Gina Perry – Mom Read It

Mini Doodles: Fun prompts and activities

Posted on July 19, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Gina Perry, who has written one of my most popular storytime books (Small, 2017), has turned her illustration talents to activity books. Normally, if it doesn’t circ, I pause before blogging about it, but these books are adorable and they’re super handy to have around if you want to have a program that calls for some creativity. At 8 bucks a pop, you can put some budget money in and pick up a few of these to have on hand.

Let’s Draw Dinosaurs, by Gina Perry, (June 2023, Bushel & Peck Books), $7.99, ISBN: 9781638192022

Ages 4-8

How adorable are these dinosaurs? Gina Perry’s illustration is playful and kid-friendly, and her suggestions and prompts are so much fun; it’s like she’s standing there, encouraging kids to be their creative selves: “Now, let’s just get some teeth on these dinos, what you do you think?” Some prompts are original: “Write your name in bones”, complete with bone alphabet to help provide a frame of reference. Her instructions are clear and simple, and her line illustrations are bold, clear, and easy to follow. Let’s Draw Dinosaurs is sure to make budding artists out of kids (and adults: you know you want to make an Apatosaurus valley).

Let’s Draw Magical Creatures, by Gina Perry, (June 2023, Bushel & Peck Books), $7.99, ISBN: 9781638191612

Ages 4-8

If dinosaurs leave you wanting more, Gina Perry also has magical creatures to play around with. Let’s Draw Magical Creatures is all about drawing unicorns, dragons, mermaids, fairies, and more. Easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions show readers how to create their drawings, and fun prompts offer readers the chance to engage their imaginations and put their drawings in different settings: put gnomes on stumps, have a dragon face-off, or have unicorns gallop across a field en masse. Adorable creatures, fun prompts, easy-to-read and easy-to-follow instructions: it’s all in this series.

If you’re looking to circ these, try putting those “please do not write in book” strips across the cover (we do it with our test prep books with some success). Want more Gina Perry? Visit her website, where she has activity kits and drawing sheets in the spirit of the Mini Doodles series!

Patience is hard: Now? Not yet!

Posted on May 17, 2019May 17, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Now? Not Yet!, by Gina Perry, (June 2019, Tundra), $17.99, ISBN: 9781101919521

Ages 3-6

Peanut and Moe, the two monster friends from Too Much! Not Enough! are back in another story of negotiation. The two buddies are on a camping trip, and Peanut wants to go swimming. Moe has other plans, though; thus begins the back and forth of “Now?” and “Not yet”. Peanut is dying to get in the water, but Moe is methodical: Moe wants to hike; snack; set up camp, all while Peanut bounces up and down, asking the same question, until finally, in a burst of frustration, yells, “NOW! NOW! NOW!” Moe, just as frustrated, yells back, “NOT YET!” The two friends take a break from one another, during which Peanut gets camp set up, and Moe dashes by, ready for a swim. The two finish their day by a campfire, happily enjoying one another’s company over s’mores.

Now? Not Yet! beautifully captures toddler and preschooler (okay, and many, many adults) behavior. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been out with my kids, having this same scenario play out. Every parent and caregiver will see themselves and their little ones in this story, and every kid will empathize with Peanut’s desire to do what he wants, only to be made to wait. Frustration? Kids and adults feel it, so the meltdown spread will resonate with your storytime group for sure. I’ve asked the kids in my storytime how many times they’ve felt like Peanut, and gotten loads of hollers and stomps; when I’ve asked parents if they have ever felt like Moe, I’ve gotten knowing nods and smiles. The moral of the story? Patience and compromise pay off.

Gina Perry’s books are popular with my storytime crowd: Small is still in high demand, and Now? Not Yet! really got through to kids and caregivers alike. The artwork is adorable, bright, and cherry. Peanut is small, peanut-shaped, and has floppy ears; Moe is big, blue, kind of boxy, with a long pink nose. They both have big, expressive eyes. The endpapers look like layouts of the camping excursion, each laid out by one of the duo: the front papers is more orderly, with defined art and a dotted line path to show the duo’s trip; the back papers are a hand-drawn memory of the day, with dotted lines, circling birds, campfires, s’mores, and a big lake with flippers, a beach ball, and a life preserver.

I love Now? Not Yet!, and will be putting this into regular storytime rotation. If you have toddlers and preschoolers are regular storytimes, consider adding this one. There’s a free, downloadable activity kit that includes a fun nature scavenger hunt, coloring sheets, and fun instructions to make your own indoor camping site, which I need to do with my kiddo, stat. Gina Perry’s author page has more free printables, including instructions on how to draw both Moe and Peanut.

Want more Peanut & Moe? Of course you do. Check out this adorable trailer!

Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Size matters not… Small, by Gina Perry

Posted on November 20, 2017November 20, 2017 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Small, by Gina Perry, (Aug. 2017, Little Bee Books), $17.99, ISBN: 978-1-4998-0401-0

Recommended for readers 3-7

Sometimes it’s a drag being small. It can be intimidating. In Small, a little girl goes through a day in the crowded city feeling small and overwhelmed. When ducks snatch her hot dog, she feels helpless… until a trip to a playground helps her turn it around by allowing her to embraces the positives in her life and how they make her feel big. The love of her family; her drawing ability; her fierce game – all of these and more make her big, brave, and loved.

Small is loaded with positivity. It’s a good book for preschoolers and kindergarteners on self-esteem, filled with moments kids recognize all too well: feeling like second banana to a younger sibling; fears about being lost in a crowd; of not being heard; of just feeling plain helpless. It also taps into positive moments that kids feel: the invincibility of being on a slide or the monkey bars; the power of sidewalk chalk, the power that comes from doing something for someone else. I read this to my toddler/preschooler storytime group, and they loved it! Two of my QH kiddos were captivated by the sidewalk chalk art, so we spent a couple of minutes letting everyone look at the spread and point to the different drawings. The story and the pictures resonated with them.

Author/Illustrator Gina Perry’s webpage has a free, downloadable butterfly craft and activity kit that I’ll definitely use – especially since I just saw a sidewalk art page! This is a great book for letting little ones know what a big space they take up in your life.