This wordless picturebook is breathtaking! First of all, an excellent dust jacket and hard cover design; look closely at both before even beginning toThis wordless picturebook is breathtaking! First of all, an excellent dust jacket and hard cover design; look closely at both before even beginning to read through this book. And yes--even though it is wordless, this book demands close reading. It is an excellent practice in visual literacy, studying images to induce the chronicles of nature and civilization within this story's universe. Note: this is not realistic fiction. Rather, it is imaginative storytelling based on reality. I love this for its seemingly simple yet layered narrative and its expressive illustrations. I think it would be so much fun to read with children of any age....more
This is such a beautiful book about connectedness! In this, the little brown girl asks the big brown mama, "Who am I?" This book is an answer to that This is such a beautiful book about connectedness! In this, the little brown girl asks the big brown mama, "Who am I?" This book is an answer to that question, in which the mama describes how the girl is a part of nature.
The illustrations are really pleasant and the message is a great one. I like that at the end she repeats the empowering phrases to show that she now knows who she is.
Other picturebooks like this: -Remember by Joy Harjo and Michaela Goade -I am You: A Book About Ubuntu by Refiloe Moahloli and Zinelda McDonald -Be a Tree! by Maria Gianferrari and Felicita Sala...more
In the Night Garden is a beautifully illustrated book about the various sights and noises one can experience outside at night, such as a harvest moon In the Night Garden is a beautifully illustrated book about the various sights and noises one can experience outside at night, such as a harvest moon or crickets' and bullfrogs' song. While I do appreciate that each page contains a sentence at most, I do not really like contents of the text. Also, while the story does end by panning to the child falling asleep in bed, I did not like how the story was framed. What is the night garden? What is outstanding about this book, though, is the imagery. The art of this book is really superb. A book meant to be read at bedtime....more
I read this for a toddler storytime. This is a counting book told in rhyme (for the most part). I like that on the first several pages, the illustratorI read this for a toddler storytime. This is a counting book told in rhyme (for the most part). I like that on the first several pages, the illustrator included the number written on a piece of paper at the bottom of each page. You could spend a lot of time on each page finding all the squirrels and counting them and identifying their colors. However I think the book is a bit too long and never answers the primary question of "How many squirrels are in the world?" in a satisfying way. Overall, a decent book, especially for a storytime on squirrels....more
I read this for a school-age storytime. I read both this and Jon Klassen's The Rock From the Sky.
It Fell From the Sky has gorgeous monochromatic illusI read this for a school-age storytime. I read both this and Jon Klassen's The Rock From the Sky.
It Fell From the Sky has gorgeous monochromatic illustrations and selective use of color. The story is about greed and features a spider who gatekeeps access to seeing the wonder-ful marble. It seems this story is best suited to an older child, such as elementary age.
It's fun to read this alongside The Rock From the Sky because there is much to compare and contrast about these stories, such as the themes, the illustrations, and the narrative. For the craft, we did plastic "discovery jars" and each kid got to choose a rock, a marble, and a feather that we inspected with a magnifying glass and added to our jars. I told them that they could add future wonders and discoveries they found to their jars....more
I read this for a school-age storytime. I read this alongside Terry and Eric Fan's It Fell From the Sky.
The Rock from the Sky is an off-beat pictureboI read this for a school-age storytime. I read this alongside Terry and Eric Fan's It Fell From the Sky.
The Rock from the Sky is an off-beat picturebook split into five sections of mini-stories that work together to create a larger narrative. It's a little longer and definitely best for an older child, such as elementary age. It features suspense, dialogue, and subverting expectations. There are lots of activities and worksheets available through Candlewick Press, so I definitely recommend checking out those free resources online, as well as watching Jon Klassen's few-minute interview about this book (in which he describes his inspiration for this story, like Alfred Hitchcock's work).
It's fun to read this alongside It Fell From the Sky because there is much to compare and contrast about these stories, such as the themes, the illustrations, and the narrative. For the craft, we did plastic "discovery jars" and each kid got to choose a rock, a marble, and a feather that we inspected with a magnifying glass and added to our jars. I told them that they could add future wonders and discoveries they found to their jars....more
I read this for a toddler storytime. This fit the bird theme, and I like the unusual trim size, but I'm not a big fan of this. I gave all the kids jinI read this for a toddler storytime. This fit the bird theme, and I like the unusual trim size, but I'm not a big fan of this. I gave all the kids jingle bells to ring throughout the book to drive home that the cat's bell collar is what was scaring the birds away so the cat couldn't eat them. However, I think the text missed an opportunity with integrating the "jingle jingle" better. Meh....more
I almost read this for a preschool storytime, but I ended up having a guest reader for the second part of the session, so skipped this.
Green Green hasI almost read this for a preschool storytime, but I ended up having a guest reader for the second part of the session, so skipped this.
Green Green has a simple and concise narration with a good rhythm. The illustrations are very expressive and the text and images heavily rely on each other to create meaning. In the beginning, the characters love playing outside, but then the community starts changing around them and becoming more industrial. Together, they have to work to designate a community garden among all the hullabaloo of the city....more
I read this for a preschool storytime. This book is ALL about the letter S-- all of the words in it start with s. I like that the main "narration" is I read this for a preschool storytime. This book is ALL about the letter S-- all of the words in it start with s. I like that the main "narration" is in big, bold letters at the bottom of every page, with additional s words labeled in the pictures. Basically, this details the process of planting, tending, picking, preparing, and eating produce with others. It's a decent gardening or S-themed read for young ones....more
Dewdrop the axolotl offers moral support to his friends who doubt themselves, such as Mia and Newman, as they prepare for the sports fair. I love thisDewdrop the axolotl offers moral support to his friends who doubt themselves, such as Mia and Newman, as they prepare for the sports fair. I love this hybrid picturebook-in-comic style, and the illustrations are vibrant and lively. It has a great yet simple message....more
I read this for a preschool storytime. This is a great book for shapes!! Walter attempts to create a wonderful web, but each time it ends up being a dI read this for a preschool storytime. This is a great book for shapes!! Walter attempts to create a wonderful web, but each time it ends up being a different incorrect shape, such as a triangle or square. He keeps trying and eventually he combines all the shapes to form a truly wonderful web. I loved reading this with the kids. After each shape web, the kids and I tried to make that shape with our hands. Then, at the end, there was a great page in the book asking questions about the shapes, including how many sides each shape has. I was impressed that the kids were engaged with the book as they were and able to talk about sides of shapes.
During this storytime, we also sang Itsy Bitsy Spider and did a paper plate craft where they laced white string to make a spiderweb. I made little spiders out of black pipe cleaner for them to stick on their finished craft. (They loved the spiders!)...more
I read this for a preschool storytime. Alan has big, scary teeth that he uses to bully the other jungle animals, but turns out the teeth are... fake! I read this for a preschool storytime. Alan has big, scary teeth that he uses to bully the other jungle animals, but turns out the teeth are... fake! When the other animals find out, they clown him, but since Alan feels like he will lose his purpose if he isn't scaring others, the animals help him come up with alternative ways to use his teeth that are a lot nicer.
The illustrations are pretty bold and colorful, and I think this one is really funny. The kids thought it was good. I did an "A is for Alligator" activity at the end, in which the kids cut out shapes to give a sideways "A" teeth and eyes to make it look like an alligator mouth....more
Counting sheep down from ten. Accompanied by soft, green, soothing pastoral illustrations of sheep. The writing is really lovely and rhythmic. I thinkCounting sheep down from ten. Accompanied by soft, green, soothing pastoral illustrations of sheep. The writing is really lovely and rhythmic. I think this is another one that would certainly bore children to sleep. It's fine, I liked it....more
The ending of this made me laugh out loud. Poor, hungry crocodile. He travels all around, but cannot find anything to eat! But when he spots the flamiThe ending of this made me laugh out loud. Poor, hungry crocodile. He travels all around, but cannot find anything to eat! But when he spots the flamingos, he gets a tasty idea!...more
Moving Words About a Flower uses dynamic paratextual elements to demonstrate how seeds travel and can grow in unexpected places and persevere through Moving Words About a Flower uses dynamic paratextual elements to demonstrate how seeds travel and can grow in unexpected places and persevere through the elements. I appreciate how the creators blur the distinction between image and text, often incorporating the words into essential elements of the images, such as a rainbow, a boot, or a stem....more
I read this for a class I'm taking on picturebooks. This book is odd to me. The beginning and end of it detail the changes of the season that take plaI read this for a class I'm taking on picturebooks. This book is odd to me. The beginning and end of it detail the changes of the season that take place on this little island, and the pictures are really quite lovely. But it gets a little weird in the middle when this kitten shows up on the island and starts asking questions and making threats. While the illustrator creates a beautiful rendering of the flora of the island, the kitten looks very odd in comparison. I just don't understand the bit with the kitten? Then the kitten just goes away and it continues to change seasons. I don't know. I'm a little confused by it. I wish it would have left out the part with the kitten. It really disturbs the pacing in my opinion....more
This is a classic picturebook, but it just does not speak to me. The illustrations are solid, but the story is meandering and a bit illogical. I can aThis is a classic picturebook, but it just does not speak to me. The illustrations are solid, but the story is meandering and a bit illogical. I can appreciate its historic cultural value, but I cannot say I enjoy reading it....more
Loading...
