New Picture Books Not K-3
I’m always interested when a picture book is listed K-3 on Titlewave and the professional journals but the audience is 4th grade +. This is a huge audience; why ignore this audience by putting the K-3 label on the book when librarians, teachers, and parents will skip over it, knowing the book isn’t age appropriate for these youngsters? Jacqueline Woodson’s Show Way is one example. I read aloud this book with my fourth graders, who LOVE it, and one of the things we discuss is age-appropriateness. They agree that it isn’t the best book for younger kids, who won’t understand much of it, having little prior knowledge of slavery and the civil rights movements, for example, and that it is a perfect book for introducing these concepts to an older audience ready to tackle these tough issues and who do have some prior knowledge.
Another newer example is Mark Kurlansky’s The Story of Salt. K-3? No way? This is a text-heavy picture book. Younger kids wouldn’t be able to sit through more than 1/4th of the book. A teacher might keep it in her/his classroom and read one section at a time…to students in grades 4 and up. The AR level is 7.0…what are the publishers thinking giving it a K-3 level??
A third recent example is Kathy Henderson’s Lugalbanda: The Boy Who Got Caught Up in a War, an Epic Tale From Ancient Ira. Booklist has this as grades 2-4 but SLJ is more on target with grades 4 and up. This is a LONG story, one that is difficult to read in one setting. It is only worth 1 AR point, another example of a picture book which should be given points equal to a longer chapter book.
These three books would make a great unit for your students. Read them aloud and discuss author’s purpose and intended audience. However you like, using graphic organizers, writing, art, or oral discussion, have your kids summarize these great stories. They will be remembered!
Happy Reading~ Catherine the Librarian
2 years ago • 0 notes