The Appeal of the Picture Book

Author: Gene Zion
Illustrator: Margaret Bloy Graham
Publisher: HarperCollins Childrens Books
Publish Date: 1956
ISBN: 0060268654


I am writing this blog from a local playground while I am watching my children play. I actually can't think of a better place to be; away from the dirty dishes in the sink, the pile of bills by the computer and the ten loads of laundry I need to start, to remember what it is like to be a child.

As adults, we become burdened with responsibilities that hinder our abilities to look at something with the fresh eyes of a child. Now, as I watch my children run and laugh with unadulterated fun, I try to bring myself back to my childhood as I eye the pile of picture books sitting next to me from a child's perspective.

I can remember, as a young girl, playing in my backyard dirt pile that used to be my mother's garden. I loved making mud pies and burying treasures to be discovered at a later date. As much as I loved getting dirty, I loathed the bath time that always followed. I guess that is why I always felt connected to Harry of Harry and the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion.

A good picture book must speak to the readers experiences. Just as I would do everything in my power to avoid bath time, so does Harry. He runs away from home and gets dirty, dirtier and dirtiest until "he changes from a white dog with black spots to a black dog with white spots". Most children can connect to Harry as becoming dirty seems to be at the top of their "list of things to do" on a daily basis.

A good picture book must also use illustrations hand in hand with the text. Margaret Bloy Graham created pastel-washed drawing to successfully enhance Gene Zion's text. Her simple, but lively, pictures brings Harry and his adventures to life. They are also a useful tool in using prediction or sequencing during a read aloud.

But, to be a great picture book, like Harry the Dirty Dog, it must work on both levels. An adult must be able to perform, out loud, a story filled with thoughtful words, repetition and rhythm crafted by a skilled author. At the children's level, a picture book must capture, through its words and illustrations, the heart and soul of a child who feels things in the most basic of ways.

Bringing Multiculturalism Into the Classroom

Author/Illustrator: Patricia Polacco
Publisher: Philomel Books, 1972
ISBN: 039921366

My first trip to the Todt-Hill/Westerleigh branch of the New York Public Library was met with locked doors thanks to a broken HVAC system. The next day I headed over to the Richmondtown branch. There, I had a nice girl help me look up titles, but was unable to offer any suggestions as she is normally not placed in the Children's Section. This project was not going to be as easy as I thought.

Luckily, I had written a paper last semester on multicultural picture books that gave me a good idea where to start. I knew author's names like Patricia Polacco, Pat Mora, Gary Soto, Kadir Nelson and Eve Bunting, so I just started hunting among the hundreds of picture books. I did not find any Coretta Scott King Award winning books. No Caldecott or Newbery Metal winners, either. Instead, I brought home a pile of books and was left to decide which of these books would be considered "quality" multicultural literature.

I had a good start with my list of authors. These were men and women who were writing about his or her personal background providing an authentic and accurate representation of the cultures they were portraying.

Next, I began reading the books looking for stories that would allow readers see past the differences of race and religion and instead to simply imagine the lives of others who just happen to be of a different religion or have skin colored in a different hue.

Last, I examined the illustrations for authenticity as they should reflect the reality of the differing cultures instead of perpetuating stereotypes or historical distortions.

I found a Patricia Polacco book, Chicken Sunday, to be a stand-out among the others. Chicken Sunday offers an authentic representation of cultures in its story of a young Jewish girl's friendship with her African-American neighbors. Children from each of these cultures can read words that accurately reflected their heritage in the pages of this book. Whether it be in the description of the Sunday dinners of fried chicken, collared greens and fried spoon bread (yum!) or the way the children "decorate eggs the way my bubbie taught us", Polacco gives the readers the sense of these differing cultures. Polacco successfully represents the meshing of two religious groups in such a way that differences are naturally accepted and instead the commonalities between the religions becomes the focus.

Through her vivid watercolor illustrations, Pollacco visually reflects both cultures. From the accuracy of the traditional garb of the Jewish store-keeper, right down to his numbers tattooed on his forearm, to the depiction of life inside a Baptist church with women wearing their "Sunday Best" singing and dancing to the choir, Polacco successfully illustrates the reality of Jewish-American and African-American life.

I chose this book, Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco, as a "quality" multicultural picture book as it is an accurate textual and visual representation of differing cultural and religious backgrounds. Chicken Sunday offers a representation of literature that help students of all cultural and religious backgrounds develop an understanding of the similarities that can cross cultural lines.