Chele C.: Multiple Books: Illustration/Comparison Focused Example:

For my five reviews, I intended to do an author study of five of the books written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg, one of my favorite illustrators.  But, as I was going through the library, I happened upon the books Into the Forest by Browne and Jungle Gym Jitters by Chuck Richards.  Both of their drawing styles reminded me of Van Allsburg’s books.  All three of these author-illustrators use graphite pencils in their artwork.  And all three illustrators incorporate fantastic elements into their picturebooks. 

For example, Jungle Gym Jitters tells the story of Jerry J. Jingle who has a father who decides to construct a jungle gym.  As the jungle gym grows bigger and bigger, Jerry’s sisters and friends enjoy playing on it, but Jerry is reluctant to join them, since he has a case of the jungle gym jitters.  While the illustrations initially appear to be in grayscale, as I looked closer, I realized that there were subtle hints of other dark colors, accenting the illustrations.  When I realized this, I found that I couldn’t stop looking at the pictures.  I wanted to trace the impossible structures that Jerry’s father had created.  I have no doubt that a child reader would enjoy the structures as well and the images would probably spark their imaginations over how they would climb the jungle gym and  all the games they could play.  This would be a good book to share with a child who is afraid of jungle gyms, heights or that is reluctant to play outside.  It could also be used in a lesson on poetry.

Browne also incorporates color and fairy tale elements in his picturebook, Into the Forest….

Works Cited

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Richards, C.  (2004).  Jungle Gym Jitters.  New York:  Walker & Company.

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SAMPLE REVIEW: Chele C: Book 1: Activity focus example—The Chicken of the Family

Summary: Henrietta’s two older sisters try to convince her that she is actually a chicken and not a person.

Analysis: The Chicken of the Family would be a good optional read aloud for a kindergarten or first grade class. It would especially appeal to children who have older siblings. I would use it as a read aloud, since there is a lot of text on some of the pages and that could be intimidating for a child just learning to read. If I used it as a read aloud with just one or two children, I’d use my finger to underline each word as I read it. I’d pause over simple words like “the,” “she,” “family” and “love,” and ask the child to help me by shouting out the words they recognize.

If the book appealed to the child on an emotional level, I would ask him to tell me about a time his older siblings teased him. And we could talk about how that made him feel and what to do if it happened again.

As a potential activity, for after the reading, I would ask the students what type of animal they would most like to be? I would take a few minutes to brainstorm and coach them on how those animals behave and what they eat. Then I would encourage the children to spend a few minutes pretending to be their animals.

Citation: Amato, M. (2008). The Chicken of the Family. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Sample Review: Loose Leashes

Schmidt, A. (2009). Loose Leashes. New York: Random House.

9780375856419

Created by a husband and wife team, Loose Leashes shares poems of dogs who are anthropomorphized in various ways. Honey doesn’t want to go to a groomer. Lewis and Clark seek adventure. Grace goes ice-skating. Pip and Squeak fight over a bone (Okay, so the last one is still typical dog behavior).

From the first poem, “Loose Leashes,” several dogs are free to do as they please and most seek adventure of some sort. A few dogs deal with overcoming their fears. But most just have fun.

The poems are cute and funny and lend support to the images they stand beside. For me, it’s the photographs that are most engaging. Surreal and fun, many kids will want to stare at them for a while, especially dog lovers.

Some may even try to pet the end papers, which feature photos of a white dog’s coat.

Activities to Do with the Book:

After seeing the photos of Loose Leaches and reading or listening to the poetry, students may be inspired to write their own poems or stories based on the photographs (It might be easiest to give each students or small groups a photocopy of one of the images and have them write the poems beginning with describing what they see).

Another option would be to have students pick their own favorite animal and draw them in strange settings or with various objects.

A teacher could also ask students if they’ve read any other picturebooks that feature animals in weird places. (I think Chris Van Allsburg’s Jumanji would be a natural beginning).

Although Loose Leashes does not list the dog breeds featured in the illustrations, a teacher could use the book to trigger a research project on various breeds.

Favorite Quotes:

“I’m going far—

Just need to learn to drive this car.”

“Sharing is always a hard thing to do,

Especially when one bone is given to two.”

“There once was a dog that could read

With amazing page-turning speed.”