17th April

No birthday, so I thought I'd focus on a couple of books that are excellent resources for Autumn. They both happen to be by author/illustrator Lois Ehlert and it isn't her birthday until November when you will have missed the chance to use them at an opportune time for discussions that connect the reader with their own experiences of Autumn. The books are Leaf Man and Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf. The first has as a main character a man made from collected autumn leaves, who has to go where the wind blows him. Making a collage of a leaf man is something that would be fun to do as a follow-up-to-reading or before-reading activity. The second book, Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf follows a maple leaf through the seasons. The illustrations are a visual feast!

Lois Ehlert would be on my list of top ten picture book illustrators. I love her books, the collage, the bright colours, the large print and labelling. Often they have die-cut pages and unusual shapes or cutouts. They are easy to use as a literature focus, a science focus or even an art/craft focus. Earth Day is coming up and most of her books emphasise the natural world and show Lois' passion for it. She has also done sufficient books to make her a good choice for an author study.