Picture Books Part 3: How to Choose the Right Book…
Choosing a picture book to anchor a lesson can be overwhelming. Here are a few strategies I use to find just the right book for each lesson.
What is your purpose?
Why are you reading this book? Is it joy? Is it to explore SEL in your classroom? Is it to practice a specific Reading Power or introduce a math concept? You need to know your ‘why’. It doesn’t have to be serious, but you have to know it.
When I read My Name is Sangoel (See Part 2 in this series), my ‘whys’ are:
Learning student names
Building empathy for new students
Thinking about creative ways to share our learning
When I read The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig, my ‘whys’ are:
1. Exploring bullying and/or racism
2. Exploring the power of colour in picture books
3. Looking for strengths in all children
Do your ‘whys’ need to be this serious? Nope! You just need to know your ‘why’ so that you can ask a friend if they have a book about friendship or search booklists for great books to introduce division (Bean 13 is always fun and Carole Fullerton’s website is your best friend for math books). This leads me to my next topic…
Talk to Your Librarian
Librarians are magical unicorns. They are the most amazing humans in the entire world, and I will never EVER stop singing their praises. My current librarian Chantal is so helpful. She lets me borrow 100s of books every single year.
Sometimes I go to her and say… ‘Next month I want to read some picture books to my kids about diverse families and LGBTQ2+, can you help please?’ A few hours later, my mailbox is stuffed, and I am happy.
Be Kind to Magical Unicorns
Give them time and ask nicely. Librarians are amazing collaborators. Do you need to give them a month? Nope! But please do not walk in five minutes before the bell in a panic demanding books about a specific topic. That doesn’t help anyone.
Take your time, ask for help. If the librarian doesn’t have a specific book, they may order it and/or have a better or newer suggestion. Librarians are on top of ALL of the newest books. They hold so many titles and authors in their heads…. like I said: magical unicorns.
Search Booklists/Contests
Booklists and contests can be really helpful. In my district there are Surrey School Picture Book of the Year Nominees listed on the district website with past nominees included. This is just one of several booklists that has already been curated for your and can give you some great books to add to your collections.
Adrienne Gear , for example, has amazing lists on her website. Her books are also filled with recommendations that help direct teachers to books that will fit a specific ‘why’.
Go to a Kids Bookstore/Specialty Stores
Sure, the people who work at these bookstores are trying to sell books, BUT they also LOVE books. Many of them can talk for hours about their favourite titles or authors. I am not talking big box stores; I am talking independent bookstores like Kidsbooks. The staff can be a great source of knowledge.
Do you like it? /Does it read well?
All of the recommendations in the world do not matter if you do not like the book. When my magical unicorn librarian sticks 10 books in my mailbox, I read them all. I read them in my head the first time and usually weed a few out. Then I read the rest out loud and narrow it down to 2-3 books. I will read them again and sometimes read them out loud to my son or a friend.
· Which book sounds the best out loud?
· Which book do I enjoy reading?
· Which book fits my ‘why’?
The book that fulfills these questions the best is the book I will use as an anchor for a lesson
Which strategy was the most helpful for you? Let me know on Twitter @Mrs_M_Salter or Instagram @mrsmelissasalter