Pomelo’s Opposites

Humor, Originality, Picture Books,

“Pomelo’s Opposites”

Intro: When Pomelo was small, he was really small. And he couldn’t yet see the difference between …

Follow Pomelo as he discovers the opposite of things. 

This book promotes creative components of humor and originality.

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: I like this book because it takes the typical opposite book and turns it on its head with humor and by tackling conceptual learning. I love this one:

TITLE: Pomelo’s Opposites

AUTHOR: Ramona Badescu

ILLUSTRATOR: Benjamin Chaud

PUBLISHER: Enchanted Lion Books, 2013

AGE GROUP: 4-7

TOPIC(S): opposites

CREATIVE COMPONENTS: original, humor

LEARNING EXTENSIONS:

1) Take a dictionary and flip it open to any page. Without looking, let your finger rest somewhere on the page. Open your eyes. What word did your finger land on? How can you show the opposite of that word?

2) Make a list of opposites that could be included in this book. Pick one of those opposites and sketch it out using Pomelo as the main character.

EXTENDING CONNECTIONS:

To learn more about author Ramona Badescu’s other books, visit:

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/authorpage/ramona-badescu.html

To learn more about illustrator Benjamin Chaud’s process, visit: 

https://www.chroniclebooks.com/blog/2015/03/04/studio-tour-behind-the-scenes-with-benjamin-chaud/

“drawn together”

Creative Problem Solving, Imagination, Picture Books, Visualization, ,

“drawn together”

A grandson is to spend time with his grandfather but there’s a generational gap. They don’t speak each other’s language. They don’t eat the same food. And they don’t watch the same television shows. 

Then Grandfather sees his grandson drawing with markers. He brings his pen and ink. And in a flash, they discover a new world that words can’t describe.

But when they’re closer than ever, the old distance returns. Will they be able to cross that generational bridge?

This book promotes creativity, creative problem solving, and diversity.

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: I like this almost wordless book because it is a story that doesn’t need words for its message to be told. The graphic novel-story type illustrations add another layer. I really enjoyed seeing how this author and illustrator bridge the generational gap literally and figuratively. 

TITLE: drawn together

AUTHOR: Minh Lê

ILLUSTRATOR: Dan Santat

PUBLISHER: Disney-Hyperion, 2018

TOPIC(S): generational, grandparent/grandchild relationship, culture

AGE GROUP: 4-7

CREATIVE COMPONENTS: creativity, creative problelm solving, diversity

LEARNING EXTENSIONS:

1) With a friend or sibling, invent a language that only the two of you understand.

2) Build a bridge using your favorite food or candy.

EXTENDING CONNECTIONS:

To learn more about author Minh Lê, visit:

http://minhlebooks.com/about-1

To learn more about illustrator Dan Santat, visit: 

https://www.dantat.com

The One-Stop Story Shop

“The One-Stop Story Shop”

One day a knight seeks out a dragon to battle. When he arrives at the dragon’s lair, the knight finds a note that informs him that the dragon is on a two- week vacation. Without a dragon to fight, the knight’s story is stuck.  Luckily, he happens upon The One-Stop Story Shop, where characters, plots, wigs, wands, and more are available.

Soon the knight and his ferret sidekick are having different adventures such The Starry-Space-Chase Adventure and The Hold-on-to-Your-Hats Cowboy Adventure. But these tales aren’t quite right. Finally, the knight embarks on an underwater adventure that has everything he wants – a gallant horse, a mysterious cave, treasure, and a terrible beast to fight.

When the dragon returns home early from his vacation ready to battle, the knight realizes that there is a world of stories waiting for him, and declares, “No, thanks!”

This story promotes the creative components of imagination and perspective.

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: I like this book for many reasons: the catchy title that uses alliteration, the overall story that encompasses smaller stories, and the ending twist. But most of all, I enjoyed this book for its clever, unusual fairy tale adventures. 

TITLE: The One-Stop Story Shop

AUTHOR: Tracey Corderoy

ILLUSTRATOR: Tony Neal

PUBLISHER: Tiger Tales, 2019

AGE GROUP:  5-7

TOPIC(S): adventure storytelling, fairy tales

CREATIVE COMPONENTS: imagination, perspective

LEARNING EXTENSIONS:

1) Make a list of your favorite characters from books, movies, or cartoons. Pick one character to be your main character and one character to be a secondary character. Write an adventure story about them using alternate settings.

2) What elements make up a fairy tale? Pretend you are the main character in a fairy tale of your choice. What things can you use from your life to make your fairy tale a modern day fairy tale? Write your fairy tale adventure.

EXTENDING CONNECTIONS:

To learn more about author Tracey Corderoy, visit:

http://www.traceycorderoy.com/about

To learn more about illustrator Tony Neal, visit: http://tonyneal.co.uk