3/13/2022 Picture Book Round-Up: Beds, Kites & Aerial Views

Sasha Wallace
Mar 13, 2022
4 min read

In honor of the insane weather we’ve been having lately here in Central Florida, this week’s selection pays homage to harnessing the wind.

Picture Book 1 (Bedknobs & Broomsticks meets A Christmas Carol)

Title: Just A Dream

Author & Illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg

Recommended for: Grades 2-3

Basic plot: This is an environmentalist take on “A Christmas Carol”. Walter is a young boy who scoffs at his do-good neighbor, Rose, & tosses trash anywhere he pleases. His concern for the world around him is nonexistent until a series of nightmares sees him ensconced in a future not too different from Earth in the Pixar film WALL-E. After landing in each dystopian vista, Walter’s opinions about recycling & conservation radically change.

Why I love it: Weirdly enough, this is one of Van Allsburg’s lesser-known gems. He’s more famous for Jumanji, The Polar Express & The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. No stranger to the Caldecott Medal, which he’s won twice, Van Allsburg is known for his evocative imagery & wistful storylines.

Van Allsburg deftly weaves the call to activism in a way that isn’t overbearing or preachy. His protagonist is humbled by wonder & despair, which I find fascinating, as most children’s books would just abruptly end with the protagonist wondering if the events truly occurred & never changing any facet of their routine despite the experience. This is a book of imagination & advocacy, brilliantly spangled together. Who wouldn’t want to travel from the safety of their bed?

Where can you find it? Amazon, eBay, AbeBooks, Thriftbooks, OverDrive (cheapest $2.26 & up, used). There’s also several YouTube read-alongs for free.

Extension activity: Of course one must watch Bedknobs & Broomsticks, a movie similarly famous for the mode of transportation (a four-poster bed) by which the family travels. It would be beneficial for your kiddo to draw comparisons between the two. One can similarly watch Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, for the same reasons.

These questions may help ignite a discussion: What is it about traveling by bed that is so stirring to the mind? How is it different than a flying carpet? A broom? What other mundane items have people used to travel in fiction?

This Texas website has great resources if your kiddo is fond of worksheets. My favorite is the dream analysis assignment.

https://www.texasdeafed.org/Page/535

Picture Book 2 (what I really think of when I hear the term “kite runner”)

Title: Catch the Wind!

Author & Illustrator: Gail Gibbons

Recommended for: Grades 3-5

Basic plot: This is more nonfiction than not, following a group of kids as they purchase, build & fly different kinds of kites. There’s a lot of background on the history & implementation of these soaring curiosities. The pictures are simplistic & charming, resembling a coloring book or stencil drawing.

Why I love it: I have such rosy memories of flying kites in elementary school during field days, or bringing a simple red box kite to Anastasia Island to tug in the swirling jetstream above the waves. Everyone loves that feeling of the wind catching, pulling & dancing with their kite & having it on a string makes you feel in control & connected to that. It really is blissful & fun, all at once. I used to keep a fancy dragon kite in my college dorm room against the wall because I thought it looked so fearsome & artistic.

Where can you find it? Amazon, eBay, AbeBooks, Thriftbooks (cheapest $0.94 & up, used).

Extension activity: Obviously, one must build their own kite & fly it in the park! Just be cognizant of other people so you don’t get tangled up. Here’s a great link from the TeachEngineering website for getting started: https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/ucd_kite_activity1

I also think it would be fun to listen to “Let’s Go Fly A Kite” from the original Mary Poppins soundtrack & describe the sensory details of it. How does the song capture the 5 senses? What is the theme? The tone?

You can always steer this lesson towards Benjamin Franklin if you want a more historical or scientific context. It is nearly springtime, so I think allowing your kiddo to learn basic facts & cavort in the sunshine would be a welcome respite.

Look for a wide, open space - a field or meadow - & let loose!

Picture Book 3 (if you could fly, this book would be your view)

Title: Anno’s Journey

Author & Illustrator: Mitsumasa Anno

Recommended for: Any, but probably PreK-1 would enjoy it most

Basic plot: There isn’t one. You ramble over Tudor-style & possibly medieval villages from start to finish. It is very calming, almost like corneal meditation.

Why I love it: Truly, the villages remind me of Germany. Especially Schloss Burg (Solingen), though a friend swears it is more like Arundel, England. I love how the author doesn’t feel the need to tell a story. Like other wordless picture books (think Journey by Aaron Becker), your mind can easily fill in the blanks.

Where can you find it? Amazon, eBay, AbeBooks, Thriftbooks (cheapest $2.59 & up, used).

Extension activity: Have your child write the accompanying plot. Each page, they must create an event with characters, setting & purpose clearly fleshed out. This would be a great warm-up for a more complex creative writing activity later in the day. Especially if you ask them to consider the perspective of an eagle or falcon.

Try this prompt: You are a bird. Describe your day, the sights & marvels you come across, how you feel about them, what you understand, etc.

You can even parlay this into a research project about falconry in the Middle Ages. Perhaps even visit a Renaissance fair to see the hawks & ospreys.

I recommend the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire in Gainesville, Florida. There’s a wonderfully informative book below to pair with that:

Additionally, you can glean more information about carrier (homing) pigeons during the World Wars (I’m certain this was the inspiration for the owls in the Harry Potter franchise). If you do so, I suggest looking up Cher Ami, who won the Croix de Guerre for bravery & saved hundreds of lives with his heroism.

I highly recommend watching the “Pigeon Man” episode of Hey Arnold! & completing a reflection journal on it. The episode handles bullying, outcasts, & animal-human bonding that is very rousing to the sympathetic intellect.