Back in January, the Caldecott and Newbery medals are announced for books awarded by the American Library Association. This year one of the honor books was without words! It made me think that we have to teach our students to analyze all types of art, not just novels and chapter books, but drawings and illustrations as well. When I learned about this different type of book, I had to check it out of the public library and see how it became an honor winner. I, of course, wanted to see my students' reactions as well. :)
(http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal)
Journey, illustrated by Aaron Becker, is a story about a lonely, unenthused girl who finds a magical red crayon that takes her on adventures all over the world. The magical crayon helps her to escape drama and trouble as well as erase her boredom. The illustrations are incredibly and beautifully detailed. I enjoyed how the colors changed from browns and grays when the main character is at home and jaded, to vibrant and bright when her thoughts come alive. It has a great message to children about how powerful your imagination is and what happens when it is used.
When I gave one of my tutoring clients the book to read, he quickly flipped through the pages, glancing at the illustrations briefly. When I told him that we were going to discuss the story when he was finished, he flipped back to the first page and focused on each one slowly and carefully. Just like a picture book with words or a novel, wordless books have to be comprehended with as much, if not more, focus. After reading it, this child commented that it is similar to Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. I agree but Journey has a much more advanced storyline. :)
Even though this book lacks words, it can certainly be used in the classroom. Candlewick Press created questions that could be used with younger students and a trailer! Some of the questions include: Where does the red door lead? Who are the people who greet the girl? How do the canals work in this city? What other transportation methods are there? Who wants the purple bird? Why? Older students could create the words for the story and students with difficulties could retell the story verbally. Analyzing the pictures and how they aid in understanding the story is also a great way to connect to the Common Core standards.
This is the one minutes book trailer from Candlewick Press. It is a great motivator to use before starting the lesson and certainly will intrigue any student to want to check it out.
(http://www.amazon.com/Sidewalk-Circus-Paul-Fleischman/dp/076362795X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395176435&sr=1-1&keywords=sidewalk+circus)
When viewing this book, another one of my tutoring clients said how this book showed the power of looking at the world in a positive light and how it can make everything seem different. So powerful and what an uplifting message! He also loved pointing out the subtleties in the pictures and how the longer you look, the more "hidden" realizations you will make about what the child sees and what is actually there.
Just like Journey, students can write the words to this book as well as analyze the illustrations. Sidewalk Circus also uses colors to tell the story- when focusing on the main character in the beginning, the character is in color while the world around her is in shadows. Helping students to notice these decisions made by the illustrator will help them "close read" and analyze the pictures for deeper comprehension.
Enjoy viewing and "reading" these literary works of art, wordless books!
Erica :)
Great review Erica! I never knew about the concept of wordless books before, but I can certainly see just how powerful it could be. I'm going to have to get a copy of Journey for my little one :) I wonder if they have any wordless books that teach mathematical concepts...? Would be great for visual learners that are struggling with fractions and the like..
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