Is it your turn to be the class “mystery reader”? Or would you like to incorporate a picture
book into a Sunday school lesson or art class? When deciding which book or books you will read, keep in mind the
following tips :]
Find out how long you’re expected to read and if certain
subjects are desired, such as character traits or an upcoming event.
Choose books with large colorful illustrations, not overly
detailed, and simply designed text.
Practice reading the book aloud to catch any nuances of the
text and to make sure it’s not damaged or in poor condition.
Take along a water bottle and have a swallow before you
begin!
We have compiled a
list of proven winners to read aloud to preschools and elementary grades. Below are a few from the list:
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| Preschool - K |
It’s a Tiger! Kids
will like pointing out part of the tiger and joining in with the exclamation of
“It’s a tiger, run!” as he is revealed
on the following page.
 |
| K - Grade 3 |
Art class teachers will enjoy Mousterpiece
Although
the book is small, the illustrations are clear and provide a fun survey of
22 modern American and European masters.
 |
| Preschool - Grade 2 |
King Arthur’s Very Great Grandson The ending provides a moral lesson in
bullying and how to make friends. Illustrations are filled with energy that keeps the pages turning.
 |
| K - Grade 4 |
 |
| Grade 1 - 4 |
Kiss Me, I’m Perfect (and others). Robert Munsch’s stories combine some outlandish humor
with high energy: he put the LOUD in read aloud.
Books dealing with character development:
 |
| Preschool - Grade 2 |
Stanley learns how to be responsible and deal with
problems positively.
 |
| K - Grade 2 |
Tell the Truth, B.B.Wolf : School age children will delight in pointing out the wolf’s errors as he
tells HIS version of huffing and puffing and blowing a house down.
Raising Yoder's Barn illustrates teamwork and tolerance for different cultures.
 |
Grade 1-4
 |
| Grade 2-4 |
 |
| Grade 2-4 |
2013 is the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Several recent picture books celebrate this momentous event and the contribution of slaves to our country’s well being. In Hope’s Gift, a slave child’s father runs away from their plantation to join the Union Army and hopefully speed up the end of the war.
Brick by Brick commemorates in lyrical fashion the contribution of slaves to the building of the White House. The anonymous are given names, and the faceless limned with power and individuality. The idea of building something from nothing as the wooded area is cleared and a new nation’s capital is built is echoed in the slaves who learn skills and eventually earn money to buy freedom.
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James Agee was born on November 27, 1909. He became a film critic for TIME magazine and
The Nation in the 1940's. By the end of the decade, he had begun screenwriting,
and went on to co-write the screenplays for The African Queen (1951) and The
Night of the Hunter (1955). Agee died in New York City on May 16, 1955. 
