Picture Perfect Books – Featuring Hazel’s Amazing Mother

Leslie Hazel's Amazing Mother, Picture Perfect Books

Happy Summer! I hope you’re enjoying your time off. Summer is a great time to catch up on so many things that we just don’t have time for otherwise and having this extra time got me thinking about something I really LOVE – picture books. You’re right there with me, I know you are.

I have to admit that when I first starting teaching, I knew of a few children’s authors and some great books, but I had barely scratched the surface. Now, after so many years of reading story after story, I feel like I’ve gotten a handle on what books really work for me. And what I’ve discovered is that the books that really work for me fall into their own special category. I call them Mesmerizing Reads. For me, these books are the absolute best because as I read and watch my kids’ faces, I can’t help but notice how truly captured they are by the story. No one is looking out the window or playing with a dangling bracelet or elbowing their neighbour, they are engrossed in the book. And that is a magical moment for a teacher.

I think part of the reason a mesmerizing read works so well has a lot to do with how invested kids are in the story. They truly want to know what happens. And my role at that point? I READ on…

A story that mesmerizes my kids year after year is this one.

This is the story of a sweet little badger named Hazel. She heads out one morning, along with her doll Eleanor and Eleanor’s beautiful carriage, on her own little adventure. After some shopping and candy tasting, Hazel ends up in a park across town, having taken a few wrong turns.

There, she has the misfortune of meeting some unsavoury characters (bullies) who capture Hazel’s

doll and hold her ransom. The prize winning part of the story though is when Hazel’s mother just “knows” that Hazel needs her and so she comes to her daughter’s rescue in true super hero style. Wonder Woman would have been proud, trust me.

After Hazel’s mother has rescued Hazel and Eleanor, Hazel’s asks her – “Mother, how did you do it?”
to which, Hazel’s mother responds “It must have been the power of love.” As I read this page to my kids, one of my little sweethearts said “AWWWW.” She just GOT it. I reminded myself in that moment to never underestimate the understanding of a 1st grader. They will amaze and surprise you.

Hazel’s Amazing Mother is part of my Picture Perfect Books series. It’s the first in a long line of mesmerizing reads that I want to share with you.