Re: Hit:Picturebook eval.

[SusanR50 <SusanR50@AOL.COM>]

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IHi Everyone,
   Here is my hit for Picturebook evaluation .
Thanks everyone.
Susan Roscoe
LMS
Duffield School
Ronkonkoma,NY
Susanr50@aol.com


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when I taught children's lit, a few things I told them that others might =
not
suggest to you are:  (these suggestions would help a teacher or librarian
decide if a book would be good to read to a classroom)

Do the text and the illustration appear on the same page?  (Some books, l=
ike
Susan Jeffers' _Thumbellina_, have a two page spread with no text, then l=
ots
of text on the preceding or following page).

Is the text written inside or outside the illustration?  Sometimes words =
are
actually written in the illustration and are hard to see.

Can the pictures be seen easily across the room, or will you have to move
around the room to let everyone see?

I am on my way to an all-day workshop.  Let me know if you don't get much=
,
and I'll write you again from school on Monday, where I keep my class not=
es.


    I have had my fifth graders make picture books for several years. The=
 first
thing I have them do is gather together all their favorites and immerse
themselves in them. Then we make our own list of what makes a good pictur=
e book.
Of course you can get this criteria from any college kiddie lit text, but=
 it is
not nearly as interesting or relevant as what the kids will come up with.=
 I also
like to use the books, Talking with Artists (interviews with picture book
illustrators like Weisner, Van Allsburg, Ehlert, etc. in two volumes).

What do you think makes a good picture book?  That's how I do it with the=
m.
Think about the aspects you look for in a picture book.  Show several of
your favorites that have different art styles and talk about why each is =
a
good picture book.


My personal opinion is a good picture book speaks to people of all ages a=
nd
is not for small children only.





Here is a lesson on Picture Book analysis for a Junior or Intermediate gr=
ade.
(Could be part of a children's lit review for highschool students as well=
.) I
used it for a class that was about to make picture books for their readin=
g
buddies.

Lesson 1
I collected (mostly new books) books that had interesting endpapers. I ha=
d
enough for the whole class. We sat in a circle and I wanted them to first=
 look
at the front cover to tell me what the book was about from the picture an=
d
title. They then were asked to identify the author,  illustrator, call nu=
mber.
(some were from dewey shelves)
We then looked at the inside of the book, focusing on the endpapers front=
 and
back. Were they different, the same and what was the connection to the bo=
ok. We
went around the circle and each had a quick turn sharing. Some books simp=
ly had
coloured endpapers that indicated the tone or topic of the book. e.g. blu=
e for
arctic, winter gold for fall. Others had pictures, maps repetative graphi=
cs.

We then looked at the verso. We talked about the copyright date and the f=
ine
print that usually only librarians take notice of!

Lesson 2 (Long period)
I again collected a bunch of books in these categories: (I listed them on=
 a
hand-out with a chart below. the chart included the following headings: T=
itle,
Author, Picture Book Category, Explanation (Brief description)
The categories are:
1.    Concept books: e.g.Alphabet, counting, shapes, Days of the Week,
Opposites, etc.
2.    Repetitive Sequence (I went walking, Brown, bear, brown bear)
3.    Cumulative Sequence (e.g. The House that Jack built)
4.    Chronological Sequence (e.g. Morning, Noon, Night)
5.    Stories in Rhyme (Poetry, Song, Rhythm)
6.    Traditional Literature: Foltales, Fairy Tales, Nursery Rhymes
7.    Realistic Picture Books
8.    Animal Fantasy (Real or Toy animals as characters)
9.    Linear Story
10.    Circular Story

I handed out the sheet and did a book talk about each type of book. I pas=
sed
around the books. (Students in circle again)

I gave the teacher a selection of longer stories to read over a few days.=
 e.g.
The Napping House, Babes in the woods and a collection of realistic ficti=
on
(some with sensitive issues)e.g. Grey Fox, I'll always love you, Meggie's=
 Magic.

Lesson 3
Students brought back their sheets and they worked on filling them out. B=
ooks
were spread out on tables for them to peruse.
We talked about how a book could be in more than one category. Many made =
this
discovery. The napping house is a good example of this.

--
Pat Elliott
Teacher/Librarian
Ferndale Woods Elementary School
Barrie, Ontario Canada
(home) mailto:pat.elliott@sympatico.ca
(school) mailto:ferndale@sympatico.ca

------------------------------





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