Matching Children’s Literature with the Equipped for the Future
Content Standards and Common Activities (2002), by Meta Potts
In family literacy, it is critical to purposefully plan for the integration of program components. Research tells us that programs incorporating such fusion are the most successful. One way to support the integration of program components is to use children’s literature whose subjects/themes coincide with the focus in adult education. Programs, especially those that are planning and implementing with the Equipped for the Future (EFF) Framework, can apply these books to the learning goals in PACT time, parent meetings, or the early childhood classroom.
This annotated list matches a selection of children’s literature with two elements of the EFF Content Framework: 1.the EFF Content Standards (in four skill categories: communication; decision-making; interpersonal; lifelong learning) and 2.the EFF Common Activities. This list is far from complete. There are many, many lists of quality books; this selection concentrates on books that may be new to you, and the list is far from. Also some of the standards and common activities are left out, not because they are less important than the others, but because we have not found appropriate children’s literature to match. We will continue to search, and as you discover favorites that fit in appropriate areas, please pass them on, and share with others.
EFF Communication Skills
Standards
Read with Understanding “What we sometimes fail to appreciate is that skilled reading is an intellectual feat no less complex than chess playing.” Marcel Just in Schools For Thought
For adults, the EFF Standard Read with Understanding defines the skill of reading as follows: determine the reading purpose; selecting reading strategies appropriate to that purpose; monitor comprehension and adjust reading strategies; analyze the information and reflect on its meaning; integrate it with prior knowledge to address the reading purpose.
For young children, reading means pointing, labeling, naming, sounding out words, guessing and predicting, pretending to read, retelling stories, and recognizing the association between the spoken and written words. As they get older, they are trying out words and phrases, using various strategies to construct meaning until, finally, they experience the magic and say, “I can read.”
Many of our first reading books are (1) alphabet books, and from there we can move to (2) wordless books for which the reader supplies the language to tell the stories. Not all wordless books are meant only for very young children. There are some sophisticated wordless books meant for older readers, as well. Here are some excellent choices:
Anno’s Journey, written and illustrated by Mitsumasa Anno
Wordless but complex, the story unfolds as a traveler moves from water to land and all that a countryside has to offer. A cross-cultural view of the world is offered in detailed drawings.
Building, written and illustrated by Elisha Cooper
This will be a great addition to your block area in the preschool classroom. It presents in detail, the construction of a building from the ground up.
Zoom, written and illustrated by Istvan Banyai
On each page there is a world within a world. The reader must zoom in closer to find that the details in each picture reveal new pictures that have more pictures inside of them.
(3) From wordless books to picture books and story books—simple texts that young children can study and “read with understanding.” Here are a few favorites:
Aardvarks, Disembark! written and illustrated by Ann Jonas
When the flood was over, Noah had the difficult job of removing the animals from the arc as it sat atop Mt. Ararat. He calls out their names as they leave the ship. He and his family leave last, and as they walk down the mountain, they pass many animals, now endangered or even extinct. The text is sideways because they are walking down the mountain!
City Dog, written and illustrated by Karla Kuskin
Written in verse, the story is about a dog who gets to take a trip from the city to the country, covers daylight to dark under a smiling “melon yellow moon.”
Color Zoo, written and illustrated by Lois Ehlert
Animals, the likes of which you have never seen before, hide in the shapes and cutouts that pile up and rearrange to make new animals out of the old ones. The author, illustrator has also written Color Farm.
Fireman Small, written and illustrated by Wong Herbert Yee
The helpful fireman comes to the rescue of Farmer Pig’s cat stuck in a tree; Little Bunny, who has fallen down a well; and the bakery, which is truly on fire. Fireman Small cannot get any sleep with all these interruptions!
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, written and illustrated by Simms Taback
In this adaptation of an old Yiddish folktale, Joseph trims his overcoat to make a jacket, which gets smaller and smaller until there is only a button. But that’s enough to make a story.
Max books. All of them written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells
Max, a lovable rabbit toddler has a bossy older sister named Ruby. But Max is not intimidated. (More Max under EFF Interpersonal Skills.)
More, More, More Said the Baby, written and illustrated by Vera B. Williams
Three babies and the games that people play with them, causing them to say, “more, more, more.”
Not So Fast, Songololo, written and illustrated by Nicki Daly
Malusi goes with his granny to the city to buy new shoes. In South Africa they are called tackies, but we know them as sneakers.
On Market Street, written by Arnold Lobel and illustrated by Anita Lobel
An unusual alphabet book in which the boy travels down Market Street on a buying adventure to find presents for his friends, each present beginning with a letter of the alphabet: apples, quilts, wigs, and more.
Our Granny, written by Margaret Wild, illustrated by Julie Vivas
In just the way preschoolers talk, the story of Granny with a wobbly bottom and other peculiarities moves like a parade through other Grannies and what they do and like. Of course, they are not like “our granny.”
Possum Come A Knockin’, written by Nancy Van Laan, illustrated by George Booth
A rhythmic tale, which invites everyone to become involved in the rhyme, describes a visit to an ordinary household by a possum in a top hat and vest.
Ruby, written and illustrated by Michael Emberley
A new setting for Little Red riding Hood—in the city of Boston, where she sets out on a trip to Beacon Hill to see her grandmother. She is carrying triple-cheese pies when she runs into the suspicious cat.
Sheep in a Jeep, written by Nancy Shaw, illustrated by Margaret Apple
Off they go for a ride in a jeep, a whole flock of sheep. Fun, chanting-book for toddlers and preschoolers.
So Say the Little Monkeys, written by Nancy Van Laan, illustrated by Umi Heo
The setting is the Rio Negro River in Brazil, and the little monkeys huddle high in the trees to get out of the rain. A great read-aloud with words like “jibba, jabba” and “plinka, plinka.”
Thank You, Mr. Falker, written by Patricia Polacco
This autobiographical account of how a little girl learned to read is a thank you note to teachers, especially to the one who rescued Trisha from the bleakness of jumbled letters and numbers and from classmates who called her dummy.
Convey Ideas in Writing “Very little is needed to make a happy life. It is all within yourself, in your way of thinking. “ Marcus Aurelius
For adults, the EFF Standard Convey Ideas in Writing defines the skill of writing as follows: determine the purpose for communicating; organize and present information to serve the purpose, context, and audience; pay attention to the conventions of English language usage; and seek feedback and revise to enhance the effectiveness of the communications.
Young children convey ideas in writing by scribbling and using shapes to portray their ideas, pretending to write. Later, they learn to copy, especially recognizing and writing their own names and words that are needed for their work or play. It is a joyful art, this writing down of words, phrases, and sentences, and a wondrous time when finally, they learn to generate their own ideas and compose “real” writing.
Just as our first reading books may be alphabet books, likewise, our first writing books are those that help us to identify letters and sound; and there seem to be thousands of these books. Here are a few special nominations for your library:
Alphabet City, written and illustrated by Stephen T. Johnson
Realistic paintings of the shapes of letters hidden in various structures around New York City—the fire escape is Z, a lamppost is J.
Antler, Bear, Canoe: A Northwoods Alphabet Year, written and illustrated by Betsy Bowen
Woodcuts and text single out the seasons in the area of northern Minnesota, close to the Canadian border. As the title implies, the reader is introduced to local animals and artifacts of the area.
The Peaceable Kingdom: The Shaker Abecedarius , written and illustrated by Alice Provensen
Animals parade through the pages of this A, B, C book in a Shaker setting, illustrated with designs that we prize today.
Watch William Walk, written and illustrated by Ann Jonas
Every word begins with the letter “W,” including Wilma, William’s friend, Wally, the dog, Wanda, the duck. Their actions also begin with “W,” walk, waddle and wade.
Older children’s alphabet books include:
Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions, written by Margaret Musgrove, illustrated by Leo Dillon
A description of various aspects of African culture and a glimpse of various tribes, including the Dogon, the Fanta, and the Kung.
The Disappearing Alphabet, written by Richard Wilbur, illustrated by David Diaz
In this book, originally written for adults and most enjoyed by children old enough to read and write, the author imagines what it would be like if letters of the alphabet began to disappear. Examples take the reader all the way from A to Z.
Older children will also become familiar with the importance of writing down our ideas when they read:
The Journey, written by Sarah Stewart, illustrated by David Small
An Amish girl named Hannah visits Chicago for the first time, and her wonder with all she sees is recorded in her diary. Every page begins with a greeting to “her silent friend,” Dear Diary.
Author: A True Story, written and illustrated by Helen Lester
When a child learns early that she wants to be a writer, she begins to “scribble” with meaning. Her teen prose becomes skilled writing with discipline, practice and editing.
Listen Actively [Our] “own experiences and personal history, including our cultural, social and familial frame of reference, may shape how we listen and what we hear.” Jill Taylor and Carol Gilligan
For adults, the EFF Standard Listen Actively defines the skill of listening as follows: attend to oral information; clarify purpose for listening and use appropriate listening strategies; monitor comprehension; and integrate information from listening with prior knowledge to address the listening purpose.
For children, listening actively means that they are paying attention and taking responsibility for their own learning by listening; asking for help when they do not understand the spoken message; and making connections between what they know and what they are learning by listening.
The Other Way to Listen by Byrd Baylor and Peter Parnall
This is the story of an old man who had a special way of hearing and of a child who hoped to learn his secrets. The text includes short conversational responses to nature. Of course, it takes a lot of practice to listen like this.
Observe Critically “I discovered the secret of the sea in meditation upon the dewdrop.” Kahlil Gibran
For adults, the EFF Standard Observe Critically defines the observation of visual sources of information as follows: attend to visual sources of information, including television and other media; determine the purpose for observation and use strategies appropriate to the purpose; monitor comprehension and adjust strategies; analyze the accuracy, bias, and usefulness of the information; and integrate new information with prior knowledge to address the viewing purposes.
For children, observing critically may simply mean to look closely at something, taking time to see it in a different way than we have ever seen it before; demonstrating curiosity and showing an eagerness to see something in a new light.
The following books lead us, as adults, to encourage critical observation in children:
Rain, written and illustrated by Peter Spier
When a little girl and her younger brother go out to play in the yard, it is a sunny day. But soon, it begins to rain. The storm continues, giving the children a chance to explore and study their neighborhood in a new light.
Where’s Our Mama? written and illustrated by Diane Goode
When Mama runs after her hat in a French train station, two of her children are left behind. When they try to find her, they explain to a policeman what she looks like, but he finds their descriptions are not clear enough.
Everybody Needs a Rock, written by Byrd Baylor, illustrated by Peter Parnall
If you look closely enough and observe at just the right angles, you will find the rock that belongs to you, a bit of the earth that is not too big and not too small.