Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Ask me by Bernard Waber illustrated by Suzy Lee





Ask me what I like.

What do you like?

I like dogs.

I like cats.

I like turtles.

And so begins a walk and a conversation between a small girl and her father. He is patient. He is wise and above all he gives his little girl the glorious gift of TIME. The little girl observes the world and uses her observations to list all the things she likes - lightning bugs, butterflies, flowers, merry-go-round horses, ice creams, seashells, the colour red, rain and stories. Oh and at the end:

Ask me if I want a good night kiss.

Would you like another good night kiss?

Yes I would like another good night kiss.

Good night.

Good night.

I have talked about Korean illustrator Suzy Lee in previous posts. She is especially famous for her wordless books. Bernard Waber is famous for the book series Lyle Lyle crocodile. The original book was first published in 1962. Ask me was published posthumously. Bernard Waber was born in 1921 and he died in 2013. Ask me (2015) seems to still be available but it is very expensive.  I do hope you can find a copy in a well stocked library. I don't usually give stars to picture books but I just had to put 5 stars here in the hope that catch your eye!

I am going to chat with my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything about starting a Pinterest of books like Ask me.  In her recent blog post she said:

Our students are missing out on what literature is all about - relationships, what it is like to be human, understanding how to  relate to others who've had experiences similar to their own, and different to their own. 

Here are some other books that promote conversations:


















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