Pictures... Books... Picturebooks

Title: Mr. Wuffles! Author: David Wiesner  Awards: Caldecott Honor Book Published: 2013 Genre: Picturebook (Wordless)
Title: Flashlight  Author: Lizi Boyd  Awards: N/A Published: 2014 Genre: Picturebook (Wordless)
Title: Chalk Author: Bill Thomson  Awards: Nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Picture Books Published: 2010 Genre: Picturebook (Wordless)

I am no stranger to picturebooks. All my teaching experience has been in the primary grades so there wasn't a day that went by where I didn't read a picturebook to my students. Well, what I thought a picture book was. I always thought a picturebook was just like it sounded- a book with a lot of pictures. So I have to admit I had a hard time figuring out what a picturebook really was. What really is the difference between a illustrated book and a picturebook? I didn't realize I may have had it wrong until I started studying picturebooks. I was relieved to find out that even the Caldecott committee had a problem with this question when they met. They finally came up with these terms and criteria:

1. A “picture book for children” as distinguished from other books with illustrations, is one that essentially provides the child with a visual experience. A picture book has a collective unity of story-line, theme, or concept, developed through the series of pictures of which the book is comprised.
2. A “picture book for children” is one for which children are an intended potential audience. The book displays respect for children’s understandings, abilities, and appreciations. Children are defined as persons of ages up to and including fourteen and picture books for this entire age range are to be considered.

When I first was looking into getting 3 picturebooks I went online, typed in picturebook and bought the first three I saw. Parts by Tedd Arnold, A Unicorn Named Sparkle by Amy Young, and Doctor De Soto (Newbery Honor Book) by William Steig. After reading these stories, I know my students will love them. 

Parts is about a 5 year old boy who thinks he is falling a part and starts to stress until his parents tell him that everything is normal. I can already imagine my students laughter and the "eew's" echoing on the walls of my classroom. After I return the book to my classroom library they won't be able to wait to read it themselves. The pictures add detail to the words and truly show how the character is feeling throughout the entire story. The rhyming on each page keeps the story light and fun. 

A Unicorn Named Sparkle is a cute book about not judging a book by it's cover.  A little girl named Lucy orders a unicorn from an ad and dreams about all the fun things she's going to do with her new best friend. She was unpleasantly surprised when her "unicorn" (a goat with a horn) arrives and isn't exactly what she expected. She returns her "unicorn" and soon realizes she loved him despite his flaws and runs after the truck to get him back. The bright and silly pictures will be an instant hit for my unicorn loving students in my class. They will laugh and empathize with both Lucy and Sparkle. 

Doctor De Soto is a book about helping others in need by also being cautious. A mouse who is a Dentist and works on all sorts of animals besides those who would be harmful to a mouse. Doctor De Soto has to weigh the pros and cons when a desperate fox comes by in severe pain. While under sedation the fox mentions how he would like to eat Doctor De Soto and his wife. The couple has to come up with a plan on how to stay safe while still helping someone in need. The illustrations add to the story by allowing the reader to see how the characters feel, how De Soto does his work and the instruments he uses.

Now I'm sure you're wondering why I talked about these three books yet have 3 different ones mentioned at the top. After reading these books I felt like they were fun, and entertaining, and students will love to hear them but when I thought about all the Caldecott winners and picturebooks I have seen over time these three didn't really go into the same category as them. I recently  purchased the three wordless picturebooks mentioned above and shared them with my students and I was blown away at the results.

Mr. Wuffles! by David Wiesner  is a Caldecott Honor Book. My students had such a fun time creating the narrative behind the illustrations in the book. Without a single word in the book they created dialogue,were able to figure out the plot, and tell be what the conflict and resolution was. These pictures were so detailed my students had not trouble "reading" this book and had a great discussion about it. The story involves a cat and some unwelcome visitors who come into his home. The alien visitors work together with some of the home's insects to devise a plan to escape. 

I was shocked to not find any awards for Flashlight by Lizi Boyd. This wordless picturebook is about a child who is walking in the forest at night with his flashlight. Every where he shines his light he finds something new. The story ends with a funny surprise at the end after he trips and the flashlight goes flying. This book lends itself to some great lessons on sequencing. This book also has die-cuts on each page to give you a sneak peek of the page to come. 

Chalk by Bill Thomson was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Picture Books. This is another wordless picturebook which lends itself to some great oral discussion. The characters in this story find some magical chalk which brings a world of problems when their chalk dinosaur comes to life. The children have to come up with an idea in order to save each other from the ferocious dinosaur.