FAQ: Why Read Wordless Books?

Posted on 06/21/2012

If we’re trying to help our kids learn to read, why read wordless picture books? Isn’t reading all about letters and words?

Yes and no.

Reading is: to inspect and apprehend the meaning of writing or other signs or characters. (Thanks, dictionary.com based on the Random House dictionary!) So, reading a book means gaining meaning from the words and from the pictures.  Here are some key reading skills kids build when they read wordless books:

  1. Comprehension as they follow the story shown in the pictures
  2. Print concepts (we read top to bottom, left to right)
  3. Sequencing
  4. Inferring
  5. Predicting
  6. Vocabulary

How can a wordless book build a child’s vocabulary? Research led by professors Sandra Gilliam, Ph. D. and Lisa Boyce, Ph. D. from the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services at Utah State University showed that mothers used more complex language when sharing a wordless book with their children than they did when they made comments while reading a book with words.

(Utah State University Study Shows Parents Are More Engaged With Their Children When Reading Books Without Text June 07, 2011, www.Businesswire.com retrieved June 15, 2012)

And of course, the most important reason to share wordless books is because these books draw kids into a world where even those who struggle with letter recognition can successfully read a fantastic story.  Here are three of my favorites:

For the youngest readers:

Chalk by Bill Thomson (Marshall Cavendish, 2010) Thomson’s photorealistic art always amazes me. Three children find a bag of chalk on the playground. When they start to draw, their pictures come to life! Have plenty of chalk on hand after reading this book, and make space on your driveway for your sure-to-be-eager artists.

For transitional readers:The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (Little, Brown & Co., 2009) This book won the Caldecott medal, with good reason. It is a gorgeous “retelling” one of Aesop’s fable.  Young ones will enjoy the art, and older ones can discuss the deeper layers of the fable.

For older readers:

Robot Dreams by Sara Varon (First Second, 2007) Wordless books aren’t exclusively for “little kids”. This graphic novel is over 200 pages and deals with themes of friendship, loss, and forgiveness.

Beyond Boundaries: Summer Reads

Posted on 06/19/2012

MALI  UNDER THE NIGHT  SKY,  A LAO STORY OF HOME written and illustrated by Youme Landowne,  is the true story of the Laotian-American artist, Malichansouk Kouanchao, who fled Laos with her family as civil war became the reality of bombs, soldiers, machine guns and grenades.  The story is narrated by Mali as she describes her family’s escape and journey to safety.

“The world was big – ngaii….” Mali says and their journey was long. Before leaving their homes, the travelers met with the rest of the villagers. They tied brightly-colored strings around each other’s wrists – soag sai – as a reminder that wherever they might be, their hearts would always be together.

The colorful illustrations depict individual children as their lives are about to abruptly change: “quick, quick, vai  vai!”   The voice of Mali, the child narrator, is captivating and hopeful.  The reader is invited to walk with Mali as she says good-bye to her grandparents, the delights of the daily market, the soothing sounds of her village.

Mali under the Night Sky, recognized as a Stepping Stones Honor Book, was published by Cinco Puntos Press, 2010.  Mali and her family eventually made their new home in Minnesota.  You can learn more about Mali, now an artist, at her website: djai.net/mali.

In the city of  Minneapolis, as dawn breaks, follow the crowing of roosters and you will find an inner-city shelter for city chickens: Chicken Run Rescue. CITY CHICKENS, created by Christine Heppermann, is a photo-narrative picture book about a unique animal shelter – a sanctuary for lost chickens!  This rescued residents are not the traditional farm and hen-house poultry.  This shelter takes in chickens that have been abandoned, “flown the coop,” or gotten lost in the middle of a very big city.

Has Minneapolis gone to the birds? Yes. Many city-dwelling families across the US now raise chickens. “Home-grown” fresh eggs are picked right from families’ backyards or balconies.   But too often these chickens become homeless.  A lost chicken is soon a hungry chicken and easy prey for dogs and cats.

CITY CHICKENS is both heartwarming and educational as the reader learns about this unusual rescue effort in North Minneapolis. The home in which hens and roosters convalesce is called “Chicken Run Rescue.” The descriptions plus photographs capture the care given to the city’s wayward fowl. The book would be a SUPERB resource for elementary teachers considering units on science or social studies – communities and neighborhoods.  More information can be found at author, Christine Heppermann’s website, City Chickens, where you will discover chickens in a bookstore!

Graphic Novels Reach Beyond Borders

Posted on 06/17/2012

ZITA the SPACEGIRL  by Ben Hatke  is a First Second Book and what a book!  Pure fun to read the zappy dialogues and to feast on the engaging graphic images. Zita is the kind of curious, courageous kid who sees an odd-looking “thing” and of course, picks it up.  ZAAAP!   Off she goes to another planet – in another universe.  Now her challenge is to get back home – alive.

“There are two ways of going home, and one of them is to stay there.  The other is to walk round the whole world till we come back to the same place.”  G K Chesterton

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN, Volume 1: Tintin in American / Cigars of the Pharaoh / The Blue Lotus, by Hergé  offers to readers of any age a retro-look at comic adventures laced with political satire, slap-stick humor and historical settings.  If a kid gets hooked on these entertaining and educational comics (graphic novels), there’s a whole summer of reading ready to explore.  Later volumes include forays to Tibet and beyond!

PITCH BLACK, DON’T BE SKERD by Youme Landowne and Anthony Horton is a dark but realistic account based on a true story written for the older and more precocious reader. This graphic novel is a great book to share as a family especially if summer means taking a trip to a city with a subway system.  One out of every five children in the US lives in poverty, many are homeless. This book taps us on the shoulder and reminds us to not look-away:  “Just cause you can’t see don’t mean ain’t nothing there.”

PITCH BLACK was published by Cinco Puntos Press, a small independent press out of El Paso, Texas, to pay attention to!  Their books include a wide variety of genres, from picture books (Crossing Bok Chitto by Tim Tingle) to YA historical novels (This Thing Called the Future by JL Powers) and nonfiction as well as adult titles.  The editors are not afraid to take on controversial topics or cutting-edge presentations.  They are a publishing house to be aware of, take a look at, and follow their startling, well-written, award-winning books.

Summer Recommendations for the Emerging Reader

Posted on 06/15/2012

Summer days are upon us – the very best of times to slow down, stretch out, and take in the wonder of a good book.

Younger readers, and those readying to start their first year of kindergarten in the fall will look forward to PICTURE MY DAY created by Séverine Cordier and Cynthia Lacroix (Owlkids 2011). The book begins as a sort of scrapbook/portfolio of a day. The sun rises, it’s getting light. Children and animals awaken.

Much more than a dictionary, PICTURE MY DAY’s brightly colored illustrations invite readers to take in the small moments at home and away. Moments such as enjoying grandma’s jam, playing dress-up, and going to the beach. It’s a beautifully made book. The type that young ones will return to over and over again.

ANIMALS…and THEIR FAMILIES by Barbara Nascimbeni, another lovely offering from Owlkids (2011), would make a delightful companion book to PICTURE MY DAY. Illustrations introduce readers to nearly three dozen animals – land, sea, and tree-dwellers – whose homes cross continents and habitats. Text labels and small bits of information about each animal encourage beginning writers to create their own stories, fiction or nonfiction, about the animals introduced across the pages.  Some children will even be inspired to try their hand at drawing some of these creatures. Could there be a more wonderful way to spend a few afternoon hours on a summer day?

Emerging readers are full of questions and HOW? by Catherine Ripley, illustrated by Scot Ritchie (Owlkids 2012) has the answers! This book, a follow-up to WHY?, provides easy-to-understand answers to nearly 100 questions posed by kids. Questions like “Why do I hear the sea in a shell?” and “Why is the ocean salty?” And my favorite ? “Does reading make me smarter?” Find the answers to these questions and many more.

Most importantly, don’t forget to take advantage of longer summer days and visit your local library or bookstore. Let your children browse the aisles, sit down with a good book, and spend a part of each week exploring all the riches to be found in the pages of a well-chosen book.

One Day I Went Rambling Giveaway!

Posted on 06/14/2012

Parents, teachers, and librarians! Take a moment to consider the absolutely charming premise of One Day I Went Rambling, written by Kelly Bennett and illustrated by Terri Murphy, won’t you? You’ll be glad you did.

In the story, Zane, the protagonist sees magic in the mundane surrounding him. Pop tops are jeweled rings. Wooden crates hold the daring intrigue of a pirate ship. Nothing is normal. To Zane, everything is fantastical!  And, as life would have it, Zane is surrounded by nay-sayers, peers that poke fun and tease a child who dares to think as a creative individual. Yet, Zane stays true to his individualistic nature, and in turn, influences others to begin to celebrate the wonderful freedom of thinking outside of the boring, common, everyday box.

Kelly and Terri are over-the-top enthusiastic about this important tale. So much so, that they are offering a number of incentives to entice for you to climb aboard the Rambling train. One is a discussion/craft guide in which directions for a variety of homemade band instruments are included – instruments that serve as props for a Reader’s Theatre interpretation of this unforgettable story. And, finally, the opportunity to participate in a giveaway! Yes! How wonderful is that? Link away today!

In closing, enjoy an excerpt from Bennett’s and Murphy’s One Day I Went Rambling:

Ahoy, mates, time’s a wasting.

Climb aboard! Let’s sail away!

We’ll explore the world together.

Finding adventure all the way.

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud

Posted on 06/12/2012

If you have child who is fascinated by graphic art, Scott McCloud’s  phenomenal Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art is the perfect summer read for them – and maybe you, too. Why not? A number of magnet schools, high schools, and art programs all over the country have adopted this easy-to-read, highly-complex, and at-times-quite-humorous book as the foundational text for a variety of literature courses. Yet the volume flows with such lighthearted levity, it’s perfect for a pool-side splash!

Scott has replicated himself as a casual, easy-going young guide wearing round glasses and knowing the ins and outs of all things sequential art related. From vocabulary to history, from use of color to blood in the gutter, from time frames to the famed in the field, from Manga to the marvelous, pseudo-Scott tells it all in a hip, comprehensible manner. Though this book is not newly-published it is, most definitely, note-worthy – particularly for the budding graphic artist in your life.

“In comics, the cycle begins all over the world, as young readers discover comics for the first time and in a few cases, begin to develop a love for comics that will last a lifetime” (172).

Recommended Graphic Novels, Part 2

Posted on 06/11/2012

Graphic novels are perfect for summer reading. Some kids (and parents) gasp when I say that graphic novels and comic books “count” for reading just as much as words-only books do. Of course they do! Open up a graphic novel like The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook by Eleanor Davis and you’ll find rich vocabulary, an enticing main character, an action-riddled plot, all the components of a good book. But with comics and graphic novels, you also get art that draws in readers, especially reluctant ones.

 For the youngest readers:

Johnny Boo: the best little ghost in the world! by James Kochalka (Top Shelf Productions, 2008) Johnny Boo and his pet ghost, Squiggle, are the cutest, marshmallow-iest ghosts you’ll ever see. Johnny has some secret ice cream, and when the Ice Cream Monster comes along, Squiggle has to use his Squiggle power to save the day and maybe even to make a new friend.

For the transitional readers:
Adventures in Cartooning by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost (First Second, 2009)

A princess, a knight, and an elf go off on an adventure that shows kids step by step how to write and draw a comic.  Three artists from the Center for Cartoon Studies have created a book that’s as much a teaching tool as it is a story, and its simple, clear style is just what every budding cartoonist needs.

For the older readers:
The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook  by Eleanor Davis (Bloomsbury, 2009) This is the most intelligent graphic novel I’ve seen for kids lately. I love the unlikely trio of science whiz kids: the typical nerd who’s trying to fit in, the tough chick, and the jock who doesn’t think he is smart because he doesn’t do well on tests. While the plot isn’t hugely deep – the kids thwart an evil “inventor” (who actually stole their ideas) from robbing a museum – the book is so well-drawn and well-written that I read it in one sitting and was sad to see it end.