The Favorite Book

by Bethanie Deeney Murguia, Bethanie Deeney Murguia (Illustrator)

Overview

From the author-illustrator of Do You Believe in Unicorns? comes a sweet, colorful celebration of how we choose the things we love best.

Have you ever thought about how your favorite things became your favorites in the first place? Sometimes picking a favorite can be easy: you know from the moment you see it. And sometimes, selecting one can take a little longer as you consider all the options. The choice is yours: you can have many favorites or none at all. You might even find that your favorite changes. From colors to animals to the perfect hat, there are so many things to love . . . and even help you learn a little about yourself in the process. Playful and thought-provoking, this cheerful rhyming story encourages young readers to reflect on how they make decisions and pick their own favorite — or two.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536204469
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	10/08/2019
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	669,938
Product dimensions:	10.40(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Bethanie Deeney Murguia is the author-illustrator of I Feel Five!, The Best Parts of Christmas, and Do You Believe in Unicorns? as well as many other books. She has many favorites, including her family; her dog, Thunder; her bicycle; and fresh blueberries. Her favorite thing about favorites? There are always more to discover. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Editorial Reviews

Using fewer than 200 words and soft watercolor, pen, and ink illustrations, Murguia creates a safe place for a child-centered conversation about decision-making...the whimsical scenarios they star in easy to interpret and sometimes gently Seussian. A thoughtful, age-appropriate discussion of decision-making that could well become a favorite.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Everyone has favorites, but this cheerful picture book leads kids to think about what and how they choose them...its genial tone and popular topic make this book a great conversation starter when shared with young children, who are so often willing to talk about what they like. An appealing choice for reading aloud.
—Booklist Online

From the Publisher

11/15/2019

PreS-Gr 1—Despite the somewhat misleading title, this story does not address favorite books per se but instead focuses how one chooses a favorite item among many, whether it's a color, hat, plant, animal, or musical instrument to name a few. Told in rhyming couplets, each page features a large cast of children faced with making a choice in a particular area. While some "inspect, measure, and weigh," others "follow [their] heart" or opt to forego having a favorite altogether; some follow the group while others "start [their] own trends." An open-ended conclusion allows for changing one's mind and looking forward to "the many things in this world [one] can love." Murguia's colorful watercolor, pen and ink illustrations are somewhat reminiscent of books by Amy Krouse Rosenthal or Peter H. Reynolds, the cartoon line-drawn protagonists relatable and appealing. VERDICT This sweet and gently inspiring book is likely to appeal to a wide audience of young readers.—Yelena Voysey, formerly at Pickering Educational Library, Boston University

School Library Journal

★ 2019-06-16
Using fewer than 200 words and soft watercolor, pen, and ink illustrations, Murguia creates a safe place for a child-centered conversation about decision-making.

"How do you choose a favorite, a best?" the text inquires. "Do you examine, determine, inspect, / measure, and weigh before you select?" Or are you "the sort who follows your heart?" Maybe "you follow along and go with your friends? / Or are you the type who starts your own trends?" Young readers will see themselves in the everyday decisions pondered by characters about a favorite color, pet, sweet treat, and activity with friends. Imagine choosing a hat that's "the real you" from among a headdress of peacock feathers, a royal fascinator decorated with a dove, a castle-shaped turban, a gardener's hat (complete with a shy groundhog), and others. Or, empoweringly, deciding to skip the reptile house at the zoo because reptiles aren't your favorite. Could having more than one favorite be the best choice? It might. This quiet conversation closes with realistic, hopeful messages: "A favorite can change…if you re-select," and "there are so many things in this world you can love." The primary cast of children depicted consists of two black kids and three white ones, the whimsical scenarios they star in easy to interpret and sometimes gently Seussian.

A thoughtful, age-appropriate discussion of decision-making that could well become a favorite. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews