Picture books are delightful. I can’t get enough of them (which proves that there is no age limit for enjoying picture books). Once a month, during the school year, I am going to pull together some picture books available on SORA that are just a delight to read. I encourage you to share them with your students. You never know what conversations might be sparked, and what insights might be found.
Enjoy!
Picture books can be used in variety of ways in the literacy classroom and well-known author and educator Pernille Ripp believes,
there is no “too old
” for picture books. In her July 2015 blog post she outlines five reasons why picture books should be in every classroom and available for every reader:
To read the entire blog post you can click here.
Knowing that picture books can provide all these positives in the classroom, please take a moment to check out Pink A Women’s March Story by Virginia Zimmerman and illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma. Told from the prospective of a young girl name Lina, the story provides the reader context and history for the January 2021 Washington D.C. Women’s March. Lina learns that one small person can become part of a much wider and larger movement and that no one is ever too small to make a difference.
Beyond the lessons of perseverance and personal growth, readers will learn about taking a stand for one’s beliefs and that we all have a role to play in our democracy. Pink A Women’s March Story provides common language, makes a complex issue understandable, and is accessible for readers. To learn more about the authors and Pink A Women’s March Story click here.
Many educators (including myself) will advocate that no students are too old for picture books. Picture books, as shared by Jill Davidson in an earlier Margin Notes post, Picture Books in Gr
ades 6-12,
“…make excellent mentor texts to use in mini-lessons or to demonstrate writing techniques since you can read them more than once in a short amount of time. They can be used to develop background knowledge about a concept or topic or for quick writes and writer’s notebook responses. Picture books can invite dialogue about tough topics and complex ideas. Most importantly, though, they bring students together into a shared experience that invites everyone in the reading community to celebrate beautiful words and images.”
Daddy Speaks Love by Leah Henderson is just one of these books that will provide teachers a segue to discussing difficult topics, the sharing of ideas and opportunities for critical thinking. Motivated by the death of George Floyd during the summer of 2020 and the statement by his then six-year-old daughter that, “Daddy changed the world”, Henderson explores the relationship that fathers or father figures play in the lives of their children. Love, support, and guidance are all explored in the text, as is unfairness and injustice. The illustrations by E. B. Lewis will also provide teachers with opportunities to explore critical thinking activities, such as, “What does this picture say? What does it not say.”
Henderson’s words and Lewis’ illustrations provide a powerful and timely reflection on the state of social justice issues facing much of the world in 2022. To learn more about this book and other powerful picture books check out our K-12 Virtual Books shelves on our ASD-W Margin Notes K-12 Literacy sharepoint.
We Will Rock Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins is the companion book to the #1 New York Times bestselling book We Don’t Eat Our Classmates. Penelope has returned as the only T-rex in her class who is (believe it or not) often overlooked. Since learning that she could not eat her classmates, Penelope has made many friends at school. However, being a T-rex, as you can imagine, makes it difficult for Penelope’s classmates to “see” her rather than the dinosaur. The thoughtful use of both traditional narrative text and speech bubbles will allow children and teachers to share this book in a variety of ways. Possibilities to consider include using as a reader’s theatre or mentor text after sharing as a read aloud. However you decide to use this text, I am sure you will agree that Ryan T. Higgins has once again crafted a delightfully funny story about the fear of trying something new, self-doubt and the power of support and friendship in overcoming that fear. I bet the ending will make you smile too.
Although we often think of picture books for younger readers, there are unlimited opportunities to incorporate them into Grades 6-12 classrooms also. Because they are short, they make excellent mentor texts to use in mini-lessons or to demonstrate writing techniques since you can read them more than once in a short amount of time. They can be used to develop background knowledge about a concept or topic or for quick writes and writer’s notebook responses. Picture books can invite dialogue about tough topics and complex ideas. Most importantly, though, they bring students together into a shared experience that invites everyone in the reading community to celebrate beautiful words and images.
It can take time and money to develop an extensive library of picture books, so my advice is to start with one or two titles that you can use in several ways. Here are four of my recent favorites and some suggestions for using them in your classroom:
The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles written by Michelle Cuevas and illustrated by Erin E. Stead