Puppy Pickup Day Book Review + Coloring Activity + Giveaway!
Do your kids love puppies? Ours do and we have been reading Puppy Pickup Day by April Cox and Len Smith in our homeschool! This book is fun, colorful and encourages counting! We are so excited to be hosting a Children's Book Giveaway for 1 Signed Copy of this book, with Plushie and coloring book! Keep reading + Enter to win at the end of this post! Plus, check out our Author + Illustrator Spotlight!
Have you heard of The Little Labradoodle?
The Little Labradoodle Puppy Pick Up Day by April Cox is the first in a new series for children who love puppies! Follow the littlest puppy as he wakes up on the big day, excited to meet his new family! He realizes being small has some getting used too. This story opens up the world of puppies to children in a fun, colorful way, as they read about overcoming insecurities, discovering the power of kindness, friendship, and love.
We received a copy of The Little Labradoodle Puppy Pickup Day from the author, in exchange for an honest review and my preschooler was so excited to read this story again and again! With his new little puppy plushie by his side, it made the book come to life! The small puppy plushie has sweet eyes, fluffy fur and shows children what it is like to have a little puppy in their arms. This book has definitely delighted my young boys who love puppies while reading colorful stories about adventure, learning how to deal with trials and self-doubt, all with a happy ending.
Puppy Pick Up Day starts off with little Buddy, waking up excited because he knows today is the day he gets to meet his new family. All the puppies go out to play and this is the part that my youngest loves the most, as he counts all of the puppies running together.
But, Buddy has a difficult time playing the games all the other puppies are playing and feels his small size may be to blame.
He finds himself under a tree and notices the bunnies, who are small like him, so he decides to play with them instead. But soon, the bunnies lead him far from home, and he becomes lost.
Along the way, he finds the help and friends he needs to make it back home just in time to meet his new family!
Arriving safely at home, all covered with dirt, Brady begins to feel unsure if he will be accepted and loved but he finds the courage to meet his new family.
Of course, they love him and give him a bath together! Brady is so happy and glad to have found a new family.
A Wonderful Addition to Your Home Library
The Little Labradoodle Puppy Pickup Day has a variety of messages such as counting, colorful fun, lessons on friendship, helping others, and embracing new experiences, plus a fun-loving story of a little puppy's adventure on the exciting puppy pickup day!
Buy Your Own Copy Today!
We enjoyed the free coloring pages while reading this book!
You can download these coloring pages for free when you subscribe to The Little Labradoodle's mailing list!
Logan loved this coloring and counting activity because he remembered counting the puppies from this same page in the book we read earlier. I was happy with his interest, and his intent to color every puppy a different color, and then count them afterward!
While he and his bother colored their pages, I re-read the story again to them, and it was a fun story time activity for both my 4-year-old and my 7-year-old.
He was so proud of this creation, and that his brother joined in! The Little Labradoodle Puppy Pickup Day was a success with our boys, and I know we will have more fun with the next book in the series when it comes out.
Children's Book Giveaway!
I am so excited to be hosting a Book Giveaway this week, from Friday, March 8th to Monday, March 25th. Author April Cox has donated 1 Signed Copy of the Little Labradoodle Puppy Pickup Day, Coloring Book and Plushie Toy for one lucky reader!Please Enter to Win Below!
Check out this Read-aloud of Puppy Pickup Day on Storytime With Becky:
https://youtu.be/4eYR9pAxotM
Meet the Author of Puppy Pickup Day...
April Cox was born in Woonsocket, RI, and lives in Pawtucket, RI, USA, and her grandkids are the source of her inspiration for writing stories about Brady, the little labradoodle! She shares that she 'always enjoyed creative writing and rediscovered children's pictures books' while reading to her grandchildren with her little labradoodle. Brady 'was the inspiration for this book series.' April Cox recalls that 'Brady, would jump up on my lap' and soon he became the subject of some of the stories they would make up together.
"There's nothing like the feeling of a child melting into your lap and snuggling together to read a favorite book."Aprils' desire to create beautiful children's books for her grandchildren began as she wrote "The Little Labradoodle." She then wrote down some of their stories as a legacy project and "The Little Labradoodle" series was born. April then saw an opportunity to make a career change and follow her passion to create "Little Labradoodle Publishing."
"I have a passion to inspire young people and turn Little Labradoodle Publishing into a brand that helps dreams come true for many aspiring authors." - April Cox
She also offers one on one sessions with aspiring authors at no charge, which can be scheduled on her website. April says that 'sometimes an author just needs to have someone to talk to' and she understands that the amount of work that needs to be done can be overwhelming and there are so many things that need to come together during the writing process. But, having someone to talk to and cheer you on is very helpful. April is so glad to help in that area. It is one of the reasons why she created Little Labradoodle Publishing – to bring great books to life and to support the story-tellers of the future! April shares her advice to the Young Aspiring Writer: "Do a lot of reading in a number of genres and join a community of like-minded people and mentors to help you get there."
What Her Creative Process Looks like
April likes to write her stories for her grandkids and she starts by brainstorming and writing down her ideas, then shares them with her grandkids. They help by sharing ideas with her and are great at telling her the truth about whether they like what she has written or not. She then has beta readers and an advisory group to get broader feedback. April also works with her editor and her illustrator Len Smith, and they create the characters while bringing the book to life!
How exciting! We sure love the end result of all that hard work and read this book at bedtime. I too love the intimacy that comes while reading with children.
Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Shop Special Deals on all her books and products on her Website!
Meet the Illustrator of Puppy Pickup Day...
Len Smith was born in Granada Hills, Ca, and now lives in Bakersfield, Ca and is a self-taught artist. Len shares that his 'dad was an artist', and he remembers 'sitting at the kitchen table watching him draw. He had a scholarship to Chouinard Art Institute, but he became a carpenter instead". After seeing how hard his dad worked, Len 'decided to pursue drawing as a career.'Len is now a children's book illustrator who started his career in animation right out of high school. Hired on the spot based on the drawings he drew while sitting in other classes in high school, he now has over 30 years experience in children’s entertainment, from Hanna-Barbera studio to Disney Feature and TV animation to Mattel Toys. Len designed Toontown in the film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” and is also well known for his designs of the main characters for the Disney Afternoon series “Talespin” and “Bonkers” and the four-time Emmy winning series “The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh”.Most of Len's book illustration has been for Disney Publishing and Golden Books. The latest book he has illustrated is "The Little Labradoodle Puppy Pickup Day" and he shares that he could see the whole story in his head while reading the manuscript. 'I've always been good at visualizing characters and situations based on written descriptions. It's what I did as a character designer and layout artist in animation at Disney and other studios.' He shares that it is the ability to read the words, and to make the characters and pictures come to life!
What His Creative Process Looks Like
With the passion for drawing that Len has, he enjoys the ability to draw anywhere, anytime with his new found tools!
Len works from the comfort of his own home, in a cozy recliner along with his iPad Pro and Apple Pencil with the Procreate App. What he loves most about being an illustrator is being able to create whole worlds out of his imagination!
Grab the Art Tools Recommended by Len Smith:
Len's Advice to the Young Artist:
"Be passionate about creating art. Be ready to practice drawing every day until drawing becomes second nature! -Len Smith"
How true! Practice makes perfect, and since learning of the passion that Len Smith has for drawing, has inspired me to help encourage my children to find their passion, and work at it every day.
Find more from Len Smith on Instagram, and Dropr!
Thank you for reading today and Good luck to you all with this Giveaway!
