From: Elizabeth Letterly <eletterl>
Date: Thu, 06 Nov 1997 15:32:14 -0800

I have loaned the book to our history department (who, incidentally, have not returned it two weeks later! ;-) ), it is not yet processed, but I want to pass its title on -- In Flanders Field. It is an illustrated version of the poem and I bought it thinking it will be ideal for veterans day and for introducing World War I to our high school world history students. Last year we read Pink and Say to our U.S. history kids; they were absorbed and moved by it.

I don't think a good picture book that tells a good story is too young for anyone. Van Allsburg is well-received with our older elementary and junior high students -- I still read Polar Express at home to my teenage sons; they expect it each Christmas as part of our family's traditions, and our copy is old now and tattered. Every spring in our parenting class I teach a unit on choosing good read-alouds. As part of the unit, I read a book, and I always enjoy how involved our sophesticated high school juniors and seniors are in a simple, well-done story ostensibly for pre-schoolers, such as, for example, The Last Puppy by Frank Asch.

Based on an idea I read on LM_NET, our third year art students will this year be taking picture books that have lost their covers and designing new covers. Part of the project includes reading the book, writing a short summary for the inside front cover and a bit about themselves as the cover illustrator for the back inside. I will be interested in their comments.

Incidentally, we call our Easy area the Everyone area, also.
Received on Thu 06 Nov 1997 05:32:14 PM CST