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If there were just one special book that I could have from
my childhood it would be People by Peter Spier! I have the fondest childhood
memories of repeatedly checking this book out from the library and spending
hours examining ther detailed illustrations of people from all over the world.
When I finally came across this book in my adult life, I grabbed it up for my own personal collection of children’s literature. Eventually, I found another copy for my
classroom and was saddened by the fact that none of my students have connected with
it in the same way that I so fondly remember…
That hasn’t stopped me from introducing several of Spier’s books to my students over the years and I still keep a copy of People on the shelf just in case…
That hasn’t stopped me from introducing several of Spier’s books to my students over the years and I still keep a copy of People on the shelf just in case…
Spier’s books are beautifully illustrated with very detailed
drawings and often wordless or nearly so. There is always much to talk about
when reading his books and someone always seems to notice some new detail in
the pictures. I appreciate that the books are sparsely worded which allows me
the freedom to interpret the book based on student interests and needs.
Here are a few of my favorite Peter Spier books:
People
Gobble, Growl, Grunt
Crash, Boom, Bang
Circus
Noah’s Ark
The Fox went out on a Chilly Night
This one is a great folksong and is fun to sing rather than read. Here's one of my favorite versions of the song (there are many other versions available!):
Rain
We the People
Unfortunately, many of Spier's books are currently out of print. However, I've had good luck finding his books at thrift stores, Amazon used books and on Etsy. Happy hunting!
A Few of my Favorite Books: Paul Galdone
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Despite the fact that I’m a Montessori teacher, I still have
a deep love for fairytales and folktales and frequently enjoy sharing these
classic stories with my students. My all-time favorite author and illustrator
of classic fairytales is Paul Galdone.
His books usually use concise to-the-point language, which is great in special education (i.e. I don’t usually have to drastically modify the story as I read so that my students will understand). And his illustrations are beautiful, and enhance student comprehension of the story (I hate when the illustrations don't do much for understanding the story!)
His books usually use concise to-the-point language, which is great in special education (i.e. I don’t usually have to drastically modify the story as I read so that my students will understand). And his illustrations are beautiful, and enhance student comprehension of the story (I hate when the illustrations don't do much for understanding the story!)
Here are a few of my favorite Paul Galdone books:
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
The Three Billy Goat’s Gruff
The Little Red Hen
Three Little Kittens
The Gingerbread Man
Jack and the Beanstalk
I will give a little warning and suggest that you preview his books before reading them aloud so that you're not surprised by the content and/or storyline - specifically Jack & the Beanstalk! While I still love this book, his version includes the giant drinking lots of wine and passing out... I do tend to skip over this part!
