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
22
Titles
Website: www.realbooks.co.uk Email: OpalD@realbooks.co.uk
Fax: 44-20-7704-6686 Address: 23 St Peter's Street, London N1 8JP
From the Editor
Issue 8 is 10 pages long! This Issue includes a wider variety of types of books including Story Plays for facilitating dramatic reading of well-loved REALBOOKS. Books cover personal relationships as well as global human and environmental topics. Look out for the UNESCO Prize winning book - Something Else and the World Wide Fund for Nature book The Desert. During the last months I have made an effort to look for suitable good picture books at a more affordable price. Some books I introduce cost under UK £3. I appreciate that for some this is still a lot of money, but for the more fortunate it is good value when you consider the price of a greeting card and compare their artistic value and use!
The Feature Article follows on from the brief comment in the excellent iatefl CATS Newsletter on Storytelling and the advantages and disadvantages of Telling or Reading a story. As in any good-practice Primary School in UK, both have their place in the young child's classroom and I feel it would be wrong to deprive children of either. From my own experience the two are closely inter-linked; one can lead quite naturally into another within a classroom that allows children to develop creatively. For example, after telling a story like Little Red Hen several times, a teacher might like to look at one of the many published picture books of the same story and discuss how the story book differs from the teacher's told version. Children generally have their own opinions and some may even have their own versions. In reverse a well-loved picture book can lead on to children telling the story themselves to you, their family or other children. Children love to tell stories, but too often we don't give them the opportunities, encouragement and space they need. We seem to forget that children speak in story form from a very young age. 'I went here and I did, I saw and I ate ' are familiar verb forms to most native speaker toddlers.
In this discussion it is important to remember that reading a story involves a book -a concrete and permanent record to which children can refer in order to read the texts and the pictures. From books children develop linguistic and visual literacy skills. Many soon know all or part of the text by heart. Children can learn to learn from books if we give them the right experiences. A book is something they can hold and experience without waiting for some one to tell or re-tell a story.
The Children's Book Trust slogan this year is BOOKS are Forever.
The use of Realbooks is spreading not only in schools and in Teacher Training Courses, but also amongst teachers who are parents.
The Pecs REALBOOK Project
This 2 year Project is supervised by Professor Marianne Nikolov and Rika Lugossy of the Department of Applied Linguistics at Pecs University in Hungary. It has now entered its second year. We look forward to the Pecs Project Report at the end of this academic year.
The Czech Picture Book Research
This research initiated by the British Council and supported by REALBOOK NEWS is up and running. It is part of a project, launched in 1999 by the British Council in the Czech Republic, which aims at developing a cadre of specialist YL trainers. The project includes classroom investigation into using REALBOOKS and stories in the classroom. The project is lead by Janet Enever. For further information contact <EneverJ@aol.com>.
Recently I heard that the project for teaching reading through REALBOOKS at the Szkla Podstawowa School in Warsaw is expanding. This project involves the close co-operation of parents.
REALBOOK News would be pleased to hear of any RESEARCH PROJECTS using REAL picture BOOKS.
Feature
Article - Which - Reading or Telling a Story?
What's in a term? Most young children need to match an activity to the language that goes with it, if they are to get meaning quickly and feel confident. Without some clear classification in their mind of what is going on and what language is used to talk about it, they can be confused although they rarely say so and we may not realise it if we are not down at their level.
To help children understand more rapidly, we can start by making sure our terminology for stories is clear. Are we telling stories or are we reading them? Primary trained teachers with experience in English language mainstream education know the dangers of not using precise language with young children. They may have been embarrassed on occasions getting what they asked for from children and not what they thought they had requested! Although the differences in some case for adults maybe blurred, if we are working with young foreign learners it is important to see our use of stories through children's eyes and use clear language to describe it.
To quote iatefl YL's SIG journal CATS Issue 2/00 Summer 2000 ISBN 1026-6747
The Storytelling Handbook for Primary Teachers -PENGUIN
'This
title is misleading…it is really the best book on the market offering ways of
integrating the use of particular published story books into the whole
curriculum. It is not really a book about storytelling.'
A new edition of this book, Tell it again. The new story telling handbook is to be published in Spring 2001. In fact this book is not about storytelling but reading REAL picture story BOOKS, all published by Penguin/Pearson. The text explains how to use each storybook as the basis for 6 to 8 lessons of 45 minutes each, so that a teacher can use the REALBOOK to replace a course book.
Storytelling
Storytelling is an oral tradition as old as the hills. Many of the best-loved western folk-tales like Grimm, and Anderson were originally told as oral stories and were only later recorded in books.
Useful expressions may include 'Would you like me to tell you a story. It's storytelling time.'
In the eyes of the child, the main criteria for describing storytelling as opposed to story reading is the form of the activity. How does the story activity take place and how is the child involved?
A story is told when a storyteller tells a story aloud as opposed to reading it from a text. The storyteller may support the activity with props like a hat, a toy animal or even some pictures providing these were not pictures of the story from a story book as these would be considered to be reading the pictures. This is the same as reading a story. (Issue 6 Feature Article - Visual Literacy)
.
Reading a story - Story reading
This activity involves a storybook from which either the story text or the pictures are read. In the case of books without words, the reader decodes just the pictures.
Useful expressions may include 'Shall we read a story ''Get the book and we'll read the story'
The complete story text may be read without any changes or the reader may improvise cutting or simplifying the text to fit the language level or needs of the class and classroom situation. The child may not realise that the adult is making any change to the text and even if they do, to the child this improvisation is still reading a story.
Writing a
story or story writing
Some children enjoy writing their own
stories. Children's story writing tends to be sparked by regular story reading
activities and access in their own time to REALBOOKS in a class book corner or at home. If a story is to become their own and deeper learning is to take place,
children need to get beyond hearing stories at the speed of the adult to
controlling their own speed of reading, turning each page when they are ready.
Children need their own space with a REAL story picture BOOK if they are to
enjoy their own 'dream time'.
.Book Selection
·
From Eric Carle -a new book and an old with new illustrations!
Does a Kangaroo have a
mother, too? Author Illus Eric Carle Level 1a
Collins Hardback ISBN
0-00-7110599-1 £9.99
www.fireandwater.com
Eric Carle's latest book tells us about the mother-child bond of love in animals and uses it to emphasise the bond of love between parents and their children. The vibrant collage and paint illustrations convey the warmth and affection between each mother and her baby animal or animals. The fun question-and-answer text
A Dolphin has a mother, Just like me and you. Does a sheep have a mother, too?
A
monkey has a mother. Just like me and you. And do animal mothers love their
babies?
YES!
YES! Of course they do. Animal mothers love their babies, just as yours loves
you.
gives children opportunities to reflect and predict. The repetitive language is easy to pick-up so children quickly join in the story. A page at the back lists the special names used for the 12 animal babies, parents and groups that appear in this book. This story could be useful for those who want to discuss animal families and could lead on to environmental work. Another winner from Eric Carle.
The Mixed-Up Chameleon Author Illus Eric Carle Level 1b
Puffin Paperback ISBN
0-14-050642-X £4.99
A well-crafted book with new illustrations. Two index at either
side of each spread help children find out information about the
animals in the Zoo and the colours which help to get the
Chameleon mixed-up. A tale with a message about respecting
differences and valuing the way you are and being proud of it.
The Chameleon soon found that adding something he liked to
his body from each animal he met, including the top hat and
umbrella from the humans, mixed him up so much that in the
end he was nobody. Children love the colourful mess the
additions make to the chameleon. A great book for children to
read in their own time. An added bonus - the grid on the back
cover is a ready-made Lotto Board.
·
a UNESCO PRIZE
winning book
Something Else Author Kathryn Cave Illus Chris
Riddell Level 2
Puffin Paperback ISBN
0-14-054907-2 £4.99
An endearing little creature was called
Something Else by the others around him because that is what they felt he was.
He was different and however hard he tried to do things like them, they always
said Sorry. You're not like us. You're
something else. You don't belong. How sad! One evening when Something Else
was getting ready for bed, there was a knock on the door. Something was
standing on the doorstep. Hi there! Great
to meet you. Can I come in? But alas Something Else found he was not like
anything he had ever seen, so he asked him to leave. Suddenly Something Else
remembered his own experience and ran after the creature and asked him to stay.
They played together happily and when another something different turned up,
they didn't make any remark but moved
right up and made room for him too. What was this new wierd-looking
something? Was it a child? The detailed illustrations fill out this sensitive
story giving the poignant message that friendship can over-ride physical
differences, which, after all, are not that important. A memorable experience
and a story not easy to forget. Good for Primary aged children.
·
A dual experience
- Africa and the west
A Country Far Away Author
Nigel Gray Illus Philippe Dupasquier
Level 1a
Anderson Press Paperback ISBN 0-86264-860-2 £4.99
This book is uniquely crafted to use the
same simple text to describe two culturally different pictures, one in Africa
and the other in the West. The text sandwiched between two detailed pictures serves
for both pictures and enables the reader to compare the life of a child in an
African village in the top picture with that of a child in the West in the
bottom.
Today
was just an ordinary day. I stayed at home.
I did
lots of jobs to help my mum and dad. They were really pleased.
Today it rained - so we went swimming
The fact that this comparison starts, for many children, from a familiar Western style scene makes understanding the new African environment easier. The story helps to emphasise the many similarities in the two children's lives and show that children share many human experiences. A sensitive book and if well presented it could be a memorable cross-curricular experience for Primary aged children. A natural basis for discussion and project work Let's hope that Anderson Press will develop the series to include other culturally different societies. It would be a valuable contribution to developing global understanding at a young age.
· Cat's Whiskers - a list of 'the cream of the world's
picture books'
Watts Publishing Group are presently scanning publishing lists
throughout the world to find the best authors and illustrators to introduce
their picture books to Britain. In some
cases this involves translating the texts into English. At present 7 picture
books have been published. Each has a clear identity addressing social
relations and self-development. At present the books are in hardback; paperback
editions at £4.99 will be published in April 2001.
Mr Cool Author-Illus Hildegard Muller Level 1b
Cat's
Whiskers Hardback ISBN 1-90301-204-X £10.99
Originally published in Germany this eye-catching book is about 3 bears, Spotty and Spike and Growly Mike, who play together happily. One day Spike finds a scooter It's super and off he goes.
Before long he turns into Mr COOL! and goes off by himself, I'm Mr Cool and I want to ride on my
scooter. His friends are sad, Spikes
so cool, he won't play with us any more. And then CRUNCH! Guess what? But all is well, as his good friends know how
to solve the problem. The vibrant illustrations, which sometimes spread to both
pages, are full of humour. The deceptively simple text laid out in an
easy-to-decode fun way, underlines the importance of friends. A vibrant modern
story with a message which primary children of any level will understand. It's a
cool experience!
Brave Bear Author-Illus Kathy Mallat Level 1a
Cat's
Whiskers Hardback ISBN 1-90301-206-6 £10.99
Originally published in the US this enchanting story is about a bear
who tries so hard to return a blue baby bird to its nest. This isn't an
easy task as the nest is at the top of a very, very tall tree. The unusual,
soft illustrations supported by simple text convey Brave Bear's great
efforts. The text is in easy-to-pick-up phrases, which can be useful
in other situations. Are you all right? Can I help you?
I'm not sure that I can … But I'll try. On the way the Bear gets
caught in a branch I need help. Luckily Baby bird managed to
help so on they went. Eventually baby bird is safely back in the nest.
· Cat books for different ages
Milton Author-Illus Hayde Level 1b
Ragged
Bears (UK)/Chronicle Books(US) Hardback ISBN 0-8118-2762-3 £5.99
Milton, the delightfully sophisticated black and white cat has arrived from Geneva, Switzerland, via America, where he is all the rage, to tell us about himself and how he feels. For Milton Life is good, and you can feel this as Milton reveals all through minimal black and white drawings and simple text attractively designed on very black and white pages. More of Milton is on its way across the Pacific and this includes a cuddly toy, so watch the shelves and adverts in the UK nearer Christmas. Milton is a strong character and someone who can be everyone's cat. The expressive text makes this a great book to read aloud to Primary children whether or not you are a cat lover.
Cleo
the Cat Author- Stella
Blackstone Illus-Caroline Mockford Level 1a
A
Barefoot Paper Back ISBN
1-84148-260-9 £4.99
Bold colourful art work with a simple rhyming text tells
us about little Cleo who is looking for a home and a friend.
Told in the simple present tense, the text is easy to mime,
which makes
understanding quicker. Cleo finds a
house.
Cleo looks inside. Cleo hears a noise. Cleo tries to hide and
At last Cleo starts to purr. In the end Cleo falls asleep on the
lap of her newly found friend. A gentle appealing story.
Cat's
Colours Author-Illus Jane Cabrera
Level 1b
Picture
Mammoth Papaerback ISBN
0-7497-3120-6 £4.99p
Cat's got a favourite colour. Is it green? Is it pink? Cat takes
you through seven colours each one supported by a vivid
illustration and explanatory text. Is it white? White are the
clouds
floating in the sky. Until Is it orange? Yes! Because
and guess why. Orange is the colour of Mummy.
An interesting way of confirming these colours. In each
illustration different animals provide a second story.
This interactive story leads on naturally to asking children
what is your favourite colour and why? As a result some
children often want to make their own colour books.
· Story readings
Read
me - Story Play You've
read the story, now read the play!
Walker Story Plays are
dramatic versions of favourite stories, perfect for reading aloud and choral
speaking. They are written for 4 voices, with the parts clearly denoted by
different colour bands. Each part can be read by a single voice or several
voices.
We're going on a Bear Hunt Re-Played by Vivian French Level 1a
Walker
Books ISBN
0-7445-6112-4 £3.99
From
the REALBOOK by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury (Issue 1)
This dramatic version of the traditional, well-loved rhyme encourages children in reading aloud and choral speaking. Children love to recite rhymes and poems and this provides them with a ready-made opportunity. Story-Plays encourage children to share in the reading of a whole text as a group. This means that they have to pay attention to what is going on and, at the same time, think about the appropriate expression in order to convey the meaning. A good idea for an end of term presentation.
· Learning to read
Walker Books - The Giggle Club
The Giggle Club is a collection of picture books to put a giggle into
early reading. Although these books have the early reader in mind they use authentic
English not text specially created to include words for reading practise.
One
Day in the Jungle Author-Illus Colin West Level 1a
Walker The Giggle Club Paperback ISBN 0-7445 4784-9 £2.50
Wonderful value. A full colour, carefully crafted Colin
West story book for this price. This fun (giggle) story
is about a sneeze(Achooo!) that spreads across the jungle
getting bigger and bigger each time until - Oh dear!
Each animal's sneeze is greeted by the traditional
greeting 'Bless you'.
Only Joking Laughed the Lobster Level
1a
Walker
- The Giggle Club Paperback ISBN
0-7445-4785-7 £2.50
Another Colin West fun (Giggle)story at the same price. The lobster has a joke on other sea animals saying there's a great big ugly shark following you! But in the end the joke is on the lobster. BURP! The shark wasn't joking! Both books are great fun for all ages and have nothing that makes you feel they have been written to help children learn to read. Boys especially love acting out the BURP!
Walker Books -Read Me Story Books
This series of Read Me Story books comprises of simple, lively rhyme-stories
illustrated with clear, colourful, fun pictures making them ideal for children of
any age learning to read.
Mrs
Pirate Author-Illus Nick Sharrat Level 1a
Walker
Books Read Me Paperback ISBN 0-7445-7271-1 £2.99
A simple rhyming story with clear illustrations introduce us to Mrs Pirate and the things she bought when she went shopping. She bought an apple pie and a patch for her eye, a bar of soap and a telescope. Stimulating pictures easy to copy and easy to pick-up language. Fine even for older Primary aged children.
The
Green Queen Author-Illus Nick Sharrat Level 1a
Walker
Books Read Me Paperback ISBN 0-7445-7269-X £2.99
Another simple rhyming book with colourful clear pictures
tells about the
Queen who lay in her red bed and looked
at the grey day. But she had to go out. To get ready she
had to put on her clothes, which included her 6 coloured
scarf. Yellow, pink, turquoise, brown, orange and
indigo.
An exciting way to confirm names for colours and
clothes. Leads on to talking about Kings and Queens.
Good for Nursery and lower Primary aged children.
·
Story books
Not
Like That, Like This Auth Tony Bradman
Illus Joanna Burroughes Level 1b
Picture
Mammoth Paperback ISBN 0-7497-2415-3 £4.99
Have you ever
been frightened that a child will get its head stuck between the banisters on
the stairs? Well Thomas's Dad warned Thomas not to put his head through the
park railings as he would get it stuck and guess what? His father got his head
stuck in the railings. So many people came to help his father get his head out
suggesting Not like that, like this, but
it was stuck fast. Finally Dad was free, but this was not the end of
the story. An amusing story. Good for lower Primary aged children.
Wolf! Author-Illus Sarah Fanelli Level 2
Picture
Mammoth Paperback ISBN 0-7497-2870-1 £4.99
Designed and written by a young prize winning graphic
designer this story is about a wolf visiting the big city.
Each spread of the story challenges the reader to a
new-style visual experience which older Primary children
and computer literate teachers enjoy. Poor wolf he cannot
understand why nobody wants to make friends with him and
all of them chase
him away. Finally, he was going home
when he suddenly caught sight of someone who smiled at
him. Wolf told her about his many misadventures and
misunderstandings.
All the people he had met in the city were astonished
to hear
his words. They suddenly realised how wrong they had
been and everything ended
happily in a friendly picnic.
Woo! The-Not-So-Scary Ghost
Author/Illus AnaMartin Larranaga Level 1b
Hodder
Children's Books Paperback ISBN
0-340-77406-1 £4.99
Ana grew up in Spain and this is her first book in English.
Woo- the little ghost - is fed up with everyone telling him
what to do. Brush your teeth. Do your homework. Tidy
your
room. So one day Woo packs his bag and flits away.
Woo
has fun practising his scaring techniques… although
nothing quite works. Alas poor Woo isn't as successful in
the big wide world as he had hoped and finally he finds
an opportunity to escape home just in time, as the sun
and
the moon are changing places. The message is clear -
Even
scary ghosts love home sweet home.
Mouse
and Elephant Author-Illus An Vrombaut Level Ia
Hodder
Children's Books Papaerback ISBN 0-340-74427-8 £4.99
Mouse and Elephant are very good friends and
want to play together but what can they play?
Mouse likes playing football. But elephant does not!
Can they bounce on the bed? Elephant likes bouncing.
But Mouse does not! What can they play? It is hard to find a
suitable game to please both the large and the small animal.
Finally Elephant manages to work out a great solution.
A mouse-and-an-elephant-tricycle …made for two!
Clear fun illustrations which children will enjoy copying.
Good for very young learners
The
Elephant and the Bad Baby
Author Elfrida Vipont Illus Raymond Briggs Level 2
Puffin Paperback ISBN 0-14-0556691-0 £2.99p
First published in 1969 this edition sells at an affordable
price. This classic story-line tells how an elephant takes a
Bad Baby on his back and they go
rumpeta, rumpeta, rumpeta all down the road.
On the way the elephant stops at many different shops
and asks if the Baby would like something. The Baby
merely replies Yes never once saying Please. This annoys
all the shopkeepers who, in turn, join the chase after the
elephant and the bad baby. The amusing ending is not quite
what you expect and brings home the importance of manners
and what a difference an added please can make. The repetition
of activities and the language to go with them, makes this an
easy-to-pick-up text. Raymond Briggs once again delights us
with his detailed coloured and black and white illustrations.
Good for an end of term show.
· Information Books
Look who lives in WWF World Wide Fund for Nature
The Desert
Author-Illus Alan Baker Level 2
Macdonald Young Books Paperback ISBN 0-7500-2774-6 £4.99
Look who lives in the Desert is one of a
series introducing life in the Ocean, the Rain Forest and the Arctic. This
excellent series is produced in association with the World Wide Fund for
Nature. The Desert is clearly described and illustrated by Alan Baker who takes
you on a journey looking for the creatures that roam around in the scorching
Desert asking you to guess from page to page what is
picking, pecking or pouncing. preying. Finally he introduces the Puma who can see all the animals in the Desert and asks you to check Can you see them all? A map at the back shows the areas of Desert around the world and a picture index provides added information on the animals. A useful book for cross-curricular work.
Toad Author-Illus Ruth Brown Level 2
Red Fox Paperback ISBN
0-09-940382-X £4.99
www.randomhouse.co.uk
This superbly illustrated book was shortlisted for the
famous Kate Greenaway Medal.
This
is the tale of a monstrous toad,
A muddy
toad, a slimy toad,
A clammy,
sticky, goey toad.
Yes, you nearly feel the Toad is there, in front of you. The
toad has the misfortune to waddle straight into the jaws
of a
monster! Yuuuuk yells the monster and spits out the toad.
The monster had a monstrous shock and the Toad is once again
The happy
toad, the carefree toad,
the safe, secure, self-confident toad.
From my experience older Primary aged children really enjoy
the strings of adjectives and soon pick them up and use them sometimes in the most unlikely places!
A good book to read aloud and a wonderful basis for cross-curricular work.
·
Rich creative
experiences
What's inside? The Alphabet
Book Author - Illus Satoshi
Kitamura Level
1a
Anderson
Press Paperback ISBN 0-86264-756-8 £4.99
First published in 1985 this original way of presenting
the Alphabet as a mystery tour is particularly
useful for Primary children needing to learn the Alphabet
and for whom the concept of most Alphabet books is too
babyish. The selection of words is exciting and the way
of asking the reader to predict and then check helps to
reinforce the first letter sounds of the words. The
pictures are full of the special type of humour
associated with this Japanese author and illustrator's work.
A book that children need to look at in their own time if they are to
enjoy the pictures to their full and be stimulated by them.
You and Me Author-Illus Giovanni Manna Level 1a
1b 2
Barefoot
Books Hardback ISBN 1-84148-262-5 £9.99
A rich and stimulating experience based on a game that some children often play challenging each other to opposites …..
I'm hot. You're cold.
You're young. I'm old.
I' a river. You're the sea. And finally
You're you And I'm me.
The simple rhyming language is complemented by detailed, nearly surreal illustrations that can take readers on a creative journey into a world as seen through a child's eyes and dreams.
The award-winning Italian artist's well thought out borders not only frame the pictures but help children relate, what ever their background, to the adventures and think about who they
are, what they can do and more importantly how they can relate to others. There is much to explore and consider in this book and children will love to read and re-read to themselves. Although the story is based on two children, a boy and a girl, it can be adapted for an end of term show as there are roles for 28 different children.
Back Issues can be
downloaded from the REALBOOKS website
www:realbooks.co.uk
REALBOOK NEWS aims to help adults select suitable picture books (fiction and non-fiction) for young children beginning to learning English as a foreign language or additional language.
REALBOOK NEWS
· Recommends suitable books
·
Includes a FEATURE ARTICLE on matters relevant to REAL picture BOOKS.
· Selects books from any publisher - big or small
· Selects books that YLs can or will soon be able to read
· Prints a Book List of all fiction and non-fiction books introduced in back Issues 1- 8.