Friday, April 20, 2012

April Fool Phyllis's World Tour



April Fool Phyllis, a fabulous new picture book by author Susanna Leonard Hill, came out last month. In February, Susanna lined up a fantastic group of children's books authors and illustrators and sent Phyllis on a worldwide blog tour. This little groundhog gets to travel to various countries and to many states within the United States. While visiting each location, she learns about the local weather, meets children, sees local sites and shares her story. I feel very lucky to have been included in this event. Here is our story of her visit...

A package arrived on my doorstep on Tuesday evening. I anxiously opened the envelope and when I saw that it was April Fool Phyllis, I quickly took her out to get some fresh air. I welcomed her to Georgia and showed her the forest behind my home. She like it a lot. She wanted to meet the gopher who lives in the hole in my yard but I took her into the house to meet the family instead. My daughter read Phyllis’s story about April Fool’s Day before bed and I tucked Phyllis in for the night.



Wednesday morning, my four year old told me that Phyllis looked tired from her travels and asked if we could take her with us for a Spa Day. Phyllis rode with us to the salon. See photo. Erin got a haircut and Phyllis had a shampoo and blow dry to fluff up her fur.





















Then Phyllis, Erin, and I went to Panera for a girl’s lunch. She was curious about Chik-fil-a but I told her that it probably wasn’t a good idea for a groundhog to eat chicken. Phyllis opted for a salad at Panera.



After lunch, we took Phyllis up to the top of a very, very high street in Marietta, Georgia so she could see the Atlanta skyline. Phyllis told us that she had never been soo high up. Erin held her really high to see the skyline (on the horizon in the distance).



The weather in Georgia was a sunny 82 degrees. Phyllis predicted that it would stay sunny for another whole week and then it would get a little drizzle of rain. She was right. Erin read Phyllis’s story again before bed and read another story to Phyllis about princesses. I tucked Phyllis and Erin in together for the night.


Thursday morning, Erin carefully put Phyllis in an envelope and we mailed her off to picture book author, Corey Rosen Schwartz for her next visit. She left Georgia pampered, rested, and refreshed. Phyllis was ready to visit more families in other states and countries.

If you would like to learn more about April Fool Phyllis, check out author Susanna Leonard Hill's website or blog. This book, full of adventure, suspense, and puzzles, would be a great addition to any child's bookshelf. I highly recommend this book as a read aloud. Click HERE to watch the book trailer.

10 comments:

  1. Oooh, a Spa Day for Phyllis! What a great idea to refresh her after all the traveling she's been doing. Her fur looks great! (Erin looks great, too.)

    Great continuation of Phyllis's journey, Alison!

    (May I have a bite of Erin's bagel? It looks good. and HUGE!)

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    1. Ha ha. The bagel is a normal Panera bagel. It looks huge because Erin is little. The Spa day was a lot of fun. Phyllis needed a day of rest and pampering.

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  2. Glad that Phyllis opted for the salad :-) Looks like she and Erin became the best of pals, but hey, Phyllis is one social groundhog! The spa was a super idea, did she get her nails done?

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    1. She had her nails buffed but not painted. Phyllis was really taken with the selection of bows and ribbons. Susanna, don't be surprised if she asks for some when she gets home.

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  3. Oh my heavens! A spa day for Phyllis!? There will be no living with her when she gets home :) It's going to be all, "What exciting thing are we going to do today?" "I got to ride an armadillo with Penny!" "I got to fly an F-117 Nighthawk with Kirsten!" "I saw the Land Of Living Skies with Beth!" "I played accordion on a street corner with Joanna!" "I met Mater with Andi!" "I got to go to the spa with Alison!" etc., etc., etc..... "How come we never do anything fun or interesting?????" Thank you so much for having her, Alison, and for showing her such a good time. I admit it. I've never even taken her to Panera (although I was there yesterday :))

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    1. Phyllis is having a wonderful adventure. If I could fit in an envelope (like Flat Stanley and Phyllis), I would mail myself!

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  4. Love this. Phyllis had a very fine day.

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  5. I think Phyllis deserved a spa day after all of her world travels! :-)

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  6. Man, when I finally get Phyllis, she'll have done everything!! Seriously, wouldn't it be great if we could mail ourselves to each other?!

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  7. SPA DAY!!!! Phyllis is so lucky! I sure could use one! I can't wait to share her adventure out here in Seattle! :D

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