Three Pigs by David Weisner

The Three Pigs by David Weisner is a wonderful deviation from the normal fairy tale. Although the story starts out  the same with the little pigs gathering materials and heading out to build their various structures the wolf ends up blowing the first little pig right out of the story. Only David Weisner with his brilliant artistic sense could create such a departure. He takes the reader in and out of stories allowing the little pig to fill his curiosity by jumping in and out of stories while the pig remains stuck. 

As a teacher I would use this book to begin "What if" discussions and see where the students were willing to go. This would be a great imaginative exercise allowing the students to flex their creative muscles. I also like the way that Weisner begins the known tale in the same way but is able to take the reader and seemingly the pigs on a wild adventure. It's exciting to read and the pictures make the adventures come alive. This is a great book for K-3 but I can also think of many activities to help older students learn to take risks in their writing. 

The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster and Chris Raschka
Caldecott Medal (2006)


This story is about a window, a magical window for one little girl. It's her Nana and Popa's kitchen window and to her it's a gateway in which everything exciting happens near it. Whether she is looking through it, beyond it or near it the window captures the ordinary and she makes it extraordinary. What a wonderful celebration of life. The pictures make the story come alive as they intertwine with the words throughout the tale.

Teachers can use this book to:

• Open up a conversation with children about their family relationships. 
• Create a magic window to use in the classroom to help "change the perspective" and get a new view of a situation.
• Begin a letter writing project in which students write to grandparents.
• Invite parents to share about their grandparents and special experiences.
• What makes a special memory.
• Work with the art teacher to create a poetry/art creation with students.
• How can artwork change the poetry and words. The power of words and pictures

Summary:

I didn't think I was going to like the book because of the type of artwork, it was very contemporary and  it's not normally my "cup of tea". As I read through the book a few times I began to understand the artwork and to me it felt like a perfect representation of the girls' vision of the magic window. This is a great book to share with children of all ages. My mother-in-law fell in love with it because of the loving  way the girl shares the story of the wonderful things that happen near the window. I think people of all ages can relate to the special memories they have from their childhood.

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith -- Book Trailer

Granpa Green 
by Lane Smith

ISBN 1596436077
Caldecott Honor (2012) New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books (2011)

Theme: Family, love, aging, memories

Grandpa Green wasn't always a gardener. He was a baby who became a boy and experienced life on a farm with chickens, pigs and eggs. He got the chicken pox in fourth grade, although his grandson will tell you it wasn't from the chickens and he loved to read. The story is sweet and the pictures make it come alive. I could imagine myself walking through Grandpa's garden and looking at the shrubs and seeing his memories come to life in the garden. The garden is Grandpa Green's journal he uses it as a comfort to help him remember the important parts of his life and share them with his grandson. We see the grandson progressing through the garden and watchful of his grandfather's ailing health and memory and in the last page we see him carrying on the tradition in the garden.

This book could be used as a springboard for creating memory books with students. Why do we write important memories down? Are there various ways to share our memories? 
Create a reflection about people in your life who are aging? What is it like to see them? How do things change? Have students tell a story about their grandparent(s) that they have shared? Research what your grandparents did when they were younger.

Writing Prompts: Write down five questions you would like to ask your grandparent or elderly friend about his/ her life growing up. Write a narrative about your favorite memory of you and a grandparent from your childhood

Similar books: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Great sharing book for Grandparents day. Invite Grandparents in to share a morning with the students. Create activities to play and have the students share their written work.

Flotsam by David Weisner is a wordless story with pictures that stir the imagination. Weisner has a way with his images that transport you to a younger self, full of inquiry and youthful exuberance. I found myself reminiscing about my childhood at the beach with my family and the things I found along the way. Through his pictures I smiled thinking of how a lost camera at see might capture the secret world that lies beneath the waves and the wonders we have yet to discover.

My five year old began the "What if's" after we finished looking through the book and it continued the next morning at breakfast. Weisner is able to capture the spirit of curiosity itself and articulate it carefully through the details in every picture. Every time I open up the book I find something new to think about and explore.