Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Books about Seeing the Possibilities


I love books that invite readers to reconsider the world around them. Just last week I finally had a chance to read the brand new book In Mary's Garden about Milwaukee, Wisconsin resident and artist Mary Nohl. The theme of this book, of seeing the possibilities in everyday life, immediately made me start making connections to other favorite books around this theme. Here are a few of my favorite books for inspiring kids, inventors, and artists.


In Mary's Garden (2015) by Tina and Carson Kűgler. This biography of artist Mary Nohl revolves around her interest in unusual topics and her ability to see the possibilities. For Mary, driftwood and a feather were not items to glance at and walk on but were a "marvelous creature" waiting to be discovered and assembled. Her collections of found objects became incredible sculptures and works of art, and I love how the author's note includes photographs of Mary and her art. I think this picture book is a powerful one for showing kids the possibilities for art in everyday objects and even "junk."


The Iridescence of Birds a book about Henri Matisse (2014) by Patricia MacLachlan and illustrated by Hadley Hooper. This biography about Henri Matisse focuses on the influences and environment of his life as a child. I really liked the emphasis within the text about how these influences shaped and inspired Matisse and his art. I think this book would be a great resource for art teachers to introduce Matisse to their students and to encourage kids to think about their own lives and how to turn them into art.


Roxaboxen (2004) by Alice McLerran and illustrated by Barbara Cooney . Roxaboxen tells the true story of an imaginary town created by the author's aunt and neighbors. Kids can immediately relate to this imaginative play, and the illustrations bring this invented place to life. I read this book to my students every year as part of our end-of-the-year memoir unit, and every year it inspires them to start building and creating. I love how something so small - broken glass, some black stones - can become an entire world.


The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2012) by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer with illustrations by Elizabeth Zunon. This picture book tells the true story of William Kamkwamba who at age 14 saw the possibilities in junkyard scraps and the knowledge found in his library in Malawi. He eventually taught himself enough engineering skills to creata functioning windmill that brought electricity and pump-irrigation to help his village.

On the fictional side of things, there are many great stories that continue this theme of seeing and believing in the possibilities of everyday life.



The Most Magnificent Thing (2014) by Ashley Spires. This fabulous new picture book by Ashley Spires, the author of the Binky the Space Cat graphic novels, chronicles the trials and tribulations of the nameless main character as she attempts to build the most magnificent thing. I love the combination of styles in the illustrations. I shared this book with my students earlier in the year, and it touched off a great classroom conversation about perseverance, creativity, frustration, and perfectionism.


Papa's Mechanical Fish (2013) by Candace Fleming and illustrated by Boris Kulikov. This fictionalized tale is based on the true story of inventor Lodner Phillips and his efforts to create a functional submarine in the 1850s. It is quite a whimsical take on the story but interesting at least from the perspective of getting kids to think about the barriers to invention and creation and how to overcome them when faced with difficulties. (H/T Christie at Write Wild.)

What are your favorite books for encouraging children to see and embrace the possibilities in their lives?

14 comments:

  1. Wow, this is a great list! I'm adding a bunch to my library list right now! Visiting from the Kid Lit Blog Hop!

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    1. Thanks so much for dropping by and glad you found something of use!

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  2. I really appreciate this post! I'm doing a new course called "The Creative Mind" in the fall and planning to read PBs to my college students every class session. I'll be sharing all of these titles for sure.In Mary's Garden is new to me and I wouldn't have thought about Roxaboxen, but I do love that book so much.

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    1. Love it when new connections are made! We were reading Roxaboxen this past week anyway as part of our memoir unit (Lucy Calkins), so I'm not sure I would have made the connection otherwise. But it's always worth another excuse to read it! (Although, I did have a record going for about three years where the week I'd read Roxaboxen, the kids would try to make their own at recess, and it immediately degenerated into major fights.)

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  3. I don't thing there is a book on that list I don't want to read!!! Thanks for an inspiring post and for hosting the Kid Lit Blog Hop

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    1. What a great compliment! You'll love 'em.

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  4. Thank you for sharing these wonderful titles and for the great reminder to stop and take time to notice the world around us. Happy you linked these books to the hop.

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    1. Thanks, Stacie. I think so often as adults we forget to notice and wonder, and it is such an important value to instill in kids!

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  5. What a great theme to explore--I look forward to reading all of these! Thanks for sharing on the Hop.

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    1. Thanks, Ingrid. I am sure you will enjoy them!

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  6. Love this list! See some favorites and some books that I need to put a hold on :) Thanks for sharing the wonderful list on KidLitBlogHop.

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    1. Thanks, Resh. I suspect you might have some new favorites after this!

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  7. Great idea for a list and I've definitely seen a few of these before! I had a guest contributor review "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" - great, great story. Thanks for joining us in the Hop!

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    1. Thanks, Renee. I love stories of individual people making big, big impacts!

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