Worth a thousand words: an annotated guide to picture books for older readers

767 Pages·1996·3.1 MB·English

by  Bette DeBruyne Ammon

Worth a Thousand Words : An Annotated
title:
Guide to Picture Books for Older Readers
Ammon, Bette DeBruyne.; Sherman, Gale
author:
W.
publisher: Libraries Unlimited
isbn10 | asin: 1563083906
print isbn13: 9781563083907
ebook isbn13: 9780585123264
language: English
Illustrated Children's books--Bibliography,
Picture books for children--Bibliography,
subject
Children--United States--Books and
reading.
publication date: 1996
lcc: Z1023.A55 1996eb
ddc: 011.62
Illustrated Children's books--Bibliography,
subject: Picture books for children--Bibliography,
Children--United States--Books and
reading.
Page iii
Worth a Thousand Words
An Annotated Guide to Picture Books for Older Readers
Bette D. Ammon
and
Gale W. Sherman
1996
Libraries Unlimited, Inc.
Englewood, Colorado
Page iv
For Betty Holbrook, a classy librarian and boss who nurtured, taught,
and, most important, let us run with our "wild" ideas!
Love and a thousand thanks.
Copyright © 1996 Libraries Unlimited, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of the publisher.
LIBRARIES UNLIMITED, INC.
P.O. Box 6633
Englewood, CO 80155-6633
1-800-237-6124
Production Editor: Stephen Haenel
Copy Editor: Jan Krygier
Proofreader: Ann Marie Damian
Design: Stephen Haenel & Michael Florman
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ammon, Bette DeBruyne.
Worth a thousand words: an annotated guide to picture books for
older readers / Bette D. Ammon and Gale W. Sherman.
xv, 210 p. 22x28 cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-56308-390-6
1. Illustrated books, Children' sBibliography. 2. Picture books
for childrenBibliography. 3. ChildrenUnited StatesBooks and
reading. I. Sherman, Gale W. II. Title.
Z1023.A55 1996
011.62dc20 96-31489
CIP
Page v
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction ix
How to Use This Book xiii
Bibliography of Picture Book Resources xv
Picture Books 1
Author/Illustrator Index 165
Title Index 177
Subject Index 193
Page vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors wish to thank the numerous individuals who were
incredibly helpful with this project. Yes, we're finally done with this
edition and no, Katie, we're not rich yet!
Nancy Spaulding, children's librarian and fine artist, deserves a
heartfelt thank-you for her valuable artistic consulting and her ever-
ready assistance in recommending and locating a gold mine of picture
books.
Kate McClelland responded to a telephone call from a stranger by
sharing her vast knowledge of picture books, the fabulous collection
she's developed, and prodding us to "Hurry up and finish!"
Though pressed into service because of college vacation time,
knowledge of children's literature, and direct bloodline connections,
Ashley Sherman helped more than her mother ever expected. She was
great at reading shelves, discovering hidden treasures, and giving
opinions.
A recent hip replacement didn't keep Harriet Whittelsey, mother and
grandmother, from crawling around library floors in pursuit of elusive
books on low shelves. Her library card made the collections of many
libraries accessible, and her companionship visiting libraries every
day for a couple of weeks might have constituted abuse. Must be love.
David Loertscher, thanks for sharing your ideas, helping us refine
ours, and encouraging us to tackle such a large project in the
beginning.
Additional thanks go to Margie Mickelson for answering art questions
and the staff members at Missoula Public Library (Missoula, MT) and
Marshall Public Library (Pocatello, ID) for their help with interlibrary
loan and other assistance.
A general thanks to the staff members who helped us at other libraries:
Boston Public; Cedar Mills Public, Portland, OR; Chicago Public;
Ferguson Memorial, Stamford, CT; Greenwich Public, CT; Idaho
Falls Public, ID; and Perrot Memorial, Old Greenwich, CT.
Page ix
INTRODUCTION
If a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine the value of many
pictures plus a thousand words. Pictures plus words (i.e., picture
books) can be extraordinary, and picture books for older readers are a
resource waiting to be tapped. Traditionally considered the domain of
younger children, many picture books today defy that limitation. Even
though the picture book format is fairly traditional with text and
illustrations presented with a delicate balance, the format alone no
longer dictates the age of the audience or the use of the material.
Some picture books are created specifically to deal with difficult
subjects or complicated issues. More often than not, these books are
designed and intended for an older audience. A classic and
contemporary example is the 1995 Caldecott Award winner, Eve
Bunting's Smoky Night (Harcourt, 1994), illustrated by David Diaz,
which depicted the 1992 L.A. riots and their effect on a young boy
and his mother who learn the value of getting along with others in
their riot-torn neighborhood (entry 93). In his acceptance speech Diaz
said he "felt the book could have a positive effect and help erode
barriers of prejudice and intolerance. And above all, it was a book that
could be a part of the post-riot healing process."
Because this book dealt with such a serious theme, many critics took
the Caldecott Committee to task. They believe children are being
robbed of an innocent childhood when their books deal with such
disturbing themes. Others think that deeply serious issues or historical
events (such as riots or the Holocaust) should not be dealt with in
picture book format. These objections fail to take into account several
issues:
1. Through television and newspapers, children in today's world know
a considerable amount about what goes on in city streets and
elsewhere. In fact, children live in those realities.
2. A picture book can introduce students to a topic or event, providing
a frame of reference for further research.
3. Books about serious issues can relieve anxieties and provide
opportunities for discussion, healing, and development of critical-
thinking skills.
4. Many picture books with these sophisticated themes were never
intended for the very young child.
This evolution in picture books is not news to innovative librarians,
teachers, and parents who for years have been using picture books
with older readersstudents in grades four and above, including high
school and college students. Those aware of this treasure trove of
literature and art have been quick to capitalize on the eye-catching
artwork and approachable texts. They know intuitively what recent
research suggeststhat many students comprehend better when they are
reading meaningful text, with meaningful characters and themes.
Readers need great stories, written with rich language; books that call
out for looking, reading, and discussing. Many of these books are
picture books for older readers.
What if there were a tool, an index, that combined distilled examples
of concepts, literary devices, and art media along with the picture
books that best illustrate them? We know that some teachers,
librarians, and parents are using a smattering of picture books for
older readers, and sporadic recommended lists appear both online and
in professional journals. But until this volume, there has been no
single source of comprehensive listings.
The following criteria were used to select the books included in Worth
a Thousand Words.