John and Ann Hassett's Books for Children
This hippopotamus thinks Nana Quimby’s hat makes a perfect pillow for sitting on. Uh-oh!
“PreS-Gr 1–This terrific beginning reader is imaginative, funny, and charming. The text is predictable and accessible, and the cut-paper and ink art matches it perfectly. Children will want to read this one again and again. A must-have for both classrooms and libraries.–Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VAα(c) Copyright 2013.”
“This excellent early reader will send new readers’ confidence soaring.
Ben had a balloon,” begins the spare text, accompanied by a picture rendered in cut paper and ink showing Ben holding a red balloon aloft. The next spread shows only the lower portion of Ben’s body at the top of the page as his sister, standing on the ground below him, says, “Bye, Ben.” Ensuing pages show Ben soaring higher and higher up into the sky as first a window, then bees, a tree, a kite, a big hill, rain and a rainbow all call out, “Come back, Ben.” The repetitive text will reinforce new readers’ engagement, while Ben’s consistent smile (a simple, small u shape) provides reassurance that he is untroubled by his ascent into the sky—even when he reaches a smiling moon who says, “Hi, Ben.” Ben collects moon rocks in his pockets, and their weight triggers his descent back to Earth, past all of the things that called to him as he rose up to the heavens. When he returns to his home, art on the penultimate spread shows Ben waving from his window, “Bye, balloon,” he calls, but the balloon is absent from the page. A supremely satisfying page-turn shows Ben’s sister sailing upward while holding onto the balloon’s string. “Bye, Ben,” she calls.
Drawing a frog is harder than you would think. They’re all folded legs and arms and googly eyes.
But drawing millions of frogs turned out to be fun.
Sketches of all the characters are drawn until they seem just right.
Each illustration is drawn over and over. Whoever invented erasers was on to something.
Nana Quimby and I spent a lot of time in her kitchen. She baked a cake. I painted frogs.
Have you ever been told that pickles are made from frogs? They are not.