Fictional Texts in the Classroom: Illustrated & Story Picture Books

Literacy genre providing a strong visual experience for students
The content of the story is fully explained or illustrated with picutres
They may or may not include text
The pictures are just as important as the text
The criteria for this genre is based on physical format so it can easily be overlapped with other genres.
Do not even necessarily have to tell a story, they might illustrate the alphabet or numbers
Sometimes these books are published in a small size, a size where small children can hold the book in their little hands (known as hand-books)

Picture books are often associated with lower elementary grades. However, picture books can even be beneficial to students in the upper elementary grades as well.
Good to use in a classroom because they are short so you get to the meat of the story in one sitting.
There are deep layers of meaning in picture books

It is a good idea to discuss with students what they think that the main theme of the book is.
Since there is often many themes, this results in a good discussion

Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet

Reference Information:

Grade Level:

Themes

Qualities of Writing

Winner of the 2012 Robert F. Sibert Award
This book is a good combination of biography and storytelling
It tells the history of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in a fun and exciting way
This is also a subject that can be related to the student's own life. It can encourage them to tune in to the Macy's Parade on Thanksgiving

Difficult Components of the Text

There isn't much to the book that would be too difficult, but it would help to activate students' prior knowledge about the Macy's parade by showing them footage or discussing the event.

So you Want to Be President? by Judith St. George

Reference Information

Grade Level

Themes

Qualities of Writing

This book does a good job of sharing the inside facts and comical moments of what has happened in the White House
The illustrations are hilarious
Caldecott Honor-Winner
Celebrates 41 Presidents
Shows us aspects of the president that aren't included in the serious biographies, it reminds us of the humanity of these individuals

Difficulties of the Text

This book would definitely be very beneficial in the social studies classroom, especially when paired up with an informational text on the Presidents
This book would be a good resource for students who are writing a paper, it would give them some fun inside facts for their paper