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Some New (and some Old) Picture Books for Reading and Writing

9/26/2016

As a teacher, there's nothing better than finding a picture book that you can use to teach a concept or use as a mentor text for young readers and writers. Here are a few new books that either just came out or are coming out soon. And a few newer books (that came out a year ago that are just so good they are worth mentioning in this post.)

One Day, The End by Rebecca KaiDotlich

(From Amazon)
“One day. . . I went to school. I came home. The end,” says our storyteller—a girl with a busy imagination and a thirst for adventure. The art tells a fuller tale of calamity on the way to school and an unpredictably happy ending. The genius of this picture book is that each illustration captures multiple, unexpected, and funny storylines as the narrator tells her shorter-than-ever stories, ending with “One day. . . I wanted to write a book.” An original and incredibly deep combination of text and art invites readers to make up stories of their own.

A Squiggly Story by Andrew Larsen and Mike Lowery

(From Amazon)
A young boy wants to write a story, just like his big sister. But there's a problem, he tells her. Though he knows his letters, he doesn't know many words. ?Every story starts with a single word and every word starts with a single letter,? his sister explains patiently. ?Why don't you start there, with a letter?? So the boy tries. He writes a letter. An easy letter. The letter I. And from that one skinny letter, the story grows, and the little boy discovers that all of us, including him, have what we need to write our own perfect story. This picture book from award-winning author Andrew Larsen playfully and imaginatively explores a young child's process of learning to express himself. It promotes the idea that stories are available for everyone to tell, whatever way we can, and will inspire pre-readers to try writing stories of their own. The lively, fun illustrations by Mike Lowery incorporate story panels with dialogue bubbles, adding visual texture. Also helpful, the boy's story is shown both as he actually writes it --- with just a few letters, some punctuation marks and typographical symbols --- and as he imagines it. Celebrating self-expression, self-discovery and imagination, this book would enhance an early language arts lesson on writing, particularly on the parts of a story. It beautifully highlights the exciting worlds that are opened up when children begin to read and write. In a sweet touch, the boy and his sister model a close and supportive sibling relationship.

How This Book Was Made by Mac Barnett
(From Amazon)

You may think you know how this book was made, but you don't. Sure, the author wrote many drafts, and the illustrator took a long time creating the art, but then what? How'd it get into your hands? Well, open the cover and read through these pages to find out. Just beware of the pirates and angry tiger.

New York Times best-selling creators Mac Barnett and Adam Rex reveal the nitty gritty process of making a book . . . with a few unexpected twists along the way! Budding writers and artists will laugh at the mix of reality and the absurd as the story makes its way to a shelf, and a reader.

Ideas Are All Around by Phillip C. Stead

As an author and his dog, Wednesday, walk through their neighborhood, they look at sunflowers, say hi to Frank, a turtle, who makes quick for the water and disappears, and watch a train rumble by as they walk uphill to a big purple house that belongs to their friend Barbara. Wednesday chases squirrels while the two friends discuss fishing and war and how back before the neighborhood was there enormous woolly mammoths roamed where houses now sit.
Thoughts open up to other thoughts, and ideas are born and carried forward, often transforming into other ideas until he finds that ideas really are all around, you just have to know what to do with them. This title has Common Core connections.

A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers

(From Amazon)
New York Times best-selling author-illustrator Oliver Jeffers and fine artist Sam Winston deliver a lyrical picture book inspiring readers of all ages to create, to question, to explore, and to imagine.

A little girl sails her raft across a sea of words, arriving at the house of a small boy and calling him away on an adventure. Through forests of fairy tales and across mountains of make-believe, the two travel together on a fantastical journey that unlocks the boy’s imagination. Now a lifetime of magic and adventure lies ahead of him . . . but who will be next? Combining elegant images by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston’s typographical landscapes shaped from excerpts of children’s classics and lullabies, A Child of Books is a stunning prose poem on the rewards of reading and sharing stories—an immersive and unforgettable reading experience that readers will want to pass on to others.

I Am a Story by Dan Yaccarino

(From Amazon)
Internationally acclaimed author-illustrator Dan Yaccarino presents a powerful picture book that celebrates storytelling—from the past to the present and beyond.
From cave drawings to the invention of the printing press to our digital age, discover how a story has been told in many different ways from the past to today. It’s always been around, making us happy, sad, excited, or scared and bringing people together. With simple text and delightful illustrations, Dan Yaccarino reminds us of the power of story.

Daniel Finds a Poem by Micha Archer

(From Amazon)
Stunning collage art full of rich color, glorious details, and a sense of wonder—reminiscent of the work of Ezra Jack Keats—illustrate this delightful story celebrating the poetry found in the world around us.

What is poetry? Is it glistening morning dew? Spider thinks so. Is it crisp leaves crunching? That’s what Squirrel says. Could it be a cool pond, sun-warmed sand, or moonlight on the grass? Maybe poetry isall of these things, as it is something special for everyone—you just have to take the time to really look and listen. The magical thing is that poetry is in everyone, and Daniel is on his way to discovering a poem of his own after spending time with his animal friends. What is poetry? If you look and listen, it’s all around you!

Shy by Deborah Freedman

(From Amazon)

A dazzlingly beautiful new book about shyness from the author of Blue Chicken, The Story of Fish and Snail, and By Mouse and Frog!

Shy loves birds. He'd love to watch them fly and hear them sing, but he's only ever read about them in books. . .until a real bird comes along. He's dying to meet her, but there's just one problem: Shy is, well, shy--so shy, in fact, that he's afraid to leave the gutter of the book. Can Shy overcome his fears and venture out onto the page?

This sweetly relatable picture book from the acclaimed Deborah Freedman speaks to every child who's ever felt like hiding instead of facing the daunting world.

Some Writer! The Story of E.B. White by Melissa Sweet

(From Amazon)
“SOME PIG,” Charlotte the spider’s praise for Wilbur, is just one fondly remembered snippet from E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. In Some Writer!, the two-time Caldecott Honor winner Melissa Sweet mixes White’s personal letters, photos, and family ephemera with her own exquisite artwork to tell his story, from his birth in 1899 to his death in 1985. Budding young writers will be fascinated and inspired by the journalist, New Yorker contributor, and children’s book author who loved words his whole life. This authorized tribute is the first fully illustrated biography of E. B. White and includes an afterword by Martha White, E. B. White's granddaughter.

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Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick, illustrated by Sophie Blackall

9/19/2016

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By Mira Reisberg

Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick and illustrated by Sophie Blackall tells a heartwarming tale of how a Canadian veterinarian picks up and cares for a young bear cub that later becomes the inspiration for the Winnie the Pooh stories. The story is narrated by Lindsay herself as she tells a bedtime story to her young son Cole, starting with Cole’s great-great grandfather Captain Harry Colebourne joining the Canadian World War Two effort as a veterinarian. But rather than following Harry, the story follows the young bear cub Harry picks up at a train station that he names after his hometown of Winnipeg, nicknamed Winnie. We tag along with Winnie on her journey from Canada to England, from Harry’s care to the London Zoo, and eventually to her friendship with AA Milne's son Christopher Robin Milne.

Lindsay’s story is told in an intriguing way—having a narrator tell a story to their child from a relative’s point of view, only to find out halfway through that the story follows a different character after all. So it's really two stories back to back and three if you include teh story of the relationship between the mother and the child.! And the language is beautiful, listen to this, "The train rolled right through dinner and over the sunset and around ten o'clock and into a nap and the next day, until it stopped at a place called White River."

The back matter in Finding Winnie is also fantastic—historical photos, notes, record cards—it’s all there to help bring the story to life. It’s a truly wonderful way to show where the inspiration for one of the world’s most beloved children’s characters came from while also exploring deeper themes of history, war, animal care, and family love.

Sophie does a fantastic job of illustrating Winnie’s story with a very natural palette, working with shades of brown, grey, blue, green, pinks, and yellow. Her full spreads of landscapes are truly awe-inspiring showcasing her mastery of portraying near and far distances in a small amount of space, encouraging the idea that readers are really looking out across the countryside.

Here's a wee video show and tell about this wonderful book. For some reason a little bit of the right side is cut off but am working on it. Sigh. Still, I'd love to hear your thoughts about this book and video review. And please share it with your friends.

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T0P Ten Ways to Make a Kid HATE WRITING

9/12/2016

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10. Never Let Them Choose What They Want to Write About – It probably isn’t educational or worth reading if they choose it. Plus you can find 100 cute writing prompts on Pinterest for them.

9. Always make sure everything is spelled correctly and their handwriting is formed perfectly- Even for brainstorming, because you are taking a grade on it.

8. Never let them spend too much time on brainstorming. If they aren’t writing as soon as you give them the prompt they are surely just daydreaming and wasting time.

7. Never let them talk during writing time. (Even if they say it’s about their writing.) If they are discussing their writing with others that’s considered cheating!

6. Never let them look in a book to copy how an author wrote something. They are just being lazy and again… CHEATING!

5. Never give them actual time to write, just assign it and expect them to turn it in tomorrow.

4. Never show them how to write. Just assign it. There isn’t time to show them anything since grammar worksheets take up your entire writing block.

3. Always use a red pen or red sharpie when correcting their papers. And make sure you tell them EVERYTHING that is wrong with their paper. How else are they going to learn if you don’t tell them?

2. Always make sure they follow the writing process: brainstorm, first draft, second draft, final copy. (This guarantees they have recopied it at least three times plus they don't know the difference between revise and edit and there isn't time to show them.)

1. Always give them an exact word or page count of exactly how long their writing should be. If you don’t they will most likely try to write you a poem to avoid doing any real writing.

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September 12th, 2016

9/12/2016

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Due to technical difficulties we will resume our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow where I will be discussing the truths about writing. Stay tuned.

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Mondays with Mira: The Airport Book GIVEAWAY!!!

9/5/2016

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By Mira Reisberg

Welcome to another wonderful picture book. This one is so good that we are doing a giveaway of it at the bottom. Brilliant author illustrator Lisa Brown’s The Airport Book is a fun-filled read about a family’s airplane trip where the reader is with them every step of the way. One of the best parts of this book is easily the diversity contained on every page but there's so much more. The main family the story follows is biracial, and you can see the rest of the recurring characters come from a wide variety of backgrounds and lifestyles as well. Nearly every page is filled with bright, colorful characters that travel with the main characters throughout the book, giving readers the ability to follow many of their stories as well. Lisa does a wonderful job of capturing the feel and craziness of an airport in the sense that there’s a lot going on and much to see wherever you look. Readers can definitely relate to the multiple characters as they go through security, wait for their flight, and enjoy their ride.

Even though on the surface this book is a simple trip to the airport and travel on a plane story, it holds phenomenal complexity in the multilayered story and images as we visually follow a great cast of characters throughout and the luggage's journey as well where the family's little girl's sock monkey has its own adventures.There's lots to see and love. Children who have never flown on an airplane will love learning what happens when they board a plane and they'll also be fascinated by all the activity and people present at airports. Even well-traveled flyers will look over the pages with remembrance of past trips and want to reread this delightful book over and over again. Lisa Brown does an absolutely wonderful job of depicting the chaotic nature of airports without making it overwhelming.

And now for a quick sneak peek video of this wonderful book and what makes it work followed by our easy peasy Giveaway question:

I'm a huge nonfiction fan, so for today's giveaway, I'd love to hear about your favorite nonfiction picture book and why it's a fave.. :) Also, please share this giveaway with your mates by simply clicking one of the social media icons to the left!

AND WE HAVE A WINNER!! Thank you everyone who answered the giveaway question, we have some lovely recommendations here and I'm absolutely looking forward to reading your favorite nonfiction books as well. It was a very difficult decision to choose just one winner, so I had to ask my assistant to make the final call. Congratulations goes to Claire B Cotts as the winner of our The Airport Book giveaway with her recommendation of The Blood Hungry Spleen, and Other Poems About Our Parts by Allan Wolfe and illustrated by Greg Clark. I looked it up and loved it so much I ordered my own copy, so be sure to check it out! Thank you, Claire!