Monday, February 15, 2010

childhood favorites: blueberries for sal



There are some books from childhood that I will always love, and this is one of them. I love the simplicity of the story - with a dash of magical realism thrown in for good measure - about a little girl and her mother going to pick blueberries before the winter. It's the illustrations, though, that keep me coming back to this book and make me want to share it with the children in my classes. The drawings are rich in detail - you feel like you're in those fields and woods of Maine, lazing about, picking blueberries, meeting animals, and getting lost.

The faces of the characters are full of expression which is perhaps what I love the most - the surprise, the fear, and the relief on the characters faces is expressed so fully through the illustrations that the words of the story are almost unnecessary.

The author, Robert McCloskey, once said that he thinks "in pictures," and that he writes words to fill in the spaces between the pictures. For children who are not yet able to read words, this is a perfect book for them to "read" independently. Without words to anchor the story and give it a direction, young children are allowed to let their imaginations do the talking, guided by the pictures. McCloskey creates an experience for children, in which they can be both author and actor, crafting a new tale every time they read his book. What could be better than that?


*images borrowed from "Blueberries for Sal" by Robert McCloskey



1 comment:

  1. I love the soothing rhythm of this book, and I agree with you about the illustrations.

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