Picture Book 1
Wilbur’s Adventure (A Charlotte’s Web Picture Book )
Author: E.B. White
Illustrations: Maggie Kneen
Readability: F&P K, GLE 2nd, Lexile 140-500
Genre: Classic, fantasy
Theme: Safety of home sometimes better than adventure
Primary and secondary charcters: Wilbur and farm animals
Publisher: Harper Collings 1952, Renewed 2008
Awards: Laura Ingalls Wilder Award
ISBN 978-0-06-078165-1
Description:
Wilbur, the loveable baby pig from Charlotte’s Web escapes the barnyard to explore the farm at the encouragement of the goose and other animals. Farmer Zuckerman and the hired hands try, but fail, to catch Wilbur. The farmer appeals to Wilbur’s appetite—the ole pail trick. Will it work despite the warning from the goose?
Classroom Use:
This book is beautifully illustrated and written, making it a wonderful book to use for visualization and setting for both reading and writing instruction.
Text-to-self connections are also easily made through the farm setting, animals, or through the familiar feelings of being bored, scared, or happy to be back home.
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Picture Book 2
Title: Meerkat Mail
Author and Illustrator: Emily GravettAwards: n/a
Age level: K-2
Readability: FP, C-K
Theme: There is no place like home.
Genre: Adventure
Primary character: Meerkat
Publisher: Macmillan, 2007
ISBN 978-1-4169-3473-8
Description:
Sunny Meerkat gets itchy feet and decides to journey away from home where it’s too hot and family are too close. Throughout his journey he begins to think there is no where he fits in until he finally returns home. The book is filled with fun illustrations and actual postcards that Sunny sent home to his family.
Classroom Use:
This book is a classic, “There’s no place like home,” so it would be great for making connections to students about how they feel about their families and home, going away, and contentment.
Letter writing lessons could easily be used with this book as it contains real postcards. Many science connections can be made such as biome (desert) animals behaviors and habitat, and animal classification.
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Picture Book 3
Title: Willy’s Pictures
Author and Illustrator: Anthony BrowneAge Level: K-3
Readability: GLE, K-3; FP, C-I, Lexile 25-350
Genre: Picture book
Subgenre: Art
Theme: Be creative.
Primary character: Willy
Publisher: Walker Childrens, 2000
ISBN 0-7636-1323-1
Description:
This is a delightful and creative book wherein Willy, a chimpanzee, paints chimps in masterpiece paintings. At the end of the book, pictures of the original paintings with author’s notations are included.
Classroom Use:
Besides the beautiful illustrations with little monkeys that would draw in students in to the book, it would be a great tool for introducing art and/or writing prompts. Students could write the story they see in the painting (original or with the chimpanzees).
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Picture Book 4
Title: It's A Secret!
Author and Illustrator: John BurninghamAwards: 2010 Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award for Picture
Books
Genre: Picture book, fantasy
Theme: Cats have fun secret lives.
Primary characters: Marie Elaine and her cat Malcom
Readability: GLE, K-3; FP, C-I, Lexile 25-350
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2009
ISBN 978-0-7636-4275-4
Description:
Marie Elaine finds out where cats go at night. One evening when Marie Elaine gets up for a drink of water, she finds Malcom, her cat, dressed up in fancy clothes. After much pleading and a promise to keep it all a secret, he relents and allows her to join him for a cat party where the queen of cats herself will be in attendance. The neighbor boy joins the two, and they enjoy a night of adventure and a grand cat gala.
Classroom Use:
The book is a simple, fun, and whimsical story, which could be used to show how such a story can be entertaining as a study for writer's craft. It would be a great tool for writing and making predictions. Students could write about where they think Malcom was going when Marie Elaine first finds him dressed up.
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Picture Book 5
Title: A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever
Author and Illustrator: Marla FrazeeGenre: Picture Book, Realistic Fiction
Theme: Pleasure of Grandparents
Readability: GLE, 4.2; FP, Q-R, Lexile 680
Primary and secondary characters: James and Eamon, and the grandparents, Bill and Pam
Awards: 2009 Caldecott Honor Book
Publisher: Harcourt, Inc., 2008
ISBN 978-0-15-206020-6
Description:
This is a fun and realistic story about two boys who spend a week at "camp" at Eamon's grandparents house. The week is filled with indulgences that are typical of grandparents--lots of yummy food, jumping on the beds, staying up late and just hanging out together. At the end of the week, the boys create a great surprise for Bill and Pam.
Classroom Use: Most everyone can relate to spending some special time at grandparents or friend's house. The story can be a great launch to writing about friendships, summer adventures, special grandparents, etc.
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Picture Book 6
Title: The Wolves in the Walls
Author: Neil GaimanIllustrations: Dave McKean
Readability: Grade Level Equivalent 4.5; Lexile, 500
Theme: Standing up to fears.
Primary and secondary characters: Lucy and her family, the wolves
Genre:
Comedy and Humor, Horror and Supernatural, Science Fiction and Fantasy
Publisher: Harper Collins, 2003ISBN: 39602003049697
Description:
This is a scary albeit motivating story about Lucy who hears wolves in the walls of her home. Doubtful at first, the family finds out that there are real wolves in the walls that come out and destroy their home. With great courage, Lucy and her family successfully fight back the wolves and run them off. Then Lucy begins to hear elephants in the walls. The book is graphically illustrated with bold and vivid colors.
Classroom use:
The story's unpredictable and unusual style and tone make for a great lesson in how writing/reading can be unconventional and still good. Use of pictures make this story, so responsive activities to the bold illustrations are appropriate, such as how does it make you feel or use of descriptive words.
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Picture Book 7
Title: Rose's Garden
Author: Peter H. ReynoldsReadability: GLE, 2.6
Genre: Picturebook, fable
Theme: Goodwill, faith in people, kindness, hope
Primary and secondary characters: Rose and townspeople
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7636-4641-7
Description:
Rose takes a journey around the world in her teapot collecting flower seeds along the way. When she decides to end her travels and settle down, she carefully selects a spot in the crowded city to plant her garden. While away, birds eat most of the seeds. With great faith, she plants the few remaining and waits patiently for the plot to burst with color. Children begin to bring her paper flowers sharing their stories of traveling to the city. She "plants" each one. One day the paper flowers are indistinguishable from the real flowers and the community garden blooms. The story is inspired by Senator Ted Kennedy's mother who was a woman of great faith and resilience.
Classroom Use:
Introduction of fables and theme can be used with this story. For writing, it could be used as a spring board for writing about someone who inspired the writer--a tribute book. Connections can be made to traveling, having patience, and helping others.
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Picture book 8
Title: Rent Party Jazz
Author: William MillerIllustrator: Charlotte Riley-Webb
Readability: Grade Level, 2-3; FP, N;
Theme: Community, positive power of music and generosity
Genre: Historical Fiction
Primary and secondary characters: Sonny and Smiling Jack
Publisher: Lee and Low Books, Inc., 2001
ISBN: 1-58430-025-6
Description:
Based on true events during the 1920s and '30s, Sonny, a young boy in New Orleans, seeks to find help for his mother to pay the rent. After losing his before-school job selling coal, he walks the streets looking for any work when he meets Smiling Jack playing his trumpet. A conversation begin between the two that ends in Smiling Jack playing at a neighborhood party to raise money for Sonny's rent.
Classroom Use:
Many connections can be made to social studies, such as the location of New Orleans, the economic hardships of the depression era, jazz music, etc. Students could design a poster inviting people to the rent party or write responsively about how it would feel to have such hardship.
Picture Book 9
Title: Rainstorm
Author: Barbara LehmanReadability: Wordless (interest level K-3)
Genre: Wordless, fantasy
Theme: Creativity and imagination
Primary character: boy (unnamed)
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007
ISBN: 13 978-0168-75639-1
Description:
One rainy lonely day, a boy becomes bored and searches for something to do. During this quest he finds a mysterious key that opens a whole new world. Despite the absence of actual words, the illustrations speak thousands.
Classroom Use:
Prediction of events, writing the story, since it is wordless, and making inferences are appropriate uses for this book with students as well as discussion about childhood fantasy.
Picture Book 10
Title: Roller coaster
Author: Marla FrazeeReadability: GLE, K-3; FP, N
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Theme: Thrill and fun of the first time
Primary characters: Roller coaster riders
Publisher: Harcourt, 2003
ISBN: 0-15-204554-6
Description:
Are you ready to ride the roller coaster? Riding the roller coasting can bring about excitement, thrill, and anxiety. No matter what your take of the roller coaster, there is a rider shown in this book that fits the reader/ roller coaster rider. Beautiful illustrations and description makes you feel like you are riding.
Classroom Use:
Besides just enjoying a fun book, it is a great example of onamonapia. Descriptions such as clickety clackity up, up up are throughout the book.
Picture Book 11
Title: Casey at the Bat
llustrated by Christopher Bing
Text: Ernest Lawrence Thayer (Handprint)
Genre: Poetry, classic American
Readability: Grade Level, 2-3; FP, N;
Description:
This is a incredibly illustrated version of the classic poem in sort of a scrapbook style layout. There is much to be gained in the newspaper scraps and
"memorabilia" throughout the book. The illustrations provide insight as to Casey's demeanor, haughty attitude and mood of the crowd. Even though the poem is familiar, this picture book makes it fresh and entertaining as well as awe inspiring at the detail of the illustrator.
Classroom use:
This book would be a classic example of using pictures to add to comprehension and study inference. For example, Casey letting two pitches pass without evening swinging. Poetry, of course, is another classroom use with the usual lessons of rhyme, rhythm, structure, etc. It would be a good addition to a class text set on sports, baseball particularly. Additionally, this book provides a plethora of information to gain insight about life in the 1880's. A compare and contrast of today's baseball stadiums and games with the Mudville 1888 team.
