• Foreword
• Preface - Reading with Children
• Introduction - How I learned to Think with
My Eyes
• Chapter 1 - That's About the Size of
It
Trim Size and Orientation
• Chapter 2 - Coming Attractions
Jackets and Covers
• Chapter 3 - Visual Overtures
Endpapers
• Chapter 4 - Slow Down and Look
Front Matter
• Chapter 5 - Knocked Out by Type
Typography
• Chapter 6 - Gutter Talk and More
Page Design
• Chapter 7 - "Children, Children, What Do
You See?"
Nurturing Visual Intelligence
• Chapter 8 - The Picture Book
Playground
The Benefits (and Fun) of hte Whole Book Approach
• Conclusion - The Story Continues
• Acknowledgments
• Resources
Leading Whole Book Approach Storytimes
Whole Book Approach Sample Questions
Gloassary of Book and Storytime Terminology
Further Reading
• Notes
• Image Credits
• Index
Megan Dowd Lambert is an instructor at the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College, where she earned her degree in children's literature. She writes for the Horn Book Magazine, has served on a Caldecott Committee, and worked at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art for many years, where she developed the Whole Book Approach.
An in-depth exploration of the author's Whole Book Approach: a way
to slow storytime down and consider children's responses to art,
design, and other visual elements.
Lambert honed her new storytime style while sharing picture books
at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. She began by using
traditional methods but realized that she was representing a
museum; she should focus on art and the notion of a book as an art
form. Taking cues from the open-ended questions used by the Carle
museum's docents, Lambert created a similar approach toward reading
with children. With chapters devoted to trim size and orientation,
jackets and covers, endpapers, typography, and more, there really
is no better way to say it: Lambert delves into the "whole book."
Librarians may quake at the thought of inviting so much discussion
while reading stories to a large group, but Lambert calms fears
with repeated (and adorable—such as the "heightful tower" of
Madeline) examples from her many years of practice. She also shares
tips and tricks to regain focus if a group goes awry.
Traditionalists' concerns that the integrity of the story might be
compromised by many interruptions are unfounded; Lambert rightly
stresses that reading both the words and the art are equally
important and provides ample evidence of children's increased
engagement with the books being shared.
Welcome permission to shake things up, with an important
acknowledgment of the art form at the core of modern
storytimes.
-Kirkus Reviews
Lambert, a lecturer at Simmons College, provides a guidebook to the
Whole Book Approach, a “co-constructed (interactive) storytime
model centered on the picture book as a visual art form,” an
approach developed at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Despite the title, the Whole Book Approach is really more child-
centered than book-centered, focusing on the ways children interact
with books and emphasizing their experiences of what they see and
hear during a storytime rather than analyzing the text or pictures.
Lambert’s thoughtful introduction discusses her own struggles with
learning to decode pictures and her subsequent education in all
things picture book, including layout, medium, style, etc. Chapters
include overviews of trim size, jackets and covers, endpapers,
front matter, typography, page design, and perhaps most helpfully,
a guide to encouraging visual intelligence among children and the
benefits of her approach. Resources includes tips on creating and
leading Whole Book storytimes, sample questions for Whole Book
storytimes, a glossary and further reading.
-The Bulletin of The Center for Children's Books
Lambert’s Whole Book Approach challenges librarians to think
differently about how they share a picture book in a group setting.
It asks adult readers to value the opinions of young listeners and
to engage them to become active participants as they try to make
meaning of all they see and hear during a shared reading. This
volume gives concrete examples and practical tips on how to do a
shared reading based on the Whole Book Approach; through a
conversational style and clear directions, Lambert offers support
for librarians and teachers testing out new ways of engaging young
listeners. The author developed this method during her graduate
studies in children’s literature at Simmons College and while
working in the Education Department of the Eric Carle Museum of
Picture Book Art. As she points out, the Whole Book Approach method
of sharing picture books starts right on the title page—adults
share vocabulary information about the various parts of a physical
book. Lambert goes on to dedicate individual chapters to “Jackets
and Covers,” “Endpapers,” “Front Matter,” “Typography,” and “Page
Design” and spends a good deal of time on how to foster a child’s
visual intelligence. The author’s storytime anecdotes are funny,
touching, and ultimately illuminating, highlighting how this
approach can open new avenues to explore with children. VERDICT An
essential purchase for any educator wanting to understand and apply
the Whole Book Approach in their storytimes, or for those who would
like to better understand the various parts and wonders of the
picture book as a unique art form.
-School Library Journal
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