ideas Archives - Anastasia Suen

My Leaf Book
by Monica Wellington (Author/Illustrator)

Booktalk: When the seasons change, a young girl visits the arboretum to collect fallen leaves and make a book with them. Basic concepts such as counting and shapes are introduced alongside tree and leaf identification. Readers can make their very own leaf books, prints, and projects by following the directions on the last page of the book.

Snippet:
So many trees, so many leaves.
When the trees change colors, autumn is here,
and I go to the park to see
how many leaves I can find.

Six Traits Mini Lesson

Trait: Ideas The Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publication Data says that this is a fiction picture book. You can see it online at WorldCat, “the world’s largest library catalog”. The WorldCat listing for My Leaf Book says:

Summary: “A young girl visits an arboretum in the autumn to collect fallen leaves. She identifies various trees by the shapes of their leaves and pastes her collection into her own leaf book.”

Below the book summary are the Subjects. In the book they are numbered like this:

1. Leaves — Fiction.
2. Trees — Fiction.
3. Autumn — Fiction.

This picture book has a story, an imaginary story, that is filled with facts. The facts that are included are seen in the Summary:

She identifies various trees by the shapes of their leaves

The facts are also included in the Subjects:

1. Leaves —
2. Trees —
3. Autumn —

This book is fiction because it has an imaginary story, but the facts in the story are all true. Each leaf is identified by its unique characteristics and each of those characteristics is correctly named. In a small box at the bottom of the page the scientific terms (lobes, veins, etc) are used.

Fiction + Facts = Faction

Question: Why does this book have two genres?
Answer: Many preschool concept books use a fiction story to teach facts. Some educators use the term faction to describe these books with two genres.

Preschool children are ego-centric. At this stage of their development, the children think that the entire world revolves around them. What they think and say and do is all that matters–and that is how they learn.

When preschool children listen to a story, they imagine that they are the main character in that story. They imagine themselves acting out the events in the story. They experience the same emotions that the story character has. And after the story is read aloud, children also act out the story in the real world. (Educators call this dramatic play.)

This book keeps the reader in mind by tapping into a young child’s hands-on approach to life. Young readers will use this book again and again throughout the fall season. A MUST for the preschool crowd!

In Search of the Little Prince
by Bimba Landmann (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: As a child, Antoine dreamed of flying. His dream was realized when he became a pilot, first serving France during World War I, then working as an international mail courier. As he wrote letters to his family describing the foreign countries he visited, he soon discovered that writing contained its own sense of adventure. His stories showed a childlike fascination with the world, culminating with The Little Prince, one of the best-selling books ever published.

This picture book biography begins on the endpapers with photographs of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and his family as a child and an adult. There is also a quote from his writings (shared below).

Snippet:
At Saint-Maurice I have a huge trunk. I’ve been filling it, ever since I was 7 years old, with my plans . . . with the letters I receive, with my photos. With all I love, think about, and want to remember. At times I spread them out haphazardly on the floor. As I look down, I am reminded of all these things once again. Nothing but that trunk is of importance to me. –Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Six Traits Mini Lesson

Trait: Ideas Whenever I visit a school, the first question that the students ask me, “Where do you get your ideas?” I have been asked this question so many times that I included the answer in the bio on my webpage!

What I love about the quote that begins this biography is his age. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry began writing as a child.

At Saint-Maurice I have a huge trunk. I’ve been filling it, ever since I was 7 years old

And what did he place into that trunk?

I’ve been filling it, ever since I was 7 years old, with my plans . . . with the letters I receive, with my photos. With all I love, think about, and want to remember.

All of that inspiration is saved, it is stored.. but it is not forgotten.

At times I spread them out haphazardly on the floor. As I look down, I am reminded of all these things once again.

And so the book begins with its own mini lesson on the trait of ideas. There is even a painting of the huge trunk with letters spilling out. This picture book biography is two stories in one. Readers will learn about Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s life and the creative process.

It’s Nonfiction Monday!