bill glaister's picture books for older readers

Curriculum LaboratoryBill Glaister’s Picture Books For Older Readers

The de&inition of a typical picture book is a book in which the picture is as important as the text. This is a genre based on a physical format, so it can contain titles from many of the other genres. It includes picture books, illustrated storybooks, wordless storybooks, concept books, and informational books. In picture books, both text and illustration are fused together, to provide more than either can do alone (the whole is greater than the sum of the parts). Illustrated story books are different from picture books in that the text can stand alone and the illustrations are secondary to the text, yet complements the text. These books are generally up to 48 pages in length.

Believe it or not picture books are not just for small children. A well-‐written picture book skillfully blends great storytelling with outstanding pictures, which often add considerable depth and complexity to the written story. Many picture books are written at several different levels, so they can be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

There are many reasons that can be used to justify using picture books with older students:

1) Picture books can present complex ideas in a concrete manner, so they can serve as a great way to introduce some of these complex ideas.

2) Picture books can introduce different cultural viewpoints or moral issues, so serve as a great way to start discussions on these topics.

3) Picture books are fun, so are a great way to lend a little humor to your teaching.4) Many picture books can present complex literary or grammatical devices in a way students can understand, so they can be used as

a launching board into more complex formats such as novels, etc.5) As mentioned above, picture books are a format genre. Therefore picture books also Cit into all the other book genres, so can be a

great way to introduce these other genres, and their conventions, to older students.6) Picture books can be used as models for your student’s own writing efforts.7) Wordless picture books can be great story starters for budding authors. 8) Because most picture books are great examples of artwork, they can also be an excellent resource for budding artists of any age.

Initially, you may need to justify or “sell” the concept of using picture books with older students. Besides sharing some of the reasons above, I have often given the students a choice of starting with a very “thick” complex book (which looks like a great deal of work on

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their part), or starting a unit with a thin, manageable picture book. At least in my junior high classes, the argument of reduced effort on their part means I have never had any major objections to using the occasional picture book.

Glaister, B (2009) . Ten reasons to use children’s literature across the curriculum. Retrieved March 4, 2011, from the University of Lethbridge Curriculum Laboratory website: http://www.uleth.ca/edu/currlab/handoutsnew/litlinkshandouts/integratingliteraturereasons.html.

Kristie, K. (2004). Using picture books in middle school. Westminster: Teacher Created Materials. CURLB 813.5 Chr.

Gives the user many practical graphic organizers that can be use Cirst with picture books, and then with more complex novels or non-‐Ciction titles. The organizers include: cause and effect, character analysis, characteristics, compare and contrast, fact or Ciction or opinion, main idea and supporting details, plot, predictions, setting, etc.

Picture books for older readers. Retrieved March 18, 2011, from the Children’s Literature website: http://www.childrenslit.com/childrenslit/th_picbkolder.html.

Tiedt, I.M. (2000). Teaching with picture books in the middle school. Newark: International Reading Association. CURLB 813.5 Tie

An excellent and comprehensive resource for using picture books with older students. Chapters include: Sharing our literary heritage, promoting reading development, stimulating thinking talking and writing, extending student knowledge about language and literature, understanding and appreciating diversity, and stimulating creativity.

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http://www.uleth.ca/edu/currlab/handoutsnew/litlinkshandouts/integratingliteraturereasons.html




http://www.childrenslit.com/childrenslit/th_picbkolder.html




Key:

Books by Canadian Authors or PublishersBooks with a particular Canadian Identity

Author: Title: Date: Collection Availability:

eBook Availability: Description:

Bouchard, David

If you’re not from the prairie

1993 811.54 Bou Visual and poetic journey across the

prairies. “If you’re not from the prairie, You don’t know the sun. You can’t know the sun…”

Cronin, Doreen

Click, clack, moo: cows that type

2000 F Cro BookFLIX

Caldecott Honor Book, 2001. Farmer Brown’s cows &ind a typewriter in the barn, so they start sending him demands he will not meet, which leads to a strike. It sounds plausible to me! What a great and quirky title to use to talk

about the labour movement and animal/human rights.

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Demi

One grain of rice: a Mathematical folktale

1997 398.20954 Dem

A simple peasant girl tricks the Raja into giving her enough rice to feed the people. She simply asks for one grain of rice, doubled each day for thirty days. If you are curious, it comes out to more than a billion grains of rice. The stunning

artwork is inspired by traditional Indian miniature paintings. This title could be used in

the grade 3 unit on India, as well as any mathematics lesson. For a lesson using Excel

to plot the rice’s growth, see http://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/EMT668/EMAT6680.F99/

Martin/instructional%20unit/day4.exponential/excel/grainofrice.html.

Gaiman, Neil

The dangerous alphabet

2008 F Gai

A treasure map, pirates, monsters, disgusting eating habits, and an alphabetic adventure. This title is sure to give younger readers nightmares, hence it is on this list!

Gaiman, Neil

Crazy Hair

2009 F Gai

I put this book on this list, because I have hair envy now. I always wanted to have crazy hair, where gorillas sleep and tigers stalk. Alas, all I have now is a crazy, shiny globe up there, and no animals. Woe is me, but I will still live

vicariously , through the wonders of literature.

Gaiman, Neil

The wolves in the walls

2003 F Gai

There are wolves in the walls, which is scary enough, but when they start to come out, it is up to Lucy to save the day. This title is sure to give the faint of heart a few nightmares. The illustrations by Dave McKean remind me of a

graphic novel.

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http://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/EMT668/EMAT6680.F99/Martin/instructional%20unit/day4.exponential/excel/grainofrice.html










Gerstein, Mordicai

The man who walked between the towers

2003 791.34 Ger BookFLIX

Caldecott Medal, 2004. A book that remembers the grandeur and tragedy of the twin towers in New York, as it celebrates Philippe Petit’s 1974 tightrope walk between the towers. This title could easily lead into a discussion of the engineering of the towers, and/or the terrorist attack on New

York.

Heller, Ruth

Fantastic! wow! and unreal!: a book about interjections and conjunctions

1998 428.2 Hel

Heller as written a series of titles which are all a fun way to introduce literary devices,

including: Behind the mask: a book about prepositions; Kites sail high: a book about verbs; Many luscious lollipops: a book about adjectives; Merry-‐go-‐round: a book about

nouns; Mine, all mine: a book about pronouns; Up, up, and away: a book about adverbs. These are all found in our collection under

428.2 Hel For more picture books recommended for teaching literary devices, see our website at: http://www.uleth.ca/edu/currlab/handoutsnew/literarydevices.html.

Innocenti, Roberto

Rose Blanche

1985 F Inn

Mildred L. Batchelder Award, 1986. A young German girls curiosity leads her to discover horrors far worse than the privations the war is causing her friends and family. She discovers

a concentration camp .

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http://www.uleth.ca/edu/currlab/handoutsnew/literarydevices.html






Jenkins, Steve

Actual size

2004 591.41 Jen FollettShelf

The author illustrates the actual size of animals, both large and small. Steve Jenkins is well known for his dynamic illustrations done in collage artwork. we also have many of his other titles in our collection, including Animal Poems, Prehistoric Actual Size, What Do You Do When Something Wants To Eat You?

Johnston, Tony

The worm family

2004 F Joh

They are squiggly and skinny, and like to sing loud worm songs, so they are unwelcome, wherever they go. Besides being weird, this book could be a great and quirky way to start talking about tolerance, celebrating our

individual differences (or worms). Discover the glory of worm!

Jonas, Ann

Round Trip

1983 F Jon

A toy and movable, upside-‐down book where the &irst half of the story is read right-‐side-‐up and front-‐to-‐back, and the second half is read

upside-‐down and back-‐to-‐front.

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Macaulay, David

Black and white

1990 F Mac

Caldecott Medal, 1991. Four stories or one story? Readers must carefully look at all the clues to answer this question. One of the subject headings for this titles is Literary

Recreations, which brings up many titles that encourage puzzles, games and activities

involving language.

Macaulay, David

The way things work

1988 600 Mac

From zippers to elevators to toilets, David’s famous artwork deconstructs the mysteries

and origins of the machines around us. He also has authored many titles dealing with buildings, tunnels, pyramids, etc.

Macaulay, David

The way we work: getting to know the amazing human body

2008 612 Mac FollettShelf A visual journey through the workings of the human body.

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Palantini, Margie

Piggie pie!

1995 F Pal

Gritch the Witch wants so Piggy Pie, so she &lies off to Old MacDonald’s Farm, but there are no

pigs to be found. Where could they be? Perhaps the wolf knows. This is another

Twisted Tale.

Prelutsky, Jack

Scranimals

2002 811.54 Pre

The nonsense verse of Jack Prelutsky is combined with the pictures of Peter Sis in this fantastic adventure to Scranimal Island, where animals and plants are combined. What a great way to teach and write about animal

adaptations.

Prelutsky, Jack

The gargoyle on the roof

1999 On orderPeter Sis and Prelutsky team up again in this poetic tribute to all the creatures that give us

nightmares.

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Ransom, Jeanie Franz

What really happened to Humpty?: from the &iles of a hard boiled detective

2010 F Ran FollettShelf

“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.Humpty Dumpty was pushed.”

Can Humpty’s brother solve the mystery? The suspects include Little Miss Muffet, the spider,

Goldie, and Chicken Little.

Say, Allen

Grandfather’s journey

1993 F Say

Caldecott Medal, 1994. A japanese man recalls his grandfather’s journey to America, and the love of two very different countries. This an interesting title to begin a discussion on cross-‐

cultural experiences in the classroom.

Schnur, Steven

Summer, an alphabet acrostic

2001 508.2 Sch

Autumn, an alphabet acrostic is available on FollettShelf

Schnur has also authored other acrostic poetry books on Spring, Winter, and (you guessed it) Fall. These are great examples for teaching this

poetic form at any grade level.

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Scieszka, , Jon

The frog prince continued

1991 F Sci

A “twisted tale:” Search this term in your library catalogue if you want to &ind similar titles. The frog prince does not live happily ever after, when he is transformed into a

prince. He keeps thinking of &lies, and other frogly thoughts. What can be done?

Scieszka, , Jon

Science verse

2004 F Sci

“Mary had a little worm.She thought it was a chigger.But everything that Mary ate,

Only made it bigger. It came with her to school one day,

And gave the kids a fright,Especially when the teacher said,

"Now, that's a parasite."This is great poetry!

This is a great book for any science or creative writing class. It is very tastefully done.

Scieszka, , Jon

The true story of the three little pigs

1999 F SciThe three little pigs story is told from the

wolf’s point of view. This is another “twisted tale.”

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Service, Robert W.

The cremation of Sam McGee

2006 811.52 The Yukon is brought to life, both in

Robert Service’s famous poem, and Ted Harrison’s striking artwork.

Sis, Peter

A small tall tale from the far far north

1993 F Sis

A visual feast outlining Jan Welzl’s probable adventures in the Arctic, and the exploitation of the Inuit. The epilogue talks more about Jan, the writer of tall tales. This title is only marginally Canadian, in that it covers much more than just the Canadian north, but it is such a beautiful artistic

montage of the north, I am giving a Canadian &lag anyway.

Sis, Peter

Tibet through the red box

1998 951.5 Sis

Coldecott Honor Book, 1999. A father lost in Tibet and a small boy lost without his father. This history becomes a very personal tale of

Tibetan adventures.

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Sis, Peter

The wall: growing up behind the iron curtain

2007 943.704 Sis

“I was born at the beginning of it all, on the Red side—the Communist side—of the Iron Curtain.” Sis uses illustrations, maps, and journals to share his experiences growing up behind the crumbling iron curtain.

Tan, Shaun

The arrival

2006 F Tan

A wordless graphic novel, which instills in the reader the confusion and wonder of being an immigrant in a strange land. For more books

of this type try searching your library catalogue for Graphic Novels, or Stories

Without Words.

Uchida, Yoshiko

The bracelet

2002 F Uch

The authors’s own story of being uprooted from her home, and placed in a Japanese internment camp in WWII. The afterword

gives more information on this dark episode in our history.

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Van Allsburg, Chris

The widow’s broom

1992 F Van

A witchly tale about a magical broom, and how it deals with the bullies that attack it. Chris Van Allsburg is the master of the mysterious.

His books are well known for their illustrations, which are great story starters for

aspiring authors.

Van Allsburg, Chris

The wretched stone

1991 F Van

The crew of a ship bring a strange stone on board, which has a terrible transforming effect on most of the crew. Chris Van Allsburg is the master of the mysterious. His books are well known for their illustrations, which are great

story starters for aspiring authors.

Van Allsburg, Chris

The polar express

1985 F Van FollettShelf

Caldecott Medal, 1986. A holiday classic, where a magic train transports a boy to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Chris Van

Allsburg is the master of the mysterious. His books are well known for their illustrations, which are great story starters for aspiring

authors.

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Van Allsburg, Chris

The mysteries of Harris Burdick

1984 Oversize F Van, F Van

“For those who thought themselves as unimaginative, this book will prove the

opposite. Even the most reluctant imagination, when confronted by these drawings, will not be able to resist solving the mysteries of Harris Burdick. Chris Van Allsburg is the master of the mysterious. His books are well known for their illustrations, which are great story starters for aspiring authors. This title is

available in poster or picture book format. One of the subjects of this title is “Plot -‐your-‐own-‐stories,” which will lead you to many more

titles in our collection that encourage creative writing. Try also searching the subject heading

Stories Without Words.

Van Allsburg, Chris

The sweetest &ig

1993 F Van

A dentist’s dreams come true, after he receives two magic &igs in payment for his work. He

hopes to use the last &ig to become rich, but his dog may have other ideas. Chris Van Allsburg is the master of the mysterious. His books are well known for their illustrations, which are great story starters for aspiring authors.

Van Allsburg, Chris

Jumanji

1981 F Van

Cadecott Medal, 1982. A game board brings everything that happens on it to life. Chris Van Allsburg is the master of the mysterious. His books are well known for their illustrations, which are great story starters for aspiring

authors.

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Van Allsburg, Chris

Zathura: A space adventure

2002 F Van

On the last page of the book Jumanji, a boy is seen with a game tucked under his arm. It is a space adventure game, where each roll of the dice brings the events in the board game to life.

Chris Van Allsburg is the master of the mysterious. His books are well known for their illustrations, which are great story starters for

aspiring authors.

Watt, Melanie

Chester

2007 F WatAmelia Frances Howard-‐Gibbon

Medal, 2008.Chester the cat keeps interfering, as the author tries to write a story about a mouse. Excellent

title to teach point of view.

Wiesner, David

Flotsam

2006 F Wie

Caldecott Medal, 2007. A boy &inds a camera that has washed up on the beach. When he

develops the &ilm in it, the pictures reveal many strange sights from around the world. This is a wordless picture book. For more books like this search your library catalogue for Stories

Without Words.

Wiesner, David

Freefall

1988 F Wie

Caldecott Honor Book, 1989. A boy dreams of dangerous adventures inspired by the objects around his room. This is a wordless picture book. For more books like this search your library catalogue for Stories Without Words. Try all of David Wiesner’s books, even the ones

with words!

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Wiesner, David

Sector 7

2000 F Wie

When a boy visits the Empire State Building on a cloudy day, he is whisked away to Sector 7 by a cloud, and he discovers the wonders in the sky. This is a wordless picture book. For more books like this search your library catalogue

for Stories Without Words.

Wiesner, David

Tuesday

1991 F Wie

“A visual burlesque of the improbable” in graphic novel style. “This is almost a wordless picture book. For more books like this search your library catalogue for Stories Without

Words.

Wisniewski, David

Golem

1996 398.21 Wis

Caldecott Medal Book, 1997. Four hundred years ago, according to legend, a Jewish

teacher shapes a giant of clay, in order to stop those who are persecuting the Jews. This story warns us all about the dangers of unleashing

power beyond our control.

Young, Ed

Lon Po Po: a Red-‐Riding story from China

1989 398.20951 You BookFLIX

Caldecott Medal, 1990. An ancient Chinese version of the European Red Riding Hood story. Ed Young has also created Yeh Shen, a Cinderella story from China. For some very unusual versions of well known tales, try the subject heading Twisted Tales in your library

collection.

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bill glaister's picture books for older readers

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