Picture Books about Nature
The resources listed here are books the teacher can use to provide pictures displaying nature with students. These books will be used in addition to the virtual and actual sit-spots.
Carter, Andy. Margarito’s Forest = El Bosque de Don Margarito. Monee, IL: Hard Ball Press, 2016.
Margarito's Forest is a bilingual book that tells the nonfiction account of Don Margarito Esteban Álvarez Velázquez's life as told by his daughter, Doña Maria Guadalupe. The story is of Mayan culture and wisdom passed from generation to generation about the effects of climate change. Allison Havens’s multimedia collages are shown in this book. Students will use the illustrations as part of their picture writing. When looking at the pictures in the book, students will use the illustrations to guide how their art will transform. The illustrations will also serve as geographical inspiration for where the book characters originate. I hope students will be inspired by their first country’s geography and use it in their own artwork.
Dorros, Authur. La Isla Continuacion de Abuela. New York, NY: Puffin Books, 1999.
The book La Isla Continuacion de Abuela is a fictional book about a girl and her grandmother who take a whimsically magical journey high above the streets of New York. While the story is told in narrative form, primarily in English, some Spanish phrases are sprinkled throughout when Abuela (Grandmother) points out places to her granddaughter, Rosalba. The illustrations done by Elisa Kleven will be used as part of students' picture writing. Seeing the illustrations will serve as inspiration for how much detail to add to their artwork as the unit progresses.
Gonzalez, Xelena. All Around Us. Holland, OH: Dreamscape Media, LLC, 2018.
All Around Us is a realistic-fiction book depicting a girl and her grandfather reflecting on life, death, and renewal cycles. While the story's premise may be subdued, the author's direct approach softens the heavy subject matter. While the book delves into the circles of life, the illustrator adds to those drawings that include circles of faded sketched lines and arced lights from picture to picture. The illustrations done by Adriana M. Garcia will be used as part of the students' picture writing.
Winter, Jeanette. Our House is on Fire: Greta Thunberg's Call to Save the Planet. New York, NY: Beach Lane Books, 2019.
The story, Our House is on Fire: Greta Thunberg's Call to Save the Planet, is a biography about Greta Thunberg, who became a climate activist. She sparked a worldwide movement and demanded action from world leaders who refused to address the issue. Jeanette Winter is both the author and the illustrator, and those illustrations will aid in students' picture writing activities.
Winter, Jeanette. Wangari's Trees of Peace a True Story from Africa. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018.
The story Wangari's Trees of Peace, a True Story from Africa is a biography about Wangari Maathai, who, as a young girl, grew up in Kenya surrounded by trees. She is allowed to attend college in the United States and, upon arriving back in Kenya, notices that forests are being destroyed and decides to plant seedlings. As they grow, so do her ambitions which eventually spark change and earn her a Nobel Peace Prize. Jeanette Winter is the author and illustrator of this book, which will be used with students as part of their picture writing.
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