A
Beautiful Picture Book Time with Curious, Creative, Fun First Graders
by
Eloise Greenfield (May 22, 2012)
Last
week, I celebrated the beauty of picture books in a program for three
first-grade classes, in the library of Shepherd Elementary School in
Washington, DC. The children were well-prepared with a love for and an
excitement about picture books. Each of
the classes surprised me with a dramatic, group performance of one of my poems.
They used gestures and expressive vocal interpretation in presenting the poems,
and the class that recited “Nathaniel’s Rap” whipped out sunglasses and put
them on before reciting the poem. Cool!
I
gave a brief overview of how illustrators work, that when they read a new
manuscript, they “see” images and then, using their knowledge of how to create
art, illustrate the book. I compared this process with the one I use in
writing. I daydream and “see” characters and scenes, then use the knowledge I
have acquired through the study of the craft, to write a book. This is a very
simplified version of the process, but enough I think, for first-graders, in a
short session.
In
touching on the versatility of some illustrators, I focused on Jan Spivey
Gilchrist. I showed the jackets of three of her books: The Friendly Four (watercolor); In
the Land of Words: New and Selected Poems (sewn fabric); and The Great Migration: Journey to the North
(collage).
Then
I did my usual reading of poems, including one written by my mother, Lessie
Jones Little, for her book, Children of
Long Ago. As always, I used audience participation: clapping to the beat,
repeating after me, jumping double-dutch with my invisible rope, all to demonstrate
the poet’s intentional incorporation of meaning, melody, rhythm, etc., into the
work.
We
ended with questions from the children, good questions, reflecting the kinds of
discussions the students had had in their classrooms and at home.
I
went home happy, carrying images of these children to add to my forty-year
collection of memories.
To book Eloise Greenfield for an author visit, please visit Balkin Buddies or contact Catherine Balkin.
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