Perfect Picture Book Friday/ Steamboat Annie and the Thousand-Pound Catfish

Hi all you friends!

I have news! I’m almost to 1000 followers! I need four more to meet my goal. 🙂  Right now I saw where you are at 996. This is what I see when I click on my blog from my desktop. Do you see the same thing? Can you follow me to meet my goal of 1000? All you have to do is click on the button to the right where it says subscribe and you will get an update in your inbox.  And it’s free!  Or for the second way you can become a follower is simply to click on follow, up on your Word Press bar at the top.  Cool huh?

Aand! I’m almost at 400 likes on my author Facebook page.  While you are following me please click over and *like* me on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/ClaraBowmanJahn Maybe the number will grow. 🙂

Aaand on another cool subject.  We’re working on a web page for my book “Annie’s Special Day.” As soon as it’s on Amazon I’ll make it public and share it with you. Right now the book is still only available on http://www.etreasurespublishing.com/ but the Publisher is working on getting it on Amazon. Some of you have gotten copies and I’ve received some author copies for myself. If you’d like to post a review let me know and I’ll send you a book in exchange for a review on Amazon, Kindle, Nook and Good reads. One review will do pasted in all those places. Yep! I’ll appreciate it.

So did you think I forgot about the title? Of PPBF? All this news making me forgetful? No way. Grab your mocha and donut and have a slug. Here is Perfect Picture Book Friday!

Perfect Picture Book Friday/ Steamboat Annie and the Thousand-Pound Catfish

Title: Steamboat Annie and the Thousand-Pound Catfish

Author/illustrator: Catherine Wright/ Howard Fine

Published by: Philomel Books, a division of Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers; 2001; Fiction

Themes: Tall Tales, Catfish, Humor, Foolishness, Nostalgia, Pranks, Imagination, Bravery/ courage. Animals, folk-lore tradition. Fairy tales, folk tales and myths.

Resources: For American folk art and crafts go here : http://www.ilile.org/instructionalres/Pathfinders/Americanfolkartandfolktales.htm

Russ Childers and his fiddles and Banjo make music along the Ohio River. For more on this artist musician and for a history of Steamboats and flatboats and Appalachian music go here: http://www.cincinnatiarts.org/files/uploaded/Fiddles_and_Flatboats.pdf  this is a whole pdf on music, steamboats, instruments of river music, history of Tall Tales and more. There are also activities like bragging on yourself and on making a flat paddle wheel model. This was most entertaining to read.

What the jacket says: A thousand-pound catfish? There’s no such thing! Well of course there is: His name’s Ernie and he’s an ornery, stubborn, hot-tempered thousand pound catfish at that. What’s a town called Pleasant to do when this worthless whiskered rascal and his wormy sidekick are making it downright unpleasant? Call Steamboat Annie, that’s what!

Join the singing citizens of this happy town as they cheer on Annie, and see what happens when she attempts to put an end to Ernie’s mischief once and for all, giving the folks in Pleasant something to really sing about!

Howard Fine’s distinctive, wacky illustrations are a perfect match for Catherine Wright’s rollicking tale. Told with bountiful energy and wit. Steamboat Annie and the Thousand-Pound Catfish is tall-tale telling at it’s tallest, and picture book making at it’s most fun.

First Three Sentences:  “It began in a little town called Pleasant. The folks in Pleasant were musical, in fact, uncommonly musical. Babies were born whistling, grandmas played fiddles, and the children kept time on metal washtubs.”

Why I loved it:It reminded me of Davy Crockett and Paul Bunyan. The tall tale brag is most humorous

Paul Bunyan and his cradle. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

to kids of pre teen age and I was deep into those songs at my parent’s friend’s cabin when I was ten and eleven on vacation. The swagger and brag and bringing home the bacon after swearing you’ll do it is so validating for a woman and one notices that Steamboat Annie is a woman. This book will appeal to all kids, girls and boys alike as they dream of bigger things than themselves and the world around them.

Please visit Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list on her web page for lists of books relegated to theme or alphabetical. If you are a parent, teacher, librarian or reader you can find the perfect book of your choice here.

Maybe the big brag from this book gave me the courage to ask for likes and post the

Steamboat Annie Image

http://www.etreasurespublishing.com/  web site, asking for reviews. No one can have too many reviews and people really read them. Many buying the book depending on what the review say. It just has to be honest. It doesn’t have to be something saying the book is perfect and awesome. So Yeah, I’ve gotten a little courage from Steamboat Annie. We share the same main character name. 🙂