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Here’s one of the two picture books we’re reading for our second class. What do you make of this one? For those of you who know your lit, this is a classically unreliable narrator. How do the text and art play off each other? If you can, try reading it aloud, ideally to a child. In my experience, kids who get the joke enjoy this book more than those who take it at face value. What do you make of that? (Mischief maker group, here’s another gift for your wiki page!)

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Here another picture book for our second class. There are lots of books out there that tackle an emotional issue in a heavy handed way. I’m not a fan of those books, but I love this one. What do you think? Does it accomplish its goal? Would it appeal to a child in a similar situation? How does it avoid sounding preachy — or does it?

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Mo Willems has become THE master of easy readers. With pre-book work includes Sesame Street and animation, he had the perfect training to create child- and teacher-friendly easy readers. I think he deserves every one of his many awards. What do notice in this deceptively simple book? What does he do with simple shapes and lines in the art and very few words to create distinct characters? Would you share this book with children who are learning to read?

(Note to the Mo fans out there: I recommended a road trip to Amherst MA to visit the Eric Carle Museum. While you are out there, save some time to visit the R. Michelson Gallery in Northhampton where you can see — and buy — original Mo Willems sketches of Elephant and Piggie.)

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This is one of our two easy readers (a.k.a. early readers) for our second class. We talked about the difference between picture books and easy readers. How well do you think this book works? Clearly it’s for somewhat more fluent readers than the Elephant and Piggy books. Do the situations match the age of the average new reader? What if a somewhat older child is learning to read at this level? Easy readers may not look as flashy as picture books, but in some ways they are more challenging to create. The author and illustrator must perform a balancing act to make the book inviting yet not intimidating. Imagine trying to create specific and engaging characters using very few words and clean, simple illustrations.

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Molly Bang‘s Picture This is her personal exploration as she tries to analyze the emotional effects of art. Most illustrators go with their gut as they compose their pictures, but Molly wanted to see if there were some rules involved as well. An experienced illustrator, she says she began to understand art and composition better through this exploration. This book was originally written for adults, but I know of some teachers, mostly in later elementary and middle school, who use the exercises in the second half of this book.

Did Molly’s explorations resonate for you? Help you understand pictures and illustration?

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