Book of the Month: Journey of the Sea Glass Illustrated by Nicole Fazio

 I've been holding on to this gem for about a year now and with summer in full swing, the time seems right to share it with you! Last summer while on a weekend getaway to beautiful St. Michaels, Maryland, I wandered into a little shop called Ophiuroidea. I was only momentarily distracted by the many interesting baubles, trinkets, and sea-themed items; I soon found myself tucked away in the back of the store mesmerized by this book that didn't have words. I've posted about my love of wordless books before but this one took my breath away; Nicole Fazio's illustrations are simply captivating. The story begins as a bottle falls into the ocean. Page after page follows the journey of the bottle and the images get more colorful and vivid as the story progresses. Nature, the ocean, and sea creatures all do their part to create a beautiful, polished, and shiny piece of sea glass. I left the store that day with the book, two pieces of sea glass, and the excitement of knowing that I'd share this book with you all one day soon. Today is that day! I hope you fall in love with this book the way I did.

BOOK OF THE DAY: The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

The Lion & the Mouse

In award-winning artist Jerry Pinkney's wordless adaptation of one of Aesop's most beloved fables, an unlikely pair learn that no act of kindness is ever wasted. After a ferocious lion spares a cowering mouse that he'd planned to eat, the mouse later comes to his rescue, freeing him from a poacher's trap. With vivid depictions of the landscape of the African Serengeti and expressively-drawn characters, Pinkney makes this a truly special retelling, and his stunning pictures speak volumes. ~ Product Review from Amazon

One of the reasons I love this version of the story is the illustrations! They are amazingly engaging! It's no surprise that this book is the winner of a 2010 Caldecott Medal. The book has minimal text (mostly onomatopoeia), but the illustrations tell the story in an obvious way.

Related Activities:

• I know I say this often when I present my Book of the Day, but I'll say it again. Learn about the author, Jerry Pickney. Show children his photograph, learn about his life. Helping children learn about authors and illustrators adds a level of reality to the books you read. Children are able to see authors and illustrators as "real people" and may be more likely to see themselves as authors and illustrators too! View this interview with Jerry Pickney from Reading Rockets.
• Learn about onomatopoeia! Young children LOVE to learn big words. Make a list of onomatopoeic words. Tip: You may want to make the list on chart paper and leave it hanging in the room - children will think of many words over the next few days to add to the list! Examples: animal sounds (like oink, meow, moo), honk-honk (Wheels on the Bus song is full of them!), zip, crash, hiccup, zoom, slurp, bang, etc...
• Learn about the Serengeti (the setting for this book).
• Make a flannel board version of the story for the children to re-tell in their own words.
• Explain what a "fable" is and read other fables.
• Visit First School and DLTK for more :Lion and the Mouse patterns and activities. 
• Make lion masks and mouse puppets (from Enchanted Learning).
• Read other versions of The Lion and the Mouse and compare the stories.

Wordless Books Worth Reading!

Wordless books can be a bit of a challenge for those of us who are used to the way books are “supposed to work.” You pick up a book, read the words, and look at the pictures, right? But what in the heck do you do with a book that has no words? Do you just look at the pictures? Do you make up a story? Do you just talk about the illustrations? My answer is: all of the above! The great thing about wordless books is that you can have a new story every time! Here are some of my favorite wordless – or nearly wordless - books along with some of the favorite books of my Twitter Friends!

• The Snowman by Raymond Briggs (submitted by dianekauppi)


• Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins


• Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie de Paola (submitted by linkstoliteracy)


• The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg (submitted by peekabooplay)


• Un-Brella by Scott E. Franson (submitted by BabetteR)


• Wave by Suzy Lee (submitted by literacydocent)


• Zoom by Istvan Banyai (submitted by PaulWHankins)


• Re-Zoom by Istvan Banyai (submitted by PaulWHankins)


• Hug by Jez Alborough


• Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathman (submitted by MCLibrarian)


• Peter Spier's Rain (submitted by MCLibrarian)


• Yellow Umbrella by Dong Il Sheen (submitted MCLibrarian)


• Changes, Changes by Pat Hutchins


• Tuesday by David Wiesner

• Deep in the Forest by Brinton Turkle (submitted by literacydocent)

• Flotsam by David Wiesner (submitted by mom2preteens)


• Time Flies by Eric Rohmann
  
  

More Ideas for Using Wordless Books

• Use wordless books to introduce or practice the concept of sequencing. Using words like first, second, and third, children will learn to put the elements of the story in order!



• Wordless books are great for ESL students who are learning to read. They can tell a story without the threat of “reading” the words incorrectly.


• Wordless books are also great for a variety of age groups. Very young children can look at the illustrations, preschoolers can interpret the illustrations and make up their own stories, while older children can write the text for each page.

More wordless picture books:

• http://nancykeane.com/rl/317.htm
• http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/children/wordless.html