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Relatable characters and stories facilitate a strong connection between the reader and the book. It doesn’t matter whether or not the stories are real, only that the reader can relate to the feelings that are core to the story. The same is true for the characters. A great example is Humphrey, the lovable grumpy camel in the picture book, Humphrey’s First Christmas.

On this edition of Just One More Book, Mark speaks with author, illustrator and artist Carol Heyer about creating a relatable character, how a career as a storyboard artist and screen writer can prepare you to be a children’s book illustrator and author and how her philosophy helps her love her work.

Photo: CarolHeyer.com

Author: Carol Heyer
Illustrator: Carol Heyer
Published: 2007 Ideals Publications
ISBN: 0824955595 Chapters.ca Amazon.com

Relayed with the pomp of an indignant camel and replete with starlit sandscapes, stunning, sometimes comical close-ups and loads of understated melodrama, this twist on the Christmas story is as hilarious as it is endearing.

Other books mentioned:

• The Grandmother Doll

You can view some fabulous illustrations from this book here.

Texans take their culture seriously. Our landmarks and historic figures are the stuff of legends.

And then there are the wildflowers.
We adore our wildflowers.
We revere our wildflowers.

Pilgrimages to the Hill Country of Texas are obligatory in the spring and the patches of blues and reds and pinks and yellows that edge the interstate highways lift a traveler's spirit. Every child in the Lone Star State has memories (sometimes not pleasant ones) of being plopped down into a plot of bluebonnets and photographed by enthusiastic parents. The first Bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes of the season are greeted like celebrities here.



Tomie dePaola's The Legend of the Bluebonnet and The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush are de rigeur reading in elementary schools across the state and it is all because of Lady Bird Johnson.



Kathi Appelt honored the first lady and reminded us that she changed the way we look at the landscape with her 2005 book, Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers. Joy Fisher Hein's joyful illustrations capture the beauty of the flowers and Lady Bird's gracious and loving spirit. Hein shares the thank you letter she had from Mrs. Johnson about the book on her website. Based on the number of copies I have cataloged at various libraries I know that this book has joined dePaola's in every school library in Texas.

As I reflected on Mrs. Johnson's passing this week I recalled that this past spring was one of the longest seasons for flowers that I could ever remember, and I've lived here a long time. Maybe it was the rainy spring weather or maybe it was just a last glorious burst of color to honor her.

As we drove the entling to camp this weekend I marveled at the thick swath of deep orange and red flowers that edged the freeway and thought what a precious gift Lady Bird Johnson gave us.


Kathi Appelt website
Joy Fisher Hein website
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

By: Teaching Tips Contributing Editor, Renee Kirchner

It is important for elementary aged children to understand the concept of compare and contrast. This concept can be applied to many areas of the curriculum including math, science, and literature. When a child is asked to compare and contrast two different things, they are supposed to tell how they are alike and different. Comparing shows the similarities between two objects and contrasting shows the differences. Children will use words such as both, like, also, and similar when comparing. Words such as unlike, however, and but might be used when contrasting two objects.

Children’s books, both fiction and nonfiction, can be useful tools for teaching the concept of compare and contrast. Select one book with two different characters or choose two books with similarities and differences in character or plot. Nonfiction books will also work well. For example, you could choose a book on reptiles and compare and contrast two different types
of reptiles.

There are two useful tools that teachers use as prewriting activities when teaching compare and contrast: the Venn diagram and the T-chart. The Venn diagram is made up of two or more overlapping circles depending how many objects you are comparing. Each circle contains different information about the objects and the overlapping portion in the middle contains the
similarities.

For example if I was comparing a rabbit with a wolf, the rabbit circle might have herbivore and the wolf circle would have carnivore. The overlapping portion in the middle might contain the word mammal, since both animals are mammals. Of course your student would put more than one descriptive word in each circle. The more detail they use, the better. The T-chart is organized differently than the Venn diagram. If we use the example of the rabbit and the wolf the chart would look like this:

Characteristic Rabbit Wolf
Diet Grass Meat
Animal group Mammal Mammal

Here are some examples of picture books that would work well for studying the concept of compare and contrast:

One Picture Book with Two Characters

Bubba and Beau: Best Friends by Kathi Appelt

Bubba is a Texas baby and Beau is a Texas puppy and they are best friends. They have adventures together and both of them become very upset when their pink blanket gets washed.

Similarities between Bubba and Beau:

Both of them are keen on chewing, neither one is housetrained, and they both disdain soap.

Differences between Bubba and Beau:

Bubba loves the pinky pinky blankie because it smells like Beau and Beau likes the pinky pinky blankie because it smells like Bubba.

Two Picture Books with a Similar Main Character

Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella by Susan Lowell

Chickarella by Mary Jane Auch

Similarities between Cindy Ellen and Chickarella:

Both of them have an evil stepmother or step-chicken, a fairy godmother or fairy fowl mother, and both have a prince or a princely rooster.

Differences between Cindy Ellen and Chickarella:

Cindy Ella can wrangle, rope and gallop. Chickarella starts a high fashion business that grows out of making clothes for the ball.

Children can use the examples above to create a Venn diagram or a T-chart and then write a compare-contrast paper about the different characters.

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Note: Although school is out for summer vacation in most places across the country, parents can still read with their children this summer and use activities like this one to have fund with their children as they help them become better readers.