Beth Anderson, Children's Writer

Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday! Here’s one of my new favorites that’s layered with fun.

Title: Douglas, You’re a Genius!

Written and illustrated by: Ged Adamson

Schwartz and Wade 2018

Suitable for ages: 3-7

Themes/topics: STEM, ingenuity, cooperation, perseverance

Opening:

Nancy and Douglas were playing ball in the backyard, when Nancy hit one too hard.  “Oops!” cried Nancy. “There it goes.” 

Overview:

Pals Nancy and Douglas think their baseball game is over after their ball rolls through a hole in the fence. But when the ball rolls back, followed by a note in an unfamiliar language, they have to discover who’s on the other side of the fence. And so in a series of truly outrageous–and hilarious–stunts, Nancy tries to launch, vault, and fly Douglas over to the other side to see what’s what. Finally, after all Nancy’s plans fail, Douglas gets histurn to execute a plan–and it works! And who do they find? New friends who speak Spanish. Readers will laugh out loud at the antics in this zany picture book, which proves that working together makes everything more fun.

Activities and Resources:

Make a plan to get over the wall using things you have access to in your house. 

Use a building set of some kind to create a way to get over the wall. Work with a partner and share your ideas.

Think of another obstacle such as a river. Create a way to get across.

Building Bridges Engineering Activity 

Why I like this book:

This book is chock full of fun! I love the spunky characters. I love that the girl takes charge but then gives credit to the dog for an unexpected great idea. I love the STEM layer, powered by curiosity, resourcefulness, ingenuity, and perseverance, that features diagrams of all sorts of contraptions. I love the multicultural layer complete with a Spanish glossary. And the illustrations are really irresistible. On top of all that there’s friendship, pets, and cooperation. WOW!

Ged Adamson, you’re a genius! 

You can visit the author HERE.

Visit author Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Books for a plethora of picture books listed by title and topic/theme, each with teacher/parent activities and resources.