Collections about Authors and Illustrators--Places to Visit!

Wow!  Look at these great sites about authors and illustrators!

Eric Carle Museum of Picture Art--This museum looks like a fun place to visit!

The Complete Listing of All Public Children's Literature Statues in the United States--We think this is a wonderful compilation of places to put on our trip list!  Wouldn't it be fun to visit all of these?  So much work went into this list.  Hope you enjoy it!

Marion E. Wade Center, Wheaton College, Illinois--See the wardrobe that inspired C. S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien's desk, and C. S. Lewis's desk and chair.  This is a small museum that we enjoyed visiting for the history and inspiration!

Enjoy visiting all of these sites!  Let us know of other fun places about authors and illustrators you've found!

How Mountains Are Made

How Mountains Are Made, by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld and illustrated by James Graham Hale, is a nonfiction book that uses elements of fiction to convey facts.  This method appeals to many children, drawing them in to learn. We enjoyed all of the details in this book.

The story begins with a group of children climbing a mountain who find a rock with the shape of a seashell in it.  This discovery leads to the book’s illustrations and explanations of how mountains are formed.  The large number of labeled illustrations is of great help in visualizing the process. 

We recommend this book if your child is studying geology or is interested in earth science.  It would also make a great book to take on a family vacation to the mountains.  We hope you enjoy learning from it!

Question Collection:

*What mountains have you seen?

*What did you learn about mountains?

*Which illustration could you explain in your own words?

Alphabet City

Alphabet City, by Stephen T. Johnson, is a visual tour of the alphabet as seen in various city scenes.  This wordless picture book is a fun book to use for children who love to find hidden pictures.  Some letters are obvious, but it takes some searching and discrimination to see the others.  This book is a great springboard to go searching for letters in your environment.  We’ve searched for letters in locales we’ve visited too.  Happy looking!

Question Collection:

*Were some letters easier to see than others?

*What do you think was the most creative letter pictured?

*Where have you seen letters in your environment?

Read more children's ABC books here!

Easy Street

Do your children like to watch road construction?  As we run errands and travel in the summer, we’ve found our “waiting” time during stops for road construction can be turned into learning opportunities.  Easy Street, by Rita Gray and illustrations by Mary Bono, is a great way to read more about how streets are made.  The sequential three dimensional clay people and construction materials make the book’s rhyming story even more fun.  The diversity of the workers also makes the book more realistic.  After a few readings, children will be able to quote these fun rhymes and understand the street making process. An added page by the author also gives more detailed explanations of how asphalt is used in the street making process.  We hope you enjoy this fun book!

Question Collection:

*Which job would you like to have on Easy Street?

*What kinds of tools are used in making a street?

*Can you tell some rhyming words you heard?

Welcome to the Zoo

Are you and your family planning a trip the zoo soon? We love to read books as we prepare and return from family outings.  Welcome to the Zoo, by Alison Jay, is a beautiful, wordless book that we enjoy talking about as we learn more about zoos.  The pictures captivate you as you take a picture walk through the delightful pages. This book is good preparation for developing children’s observation skills before they go to a zoo.

It’s fun for children (and adults) to spot all of the events happening at the zoo on each page.  Children can find and name the various animals in the book as well as think about animals they might see on their zoo trip. The author also includes two fun learning pages at the conclusion of the book.  These pages encourage children to take a look back at the book to find some specific items.  There are some funny things happening at this zoo, so don’t miss out on the laughs!

Question Collection:

*What was the funniest thing you saw in this book?

*Which animal is your favorite?

*What questions would you like to ask the animals?