Monday, March 3, 2008

Picture books for high school # 01

When I came to this school, there were very few picture books in the library collection. Some Asterix, some Tintin, one or two others, and that was all. Picture books can be a wonderful asset in high school - there are lots suited to this age group. Some are just fun, in a way that appeals to older as well as younger children. Some have levels of sophistication, and a few are really only suited to this older age group.

I set about developing a collection. It is used every day. It gets heavy use for recreational reading (nobody gets pinged for being 'childish' or reading 'little kid books') and in the classroom, with English, Visual Arts and subjects involving the study of children all finding it useful.

A friend who's moved to a new school recently asked me for a list of recommendations for picture books for high school. I'll bing it on here over time (handy blog filler, you see, rather than tossing it on in one long list). These are ones we have here, that work. The list is in no particular order, except you're nuts if you don't have The story of the little mole in your library, because it's hilarious and gets in even the most reluctant kid (it's about poo, what's not to like about that?? - and I sometimes have seniors doing 'read aloud' sessions with it, because it makes them laugh).

  • Holzwarth & Erlbruch: The story of the little mole who knew that it was none of his business
  • Tan: The arrival
  • French: Diary of a wombat
  • Wheatley & Rawlins: My place
  • Wild: Woolvs in the sitee
  • Gerstein: The man who walked between the towers
  • Gravett: Wolves

If you want to track any of them down, they're either in print or they're not...and places like dymocks.com.au or amazon.co.uk or amazon.com will give you synopses/reviews.

If you've got picture books that work well in your high school, feel free to leave a comment about any titles you'd particularly recommend - always happy to know about new possibilities.

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