Overview

Developed in conjunction with the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and during the author's graduate work in children's literature at Simmons College, the Whole Book Approach is a practical guide for reshaping storytime and getting kids to think with their eyes. Traditional storytime often offers a passive experience for kids, placing the adult reader in the role of entertainer or sage. With the Whole Book Approach, picture book expert and educator Megan Dowd Lambert redefines storytime as an interactive event that gets kids thinking critically. Using the entire book, Megan asks kids to ponder why the trim size of Ludwig Bemelman's Madeline is so generous or why the typeset in David Wiesner's Caldecott winner, The Three Pigs, appears to twist, wrinkle, and scatter. The dynamic discussions that result from this shared reading style range from the profound to the hilarious and will inspire adults to make children's responses to text, art, and design an essential part of storytime.

Full Product Details

9781580896627

Table of Contents

Reviews

An in-depth exploration of the author's Whole Book Approach: a way to slow storytime down and consider children's responses to art, design, and other visual elements.Lambert honed her new storytime style while sharing picture books at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. She began by using traditional methods but realized that she was representing a museum; she should focus on art and the notion of a book as an art form. Taking cues from the open-ended questions used by the Carle museum's docents, Lambert created a similar approach toward reading with children. With chapters devoted to trim size and orientation, jackets and covers, endpapers, typography, and more, there really is no better way to say it: Lambert delves into the whole book. Librarians may quake at the thought of inviting so much discussion while reading stories to a large group, but Lambert calms fears with repeated (and adorable such as the heightful tower of Madeline) examples from her many years of practice. She also shares tips and tricks to regain focus if a group goes awry. Traditionalists' concerns that the integrity of the story might be compromised by many interruptions are unfounded; Lambert rightly stresses that reading both the words and the art are equally important and provides ample evidence of children's increased engagement with the books being shared.Welcome permission to shake things up, with an important acknowledgment of the art form at the core of modern storytimes.- Kirkus Reviews

Author Information

Megan Dowd Lambert is an instructor at the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College, where she earned her degree in children's literature. She writes for the Horn Book Magazine, has served on a Caldecott Committee, and worked at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art for many years, where she developed the Whole Book Approach.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available