Favorite Picture Books--a VERY Short List

My 10 Favorite Picture Books--Today, 10/10/10

I'll start with a tribute to Maurice Sendak. We lost him this year, and his legacy remains. Of course I love Where the Wild Things Are, and I'll choose:

Outside Over There by Maurice Sendak

It is folktale-ish, poetic, beautiful and satisfying as a story.
Next...and these books are not in any particular order:

ish by Peter H. Reynolds

It is real, inspiring, and the idea lives long after you read the book.
Next:

Goodnight iPad  By Ann Droyd

It is a contemporary take on an old favorite, and just plain funny! Love all the "Goodnight"books.
Next:

Mr. George Baker by Amy Hest, Illustrated by Jon J. Muth

I actually chose this one because Jon J. Muth was involved in the book. The story is wonderful--about creating readers--and the illustrations--spectacular. You cannot go wrong with a book that Jon J. Muth has had a part in. Jon Muth writes and illustrates and we agree on the important things in life.
Next:

Last Laughs Animal Epitaphs by J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen, illustrated by, Jeffery Stewart Timmins

This might be rather morbid--and I guess that it is--but how can you resist poems like this:

For a Bear, Barely There
He crawled inside
to hibernate
to reach his goal
of losing weight
.....

Next:
My picks for great story and stylish illustration:

Along a Long Road by Frank Viva

It is the bright, textured, and "graphic arts" style drawings that attracted me to this book. The story is very simple, easy to read and understand.
Next:
My next pick for great story and stylish illustration:

Stanley Goes For A Drive by Craig Frazier

Big, bold, simple art, and a compelling story about perception and how perception of how-things-are can change are qualities that put this book on my list. I had to buy all the Stanley books.
Next:

Sister Anne's Hands by Marybeth Lorbiecki, Illustrated by K. Wendy Popp

This is a book with a message that celebrates the colors of the skin we're in.
Next:

The Boss Baby by Marla Frazee

"The boss. He's here. (and FYI...he's a total baby.)" This is a must read for parents, expectant parents, and anybody else. This book will always be my present to my pregnant friends.

Last but totally not least...in fact if I had to put them in order, maybe first:

The Table Where The Rich People Sit by Byrd Baylor, illustrated by Peter Parnall

If you haven't read this, you must. If you haven't thought about these things in your own context, you must. If you haven't had a conversation like this with those you love and live with--you will!

I'm sneaking an extra one in.....

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

We ALL know why this book makes the list....AND...I want my, I Want My Hat Back, from who ever borrowed it!

Well, that's it for me for this year. Please read all of them:)
Noreene

I want to talk about the idea of process. Mr. Johnston starts chapter 3 by talking about process rather than performance.

"We get the most mileage out of turning their attention to change rather than stability, and process more than performance, and by changing the way they think about error." Pg 26

This seemingly simple shift is a powerful one with insidious roots. I say this because at least generally speaking, we and how we are judged in schools, society, and most if not all aspects of life--even those business that are dedicated to creativity and innovation--care, ultimately about performance and/or product--that is what matters. I am not saying that performance/product should not be important as ultimate ends. I am saying that a focus on process is the way to creative and innovative performances and products. Those creative and innovative products, no matter how small they might seem, are the hallmarks of people steeped in dynamic-learning frames. The two are not mutually exclusive, it is just that a dynamic-frame is the kindest, most honoring-of-the-individual, most direct, and well-rounded-person-building way to get "there".

 Mr. Johnston's idea of casual process (pg 31--Problem Solving and Casual Process), also lives in kind of "non-mainstream" thinking around developing thinking individuals (raising kids) outside of classrooms. This reminds me so much of some of Alfie Kohn's writing--the idea of recognizing and naming what someone (the kid) did or is doing rather than a praise comment (good job, you're smart....) I think Mr. Johnston takes it a step further by writing about attaching the idea of cause and effect to the process--"You did this, so this happened". 

"Causal process comments are the most effective way of promoting the belief that the important information is how someone did (or could do) something, because that's what we can learn from."

It IS the learning through the process along the way that is what is important. That old and worn saying about journey not the destination being the most important IS true.

"Observing or experiencing success (or not) is only usefully instructive when we see how it was accomplished."

This reminds me of the reason we read, write, think, and unpack our teaching points in a very visible way. Clearly exposing what is going on in our "proficient"heads out loud and in front of kids. Whether as part of a mini lesson or in individual or small group sessions. There should be no mystery about how the performances/products (reading, writing, science, art, music,...) occur....expose the process to learn from the process. AND the process includes mistakes or non-successes--they are there to be learned from.

Finally, Mr. Johnston offers some very simple and very powerful ways to take the focus off the performance/product and put the focus where it belongs--on the process.

"The simplest way into process conversations is to ask how questions: 'How did you do that?' 'How did you know that?" pg 31

"Asking 'What are you thinking?' is a simple way to expand this process thread in classroom talk. These 'How did you...' and 'What are you thinking?' conversations invite agentive narrative, increase the available strategic information, reduce the likelihood of fixed-performance theories, and, at the same time, invite dynamic-leaning theories." pg 32

Even though "simple" is not always so simple...I am going to bite my tongue while my brain goes through my old ways of responding and then start talking when I can ask some "process" kinds of questions.

Thank you Mr. Johnston!

**my apologies to all that are paying attention to the punctuation rules around quotes...I am sure I have been inconsistant and have violated quite a few:)