How many times have you found a little tweet that has fallen out of it’s safe nest in the tree and landed on the ground. You are sure that an old cat is going to come along and eat it. What in the world do you do with it? One of the questions that will get your creative juices flowing is to ask yourself, “Self” “What would happen if…….? The Answer is pure genius. “Tom’s Tweet” written by Jill Esbaum and illlustrated by Dan Santat. What if that little tweet was found by a big old surly Tom cat? The tweet would never see the sneaky old Tom cat coming. What would happen next? Would you have to shield the eyes of your young ones while you read them the book? What would the mother bird do? Would we find out that Tom would actually have a heart? The story is great and the illustrations are so fun. I listened to the illustrator, Dan Santat present at the 2012 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference in New York. One of the things he said was make sure that your product is the best. The illustrations in this book are the best. They let you glimpse into the personality of Tom and the little tweet and tell the story deliciously. There is no way you could walk past the cover illustration on this picture book and leave it on the shelf. The book will leap into your arms and become a favorite.
Here we are reading “Tom’s Tweet”
Creative Question: What would happen if you tried to read a picture book to four young ones at the same time? Answer: Chaos. Definition: the confused unorganized state of primordial matter before the creation of distinct forms, a confused mass or mixture.
Run out and order this book from one of your local book stores. Here are a few suggestions: The King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City, The Purple Cow in Tooele, Dolly’s Bookstore in Park City. Barnes and Noble at various locations. Support your local book stores and help a picture book writer and illustrator buy a tweet.