Picture Book Month officially began yesterday, November 1st!
Picture Book Month is according to their website, “an international initiative to designate November as Picture Book Month, encouraging everyone to celebrate literacy with picture books. Founder, Dianne de Las Casas (author & storyteller) storyconnection.net, and Co-Founders, Katie Davis (author/illustrator) katiedavis.com, Elizabeth O. Dulemba (author/illustrator) www.dulemba.com, Tara Lazar (author) taralazar.
Why designate a month to picture books?
You may be wondering why devote a month to picture books. Don’t we all love picture books already? The answer is simple. With the birth of eBooks, iPads, Kindles, Nooks and other online reading devices, many feel traditional printed picture books may be on the way out.
Founder Dianne de Las Casa decided it was time to celebrate picture books in their printed format so she created an initiative to designate November as “Picture Book Month”. A number of authors, librarians and leaders in the literature community came on board and spread the word. Every day in November, there will be a new post from a picture book champion explaining why he/she thinks picture books are important. You can visit the website from the link here.
Let’s celebrate the beauty of picture books!
Everyday in November, we will read a picture book in the Bulldog Library! We love picture books already, and this is just an extra incentive to remember and share why we love them.
To launch the month, yesterday I read Alphabeasties and Other Amazing Types by Sharon Werner. This book is an illustrated alphabet book for early readers that composes images of animals using only the first letter of its name.
I am using this text with our first graders as they learn how the Everybody section of our library is set up in ABC order by the author’s last name.
The kindergarten students will celebrate our fall colors with the picture books by Lois Ehlert! Every fall we do an author study of Lois Ehlert and how she uses cut-outs in her books! In addition, Mrs. Lustgarten, our art leader has planned an art project so go with our fall leaf picture book unit!
I hope all of our readers will pledge to read a picture book a day for the month of November and beyond! I know I will be enjoying immersing myself in the books that transformed my reading experience from when I was a very young child. I hope you will join me!
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What is your favorite picture book?
Will you join the pledge to read a picture book a day in November?
Leave us a comment and let us know!
Dear Mrs Hembree,
I love this month been Picture book month. When BB was a baby I would read to her picture books all the time.
BB just loved me reading Olga the Brolga by Rod Clement. BB’s dad would read her this story and often have acted out as Olga the Brolga. This is a beautiful story and picture book.
My favourite picture book is Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae and illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees.
This piciture book is just beautiful as well.
Happy reading everyone.
From your pal,
AA.
Dear Mrs. Hembree,
We just read a book called Tell Me a Dragon by Jackie Morris. We really liked the book because of the colorful wator illustrations. Now we all want to check it out!
We like the pictures in picture books!
From,
Mrs. Staples Class
Dear Mrs. Hembree,
We think that celebrating picture book month is a good idea. Our class had not heard about it before. Thanks for sharing something new with us!
Here are some of our favorite picture books:
JonPaul likes The Three Little Neighbors. It is a pop-up, Sponge Bob book.
Ava likes the book If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff. Renee also likes. Reese agrees with his friends and likes If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.
Fox in Socks is Lucas’ favorite by Dr. Seuss. Dominic has another favorite called One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.
Duncan’s favorite book is The Mitten by Jan Brett.
Thanks for getting us thinking about our favorite picture books. We can’t wait to go home and read some of our favorites!
Your reading buddies,
The Techie Kids
(& Mrs. Moore 🙂 )
Dear Mrs. Moore,
Remembering our favorite picture books is always a great trip down memory lane. I have showed my students one of my favorites from when I was a little girl. I still have a copy of Kiki Dances, a story about a little girl who takes ballet lessons. I used to dance ballet, so I could really relate to the story.
Your students and our students have a lot of favorites in common!
Keep Reading!
Mrs. Hembree
Dear Mrs. Hembree,
We like picture books too!
Kaito likes a book about Helen Keller.
Gabriella likes If You Give a Pig a Pancake.
Gabe B likes More Bears .
Gabe C likes Harry By the Sea.
Zoe B I likes the Piggie and Gerald books by Mo Willems.
Bella likes Pigeon books.
From,
Ms. Valenta’s class
We read Tell Me a Dragon in class. At the end it says, “Tell me about your dragon.” Here are our ideas:
Josiah – My dragon is a swimming dragon.
Julia – My dragon eats ice cream and always watches me to protect me from nightmares.
Anas-My dragon is an ice-dragon that shoots ice from its mouth!
David – My dragon is a fire dragon.
Marcus – My dragon is a spy dragon!
Levon – My dragon is a lava dragon.
Eric – My dragon is an earth dragon and can make steel walls.
Joel – My dragon is a fire-breathing dragon.
Sruthi – My dragon is a colorful dragon that throws lava all over the the sky.
Jasmine – My dragon is a dessert dragon that only eats desserts!
From,
Mrs. Kassel-Day’s Class
Dear Mrs.H
I really hope we can save the picture books from all the Apple divices. It is really cool that we celibrate Picture Book Month.
From,Alex
I love picture books so i would love to keep them. I had my first picture book when i was six. picture books are awsome.
Dear Mrs. Hembree
I like to read picture books in my free time. I’m glad the month is November. My favorite picture book is Don’t Let The Pigeon Ride The Bus.
Dear , Mrs.H
I hope we can save the picture books from getting extinct from all of the new apple devices and others . I’m going to keep on reading picture books . Long live the picture books .
Dear Mrs.Hembree
I thought your recently purchased book Tell Me A Dragon had amazing drawings!
From AL
Mrs. Hembree,
Josa is home sick today, so we will be doing lots of picture book reading. Here are the books that are piled on the bed:
If I Built A Car (one of Josa’s all time favorites because it’s about inventing a cool, imaginary car)
Polo
Traction Man is Here!
The Day the Babies Crawled Away (not only is the art in this book great, but the words are very fun to read)
The Little House
A Sick Day for Amos McGee (very appropriate for today!)
Thank you for telling us about picture book month!
Judy and Josa
Dear Mrs. Hembree,
I’m so glad its Picture Book Month. Even though those books are aimed towards littler kids I still like to read them sometimes. Especially Dr. Seuss.
From,
Spencer
Dear Mrs Hembree and The Bulldog Readers
Just dropping by to let you know we received your postcard. Thanks very much for sending it. We have added it to our postcard wall.
There are so many great picture books that I would not be able to list just one favourite. I agree with Spencer that there are some great Dr Suess ones. Here are some others I enjoy sharing:
Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French
Are We There Yet by Alison Lester
Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
A Fisherman’s Tale by Keith Faulkner
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Martin
I had best stop there.
regards
Mrs S and 4DS
Dear class,
My favorite picture book is Predator Showdown ! Yes , I will pledge to read a picture book in November and for many other months too.
Sincerely,
Tyler a 49’er
Dear Tyler the ’49er,
Thank you so much for visiting our blog and pledging to read picture books during November! Picture books mean so much to most of us and we need to keep enjoying them, so matter how old we are!
I am not familiar with Predator Showdown! It sounds scary! What kind of picture book is it?
From,
Mrs. Hembree
Dear Mrs.Hembree ,
I love it here in Roatan but would like to come back there for school sometimes. I am taking pictures to show you. I will keep in touch until I get to the airport and can’t wait to see how cold it is over there !!!
From
Mia
HI Mia,
Thanks for commenting from Roatan! Wow – I can’t wait to see your photographs! They will be incredible! I hope you are reading while you are away.
It’s cold here, but it’s been very sunny too, so it doesn’t feel so bad. I love this kind of weather, but then I love fall and winter too!
See you soon!
Mrs. Hembree
Dear mrs.Hembree
I like the picture you used for the picture book month! I also wonder where did you get that picture? I might want to use that picture sometime!
sincerely, jacob
Thank you for participating! November is Picture Book Month! Read * Share * Celebrate!
Warmly,
Dianne de Las Casas
Founder, Picture Book Month