Picture Books that Pack a Punch
Joy Fleishhacker, Curriculum Connections -- School Library Journal, 12/2/2008
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These superb picture books for children in kindergarten through grade four harmonize text and illustration to tell a story, resulting in an involving and effective reading experience. The beguiling interplay between words and artwork encourages readers to pay close attention to both the verbal and visual narratives, use their imaginations and insights to interpret the images, and actively participate in the storytelling.
Fun in the Sun
Marla Frazee fuses deadpan text, dialogue balloons, and deliciously detailed cartoons into a chuckle-provoking charmer. A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever (Harcourt, 2008) when they visit Eamon’s grandparents at the beach during summer vacation. Much of the tale is conveyed through the vivacious illustrations, which consistently—and comically—contradict the lively narrative. Of course, Bill and Pam want the boys to spend their time constructively, so the friends attend nature day camp (snapshot “photos” on the endpapers show the two stick sword fighting, decorating their faces with craft-project feathers, and lobbing pinecones at each other).
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A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever (Frazee) |
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A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever (Frazee) © 2008 by Marla Frazee |
Soaring to New Heights
Bob Graham’s How to Heal a Broken Wing (Candlewick, 2008) combines minimal text (81 words) and dazzlingly descriptive watercolors to relate a poignant, uplifting story. A bird flies into a skyscraper and plummets injured to the sidewalk, where it is ignored by bustling pedestrians: “No one looked down…except Will.” In his fire-truck red jacket and sky-blue pants, the boy is a bright beacon in a swarm of drably clothed citizens. He immediately sees the fallen creature and refuses to leave it behind. A wordless spread zeroes in on the youngster gently lifting the bird, while a page turn reveals the same scene from a distant perspective.
Will’s act of kindness is set off from the hubbub of the city square with a warm yellow glow. Large, meticulously detailed paintings combine with smaller panels to convey the passage of time, as Will takes the animal home, cares for it with his parents’ help, and eventually returns to the square to release it. The bird, now awash in the yellow glow, soars above the street while far below, Will and his parents, highlighted in the same hue, watch with upturned faces.
Graham’s artwork brilliantly uses contrasts in color, shifts in perspective, and variances in layout to communicate the plot and evoke an emotional response. He also conveys great respect for a child’s point of view, as tiny Will, who seems to fall below the radar of grown-ups and their concerns, is the only person who has the vision and wisdom to identify a creature in need and take action. His compassion comes across strongly, and the message—that children and their concerns are important—is empowering. This book is an effective way to launch discussion about empathy, responsibility, and resiliency.
The Monster Under the Bed
In Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears (S & S, 2008), a timid rodent tries to overcome her anxieties with the help of art therapy—doodling, writing, and creating collage on “blank” pages that list (mostly) real phobias. Emily Gravett’s resulting handbook is a perfectly tuned symphony of spare text, vibrant mixed-media artwork, and clever book design. Delineated in elegant browns and reds, the action is presented on cream-colored pages that have been nibbled around the edges. Fold-out items add to the scrapbook illusion.
The crisply drawn critter carries a long red pencil that gradually gets shorter (from the eraser end) as she works her way through the pages and chews over her worries. On one spread, appropriately pairing ornithophobia (fear of birds) with phagophobia (fear of being eaten), Little Mouse confesses, “Birds make me feel twitchy,” and the accompanying artwork depicts frightening monsters (made from feathers with leering drawn-on faces) and a menacing owl with talons extended. Her aichmophobia (fear of knives) is justified with a newspaper clipping about the fate of the Three Blind Mice, and another dynamically illustrated spread references “Hickory Dickory Dock.” When the poor protagonist is just about at the end of her rope (and her pencil) she encounters a musophobic (mouse-fearing) human and declares, with relief, “she’s afraid of ME!”
Better for sharing one-on-one or for independent examination, this is a book to linger over, and kids will find new details and whimsical touches each time they pass through. Though the topic is treated with humor, the mouse’s expressive face conveys real emotion, making it easy for children to relate to her feelings and woes. Use this volume to initiate an interchange about fears, or take a page from Little Mouse’s book and have your students experience some art therapy.
With their vibrant verbal and visual images, all of these picture books will enchant kids and enliven classrooms. Share them with students to engender an appreciation of literature and promote literacy.
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