in Cedar Park, Texas. Visit her website at www.marysullivan.com.
The article Growing Successful and Confident Readers with Picture Books was written by Mary Sullivan, author and illustrator of Frankie. For similar books and articles, follow along with our content tagged with Dogs, Picture Books, Reading Aloud, and Reading Tips.
