A new, interactive approach to storytime, The Whole Book Approach was
developed in conjunction with the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
and expert author Megan Dowd Lambert's graduate work in children's
literature at Simmons College, offering a practical guide for reshaping
storytime and getting kids to think with their eyes.
Traditional storytime often offers a passive experience for kids, but
the Whole Book approach asks the youngest of readers to ponder all
aspects of a picture book and to use their critical thinking skills.
Using classic examples, Megan asks kids to think about why the trim size
of Ludwig Bemelman's Madeline is so generous, or why the typeset in
David Wiesner's Caldecott winner, The Three Pigs, appears to twist
around the page, or why books like Chris Van Allsburg's The Polar
Express and Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar are printed
landscape instead of portrait. The dynamic discussions that result from
this shared reading style range from the profound to the hilarious and
will inspire adults to make children's responses to text, art, and
design an essential part of storytime.