Today, our class focused on picture books, and the elements of a good picture book. Before our reading and class discussion, I thought of a picture book as simply a book with pictures in it. I, however, was wrong.
Picture books, first and foremost, are a format, not a genre. I often confused a picture book for a genre, because it is the most obvious feature, but grouping books because they simply have pictures in them is not beneficial, and really boring! There are so many fun ways to use picture books in our classrooms for a variety of purposes.
I shared a reversible poetry book, Mirror, Mirror, by Marilyn Singer. I chose this book to share in class because of its' vivid imagery, and the way that the lyrical words are chosen and placed so carefully that from one set of words, 2 poems can be made, one being read from top to bottom, than flipping the text around and reading it bottom to top. The images, along with the text, show different points of view, and the pictures really capture both standpoints.
Another book that was shared in class was Chicken Soup with Rice. I particularly liked this book as well because of the vivid lyrical imagery, but also because it was separated by month, each poem's language swayed by the characteristics of that month.
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