Picture Books

A slightly-larger-than-mini lesson

Beth Friese

EDIT 6340 - Spring 2007

First, A Brief Personal History

Sources for this Mini-lesson

Definition / Description:

• "A picture book in its purest sense refers to a book that relies solely on illustrations to convey its message" (Temple, Martinez, Yokota & Naylor, p. 177)
• "A broader definition includes books in which the illustrations combine with text to create a message" (Temple et al., p. 177)
• "A universal definition of a picture book is hard to pin down, but one thing experts agree on is that the interplay of narrative and illustration is fundamental to the book as a whole" (Matulka, 2005)
• Picture books are appropriate for use in every grade level P-12

Elements:

• 32 pages is standard (though titles can be 24-48 pages or longer)
• In a picture story book, illustrations integrate with the narrative to bring story to a satisfying conclusion
• Word count is generally less than 500 words. Although picture books can have over 2000 words or have none at all, as is the case with wordless picture books.
• Overall design serves to build a relationship between the text and the illustrations, this includes the front matter, back matter, and the book jacket (Matulka, 2005)
  

Selection Criteria:

• relationship to curricular / selection objectives (including leisure reading and lifelong learning)
• age appropriateness of content to potential patrons
  • picture books are becoming more sophisticated and some will not be appropriate or usable by every school level
• accuracy and currency of content (especially Informational Picture Books)
• freedom from stereotypes (exception: when the stereotype itself is being studied)
• quality of text and illustrations
• durability / binding
• attractiveness of layout and design (Van Orden, 2001)

Subcategories of picture books:

• Toy Books (Pop Ups, etc.)
  • Sabuda, America The Beautiful
• Concept Books (Alphabet, Counting, Shapes, Colors, Grammar)
  • Jenkins, Actual Size
• Wordless Books and Picture Books with Minimal Text
  • Lehman, The Red Book
• Beginning Reader Books (Predictable Books, Easy Readers, etc.)
  • Lobel, Days With Frog and Toad
• Picture Storybooks (the most prevalent and familiar type). There are subsets of each of the following, as well as additional categories not listed here
  • Fiction
  • Informational Literature
  • Traditional Literature (Folklore)
  • Biography
  • Others (Poetry, etc.)

Sources / Vendors:

• Most major vendors will have picture books among their offerings, unless they are a specialty supplier (Follett, Bound to Stay Bound, Baker & Taylor, Amazon, etc.)
• Be sure to look for small jobbers to develop a well-rounded collection (especially important for diversity)

Tips for use:

• Introduce a unit with an excellent picture book
  • Good for building and assessing background knowledge
• If you're reading picture books with or to students, be sure to rehearse your reading ahead of time

Personal Recommendations for Developing a Picture Book Collection:

• Network / share ideas with other local SLMSs to stay current
• Read reviews in major publications (SLJ, Book Links, etc.)
• Check out the award lists (ALA, Orbis Pictus, GCBA)
• Seek recommendations and requests from learning community
• Include everybody nonfiction in your collection, elementary MSs!

Instructional Uses of Picture Books Include:

• Modeling enjoyment and appreciation of literature (read-alouds)
• Modeling of fluent reading (important for struggling readers)
• Allowing students to see themselves and their stories as important
  • A poem to illustrate this point: "Surprise", by Beverly McLoughland

The biggest

Surprise

On the library shelf

Is when you suddenly

Find yourself

Inside a book --

(The hidden you)

 

You wonder how

the author knew.

 

• Providing opportunities for students to pursue personal interests
• Providing examples for investigation of literary and artistic conventions (Mini-lessons)
  • symbolism, elements of specific genres, literary devices
• Exploring difficult issues in a non threatening way
• Giving students a "quick look" at topics before making decisions about research, etc.
• Understanding cultural values (our own and that of other cultures)
  • Folktales
  • Character Education

 

Other Resources:

Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site:

• http://www.carolhurst.com/subjects/curriculum.html

Picturing Books: A Website About Picture Books

• http://picturingbooks.imaginarylands.org/

Subject Indexes: (online, A To Zoo)

IRA Book: Teaching With Picture Books in the Middle School; Iris McClellan Tiedt (many more examples available)

The Books:

Personal Interest:

• It's Disgusting and We Ate It: True Food Facts from Around the World and Throughout History; James Solheim and Eric Brace (ill.)
• City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction; David Macaulay
• The Chimpanzees I Love: Saving Their World and Ours; Jane Goodall

Literary Elements:

• The Mysteries of Harris Burdick; Chris Van Allsburg

Japanese Internment:

• So Far From the Sea; Eve Bunting and Chris Soentpiet (ill.) (will be at GCLC)
• Children of the Relocation Camps; Catherine A. Welch
• Baseball Saved Us; Ken Mochizuki and Dom Lee (ill.)

Holocaust

• Always Remember Me: How One Family Survived World War II; Marisabina Russo
• Six Million Paper Clips: The Making of a Children's Holocaust Memorial; Peter W. Schroeder and Dagmar Schroeder-Hildebrand
• Who Was the Woman Who Wore the Hat?; Nancy Patz
• Willy & Max: A Holocaust Story; Amy Littlesugar & William Low (ill.)

Slavery and Civil Rights:

• Christmas In the Big House, Christmas In the Quarters: Patricia C. McKissack, Fredrick McKissack and John Thompson (ill.)
• Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom; Carole Boston Weatherford and Kadir Nelson (ill.)
• Show Way; Jacqueline Woodson and Hudson Talbot (ill.)
• Goin' Someplace Special; Patricia C. McKissack and Jerry Pinkney (ill.)

Other Cultures and Immigration:

• Tea With Milk; Allen Say
• All The Way to Lhasa: A Tale from Tibet; Barbara Helen Berger
• Tibet: Through the Red Box; Peter Sis

Research Ideas:

• Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought); Kathleen Krull and Kathryn Hewitt (ill.) (there are several others in this series about presidents, athletes, women, etc.)
• A Picture Book of Paul Revere; David A. Adler (Picture Book Biography)

Character Traits:

• The Little Engine That Could; Watty Piper and Loren Long (ill.)
• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; Judith Viorst and Ray Cruz (ill.)

Sources:

Heard, G. (1999). Awakening the heart: Exploring poetry in elementary and middle school. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Matulka, D. I. (2005). What is a picture book? Retrieved February 8, 2007, from http://picturingbooks.imaginarylands.org/

Temple, C., Martinez, M., Yokota, J., & Naylor, A. (2002). Children's books in children's hands: An introduction to their literature. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Van Orden, P. & Bishop, K., (2001). The collection program in schools: Concepts, practices and information sources. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.

The content and opinions expressed on this Web page do not necessarily reflect the views of nor are they endorsed by the University of Georgia or the University System of Georgia.