Have You Read These Yet? New Illustrated Biographies Not to Miss #bookaday #CBAD #booklove #kidlit #IMWAYR

Here are three illustrated biographies I would be adding to bookrooms and classroom libraries. They are great read aloud choices for K-5 and wonderful mentor texts for 2-5. These books will be well loved!

I don’t know how I missed this book. It could be in so many text sets! It is one I will be sharing widely in the upcoming year. It is a perfect book to launch the beginning of reading workshop and writing workshop. It will inspire your readers to curate text collections that represents our world for your classroom library. Don’t miss the authors note in the back … it adds layers of meaning.

This book works beautifully for many of the units of study being taught in many schools. It is a book your students can look to as a mentor all year long. I love how it gives students a mentor text to write biography through the structure of poetry. The use of color sparks great conversations in elementary classrooms with regard to mood, tone, and how the color integrates with the text to add a layer of meaning. The integration of some of Gwendolyn Brooks’ earlier work inspires book clubs to take on inquiry projects of reading her other poetry and researching Chicago’s South Side in this time period.

I love the structure of this book. It provides students with so many opportunities to explore as a mentor text. Many writers will study the illustrations to think about how to add feeling, mood and motivation to their writing. The rhythm and pace of the text bring the story to life - I felt like I was running alongside Kathrine. I immediately went to find Girl Running - I think readers will want to compare and contrast the stories of these two runners! I so glad Kathrine’s number was retired by the BAA and thankful I was around to see her run it again in 2017.