What is the one picture book you use in your classroom that you would not, under any circumstances, give up? For me ... The Giving Tree.
I use these titles pretty regularly, adding or subtracting one here or there:
- Oh, The Places You Will Go
- The Dot
- The Firekeeper's Son
- The Toy Boat
- Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
- The Three Questions
- Tales from Outer Suburbia
- The Giving Tree
I use The Giving Tree as the culmination of a unit on theme. Wrestling with Silverstein's meaning -- well, it is indeed a wrestle. The test is so thick with implications that I can't skip it. And how students react to it would be an interesting study of its own. Most sigh and say something like, "How sad" or "How sweet." Some get angry. Some look peaceful. One young woman blurted out, "Why are people so awful?" and then she put her head in her hands and cried.
We can look at The Giving Tree from a number of perspectives -- relational, religious, literary, psychological, to name only a few of the obvious ones. It is the richness of these possibilities that add to its complexity and make it an irresistible teaching device.
So, I repeat my question: What is the one picture book you use in your classroom that you would not give up?
Oh, the Places You Will Go is a delight to read to students as they move from my classroom out to the real world. It is just so full of hope! The one I wouldn't give up is another Dr. Seuss classic, "Diffendoofer Day." This book was started by Dr. Seuss as a tribute to teachers and all that we do. I always read it on the first day of my reading methods course.
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