Choosing Quality Children’s Trade Books

1. Choosing Quality Children’s Trade Books

2. Time for a little thinking… • Think of one of your favorite books from Grades 3-6. • What makes a quality piece of children’s literature? • What kinds of books are in a high-quality classroom library in Grades 3-6? • Think/pair/share with your group. Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

3. What Constitutes “Children’s” Literature? • A child protagonist and an issue that concerns children • A straightforward story line, with a linear and limited time sequence in a confined setting • Language that is concrete and vivid and not overly complex Temple, C., Martinez, M., Yokota, J., & Naylor, A. (1998). Children’s books in children’s hands. Boston: Allyn and Bacon Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

4. How Do We Recognize “Quality” Children’s literature? • Good books: • expand awareness • provide an enjoyable read that doesn’t overly teach or moralize • tell the truth • embody quality • have integrity • show originality Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

5. Expand Awareness • Good books: • Give children names for things in the world and for their own experiences • Take children inside other characters’ perspectives • Broaden children’s understanding of the world and their capacity for empathy Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

6. Provide an Enjoyable Read • Good books provide a lesson in a way that is not overly contrived or moralistic • Good books show the lesson rather than tell it Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

7. Tell the Truth • Good books: • Usually deal with significant truths about the human experience • Characters are true to life • Insights the books imply are accurate, and, perhaps, wise Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

8. Embody Quality • In good books: • The words are precisely chosen, often poetic in their sound and imagery • The plot is convincing • The characters are believable • The descriptions are rich and telling Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

9. Have Integrity In the sense of both: • “Wholeness or completeness” • Genre, plot, language, characters, style, theme, illustrations (if any) come together to create a satisfying whole • “Soundness of moral character” Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

10. Show Originality • Excellent books • Introduce children to unique characters or situations or show them the world from a unique viewpoint • Stretch children’s minds, giving them new ways to think about the world and new possibilities to think about Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

11. How Can We Judge “Quality”? • Originality • Importance of ideas • Imaginative use of language • Beauty of literary and artistic style that enable book to remain fresh, interesting, and meaningful for years Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

12. Get to know children’s literature • Read and enjoy children’s books. • Read children’s books with a sense of involvement. • Read a variety of book types. • Read books for a wide variety of ability levels. • Share with your colleagues how your students respond to particular books. • Start by reading several books considered to be of “good” quality. • Talk with children about books. Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

13. Children’s Literature Awards

14. For the Book: • John Newbery Award • The book judged to be the most distinguished contribution to children’s literature published in the U.S. during the previous year. • Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan • The Whipping Boy, by Sid Fleischman • Holes, by Louis Sachar • Boston Globe-Horn Book Award • One outstanding example of Fiction and Nonfiction • Fiction: Poppy, by Avi; Missing May, by Cynthia Rylant • Non-Fiction: Sojourner Truth: Ain’t I a Woman, by Patricia & Fredrick McKissack Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

15. For the Illustrations: • Randolph Caldecott Award • Awarded to the illustrator of the most distinguished children’s book published the previous year • Officer Buckle and Gloria, by Peggy Rathman • Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen • Boston Globe-Horn Book Award • One outstanding example of illustration • Grandfather’s Journey, by Alan Say • Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters, by John Steptoe Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

16. For “New Talent” in Children’s Writing • International Reading Association Children’s Book Award • One author who writes for older readers • Letters from Rifka, by Karen Hesse • One author who writes for younger readers • Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, by Deborah Hopkinson, Illustrated by James Ransome • One author who writes informational books • Brooklyn Bridge, by Elizabeth Mann • Ezra Jack Keats New Writer’s Award • Promising new writer who has had six or fewer children’s books published • Tar Beach, by Faith Ringgold Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

17. African American Authors/Illustrators • Coretta Scott King Award • For books that encourage understanding and appreciation of people of all cultures and the pursuit of “the American Dream” • The Friendship, by Mildred Taylor • The Young Landlords, by Walter Dean Myers Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

18. To Author/Illustrator for Entire Body of Work: • Hans Christian Andersen Award • One author and one illustrator in recognition of an entire body of work • Authors: Paula Fox, Virginia Hamilton, Scott O’Dell • Illustrators: Mitsumasa Anno, Lisbeth Zwerger • Laura Ingalls Wilder Award • Author or illustrator whose works have made a substantial and lasting contribution to children’s literature over a period of years • Dr. Seuss, Virginia Hamilton, E. B. White Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

19. Creating a Classroom Library

20. A Well-Rounded, Interesting Classroom Library • modern, realistic literature as well as more traditional literature • books with different types of themes • books of varying difficulty • a variety of genres • informational books • books whose characters realistically depict various cultural groups and life circumstances • books that meet students’ reading interests Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

21. Genres • Traditional Literature • Myths and religious stories • Fables (proverbs explicitly stated at the end) • Folktales (word of mouth, unknown origins) • Pourquoi Tales (explain phenomena) • Tall Tales and Legends (greatly exaggerated accounts of heros and legends) • Cumulative tales (repeating and adding lines) • Fairy tales (folktales that involve magic) • Apprenticeship/Hero tales (character rises from a lowly to high estate, or from ignored/ threatened to recognized/rewarded for good qualities Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

22. Genres • Realistic fiction • Historical fiction • Fantasy and science fiction • Biography (depending on structure) • Drama • Diaries • Personal narrative Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

23. Different types of texts require different ways of understanding and recalling the most important ideas…Narrative?Expository? Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

24. What is a narrative text? • Tells a story • Based on life experiences • Person-oriented using dialogue and familiar language (written in first, second, or third person) • Purpose(s) • To entertain • To tell a story • To provide an aesthetic experience • Organization • Uses story grammar Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

25. Story Grammar/Story Structure • Characters • Setting • Problem • Events • Resolution • Theme Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

26. Less Complex Story Grammar • Beginning (characters, setting, problem) • Middle (events) • End (resolution) Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

27. More Complex Story Grammar • Beginning: • characters (antagonist/protagonist), setting, problem (conflict), initiating event • Middle: • turning points, crisis, rising action, climax, subplot, parallel episodes • End: • resolution, falling action, ending Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

28. What is an expository text? • Non-fiction • Informational books • Biographies • Photographic essays • Purpose(s) • To convey information about the natural and social world • Uses facts, details, opinions, and examples to inform or persuade • Organization • Has varied text patterns (e.g., time order, enumeration, compare/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution) Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

29. But across both types of texts, good readers use at least five metacognitive comprehension strategies…Your homework is to find out what these are (Chapter 1). And come prepared with 2 questions predicting what Thursday’s readings will be about (preview Chapter 2). Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com