Like many of you, I've been reading In Pictures and In Words by Katie Wood Ray this summer.
And it's really made me realize just how important the illustrations are in kids' writing!
Even before kids are actually writing "words," they are creating incredible stories through their pictures! That's why I was excited when Barker Creek products sent me a set of their Draw * Write * Now books by Marie Hablitzel and Kim Stitzer.
Have you seen these? They are colorful books that show kids (and, ahem, adults) how to draw all sorts of things--from animals to people to much more. As you can see, the directions are colorful, clear and easy enough for even kindergartners to follow.
I love them, because not only to they show step-by-step directions for drawing specific items, they teach kids how to add a background and details to make their pictures even better.
Don't misunderstand me--I am completely against showing kids one way, and one way only to draw something. I would never want to stifle a child's own creativity. But these books give kids the tools and the confidence to create their own drawings!
There are 8 books available:
Book One: On the Farm, Kids and Critters, Storybook Characters
Book Two: Christopher Columbus, Autumn Harvest, The Weather
Book Three: Native Americans, North America, The Pilgrims
Book Four: The Polar Regions, The Arctic, The Antarctic
Book Five: The United States, From Sea to Sea, Moving Forward
Book Six: Animals & Habitats: On Land, Ponds and Rivers, Oceans
Book Seven: Animals of the World, Part 1: Forest Animals
Book Eight: Animals of the World, Part 2: Grassland and Desert Animals
As you can see, they would be great to integrate into science and social studies units. I can already see some awesome science journal pages.
They also include text for handwriting practice and lots of fun facts.
I plan on doing specific lessons from the books with my kids throughout the year. I also plan on putting all of the books in my art center, where I'm sure they will be well-loved!
So head on over to Barker Creek, and check out these books, and all of the other great products they have for teachers!
