Our Budding Author/Illustrators

As part of our writing work, we have been doing an illustration study! The students first looked closely at picture book mentor texts to see the different techniques illustrators use to bring many elements of a book to life. Different points of view (bird's-eye view, turtle's-eye view), positions (characters face on, profile or from the back), zoom ins and zoom outs, cutaways that show you what's happening inside, facial expressions, seasonal setting details, split illustrations and double page spreads are just some of the ways that illustrators craft their pictures. 

Using these ideas as inspiration, the kids have been thoughtful about their own book illustrations. They have a list of some of the main types mentioned above in their writing folders to encourage them to attempt a variety of these techniques. Many students are feeling like master illustrators by this point! 

You can help your child continue to build their own repertoire of illustration styles by taking the time to notice some of the details in the illustrations of the books you read together. Some of our favorites during this study have been Tough Boris by Mem Fox, City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems, and Hop Toad by Jane Yolen.

We asked each student to open their own books to a page with illustration techniques they are really excited about.  You will see the pictures below. Ask your child to show you their page and tell you about their illustration!