WORDS AND YOUR HEART by Kate Jane Neal - a picture book about the power of words

Why read this book?

Many picture books about using kind words are not this direct. But for me, the simple and stylish presentation here made the direct approach really effective. 

The key message in this story is about the power of words. When I read this to my kindergarten students, they leaned in and listened a little more closely than usual. I think they could really connect to this book, since at times they may feel small and powerless, with adults making decisions for them. 

Summary from Amazon: 

This book is about your heart (the little bit inside of you that makes you, you!)

The words we listen to can affect how we feel.

Some words can do amazing things and make us happy.

And some words can really hurt us (we all know what sort of words those are).

Our words have power, and we can choose to use them to make the world a better place.

Simple, direct, and emotive, Words and Your Heart’s message is that words have extraordinary power–to harm and to heal, to create and to destroy, and to spread love.

I was lucky to find this copy of Words and Your Heart by Kate Jane Neal, published by Feiwel and Friends, at my local library, but it's one I'm considering buying for my classroom. 

My thoughts as a creator: 

"This book is about your heart." What a great way to begin! I really liked the conversational tone of this book. The art style makes use of lots of white space and the limited color palette of black, grey and red made the illustrations and the simple, but powerful ideas on each stand out. I loved the cute cartoon-style characters -- the drawings are so expressive!

My thoughts as an educator:

The idea of how powerful words are is a key concept in learning about anti-racism and bullying. This book would be a great way to introduce any lessons on bullying and especially thinking about word choices. I also really liked the focus on the uniqueness of each individual. It could be really fun and effective to pair this up with learning about superheroes and powers.

Age Range: 3 -7

Activities:  

Writing & Art: Make a list of amazing words! What words make you feel good? Which words make you feel powerful? Put your word in the centre of a heart shape and add colour using your favourite colours and choice of medium. This would work really well with complimentary colours to make the word pop! 

Writing & Reading: Students could make a small drawing to illustrate a powerful word they chose for a class book. Place the class book where students can read it whenever they wish.

Social-Emotional Learning: Try a random act of kindness! Think of something you could say with your words to make someone else feel happy. Write it on the back of a happy face or a heart and deliver it to a  random student in another class, somewhere else in your school. Or create a bulletin board display of words and phrases that could lift others up.

Additional Resources: 

For another perspective and more activities to go with this book, visit Kiddos and Crayons. 

Learning from Picture Books: THE CARDINAL AND THE CROW

I enjoy watching birds (and am participating in Project Feeder Watch) so the title of this book captured my attention. I didn't realize it was a fable! I don't see many of those in picture book form. I found it as part of my goal to read all of the nominees for the 2016 Blue Spruce Award from the Ontario Library Association. 

Summary from the publisher:

All the birds tease old Crow for his scraggly feathers and harsh call, especially proud Cardinal. But when Cardinal gets into trouble, there is only one creature smart enough to get him out. Will Crow choose to help the boastful bird? This thoughtful picture book, inspired by Aesop’s Fables, reminds us all that pride and foolishness often go hand in hand, or in this case, “claw in claw.”

The Cardinal and the Crow, written and illustrated by Michael Moniz, was published in 2014 by Simply Read Books.

First line: “Near the edge of a small forest lived a crow, who perched on the limb of a large, twisted tree from dawn to dusk.”

My thoughts as a writer:

I liked the way backyard birds are featured in this story inspired by Aesop’s Fables. The theme of bullying is central to the story and the ‘moral of the story’ is stated in the text (though in sophisticated language that might need to be explained to younger students).  This is a different kind of style than many picture books I’ve read, but it’s an interesting example of how retain the flavour of a traditional fable while including contemporary issues and familiar characters.

Different sizes of font for dramatic moments help to add interest to the design.

My thoughts as a teacher:

The large illustrations and straightforward storyline are good features for a read aloud. I also liked the descriptive language, which is sometimes good for students to be exposed to (and not so common with the recent trend for shorter picture books). The story in this book offers opportunities for discussions about teasing and bullying.  

Although this book is recommended for ages 4 – 8, I’m not sure it would hold the attention of some of the younger students in my kindergarten class, because of the wordiness and description.

Ages: 4 – 8

Grades: K - 3

Themes: bullying, teasing, fables

Activities:

Discuss how the crow might be feeling at different points in the story. Why did the crow decide to help the cardinal?

Create bird puppets on craft sticks and retell the story in your own words.

Make a bird feeder and watch for birds coming to the feeder. How many different kinds do you notice?

For more great picture books, visit author Susanna Leonard Hill's original theme list of Perfect Picture Books on her blog or this theme list with links to Pinterest collections on each theme - a very helpful resource!

Learning from Picture Books: Willow Finds a Way

This week I'm taking a closer look at another one of the nominees for the 2014 Blue Spruce Award from the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading. Other nominees I've featured so far include Oddrey by Dave Whammond (OwlKids Books), I Dare You Not to Yawn by Helene Boudreau (Candlewick Press),  A Good Trade by Alma Fullerton (Pajama Press) and Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds (Candlewick Press).

Willow Finds A Way

written by Lana Button

illustrated by Tania Howells

published by Kids Can Press, 2013

From Amazon:

Willow is thrilled the whole class -- including her! -- is invited to classmate Kristabelle's fantastic birthday party, until the bossy birthday girl starts crossing guests off the list when they dare cross her. There are many books on bullying, but Willow's story offers a unique look at how to handle the situation as a bystander.

My Thoughts as a Writer:

I really liked the way this book captured situations that might happen to any child—and I loved Willow’s kid-friendly solution to the problem, showing one way of taking a stand. The cartoony style illustrations were cute and would appeal to children.  

My Thoughts as a Teacher:

I was pleased to find that this book addresses the issue of using a birthday invite to be unkind to others, because this often comes up in my classroom.  This book would be a great way to start discussions about feelings, what it means to exclude others, how you can feel pressured to go along with a kid who is bossy or mean and what you could do about it. It’s a good book to include in a classroom or a collection of books about character education.

Looking for other great picture books to use in your classroom or to read with your children? Check out these recommendations for Perfect Picture Books over at Susanna Leonard Hill's site.