REALBOOK NEWS
for
adults helping children
learn
English as a foreign language
or
additional language
May
and November distributed free download Issues from www.realbooks.co.uk
From the Editor - Opal Dunn
Bookings for the REALBOOK CONFERENCE in November are starting to come in and since numbers are limited to 200, if you are interested, you should register now. From the enclosed flier you will see that the Conference programme packs in fascinating and unusual events focused on the interests of any one who uses picture books with non-native English speaker children. Apart from collecting the results from 16 researchers in 10 countries and hearing from 4 published authors on methodology, there will be a chance to hear from author illustrators, too. Tony Ross will talk about The Magic Pencil Exhibition and also Susan Laughs (Issue 9), Pat Hutchins will introduce her new books and tell us about making some of her best sellers like Rosie’s Walk (Issue 14) and Stella Blackstone will talk about writing books including Who are you? (Issue 10). Wearing her publisher’s hat, Stella Blackstone will also introduce Barefoot Book’s exhibition Imagine based on An Island in the Sun (Issue 11).There will be a special signing session for all authors so there will be an opportunity to meet them personally then or at the British Council reception or the Conference Dinner. Publishers will be exhibiting so there will be an opportunity to buy books. Research papers will be published by the University of Munich. Further details including registration forms are on the website www.picturebooks.org or can be obtained from office@picturebooks.org. Three of us, Dr Janet Enever, Leonora Froehlich-Ward and I have been working hard on a voluntary basis to make this both a useful Conference and a fun time to meet colleagues in this special, but growing, field of REALBOOKS for non-native speaker children learning English.
Issue 15 of REALBOOK NEWS is the last issue in this format. Before the Conference in November REALBOOK NEWS will go up on the web in an up-to-date website including news and book selections with colour pictures. My plan is to make information more globally available to meet the growing interest in using REALpictureBOOKs in the classroom and also in the home. More parents are expressing an interest in helping their children learn English with REALpictureBOOKs and I hope to make our information accessible to them as selecting the right book is so important for success.
The British Council, Warsaw, Poland one day Conference – Real Books in the Classroom: Using authentic children’s literature in ELT in January was very successful and in fact booked out. Unfortunately few of us were able to enjoy the exhibition Imagine as there were problems with delivery and it arrived too late.
For those
of you with time to spare in London and wanting to see a very good collection
of picture books, I suggest you visit the Centre for Literacy in Primary
Education (CLPE). This is situated in Central London about ten minutes away
from Waterloo Station. Take the exit from the station for Waterloo Road and
turn right towards the Old Vic Theatre. In front of the Theatre turn left and
left again into a small street called Webber Street. CLPE is housed in an old
single storey building at the bottom of this street on the corner of Webber
Street and Webber Row. Please inform staff before visiting by email ann@clpe.co.uk or by phone 4420 7401 3382 (ask
for Ann Lazim, Librarian) or Fax 4420 7928 4624 mentioning that you have heard
about CLPE through REALBOOK NEWS. CLPE is usually closed during most of the UK
school holidays.
You maybe
interested in two well-illustrated information books published by Hodder
Wayland which provide short introductions to the life and work of some of the
best known classic writers and poets. Favourite
classic writers - Nikki Gamble ISBN 0-7502-4286-8 and Favourite Classic Poets -
Brian Moses ISBN 0-7502-4292-2 £5.99 Both books provide links to
recommended websites.
Hoping to
meet you in Munich in November at the Conference,
Feature Article –REALpictureBOOKS
– under-utilised in
foreign language learning?
‘recreational reading is the most powerful
tool available for language and literacy development. It is especially
important for helping second and foreign language acquirers develop the ability
to use language for more than simple conversation. The amount of pleasure
reading done in the second language is a strong predictor of performance in
tests of writing, reading, grammar and vocabulary.’ Stephen Krashen, Professor Emeritus - Daily Yomiuri Jan/20 2004
What
is a REAL Book?
§ A Genre created in UK in 1960’s to distinguish authentic language picture books from readers based on the graded readability of the word content.
Readability and word counts were based on – Whole word recognition (Look and say) (Gestalt)
- Phonic sounds (26 letters/44 sounds-20 vowels)
§ Today the term AUTHENTIC is gradually replacing REAL as the styles of readers try to emulate REAL picture Books.
· English as A Foreign Language Text Books fit into yet another category and children are quick to recognise the differences.
Whenever we get to a more boring grammar slot in the
text book the pupils ask, ’When are we going to read those beautiful books
again?’ REALpictureBOOK Project 1999-2001 Pecs University, Hungary.
§ REALBOOKs consist of three main categories:
Story - Conjuror
Cow-Julia Davidson Illus Nick Sharratt
Puffin ISBN 0-14-056848-4
Rhyme/Poetry - Cats Sleep Anywhere Eleanor Farjeon Anne Mortimer Frances Lincoln ISBN 0-7112-1286-4
Information - River Story Meredith Hooper Bee
Willey Walker ISBN 0-7445-8210-5
What
the developing child needs?
Mr Cool Hildegard Muller Cat’s Whiskers ISBN 1-90301-205-8
How can REAL picture books broaden?
§ Richness and quality of experiences with a variety of Realbooks can offer something for every individual child and something for both boys and girls.
All kinds of people Novelty Book Emma Damon Tango Books ISBN 1-85707-067-4
§ Literacy skills – Learning to read, enjoying reading, loving books.
§ Visual Literacy - decoding pictures. Realbooks can ‘allow children to see life though an infinite number of different sets of spectacles – which is what real tolerance is about’ Janet Daley, The London Times
§ Visual Literacy – decoding different text styles. ‘In the modern world Media Literacy will become as important a skill as maths and science.’ The UK Cultural Secretary, Tessa Jowell
§ Reading about Feelings; other people’s feelings and learning to cope with your own.
‘Literature
provides meaning in our lives. Finding of meaning is the greatest need and the
most difficult achievement for any human of our age.’ Bruno Bettelheim
Susan Laughs Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross Red Fox ISBN 0-09-940756-6
§ Imagination/Creativity
§ Stimulation/Motivation/Fun/Relaxation.
§ Memory- picking-up language and finding out how it works. Teachers claim that the children have acquired a lot of new words and structures from the books without being obliged to learn these words under the threat of an eventual word-test. RealpictureBook Project Pecs, Hungary.
§ Browsing - a form of book play. Book Corners provide opportunities to borrow Books and browse.
§ Family support. Bonding through sharing stories, rhymes, songs and discussing them.
§ ‘Feel Good’ factor – a vital pre-requisite for learning. Teachers report that children are happier and calmer since they use REALpictureBooks RealpictureBook Project, Pecs,Hungary.
Developing
reading and attitudes to Books
The
full impact is hard to judge as REALpictureBOOKS touch the inner souls of
children in different ways. Immediate evaluation would be superficial, as the
results may not show for years as in the case of children in Dan Dan
Bunko(mini-Library for bilingual Japanese-English children). The members of
this group (now in their early 30s) still talk about the books we shared. Home-Bunko- More than a book lending scheme
ICBA.
§ Richness of experience for everyone at their own level.
§ From the first lesson - a trip for the imagination
§ Follow-up – but not as in Secondary School with texts to be analysed.
§ Many diverse experiences – a new book each week. Building up a repertoire of books.
The
importance of quality mediation between the book and the child
§ The adult is the enabling mediator.
§ The adult’s attitude to a book is felt and is usually contagious.
§ The adult’s book selection is vital for matching individual children’s needs and interests.
§ The adult’s presentation is important – reading, quality of voice and mime all impress.
§ The adult’s organisation of time to book browse enables necessary consolidation in each child’s individual way and at their own pace.
This is the beginning of Literacy - creating a life long love and interest in books and a joy in reading. REAL picture BOOKS can be magic for children; they are for some adults. Like adults, each child builds his own relationship with a book and develops his own favourites. We as teachers must not break these spells ‘Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.’ William Butler Yeats (Poet and Play Write).
Rain Manya Stojic David Bennett Books ISBN 1-85602-413-X
REALBOOK NEWS Feature Articles (Back Issues 1–14) www.realbooks.co.uk
Plenary given at the British Council Conference– Real Books in the Classroom: Using authentic children’s literature in ELT January 2004 C Opal Dunn
14 BOOKS for Nursery and Primary (front cover)
Hattie the hen laid an egg and, lift the flap, it is hidden in the straw underneath. Cluck said Hattie. Hattie, the white hen, laid another egg Cluck cluck, she said. And then another egg Cluck, cluck, cluck. Hattie sat on her three eggs and waited. Lift the flaps over the windows to see how long she waited. One day she heard a noise. Tap, tap, tap! Who’s there? Cheep, cheep, cheep and out popped three little chicks. But Hattie lost the chicks. Did the mouse who looks on in each spread have something to do with this? Lift the flaps to find out. This well-rounded simple story with easy-to-pick-up language is attractively illustrated with cleverly situated flaps-ups that blend into each picture.
We all went on Safari Author Laurie Krebs
Illus: Julia Cairns N/P Level
1a
Barefoot
Books Paperback ISBN 1-84148-782-1 £4.99p
www:barefootbooks.com
Have you ever dreamed of going on
safari to sub-Sahara Africa? Well this book will take you to the grasslands of
Tanzania and introduce you to the Masai people. This is a counting Journey
through Tanzania and whilst you track your way through the large
expanse of grasslands you meet the animals and learn how to count them in Swahili,
Masai people’s language. A group of Masai adults and children all went on
Safari, When the day had just begun
We spied a lonely leopard. Arusha (one of the children) counted one. In
the corner of the page is the number one and the how to say it in Swahli - moja.
Notes on how to pronounce names can be found at the back of the book as
well as Facts about Tanzania and details about the animals.
We all went on safari, Through a rocky hillside glen.
We watched enormous elephants, And Bodru counted ten. IO Kumi.
We all went on safari, In the sunset’s fading light.
We built ourselves a campfire And bid our friends ‘Goodnight’.
Why not join them on safari? The
rhyming text is easy-to-pick-up. The book provides an easy-to-access compact
cross-curricular experience about Tanzania. Through buying the book you
contribute some money to the African Wildlife Foundation helping to conserve
wildlife and local communities in Tanzania. Thank you Barefoot Books for this
unique and memorable introduction to Tanzania.
Whose
Tail? Author- Illustrator Sam Lloyd
N/P Level 1a
Little Tiger Press Boardbook ISBN
1-85430-880-7 £3.99 www.littletigerpress.com
Written and illustrated by Sam Lloyd whose
book Happy Dog, Sad Dog was introduced in Issue 13.The bold illustration of a
cheeky monkey swinging from a tail on the front cover gives a clear visual clue
as to what to expect. Several books have used tails to introduce the question
word whose, but this book is slightly
different as all the animals do more than just pull the tail, they hang on to
it until the last animal objects and
lets out a terrific ROAR!
The cheeky monkey
pulled the tail of the stripy and turn the page to find the answer zebra.
The stripy zebra
pulled the tail of the prickly and guess what it could be. It is blue, stumpy and with prickles! Porcupine This story based on the tails
of five animals is ideal for dramatising from the very first lessons. With a
little guidance Primary aged children can add on other animals to make the
animal line fit the numbers of children in the group or class. A natural and
easy way to learn how to use the word whose,
which is a useful word in any active classroom or home
How
Kind! Author-Illus: Mary Murphy NP/Level 1b
Walker
Books ISBN
1-84428-466-2 £4.99
Mary Murphy’s lively, black outlined,
colourful animal drawings, all with communicative eyes make this amusing
repetitive tale come to life. Hen gives
Pig an egg. How kind, said pig. Pig kept the egg safe and warm.
Hen is so kind he
thought I would like to do something kind too.
Pig gave rabbit a
carrot. This is for you Pig said.
How kind, said
Rabbit. Pig is so kind thought Rabbit I will do something kind too……
And so the story continues with a Cow and a
Cat and a Puppy until Pig says to the Puppy Would
you like to see my egg? Puppy looked at the egg and said, It’s nice. What is it
for? CRACK went the egg. CHEEP went a chick…….and they took the chick back
to the Hen. Can you guess what the Hen said? A great story to dramatise using a
few props, a narrator and the 7 animals. Hopefully the phrase How Kind will be absorbed into class and
family language and used when appropriate!
Beans
on Toast Author- Illustrator Paul Dowling N/P Level 1a
Walker
Books Paperback ISBN 0-7445-9836-2 £4.99
This simple
story-information book tells the life story of beans- from the stalk on the
green plant to the plate - in an unusual and fun way. The story is told through
bold black outlined pictures with a minimal repetitive text. Beans
on stalks showing the beans on the plant. Beans on legs as the farmer
carries the bean pods to where he helps a lady take them out of their pods.
Then Beans on wheels as the beans are
driven away in a truck and Beans on the road as they go to the factory
where they are put into tins and sent to the shop. Three tins of beans are
bought by a family, taken home and cooked. The story ends with beans
on toast- the typical British way of serving beans in tomato sauce. In seventeen
phrases all beginning with the word Beans the story of the bean comes alive due to the fact that
most of the story is told in the humorous illustrations. Children can enjoy
this book from the first lessons.
We’re
going on a Picnic Author-
Illustrator Pat Hutchins N/P Level 1b
Red
Fox Paperback ISBN 0-09-943304-4 £4.99
www.kidsatrandomhouse.co.uk
Those of you who
love the classic Rosie’s Walk by award-winning Pat Hutchins will be delighted
with her new story about Rosie the Hen first published in 2002. Let’s go on
a picnic said Hen, Duck and Goose. It’s such a lovely day! And off Rosie
and her friends go on another journey through the familiar countryside, know
from Rosie’s Walk, stopping to pick fruit for the picnic on the way. We are
going on a picnic they sang as they walked up the hill and down the hill and
down this path, each time thinking they could find a nicer place for a
picnic. Each time they stopped they set their basket down and from
the illustrations readers can see what happened. Unbeknown to them, they were
being followed, but not by a fox as in Rosie’s Walk. As they walked around
the lane they were surprised to find We’ve walked back home and we
haven’t had our picnic! Off we go again. But when they picked up the basket, it
was very light. What had happened? They didn’t bother to ask and set off
again picking their favourite fruit on the way. How does it end? The repetitive
text is easy-to-pick up and children enjoy acting out the story. Those of them
who know Rosie will realise she hasn’t changed; she is still not
‘farmyard-wise’! Thanks Pat for at last letting us meet Rosie again!
My
world, your world
Author-Illustrator Melanie Walsh N/P Level 1a
Picture
Corgi Paperback ISBN 0-552-55055-8 £5.99
www.kidsatrandaomhouse.co.uk
Melanie Walsh
helps us to spot the similarities as well as the differences between children
all round the world in this boldly illustrated book using vibrant colours. The
reader is introduced to children of about the same age from different cultural
backgrounds and is told their names. First their differences are introduced
Georgie says Hello. Luc says bonjour, but
they both say hee, hee, hee when they are tickled showing a picture
of their bare feet, which look more or less the same, being tickled with a
feather.
Prudence eats her dinner with a knife and
fork. Mai eats her dinner with chopsticks. But they both drink their juice with
a straw! showing Prudence and Mai’s faces each with a straw in
their mouth
drinking from
different coloured glasses. Further examples discuss sports and homes. This
sensitive introduction can be the beginning of the recognition of similarities
and differences in the food we like and eat. How many children have eaten
Chinese food with chopsticks? Gradually the discussion can move on to people
they know. An ideal book to start talking about Europe and the global village.
Baby
Bird Author Joyce Dunbar Illustrator
Russell Ayto N/PLevel 1a
Walker
Books Paperback ISBN 1-84428-464-6 £4.99
Baby Bird, like most baby birds once they have left the nest, desperately wants to fly into the sky and nothing is going to stop him. Written with the same rhythm as the traditional rhyme The House That Jack Built, the language is easy-to-pick-up.
This is the bird that climbed out of the nest and flop
flop flop he fell.
This is the squirrel that sniffed at the bird that
fell.
This is the bee that buzzed round the bird that fell.
This is the frog that hopped over the bee that fell
A baby bird that wanted to fly up, up above in the sky
and thought he would have just one more try flap flap flap flap flap flap. This
is the bird that flew.
The verb tenses may not be those that are generally included in a the first weeks of learning, but children will pick up the blocks of language from your reading aloud and will soon join in with the flops and flaps, the animal noises and phrases like one more try. Give it a try and you may have a surprise to find that children find choral-speaking this rhyme from beginning to learn English fun.
How
to speak Moo Author- Illus Deborah Fajerman N/P Level
1b
Red
Fox Paperback ISBN
0-780099-417934 £5.99
www.kidsatrandomhouse.co.uk
An unusual book
that is sure to get everyone mooing just like the black and white cows in the
amusing illustrations. The first spread takes you into the cow classroom where
the teacher is pointing to moo on the blackboard. The cow language is called Moo and every single word is moo even Mooseum
So you think that all moos sound the same? Well, think
again.
Moo depends a lot on size. Big cows do lows, little
ones highs.
Cows never moo when they eat their lunch. The sound they make is munch munch munch. and Burp! follows in a speech bubble as a black and white cow rubs its full stomach.
The final
spread invites you to sing along to all the different types of moo - Loud, soft, Jiggly, Boinging, in a tunnel,
through a funnel, wobbly, high, low, Moo-sical, smooth and sleeping.
The rhyming text together with the cartoon-like illustrations makes this a great interactive experience, which even those who feel they are not good at English can join in and have fun.
Dog
Blue Author-Illustrator Polly
Dunbar N/P Level 2
Walker
Books Paperback ISBN 1-84428-514-6 £4.99 w
Bertie Loved Blue. He had a blue jumper, a blue dog
collar, blue shoes, but alas no blue dog!
So Bertie pretended he had a blue dog and fed his pretend dog and took it for a walk. Bertie even pretended he was a blue dog and Bertie even yapped like a blue dog YAP! Then a real dog yapped back! A black and white dog who soon became Bertie’s dog. Since Berite’s dog was not blue he decided to call him BLUE! The story ends happily with Bertie loves Blue and Blue loves Bertie. A delightful story sensitively illustrated on superb pastel coloured paper. Pet lovers or children dreaming of having a puppy can easily relate to this story.
See
you later, Alligator
Author-Illustrator Annie Kubler
N/P Level 1b
Child’s
Play Novelty/Hardback ISBN 1-904550-05-3 £5.99 www:childs-play.com
A novelty book,
with no paper engineering, but a cloth Alligator puppet, that pops out of a
hole on each right-hand page. Alligator is always too busy to help Crocodile. Wake
up Alligator. We’ve got a busy day ahead. Lots to do!
Yawn. Let me finish my dream!
I’m going shopping for some bread. Are you coming, Alligator? Not right now, Crocodile. Then follow the famous phrases See you later, Alligator! to which Alligator replies In a while, Crocodile! To every request for help Crocodile has some excuse that he can’t help. This fun interactive, game-book with easy-to-pick-up, useful phrases helps children to think about helping others. Annie Kubler’s black outlined colourful drawings add to the fun.
`
Tilly Who
tickled Tilly?
Author-Illustrator Mandy Stanley
N/PLevel1b
Tilly was snoozing in the sun when something happened! Someone tickled my nose. Who tickled Tilly? Tilly asked crow and frog and then the baby rabbits. The babies shook their heads altogether and said No! Tilly wondered if she had been dreaming. Perhaps nobody tickled me at all. I close my eyes for a nap. At that moment it happened again! Who did it? Was it piglet? No, but piglet said he knew who it was. It was someone whose wings glistened in the air. The dragonfly confessed with a giggle Yes, it was me! Do you want to play? So all the animals, Tilly and the dragonfly played together amongst the sparkling flowers in the sunshine. This pastel coloured, sparkly book is the first children’s book made by Mandy Stanley who previously designed clothes and toys. The softness of the scenes and the sweet animal characters attracts girls and Tilly soon becomes very popular.
Where
we live Author- Illustrator Reg
Cartwright NP/Level Ib
Hutchinson
Hardback ISBN
0-09-188497-7 £5.99
www.kidsatrandonhouse.co.uk
Award-winning artist Reg Cartwright’s bold colourful oil paintings introduce 22 animals and where they live in a story-information book. The easy and fairly repetitive rhyming text is soon picked up and forms the foundations of a reference bank of simple present usage verb as well as prepositions of place.
I am a tiger and I live in the jungle I am a whale and
I live in the sea.
I am a crocodile and I live in the river. I am a bird
and I live in a tree.
I am a fox and I live in the woods. We sheep and we live on a farm.
We sleep all day and
come out at night. We are owls and we live in a barn.
I am a rabbit and I
live in a burrow. I can live anywhere because I’m a mouse.
I am a camel and
live in the desert and we are children and we live in a house .
Good to read aloud letting each child take the role of an animal. Easy to extend to personal identity with I am a girl and I live in ……….and I have a pet. It is a dog/cat and it lives/sleeps…..
In What we do in the same series, Reg
Cartwright introduces many other animals and what they do.
We are worms and we
wiggle. I’m a caterpillar, I creep.
I’m a fish and I
swim. We are lambs and we leap.
I’m a moth and I
flutter. I’m a mouse and I scurry.
We are ants and we
march. We are always in a hurry.
Both this books are good additions to any
book corner and useful reference for project work
11 BOOKS for Primary (back cover)
The Dove Author- Illus: Nicholas Allan P/Level 1b
Red
Fox Paperback ISBN
0-09-967971-X £4.99p
www.kidsatrandomhouse
A simple, moving story with an amusing and un-expected ending and a message about how to share. Previously published in hardback by Hutchinson in 1997, the title in the paperback edition has been changed to The Dove. The story begins by introducing a Hermit who lived on an island all by himself which was how he liked it. It was always quiet, always tidy and always peaceful. But one day he had a visitor Flap Flap. Of course it was the dove, who made lots of noise.
The hermit told him to go and find another island. But there were none so they had to share! At first it worked but finally it was no good. The hermit thought about different ways of silencing the dove and ended up by making the dove so unhappy that it flew away. The hermit grew lonelier and lonelier and wished the bird would come back…. Until – at last- Flap Flap. They were both so happy to see each other and agreed that it was so nice to share with a f