Teaching with Illustrators

• PRINT
• EMAIL

Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words. The experience of reading a picture book hinges entirely on the illustrations, and perhaps the people who know that best are the illustrators themselves. Enter the mindset of artists whose insights can elevate your students' reading experience to the next level.

Guided Tours of Favorite Books: Illustrators Discuss Their Work, Page by Page

Ana Juan The Night Eater In this picture book, Juan's lush illustrations bring readers into the fantastical world of The Night Eater, a creature that gobbles up darkness.

Ana Juan Frida In this biography of the famous painter Frida Kahlo, Juan's whimsical representations of Frida's life both incorporate and pay homage to Frida's artistic style.

Brian Selznick The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins Selnick's detailed illustrations provide another dimension to this biography of a little-known scientist and his life's work.

Mark Teague Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School In this humorous look at a dog's life behind bars, Teague uses an interplay between illustrations and text to tell the whole story.

Teaching About Artists and Illustrators
Use this unit plan to teach your students about illustrators and different artistic mediums, from painting to collage.

Interviews with Favorite Author/Illustrators
Meet five favorite author/illustrators and learn how they create the stories and images that captivate us.

Eric Carle in the Spotlight
In our audio clip, hear Eric Carle, author and illustrator of favorites such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Grouchy Ladybug, discuss his life and his work. Afterwards, introduce Carle further using our author study and teaching plan.

Meet the Man Behind BONE: Jeff Smith
In this twist on the standard author/illustrator interview, the BONE cousins ask questions of their creator, Jeff Smith. Be part of the interactive Q&A or read a text version of the interview.

Student Interviews with Illustrators
Celebrated illustrators answered questions from students and teachers across the country. These transcripts provide the inside scoop.
David Diaz
Leo and Diane Dillon
Nancy Tafuri
Chris Van Allsburg
Don and Audrey Wood
Ed Young

 

 

 

Policies & Practices: Literacy in Action- Helping Children Learn to Read and Write
Ways teachers and parents can be involved in fostering early literacy are discussed. In the sub-article, "Developing a Love of Literacy", a quick list of ideas on literacy is presented.

Build and Organize a Classroom Library
Organizational tips to help make your classroom library easy-to-use for your students, and easy-to-manage for you.

Understanding and Implementing Reading First
Find out about President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act and how to incorporate its tenets into your classroom.

LESSON PLAN

Stay Safe in the Kitchen Learn to stay safe in the kitchen with "Learn Fire Safety with Sparky", a national standards-based program in language arts and health.