Basic Concept Books with a Twist
Basic Concept Books with a Twist
A staple of literature for young children are books that explore basic concepts: letters, numbers and counting, colors, and shapes. The books featured this week will take you beyond the traditional “D is for dog” and offer opportunities for deeper exploration in these uniquely illustrated books.
The Jungle ABC
Written and Illustrated by Michael Roberts
A brilliant, oversized alphabet book drenched in color and steeped in the majesty of the jungles of Africa. In this virtually wordless book, double-page spreads pair each letter of the alphabet with vibrant paper cutout collages of the people, flora, and fauna of the African continent. One of the final spreads lists the words corresponding to each letter. This book is powerful and informative in its beauty and simplicity. A brief yet inspiring forward by Somali supermodel and beauty entrepreneur Iman speaks to the power and majesty of the jungle as she describes how the “erect arch of the giraffe,” inspired her posture.
City Shapes
Written by Diana Murray, Illustrated by Bryan Collier
In this celebration of cityscapes, a young girl walks through her neighborhood exploring the many shapes found in her city, while a pigeon provides a bird’s eye view. Diana Murray has crafted a rhythmic poem, that explores squares, rectangles, triangles, ovals, diamonds, stars, and circles located throughout the city. Bryan Collier’s double-spread watercolor and collage illustrations capture the intricacies of city life with richly textured images of buildings, vehicles, and people going about their daily activities. This book can provide hours of creative exploration, locating the shapes in each spread, counting them, identifying the colors, etc.
The publisher has provided an Educator’s Guide (can be used by parents and caregivers too) that contains activities inspired by the book.
My Colors, My World/Mis Colores, Mi Mundo
Written and Illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez
2008 Pura Belpré Honor for Illustration
2008 International Latino Book Award, Best Children’s Picture Book, Bilingual 2nd Place, Latino Literacy Now
2007-2008 Américas Award Commended Title, Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs
Inspired by the author/illustrator’s childhood home in the California Mojave Desert, young Maya searchers for color in an environment that is often dull and covered in dust. As she explores her desert home and its surroundings, she finds rich, bold colors all around her. The text, written in both English and Spanish, features the color words in larger fonts that match the color for each object. The illustrations are bold and whimsical and are sure to create hours of exploration and conversation.
Beyond the Books
Exploring our surroundings is a wonderful way to spend time with our children. As you go about your daily routines, find some time to look around closely in your community and the places you visit. Grocery stores, for example, are full of shapes (boxes, cans) and rich colors (check out the produce section). Whether you live in an urban or rural community, shapes and colors abound outdoors and we are surrounded by letters as well (street signs, business fronts). Have fun searching for colors, shapes, letters, and numbers too!