Blackberry Banquet

by Terry Pierce, Lisa Downey

Overview

Mmm-mm! Forest animals squeak, tweet, slurp, yip and chomp over the sweet, plump fruit of a wild blackberry bush. But what happens when a bear arrives to take part in the feast? Young children will enjoy following the story by making the animal sounds, and the chaos that strikes upon the bear's arrival will surely bring on the laughter. The cumulative, rhyming text makes for a great read-aloud.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940045518680
Publisher:	Arbordale Publishing
Publication date:	07/10/2008
Series:	El banquete de moras
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	18 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Terry Pierce (Blackberry Banquet) is the author of sixteen children’s books, including picture books, easy readers, joke books, and non-fiction. Terry now writes full-time, teaches children’s writing workshops and is a visiting author at elementary schools. She also proudly serves on the Ventura/Santa Barbara regional board of the SCBWI. Terry was inspired to write Blackberry Banquet by her son (now grown) and their berry-picking family vacations in Oregon. Even though he hated bees (which frequented the blackberry bushes), he knew the lessons of The Little Red Hen and would help her to pick berries anyway. Terry lives in the high desert of California with her husband of thirty years, one goldfish, and a brown bobtailed cat.

Lisa Downey is a freelance artist and graphic designer. Although she has always been interested in illustrating children's books, it was not until she worked with an in-house design firm at a paperboard book manufacturer that she realized children's books should be her focus. The combination of illustration, design and 3D surfaces to tell a story encompasses everything she has learned and enjoys doing. Lisa's style ranges from cartoonish to very representational. Her favorite medium is pastels. Lisa has illustrated Blackberry Banquet, Julie the Rockhound and Happy Birthday to Whooo? for Sylvan Dell. She lives in the SC Lowcountry, with her very supportive husband, Len, and their cats; Pom Pom and Ophelia.

Editorial Reviews

K-Gr 3

A mouse, bluebird, squirrel, fox, and deer are all enjoying blackberries until Bear stops by for his share of the fruit. All scatter in fear, except the bluebird, who swoops in and takes the last berry right off the bear's paw. The rhyming text and repetition make this an enjoyable read-aloud: "Squirrel skips into the brambles thick./That snacking squirrel gives a great big lick./Slurp! Mmm-mm!/Tweet! Mmm-mm!/Squeak! Mmm-mm! " The illustrations give the fairly realistic animals great facial expressions that work perfectly with the text. The surprise they show when the bear arrives is a comic delight. An especially nice touch is the berry stains on all the faces-except poor Bear's. The last four pages, "For Creative Minds," offer information on blackberries, the food chain, native and nonnative plants, how plants and animals help each other, and a smoothie recipe. This section is for a variety of ages and can easily be modified to fit a specific grade level.-Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH

School Library Journal

"Perfect for reading aloud, this charming story combines fun rhymes, exclamatory sentences, and zany illustrations. - Your Big Backyard

From the Publisher